Saitama - One Punch Man Analysis

Published on November 21, 2024

It’s funny to think that the person who has had the most impact on my life is a fictional character from a comedy anime. The anime I’m talking about is One-Punch Man (Season 1).

I highly recommend watching the anime first. Spoilers ahead.

The anime is a masterpiece with the potential to change your perspective on how to live. It’s one of things I come back to whenever I feel lost in life. Here, I’m just sharing a few of the subtle philosophical ideas that resonated with me, rather than giving a full summary. I was listening to the Opm sad OST on loop when writing this article, I’d highly recommend listening to it when reading.

Initial look into Saitama’s thoughts

In the very first scene, we get a glimpse into Saitama’s mind. He’s a hero “for fun”. Not for some noble cause, not for fame, and definitely not for anyone else.

After a few more fights, Saitama realises nobody knows who he is, despite all the good he’s done. This seems unfair—he’s saved so many people, so they should be grateful to him, right? We see ourselves in him, not getting recognised for our work. The Anime keeps triggering this emotion in us throughout.

The anime’s answer for above is simple: he’s not registered in the Hero Registry. Anyone doing heroic work without being registered is just seen as some weirdo.

The Hero Registry

A Commentary on Social Systems

To me, the hero system is a metaphor. We’re all the heroes of our own lives, the monsters are the challenges we face, and the people in the town represent society. The hero hierarchy mirrors our social structures. At the top, there are “S-class” people whom society respects, while at the bottom, there are “C-class” people struggling just to be acknowledged. Then there are those who follow their hearts and do honest work, only to be dismissed as weirdoes. Anybody who doesn’t conform to the societal norms isn’t worthy of any respect apparently.

As viewers, we naturally want Saitama to get the recognition he deserves. We want society to see how strong he is. But every time he does heroic work, someone else gets the credit. I remember getting quite frustrated over this.

What Kind of Hero Do I Want to Be?

He decides he’ll register in the hero registry. He takes the hero exam but, despite being so strong, is placed at the bottom. Does this mean he’s less of a hero than the others? Is he less deserving of respect? This reflects how our own social hierarchies can be unfair, with flawed and unjust rules for moving up the ladder.

After the exam, we see Saitama questioning whether this is the kind of hero he wants to be—a hero defined by some arbitrary rank. A similar question that comes to our mind every now and then: “Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing?”

The Meteor Arc

Rising in the Ranks

The next big moment is when Saitama saves the city by destroying a meteor—something even the top S-class heroes couldn’t do. He moves up from rank 342 to rank 5 in class C. Here, we see a more human side of him; he’s genuinely excited. It’s not that he doesn’t care about the hero system at all—after all, he’s only human. Climbing the social hierarchy, however absurd, gives us a certain satisfaction. That’s just human nature, and there’s nothing wrong with it.

The Ugly Society

But Saitama’s triumph doesn’t go as expected. He’s blamed for the partial destruction of the city, despite saving it. We see the ugly side of society: instead of focusing on the good he did, he’s ridiculed. Other heroes even try to humiliate him out of jealousy. Watching this was a stark reminder of how cruel society can be.

Imagine a hero whose primary motivation was to become a person who is admired by the people he saves. Such a person would be crushed by this response, feeling like all their efforts were in vain. But Saitama is different. He’s not unaffected by the public humiliation; we can see he’s angry.

But he can endure it and keep going because he doesn’t rely on others’ approval, at the fundamental level. His motivation comes from within.

In following scenes, people continue to dismiss Saitama’s accomplishments, seeing them as “cheating” simply because he’s a C-class hero. We see this in real life too: when someone lower on the social hierarchy does something good, it often goes unnoticed, while influencers doing the same thing on camera get praised as model citizens.

Deep Sea King Arc

The Scene

Then comes the Deep Sea King arc. There are many ideas to unpack here, but I’ll stick to what’s relevant to Saitama. The Deep Sea King is incredibly strong; Puri Puri Prisoner and Genos both lose to him. After a beautiful scene with Mumen Rider, Saitama finally arrives. Mumen Rider is utterly defeated, but Saitama congratulates him saying it was a good fight.

Saitama defeats the monster in front of a huge audience. We assume he’ll finally get the recognition he deserves. Someone in the crowd claims that only Saitama is the “real” hero, dismissing the others who risked their lives. That they shouldn’t even call themselves heroes as a hero’s job is to beat villains.

Saitama’s True Strength

This moment shows us the true strength of Saitama, not the strength of his body but of his character. He could accept the praise and become popular, which he secretly wants, since he’s only human.

But Saitama asks himself what is the price of this recognition? Is it fine for people to think heroism is just beating monsters and being the strongest. Is it fine for them to not value the other heroes who died saving them?

If I extend the metaphor, all of us in our lives are facing our own monsters, our own challenges. A small time artist doing what he loves can’t make the big bucks like some wealthy businessman or attract incredible fame like some superstar. But does that mean he isn’t a hero? Is he less worthy of respect?

Saitama wasn’t impressed by Mumen Rider’s ability to hurt the Deep Sea King; he was impressed by his spirit. He doesn’t believe that being a hero is just about defeating monsters. It’s fine even if the monster isn’t defeated, he respect the fight.

Yes, he wants appreciation, but he knows there are things that matter more to him. He believes that his reputation isn’t worth sacrificing the true meaning of heroism in people’s hearts.

He willingly claims that he was only able to defeat the monster as others weakened it before. This leads to the crowd completely hating him for trying to steal credit for other heroes work. He makes people hate him.

What really matters?

The first time I watched this scene, I was just a 16 yr old kid and I was completely in awe. How can someone willingly invite public ridicule when he has done nothing to deserve it? How can someone’s will be this strong? Just as a viewer I desperately wanted him to finally be recognised, so I can only imagine how much he would want it. Even then, he does what he believes in, without getting corrupted fame and appreciation. This is just magical to me.

Over time, I started to question whether wanting appreciation is inherently wrong, questioning the motive behind each of my actions. As humans, we naturally crave recognition, fame, or validation— that’s part of how we’ve evolved. However, if this becomes our primary motivation for everything we do, it will eventually corrupt us. What if, in the end, after getting the recognition we wanted, we find that we’ve lost our true selves in the process? Would you say that was a fair bargain?

Saitama follows his heart irrespective of what society expects from him. It would definitely make him happy if people would appreciate what he’s been doing, but he won’t change himself just so he’d be appreciated.

The Reward of True Heroism

He doesn’t gain widespread recognition despite his good deeds. He doesn’t have a fan club. Most of the people think he’s just a cheat. But, he earns the respect of a few people. And they respect him for who he truly is.

Maybe, in the end, they are the only ones who truly matter.