Garou's rampage in One Punch Man was not to show his strength, and it's clear why

The One Punch Man series has some of the strongest villains in the animeverse, with Garou being one of the most iconic and toughest of them all. While he is an iconic villain throughout the entire series, the most iconic interaction is his cosmic transformation and fight with Saitama.

While many fans overlook the main significance of the interaction, namely showing a serious side of Saitama and then turning him back to his original casual self, the One Punch Man series intended for the sequence to reveal an emotional and focused side of Saitama, rather than what the fans might have expected.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains spoilers for the One Punch Man manga series.

Garou going on a rampage was clearly to show Saitama's serious side in the One Punch Man manga

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While the One Punch Man series took a turn of events with the death of Genos and many others at the hands of Garou, who transformed into a cosmic form, its primary intent was to show a serious side of Saitama rather than just Garou's rampage.

The events of Io are mostly the mangaka ONE's way of portraying an "end game" scenario for the manga. While Saitama has maintained a somewhat goofy and carefree character throughout the series, the Io events and his fight against Cosmic Garou might be the only time the fans will see Saitama completely 100% focused against anyone in battle.

To create such a scenario, the mangaka needed to take some drastic steps for the buildup to the "end game" scene in the manga, thus choosing to let Garou kill Genos and others to create an emotional depth for Saitama. To further confirm the mangaka's intent, the One Punch Man webcomic did not feature the death of the characters but just a fight between Saitama and Cosmic Garou.

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Regarding the significant difference in plot between the webcomic and the manga, it is safe to say that the mangaka's intent was clear in the sequence. It might also be a last-ditch effort to salvage any emotional depth or seriousness in Saitama's character, which the fans didn't see beforehand. It can also be assumed, given Saitama's personality, that this might be the last time fans will see him in a serious light.

To summarize the mangaka's intent, it can be said that the entire sequence presents a scenario based on "What happens if someone fights Saitama with his own strength?" with the brief timeline of Saitama's fight with Cosmic Garou providing the answer to the question.

With someone so strong and matching the strength of Saitama out of the equation, the rest of the series can be guessed as just Saitama walking over all his enemies. Saitama defeating someone like Garou, particularly with his iconic one punch, effectively eliminates any future possibilities of the villain posing a challenge to Saitama.

Final thoughts

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The fight between Saitama and Garou not only signifies a significant closure regarding Saitama's seriousness in the One Punch Man manga but also provides a straightforward future path for Saitama's character arc. The fight also effectively concludes that Saitama has reached a level of strength where no other villain would even pose a challenge to him.

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About the author

Ribhu Ghosh is an Anime Journalist at Sportskeeda. With a degree in Journalism under the Calcutta University, his deep-rooted passion for anime and manga led him to pursue a career in writing about the same.

Along with his 6 years of experience as an illustrator and digital artist for various overseas anime studios and companies, he also aspires to write storylines. Ribhu's creative journey has been profoundly influenced by renowned mangakas such as Sui Ishida, Masashi Kishimoto, Kohei Horikoshi, and Koyoharu Gotouge.

Ribhu's enthusiasm for storytelling and illustration is evident in his meticulous approach to reporting. He values accuracy and relevance and always prioritizes thorough research.

If given a chance, he would return to 2014 and be a part of the Tokyo Ghoul series, as he admires its action scenes, story, plot twists, art, and adaptation from the manga.

When he's not writing, Ribhu enjoys illustrating, playing chess, and engaging in outdoor activities like badminton. His diverse interests extend to music, cooking, reading, and gaming, all of which complement his passion for entertainment.

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Edited by Maithreyi S