One-Punch Man season 2: Garou The Monster isn’t unbeatable

In Season 2, Episode 15 of One-Punch Man, Garou The Monster goes on the hunt for more heroes. He finds many unsuspecting foes and lays waste to them, increasing his body count to double digits. Though one hero doesn’t care for Garou’s savagery and the monster learns exactly why you don’t mess with Saitama.

On the latest One-Punch Man, the first scene opens to Silverfang. He’s banishing a student from his dojo due to some crucial fight between them. It appears as though some event has driven them apart but the truth is that Silverfang doesn’t want his prized protégé to become another of Garou’s victims. He knows the self-proclaimed monster will return to their dojo and execute all of his students so the only way Silverfang can prevent Charanko from being mauled is to exile him. Unfortunately, his actions don’t help.

The martial artist winds up in a distraught position following his banishment. To prove himself worthy of Silverfang’s teachings, Charanko goes out looking for Garou himself. He finds the monster but he’s already tearing through Tank Top Master and his brothers—most of whom are killed without landing a single blow on Garou—even Tank Top Master is outmaneuvered at every turn. He doesn’t realize it until the fight is over but he sees that Garou sidestepped all of his attacks, incurring little to no damage.

When the time comes for Charanko to step up, he’s about to engage when Garou punches his face in—literally placing a crater in the center of his face. The martial artist appears to be fatally injured but he’s later revealed to have survived. Tank Top Master also survives the ordeal, though his brothers aren’t as lucky.

What we should take away from this brutal display of power is that even Class-S heroes are vulnerable to Garou’s monstrous attacks. He obliterated two of them with ease and seemingly bashed Mumen Rider’s face into the pavement in a matter of seconds. Mumen Rider managed to recuperate as well but out of pure luck.

While Garou walked through every other hero, he was not prepared for Saitama in “The Hunt Begins”. The two unexpectedly meet when Garou’s paranoia gets the better of him. He senses Saitama’s power and believes the bald hero is following him. He tries to initiate a confrontation but Saitama—being as oblivious as ever—believes Garou is some lowly mugger. The monster proceeds to attack Saitama by throwing a subtle downward chop at him. He lands the blow but Saitama hardly feels anything. The ground around him shatters from the shockwave but he’s unharmed.

Saitama, believing Garou is just another criminal trying to pick a fight, smacks him in the head to teach him a lesson. Garou falls to the floor and slips into unconsciousness shortly after—marking the first instance of this so-called monster experiencing a very human weakness.

Before we get ahead of ourselves and begin suggesting that Saitama will mop the floor with Garou, they still haven’t had a full fight. Saitama was able to incapacitate the monster with a single move because he was trying to disable Garou, not kill him. Had Garou been given enough time to perform the technique perfected by Silverfang, Saitama might have been forced to take more drastic measures in bringing down the villain.

Now, that doesn’t mean Garou has a distinct advantage over Saitama either, but it seems like they’ll be equally matched when the two meet for a second time. Then again, Garou’s declaration of becoming stronger could mean he’s in the process of another transformation. If he’s truly becoming a monster as he claims, Garou’s strength and speed may increase exponentially in the next few episodes. He already possesses a fair amount of skill and strength, any additional power-ups could spell doom for everyone around him.

It’s also worth mentioning that Garou intended to kill all the heroes he came across. A few survived their encounters with Garou by luck, but if the monster were to obtain even greater strength, he could begin wiping out heroes with a wave of his hand—or a snap of his fingers—a little inside joke for Avengers: Endgame fans.

In any case, Saitama and his ragtag group of heroes need to be prepared for when the monster attacks. He won’t be so merciful to any of them, especially after the bald hero embarrassed him in public. That wasn’t Saitama’s intention but incapacitating a person with a single blow would be an insult to any fighter’s pride. And looking at the God-complex built into Garou, he’s going to be extremely upset when he comes to.

How do you think Saitama’s next clash with Garou will turn out? Let us know in the comments section below.

One-Punch Man Season 2 episodes are uploaded to VizMedia and Hulu on Tuesdays. For more on OPM, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.