"All it takes is one punch" the story of Saitama, the One Punch Man

If you were searching for an unconventional manga series look no more, One Punch Man is definitely the one for you. Set in a fictional world where monsters are abundant, and heroes are employed and deployed through an association, comes our lead character Saitama, a plain-looking, bald-headed average joe, who in reality isn’t average in any way. His strength and speed are beyond measure to such an extent that he beats every foe with just one punch (hence the name).

Saitama’s character is created in a way that you are forced to throw everything you know about shonen lead characters out of the window. He has no quest for power as he is, perhaps in his universe already the most powerful. He has no devastating backstory for which he might need to redeem himself. There is nothing spectacular (other than his physical strength) about him that could have led him to play the lead role of the series. All in all, it makes him a very relatable character to his readers.

The artist who is known as ONE is responsible for creating Saitama and has managed to create this character who for all reasons, should not be entertaining yet might be one of the most entertaining characters ever. Then there are also other characters like Genos the cyborg, a textbook shonen hero who wants to get stronger only to protect the weak. He is perhaps introduced just to draw the parallel between traditional shonen heroes and Saitama.

All in all, One Punch Man is that manga that questions every other manga series. Perhaps that is the reason it turned into such a hit and then was later even well-received as an anime series. It is ongoing and there does seem to be no limit to Saitama’s strength ... yet. So whatever you do, do not skip out on this series. It is a must-watch.