Zeno from Dragon Ball vs Saitama from One Punch man: Who wins?

Saitama vs Zeno (Image via Toei Animation/Netflix)
Saitama vs Zeno (Image via Toei Animation/Netflix)

The battle between Dragon Ball and One Punch Man characters has been going on ever since the latter came into existence. After the introduction of Zeno and Saitama in their respective stories, the two fandoms were predictably involved in a clash between these two Titans. One of the primary reasons why these characters are compared by their respective fanbases is their overwhelming power.

So far, there hasn't been a single character that has been able to test Zeno or Saitama's limits. Despite there being an abundance of shonen anime and manga series, there are very few characters that display such abilities.

With such powerful characters in the equation, analyzing their abilities and endurance will give us a fair idea of their overall combat abilities. This, in turn, will help us determine the outcome of the matchup.

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


Comparing Saitama from One Punch Man with Zeno from Dragon Ball

Taking a look at Saitama’s abilities

Saitama destroys Jupiter (Image via Yusuke Murata,ONE, and Shueisha)
Saitama destroys Jupiter (Image via Yusuke Murata,ONE, and Shueisha)

Saitama’s endurance and strength are incredibly high. He shocked the entire One Punch Man fanbase during the fight against Garou in the Monsters Association arc. He survived a nuclear attack that would have taken out every hero except for Blast. His sneeze alone destroyed Jupiter during the fight. He even managed to physically kick portals away when Garou used them to attack Saitama.

Saitama traveling back in time with Genos' core (Image via Yusuke Murata, ONE, and Shueisha)
Saitama traveling back in time with Genos' core (Image via Yusuke Murata, ONE, and Shueisha)

The biggest shocker was when the Caped Baldy managed to travel back in time to save the rest of the heroes from that catastrophic nuclear attack that Garou was about to use.

It was later revealed in the One Punch Man manga that Saitama had infinite potential and exhibited constant growth. This means that Saitama’s abilities only improve as time passes by. He truly ranks above a massive chunk of anime characters in terms of combat abilities.


Taking a look at Zeno’s abilities

Zeno's erasure ability (Image via Toei Animation)
Zeno's erasure ability (Image via Toei Animation)

Zeno is the Omni-King whose abilities scare the Gods of Destruction as well. This character has a rather adorable appearance, contrary to its demeanor. Zeno can destroy planets and paralyze some of the strongest characters in the multiverse with just a glance.

The Omni-King in the Dragon Ball series is unbeatable, and there isn’t a single character that even comes close to giving Zeno a tough time during a fight. Zeno can take out people, planets, galaxies, and even universes from existence in a second. The Dragon Ball series has also confirmed that Zeno is immortal.


Verdict

Zeno will emerge victorious (Image via Toei Animation)
Zeno will emerge victorious (Image via Toei Animation)

The fight between the Dragon Ball and One Punch Man characters would end with Zeno being the winner. His abilities at the moment are far superior compared to the Caped Baldy.

We haven’t seen Saitama utilize his full potential, so it is hard to accurately ascertain the outcome of this matchup. Saitama is also someone who would get stronger with time. This matchup would be easier to predict when we see both these characters in their most powerful forms.


Final thoughts

Debates of this nature have often led to toxicity among the aforementioned fanbases. The two characters cannot be compared simply because One Punch Man and Dragon Ball are written differently.

One is a gag manga series where logic takes a backseat to facilitate quality comedy. The other is a serious shonen manga series focusing on serious fights and character growth. Such a difference in the writing approach affects the logic followed in the respective universes/multiverses. With that said, it certainly seems like Zeno will emerge victorious at the moment.


Stay tuned for more anime and manga updates as 2023 progresses.

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