'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The long-awaited One Punch Man chapter 172 has finally been released, bringing with it one of the biggest developments for Saitama’s character yet. The bald hero did not receive any recognition for his fight against Garou, which greatly disappointed fans. Fortunately, his time to shine has finally arrived, along with a major boost in reputation.
In the last chapter, Black Sperm and Rover found their way back to Saitama. The hero was looking for any of the possessions he could save from the destroyed city.
One Punch Man chapter 172 focused on Saitama’s reaction to Rover and Black Sperm following him home, as well as his well-deserved ascension in the Hero Rankings. Continue reading to learn more about the highlights of the chapter.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for One Punch Man chapter 172.
Saitama finally became an A-rank hero in One Punch Man chapter 172
What happened in the last chapter?
One Punch Man chapter 171 began with Black Sperm hiding from Pig God, who was looking for monsters in Z-city’s remains. A new hero called Air appeared and was attacked by Evil Natural Water. The small monster took this as a chance to escape but came across Saitama and Genos. A smaller version of Rover also approached the heroes, acting as if Saitama was his owner.
Chapter 172: The walk back home
One Punch Man chapter 172 began with Saitama screaming at Rover and Black Sperm to stop following him. The small monster pleaded with Saitama to allow him to stay in his house. He promised that he would not cause any disturbances to the hero. Saitama complained that his new apartment would not allow weird animals inside.
Black Sperm was relieved by the revelation that Saitama thought of him as an animal. The more the monster pleaded with him, the more Saitama began warming up to the idea. He wondered if he could leave the dog outside his home to act as a guardian animal. Black Sperm told the bald hero that the dog was named Rover and promised he would take care of the animal for Saitama.
The hero finally gave up and told the two monsters that they could stay, but they were not allowed inside his room. The caped crusader could see his new apartment building in the distance. Black Sperm got on top of Rover to see a gigantic building surrounded by fog.
The ultimate defense
One Punch Man chapter 172 continued inside the new apartment complex built by the Hero Association. Officials from the organization were having a meeting with a small group of wealthy civilians. When Crescent Eyebroll asked Green why they were called to the meeting, the latter replied that the Association was trying to sell the remaining apartments in the complex.
The officials went on to tell the possible buyers that they would be protected by A-rank heroes 24/7. As proof, they brought the aforementioned heroes to act as security guards during the meeting.
While civilians were interested in the idea of always being protected, Crescent Eyebroll was shocked at the blatant misuse of his abilities. Green, on the other hand, wondered if the Association was planning this from the start by making the apartments rent-free for heroes.
When one of the possible buyers complained about heroes being unreliable, a Hero Association official told him that they had another line of defense. With the help of the S-rank Hero Metal Knight, the Association created a top-of-the-line robotic army to take down any monster. The robots could kill more monsters than all the A-rank heroes combined.
A new A-rank Hero
One Punch Man chapter 172 went on to show Saitama approaching the apartment complex with Black Sperm and Rover. The door in front of the hero was tightly shut, making Saitama wonder if he did something wrong. Black Sperm told him to throw away the appliances he used, as they were probably causing the issue. Suddenly, a gigantic robot exited the complex.
The robotic warrior was prepared to kill Black Sperm and Rover and took a swing at them. Unfortunately, Saitama believed that the robot was targeting him and destroyed him with a slap. The bald hero became the new target of the defense system. Level-4 robots appeared around Saitama, ready to take him down.
Despite their best attempts, the machines could not harm the hero, who destroyed them all with a single palm. The security guards at the facility woke up from their nap after hearing the explosions. They were unable to see what was happening as the area was completely covered in smoke. They called for all available heroes to help with the attack happening at the front door of the facility.
Moments later, Saitama could be seen entering the complex, with dozens of broken robots destroyed behind him. The security guards arrived and asked him what happened. The bald hero was about to tell the truth when one of the guards commented that each robot cost 9 million yen to be produced. Saitama lied and said the robots exploded out of nowhere.
At first, the guards did not believe him and asked him to reveal what truly happened. Fortunately, King arrived and corroborated Saitama’s story. The bald hero took out a game console that King had borrowed from him, which was broken. King told Saitama that he wanted to play a new game with him. One Punch Man chapter 172 ended with the reveal of Saitama being an A-rank Hero.
Final thoughts
One Punch Man chapter 172 gave fans something they have been eagerly awaiting for years: Saitama being recognized as the amazing hero he is. Even though we did not see the cape crusader being promoted, the revelation that he is now an A-rank hero was truly moving. The man has been risking his life to keep people safe without recognition since the series started.
As always, the chapter has the same hilarity and over-the-top action scenes that the fandom loves to read about. Not only is the plot incredibly entertaining, but the art is stunning, as usual. Overall, One Punch Man chapter 172 is an outstanding addition to the manga series.
