Does Saitama ever become an S-Class hero in One Punch Man manga?

Saitama is the protagonist of the One Punch Man manga and anime series. The Caped Baldy is so strong that he has the ability to beat anyone with just one punch and hence the name of the series. Given his monstrous strength, one would assume that this character is an S-class hero, but the truth is that he is only a B-class hero in the anime when he defeated Sea King during the first season of the One Punch Man.

Some anime-only fans of the series have been wondering if the Caped Baldy ever reaches the S-class rank in the Hero Association. Let’s take a look at some of the fights and understand if Saitama ever received a promotion.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the manga.

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One Punch Man: Taking a look at Saitama’s rank in the Heroes Association

Saitama during his physical examination (Image via Yusuke Murata, Shueisha, Viz, One Punch Man)

During the initial stages of the series, Genos and Saitama had appeared for the exam that would give them the license to become heroes. The physical tests were quite easy for Saitama and he recorded the best scores in all of them. However, he performed quite poorly in the written test and received an overall score of 71 making him a C rank hero. The Caped Baldy certainly has to rise through the ranks in order to become a C-class hero.

Following this, he was promoted to B-class after he destroyed the meteor that almost destroyed Z-city. Genos believed that if he was properly evaluated, then he would have been promoted to A-class with ease. Soon after, he rose higher within the B-class by defeating Deep Sea King that made quick work of Genos. Saitama was able to beat him in one single punch, and that attack seemed to have altered the climate of the city as well.

Since then, the One Punch Man protagonist has been stuck in B-class, but a promotion isn’t altogether impossible based on his performance in the Monsters Association arc. Saitama was able to beat a few Dragon threat level villains and is currently facing off against Garou, who received powers from God. This means Garou’s power levels are at an all-time high and some speculation among fans also suggests that he could possibly give Saitama a run for his money. Based on how strong Garou is, and the intensity of the threat he poses, Saitama’s victory could lend him a potential promotion to S-class.

Garou in Cosmic Fear Mode (Image via Yusuke Murata,/Shueisha, Vix, One Punch Man)

That being said, a major chunk of the fanbase still believes that he can defeat Garou without struggling too much. Given that Garou was able to survive Saitama’s consecutive normal punches, the Caped Baldy might have to resort to a serious attack in order to defeat the Hero Hunter in Cosmic Fear Mode. To sum things up, Saitama hasn’t received a promotion to S-class as of chapter 164, but it is very likely for him to receive one after defeating a considerable amount of strong characters.

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