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The One Punch Man fandom continues to find reasons to pair characters in the series and have debates surrounding them. So far, Genos and Saitama have been paired with the Tornado Sisters, and the recent set of chapters seemed to have caused a riot. Given that Saitama and Tatsumaki shared the spotlight, there were a few moments that led to the fanbase believing that Tatsumaki had a romantic interest in the Caped Baldy.
Some of the older chapters from the Monsters Association arc led the fanbase to believe that Genos and Tatsumaki had the potential to become a canonical romantic pair. However, both scenarios aren’t true.
With that in mind, Murata recently tweeted about the cover for One Punch Man volume 28, which is set to be released on June 2, 2023. This seemed to spark the debate regarding the Genos x Tatsumaki and Saitama x Tatsumaki ships.
One Punch Man fans continue to debate the Genos x Tatsumaki and Saitama x Tatsumaki ship
One Punch Man volume 28's cover is from the scene in the Monsters Association arc where Tatsumaki is helping Genos during a fight. She is supporting him from the back, and this image seems to have excited the Genos x Tatsumaki shippers. Twitter saw a couple of wild claims, such as Tatsumaki x Genos being confirmed as a canonical romantic relationship. However, this is far from the truth because neither the manga nor the webcomic have deliberated on the aforementioned ship.
Naturally, there was another set of One Punch Man fans that didn't agree with this. These fans ship Tatsumaki and Saitama due to the events that took place in the Psychic Sisters arc. In chapter 178, Tatsumaki instigated a fight with Saitama and nearly tore down a building belonging to the Heroes Association. Saitama didn't want any property damage. He held Tatsumaki close and jumped with enough force to get them out of the building. Similarly, in Chapter 182, Saitama and Tatsumaki reconciled, and the Caped Baldy patted Tatsumaki's head.
The One Punch Man cover recalled those events, and this sparked a debate. Fans who shipped Tatsumaki with Saitama also responded on the same thread. This debate has been going on for a while now, and it doesn't seem like it will simmer down anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
So far, Tatsumaki, Genos, and Saitama are not in any romantic relationships whatsoever. While fans might nitpick a few scenarios, it hasn't been confirmed by ONE or Yusuke Murata. Given that they are heroes, acts of kindness and empathy aren't off-brand for such characters and therefore shouldn't be mistaken for romantic feelings.
In Genos' case, Tatsumaki was just supporting him since he was a hero on the frontlines and was brutally injured. Saitama was concerned about the property damage and therefore took the fight to a place where there was a ton of open space. While most fans ship the character as a joke, there are some who genuinely believe that these pairs are canon. We urge the One Punch Man fanbase to wait until the creators confirmation or a chapter release that will do the same.
Stay tuned for more One Punch Man anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.
