One Punch Man is one of the starter series that is a must-watch if you’re beginning your journey as an anime fan. It’s one of those staple titles you must check off simply because of how revered it is. There are multiple reasons for that, from a protagonist who can compete with Goku to a story that keeps you motivated and entertained.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the story to take off, and fans were eager for updates as early as five chapters into the story. The creator, ONE, shared what the earliest response to the series was like during an interview, and it’s fascinating to hear it all.
One Punch Man’s quick rise to popularity
From the most viral anime workout routine to the upcoming season of the anime, One Punch Man continues to be in the news for some reason or another. The active discourse surrounding the series speaks volumes about its influence on fans. The response has always been mostly positive ever since the beginning, as shared by ONE during an interview with Tokyo Reimi Note magazine (translations via City-Z).
The creator shared that within a week of the first chapter’s release, fans were commenting for more updates on the story. The number of comments kept increasing with every update. He explained:
Roughly from Chapter 5, which went up about a week after Chapter 1. At the time, Neetsha’s yardstick for determining a popular series was if it got 30 or so comments with each update, but I just kept getting more and more comments, so that by the time Chapter 30 went up in October I was getting about a thousand comments per update.
The hype for One Punch Man hasn’t changed much, as there’s a massive fanbase that still waits for updates every month. Even decades after it was first published, the manga quickly became a hot topic with every new chapter. That compels one to revisit the core appeal of the show and everything that makes it iconic.
An unconventional hero, bizarre but powerful monsters, and a refreshing premise
ONE has a unique style that somehow works extremely well, as we’ve seen with both One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. An overpowered hero is often a big deal. You imagine someone who’s shredded, cool, and somewhat serious. Saitama makes you question all of that, as he looks ordinary and weak, but his powers leave you confused.
A hero as capable as Saitama is treated like a nobody, which was appealing and new. It was hilarious, but seeing Saitama in action makes you forget about the silly. Similarly, the villains were bizarre and random – something straight out of Power Rangers episodes, but they posed serious threats.
One Punch Man surprises you and makes you laugh, but then hits you with something profound, again unexpectedly so. It’s all about surprises done right and timely reminders never to rely solely on first impressions.
One Punch Man manga is currently available to read on the Viz Media website.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
