Warning: Spoilers for One-Punch Man #191 (JP)One-Punch Man‘s greatest villain, who just a few chapters ago was at the level of destroying planets, has now been reduced to scrubbing floors in atonement–and it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to him.
Garou made his return appearance in chapter 191, rather unexpectedly, since he only appears on a few pages at the very end. Garou is shown to be working at Bang’s dojo, along with his other remaining apprentices, Charanko (who Saitama impersonated in the Super Fight arc) and Sour Face. Garou is now at the bottom of the ladder, though, performing the most menial of tasks such as scrubbing the floors. He’s even been forced into getting a part-time job, apparently court ordered, the funds from which he’s using to help rebuild Bang’s dojo after his reputation as the Hero Hunter caused everyone to flee.
Garou’s Circumstances Are the Perfect Humbling Experience
While this version of Garou never had the powers of “God,” he still had a number of other incredible feats to his name, such as karate chopping the enormous monster Centisennin in half from the stratosphere down to Earth. It might seem embarrassing to be reduced to such chores, but what Garou needed more than anything was to be humbled, and his former master is the only one who could possibly have done that. By re-instituting Garou as his pupil, Bang is not only taking responsibility for what Garou did, but also for his future, to ensure that he never goes astray again.
Aside from humbling him, it’s pretty funny to see the big villain of the last arc scrubbing floors, which is more atoning than what most villains do after they’re defeated. Garou never really wanted to be evil; he saw an injustice in the way that monsters and heroes were each treated, and in his own twisted way was trying to right a perceived wrong. Garou definitely deserves a second chance to become the hero that he’s actually always longed to be, and step one to becoming that hero is to break down the ego which Garou built up–something his former master excels at doing.
It should be interesting to see what lies ahead for Garou, as he performs these menial tasks and part-time jobs. After receiving so much focus throughout the Monster Association arc, Garou’s absence from the story felt a little strange, so it’s good to see him again, especially now that he’s working towards bettering himself and atoning. There’s certainly more of a role for Garou to play in One-Punch Man, but just what that role is remains a mystery, for now.
