Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #194 of One-Punch Man (#192 of Viz numbering)Recent chapters of One-Punch Man, besides having their usual comedic antics, also finally have Saitama explicitly calling one of the heroes his “friend”. Surprisingly, it isn’t Genos, despite the cyborg’s long-time presence in both the manga and the bald hero’s life. Instead, Saitama’s friend is someone who, in hindsight, has always been an obvious choice.
As shown in chapter #194 of One-Punch Man, Saitama seems to consider King his one true friend. This makes sense: thematically, King has always been a foil and confidante of Saitama, with their casual relationship allowing Saitama to relax and get away from the continued misunderstandings from everyone else he knows.
In the previous chapter, Saitama referred to King as “his friend”, which is a term he rarely uses. Either way, it’s clear the two have a special relationship, one that is pretty unusual for the aloof Saitama.
King Is The Only One Who Does Not Misunderstand Saitama
Chapter #194 has another great “Saitama is misunderstood” moment. After he is pestered by ninjas, heroes, wannabe disciples, rivals, and so on, Saitama tells them he doesn’t really want to teach, learn, or compete. This is interpreted by Genos, Flashy Flash, and Sonic in basically the same way: Saitama lacks confidence. When they all try to console him, he gets angry and immediately calls King to set up a video game session, even yelling “These guys never understand!”. This reaction shows that Saitama considers King as the one person who sees him as he truly is, which is an essential quality for a friend.
This is a sad development for Genos, who has a true adoration for Saitama. Despite being a dogged follower of Saitama since the beginning of the story, that ultimately has been Genos’s niche: a loyal, self-proclaimed student”. While Genos recognizes Saitama’s power, he’s always taken their imaginary “relationship” too seriously, often without the former’s input. On the other hand, King has never misunderstood anything Saitama has said or done, and vice versa. These two have never factored their unearned reputations into their interactions, which is why they get along so well.
Genos’ Adoration For Saitama Gets In The Way Of Their Friendship
King is the only one who truly understands Saitama, and never misinterprets his actions or statements, as everyone else in the world does. Conversely, Saitama is the only one who never misinterprets King and doesn’t think he’s the strongest man in the world. This created a true, strong bond between the two, shown through their gaming sessions. Nonetheless, the sight of Saitama leaving Genos to his own illusions in a huff to relax with King confirms how the all-powerful protagonist sees his relationship with each of them.
That is not to say Genos is not valued, but ultimately he is part of the ongoing joke that surrounds Saitama. King, on the other hand, has a lot more in common with Saitama, despite being incredibly weak, and he is clearly set up in the story as a counterpart to the protagonist. Once again, One-Punch Man has used a comedy setup to deliver a powerful, deep message about its protagonist, and unfortunately for fans of Genos, they’ll have to concede that the title of Saitama‘s best friend has to go to King.
One-Punch Man is available from Viz Media.
