One Punch Man’s Incredible Power Finally Explained
One Punch Man is one of those animes that delivers exactly what the title promises: as audiences, we follow the adventures of Saitama, a fighter who can beat anyone from a lowly thug to a Godzilla-sized monster with a single punch. Both in-universe and out, people have wondered how Saitama could have achieved such massive strength, and the only real explanation was that he followed an exercise regimen that, frankly, never explained his fantastic gains. Now, the trailer for Season 3 of One Punch Man has introduced the idea that everyone is born with a “Limiter” on their powers and that Saitama had overcome his own Limit.
In the trailer for One Punch Man Season 3, Dr. Genus helpfully explains that the God of this universe has put a limit on everyone, man or beast, that controls and ultimately curtails their power level.
If you’ve never watched One Punch Man before, that may not sound like much of an explanation. Still, fans are happy to get something of an explanation that goes beyond Saitama’s exercise routine. In earlier seasons, he has tried to explain that he grew so strong because he has a daily routine consisting of 100 push-ups, 100 situps, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run.
Most One Punch Man fans have understandably focused on how this finally explains Saitama’s fantastic abilities, but our own gears are turning with what this means for the franchise as a whole.
Now, we’re not knocking the One Punch Man routine…honestly, following it would certainly make someone much stronger and more athletic, especially if (ahem) they spend all their time behind a keyboard like your favorite anime journalists. But the routine was never enough to explain how Saitama gained powers that were more or less godlike. Now, the new trailer has provided a new explanation for why he gained godlike powers: that this was, in fact, the work of God…sort of.
In the trailer for One Punch Man Season 3, Dr. Genus helpfully explains that the God of this universe has put a limit on everyone, man or beast, that controls and ultimately curtails their power level. The trailer acknowledges that Saitama was a “normal person of ordinary birth…and no particular talent” who, through “sheer effort,” managed to destroy his limits. Interestingly, this revelation means that Saitama was not necessarily lying before: his exercise routine may not naturally explain his superpower, but the routine seemingly helped him harness the willpower and inner effort necessary to go beyond his limit.
Most One Punch Man fans have understandably focused on how this finally explains Saitama’s fantastic abilities, but our own gears are turning with what this means for the franchise as a whole. Since Saitama overcame his limit rather than being born without one, that means other characters might be able to become just as powerful. This could be particularly good news for Saitama’s cybernetic companion Genos, a disciple and fellow member of the Hero Association who dreams of attaining the discipline necessary to attain power like Saitama has.
If nothing else, One Punch Man fans can rest assured that we have a better (if only a little better) explanation for Saitama’s great power.
Perhaps more importantly, the fact that other characters can potentially push past their own Limiters means that Saitama might face a foe (or more than one) in the future that can actually keep up with him. Historically, it has been difficult for this anime series to give the main character worthy fights because the show’s whole gimmick involves Saitama being stronger than everyone else. If other characters could now attain his strength, it would level the playing field between heroes and villains while giving the writers the freedom to explore different kinds of stories.
If nothing else, One Punch Man fans can rest assured that we have a better (if only a little better) explanation for Saitama’s great power. At this rate, we were starting to think the show would reveal that he had accidentally eaten some of the Devil Fruit from One Piece. It’s all for the best: the last thing we need is another online argument over whether Luffy in Gear 5 could win in a fight against Saitama.
