One Punch Man Season 1 Review

Episode Guide

The Strongest Man
The Lone Cyborg
The Obsessive Scientist
The Modern Ninja
The Ultimate Master
The Terrifying City
The Ultimate Disciple
The Deep Sea King
Unyielding Justice
Unparalleled Peril
The Dominator of the Universe
The Strongest Hero

The idea of a hero being able to defeat any enemy with a single punch may seem like a strange concept but the way this 12 episode anime executes its concept is nothing short of magnificent. Armed with a sharp wit, brilliant voice acting and beautiful artwork, One Punch Man combines over the top action with comedy to produce one of the finest animes out there. 

The story begins with Saitama (Max Mittelman), an ordinary man who increases his fighting power so much he’s able to eliminate any enemy with a single blow. Depressed with the ease in which he can defeat enemies, Saitama’s mundane hero life is turned upside down when he stumbles upon a cyborg called Genos (Zach Aguilar). Impressed with Saitama’s fighting power, Genos decides to train under Saitama’s nonchalant guidance and together they join the hero academy and begin to progress up the ranks to become the best fighters. There’s some intriguing world building late on as we’re introduced to the various ranks of heroes and threat levels to the world as well as how these heroes progress through each rank. One Punch Man splits its three acts into three distinct villains for Saitama and the others to face. Early on Saitama goes up against an evil scientist and his creations, midway through the season we see The Deep Sea King go up against a handful of high ranking heroes and late on an alien invasion tests Saitama’s power as he goes one on one with the most powerful foe he’s ever faced.

The characters themselves are certainly memorable and some of this is partly thanks to the excellent voice acting. When the high ranking heroes from the academy are introduced late on, there’s a playful satire used to accentuate the over the top signature moves, outlandish costumes, gimmicks and more which works to hilarious effect. The balance between dramatic tension and comedy is perfectly executed throughout the 12 episodes too and the equal emphasis on Saitama and Genos helps to balance out the flow of the series. Both characters have a really well worked character arc too although Saitama’s is a little basic which can be forgiven, especially with how powerful he is.

It’s hard to put into words just how cleverly written and impressive One Punch Man actually is. The idea of an anime focused around a hero being able to defeat enemies with a single punch seems like a tough premise to execute in an engaging and enjoyable way but the way this anime blends comedy and action with decent voice acting and beautiful artwork is a truly astonishing feat. The 12 episodes are highly enjoyable and there’s an awful lot packed in to the episodes. As a slight nitpick, the season is a tad short, especially with the frantic pacing, but there’s enough here to confidently say One Punch Man is one of the best animes out there and well worth watching.