While Saitama is the strongest character in One-Punch Man, another hero has proved to be much more impressive, despite being the weakest. King, a normal human who is considered one of the strongest heroes by mere coincidence, actually behaved incredibly bravely during the long and gruesome battle against the Monster Association, proving he is not just a comedic character.
King is the S-Class Rank 7 professional hero of the Hero Association. Known as “The Strongest Man on Earth,” King is actually a normal person who has an incredible amount of luck, both good and bad, which makes him accidentally show up in locations where monster attacks happen. Every time, Saitama shows up to defeat the creatures, and all the credit goes to King as the only person left on the scene. This has created a fearsome reputation among heroes and monsters both, and King’s mere presence is enough to intimidate even the strongest opponents, who are totally oblivious of his true nature. King is also a master at video games, and he developed a good relationship with Saitama, being one of the few people in the world aware of his amazing power.
During the battle against the Monster Association, King was also involved despite his best efforts to hide or run away. However, when S-Class Rank 1 hero Blast appeared, he asked King to take care of an injured Tatsumaki (the Rank 2 hero Tornado of Terror.) In chapter #169, when a group of low-level heroes is beating up an already-defeated Garou, King intervenes and stops them thanks to his fearsome reputation. In that sequence, King is still holding the passed-out Tatsumaki in his arms. King never let go of the girl all this time and he still doesn’t, even though the battle is over.
While King was mostly a comic relief character until now, the long battle against the Monster Association and Garou made him evolve, just as happened with Saitama. King is displaying a protective attitude towards the injured Tatsumaki, prioritizing her safety over his own. Previously, when the S-Class heroes were about to be killed by three Monster Association Executives, King stepped up and used his reputation and threatening presence to stall the monsters, until Garou showed up and defeated them. Overall, he is no longer the coward he was portrayed to be in the past, and now acts as a real hero should.
In chapter #169, King is also shown to possess a keen, analytical mind. He realizes that Garou is not the monster he pretends to be and that he saved the boy Tareo, which makes King step up to protect him from the other heroes. It appears that, after becoming friends with Saitama and Genos, King is slowly stepping up to be worthy of the trust that the other heroes and the public put in him. While Saitama’s feats are as impressive as his strength, King’s achievements are even more so, considering he is the weakest character in One-Punch Man.
One-Punch Man chapter #169 is available via the Viz Media website.
