One Punch Man: Are Garou and Bang related? The two's relationship explained

Modified Mar 19, 2024 11:30 GMT

Taking a look at Garou and Bang's relationship in the One Punch Man series (Image via JC. Staff and Madhouse)

One Punch Man is an incredibly successful anime and manga series that has amassed a huge fan following since its release. A massive reason for its success is the sheer number of well-written characters that fans have come across since its inception. Saitama and Genos usually receive the lion’s share of screen time. However, in the upcoming season, there will be one character who will shine the brightest, and his name is Garou.

Garou was first introduced in the second season of the series. He was a minor antagonist who took out some of the strongest heroes. However, fans seem concerned about whether he is related to Bang, one of the most prominent heroes in the association. Simply put, Bang and Garou are not blood relatives in the One Punch Man series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the One Punch Man manga series.

One Punch Man: Garou and Bang’s relationship in the series

Bang as seen in the anime series (Image via Madhouse)

As stated earlier, Garou and Bang are not blood relatives. Bang, one of the most successful and a highly celebrated hero, is Garou’s teacher and mentor. He took Garou under his wing and cultivated his martial arts skills. However, he didn’t know how dark Garou’s heart would turn, no matter how brief a period.

Garou was bullied as a child. He was always forced to play the role of a monster when he and his friends would reenact their favorite hero show, which meant Garou was always on the receiving end of kicks and punches.

Garou as seen in the anime series (Image via J.C. Staff)

Furthermore, Garou only supported the sea monster because it had a reason to harm humans. The monster lived in the sea and wanted to protect its home. However, it was portrayed as a villain, and the hero defeated it. Garou rooted for the underdog here, and he was bullied for it.

He channeled all his anger into martial arts and developed his skill under Bang’s tutelage in the One Punch Man series. He went rampant and started taking out heroes one by one. This earned him the title of Hero Hunter. This got out of hand, and manga readers got a glimpse at his full potential. He managed to recreate the effects of nuclear fission in his attacks, opened portals, and understood the flow of all energy in the cosmos.

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He even managed to kill Genos at some point in the manga. However, he realized all his mistakes and taught Saitama to travel back in time. The Caped Baldy successfully did it and saved everyone.

After all these fights, Bang retired from the Hero Association and no longer taught Garou. Toward the end of the Monster Association arc, Bang decided to formally adopt Garou as his son. The two aren’t blood-related, but they share a father-son bond. Bang became Garou’s official guardian and continued to train him.