Warning: Contains spoilers for One Punch-Man chapter #155!
After three and a half years of separation, the protagonist of One Punch-Man, Saitama, and his best (and only) disciple Genos are finally reunited, and series artist Yusuke Murata celebrated the touching moment with a beautiful, two-pages color spread in the latest chapter of the hit manga.
One Punch-Man, with story by One and art by Yusuke Murata, follows the adventures of Saitama, a professional hero who is so strong that his fights end with a single punch. Constantly bored due to the lack of challenges, Saitama has lost the motivation that pushed him to become a hero in the first place, until he meets the cyborg Genos, an up-and-coming hero who is climbing the ladder of the Hero Association. Genos wants to get stronger to exact his revenge on the cyborg who killed his family and left him for dead, so, after witnessing Saitama’s incredible power, he asks to become his disciple. The bald hero accepts only because he finds it convenient to have Genos around to do his housework, Saitama slowly develops genuine friendship and affection towards the young cyborg. In the manga, Genos often acts as a comic counterpart to Saitama’s antics. He is an intense person, unyielding in his pursuit of strength and justice, but Saitama has been a moderating influence, helping him relax and take a more measured approach to his goals.
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The last time that Genos and Saitama were shown together was in chapter #91 of the manga, published in March 2018. A group of heroes was spending the night at Saitama’s house, after which the protagonist went out for a walk. Unbeknownst to him, his house is built on top of the underground Monster Association’s headquarters, and he wandered into the lair of the powerful group, getting involved by pure chance in the battle between the heroes and the monsters, which is the main event depicted in the ongoing “Monster Association” arc. A short time later, Genos also joins the fight, making his way to the Monster Association base, but the two heroes fought on different battlefields, never crossing paths, until the newly released chapter #155. Finally emerging from underground, Saitama finds Genos in pieces (but still alive) after a fierce battle against the top Monster Association executives. Completely ignoring the remaining enemies, Saitama rushes to his friend’s side. It’s a beautiful moment and a rare show of emotions for Saitama, perfectly captured by artist Yusuke Murata.
Genos getting almost dismantled is a recurring trope in the manga. He always trains to get stronger and upgrades himself with new parts, until he meets a monster that is just too powerful to overcome and he is forced to watch as Saitama shows up and defeats the enemy in one hit. It’s an act that plays on Genos’ desire to learn the secret to Saitama’s strength, something that even the titular hero is oblivious of. After the fight with Elder Centipede, Genos, having a crisis of confidence, asked Saitama what he lacked, to which the bald hero simply responded “Power“, a naive answer that however Genos took as hiding some deeper meaning. For this reason, it was really unusual to see Saitama complimenting his young disciple in chapter #155. When Genos regrets not being able to self-destruct to defeat his enemies, Saitama puts a hand on his chest, saying”This part here got stronger too“, touching the cyborg’s energy core but obviously referring to his spirit and his will to survive.
The relationship between Genos and Saitama is one of the most entertaining aspects of One Punch-Man. Seeing the usually cold and oblivious master finally warm up to his disciple and friend was a great payoff for fans of the manga. It made for a unique moment that was beautifully rendered by Murata’s art, and given its right importance with the use of color.
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