Warning: contains spoilers for One-Punch Man
The most dedicated fans of One-Punch Man may have noticed that there’s a chapter missing, but the reason why is less clear. As a professionally published series, that kind of mistake is very unlikely, so it must have been skipped deliberately. Yet, in the English chapter numbering through Viz’s Shonen Jump release, the chapter numbers are completely different, and nothing has been skipped. So what’s the deal?
One-Punch Man is fairly unusual in terms of how it releases its manga chapters. Chapters can be of varying lengths, with some over a hundred pages, while others are less than ten, and longer chapters may be released in smaller parts as they’re finished. In the Japanese release, the most recent chapter is 143, while the English release for the same chapter is 140. The differences are mostly accounted for by counting some of these sub-chapter “parts” differently, so it’s not that the English release is behind or missing chapters. The collected print volumes of the manga are sometimes different still, as certain panels and pages may be redrawn by artist Yusuke Murata for print release, with longer chapters broken up or smaller chapters combined together to create more standardized lengths. All this makes discussing chapters of One-Punch Man by numbering alone rather confusing, so fans usually discuss the story by separating them into story arcs.
However, while the latest chapter of the Japanese manga was labeled chapter 143, there was no chapter 141. Chapter 140 was released on March 3, while chapter 142 was released on March 22, leaving no room for 141. Chapters 140 and 142 follow different characters, with 140 focusing on King and Metal Bat, and 142 opening with Suiryu before moving on to Child Emperor, Sweet Mask, and Zombieman. 143 moves to yet another batch of characters, like Genos and Fubuki. There’s no indication of what content might belong in chapter 141, but it seems likely that based on the pattern of rotating character focus, 141 would check in with a set of characters that weren’t featured in any of its neighboring chapters.
The last time Saitama was seen was chapter 139, as he and Flashy Flash accidentally made contact with some god-like being of incalculable power, which offered to make a deal with them to share its power. Before a deal could be struck, however, they were teleported away from the Monster Association Headquarters by #1 hero Blast, just prior to Tornado’s devastating attack that destroyed the structure. While almost every hero has been shown to have avoided collateral damage from Tornado’s attack, the fate of those three hasn’t been confirmed. It’s possible that chapter 141 may reveal further interactions with this god-like being, either focusing on Blast or Saitama, or even both.
Most likely, the chapter number was skipped in order to leave space for a later chapter, which would take place during this period chronologically but may be withheld from readers for dramatic purposes. Rather than retroactively adding in a “chapter 140.5” or something similar later on, 141 was reserved for this mystery chapter, which serves the double purpose of cultivating an air of mystery and inviting speculation from the fan base, especially after the reveal of Blast and this godlike figure. Since this chapter numbering wasn’t preserved in the English release, Viz may choose to approach it differently, by simply slotting it in with whatever chapter number is appropriate when it is finally revealed. Regardless of what it contains and when it arrives, One-Punch Man’s “missing chapter” of 141 has certainly succeeded in sparking debate and speculation, and fans are left to patiently wait to see their theories confirmed.
