One punch man has been steadily getting back on track with the Neo Heroes Saga and the Ninjas Arc completely redesigned and continuing to follow the path set by ONE’s webcomic. But although the series’ ultimate goal appears to be an inevitable fight between Saitama and God, the ambiguous potential of the deity’s escape from the extradimensional prison makes this future uncertain. Instead, the more compelling possibilities of Saitama’s battle against God in One punch man they are at the limits of the containers of supernatural being as truly worthy opponents.
God was introduced to One punch man through the Monster Guild Arc as a corrupting influence capable of granting immense, god-like powers to worthy vessels. His wish, which he tries to fulfill through characters like Garou and, more recently, Empty Void, is to cleanse the Earth of the humanity he believes plagues its surface. But while defeating God or stopping any potential vessels from harnessing his power could end the franchise’s biggest latent threat, it might not necessarily be the end of Saitama’s character arc or that of others in One-punch man.
One-Punch Man’s heroes have been fighting God through their proxies
Void is currently the last recipient
With the resurgence of the Void Void causing One-Punch Man The S-Class hero’s main problem in the Ninjas Arc, the latest demonstrations of God’s powers suggest that he is already finding vessels capable of carrying out his will. With the Dimensional Cut shown cutting through all matter, including deep into the Earth’s crust, the Void has destructive power as God’s latest vessel. Coupled with his skills in interdimensional travel and decades of training, Void is potentially all One punch man needs of an ultimate god-level threat. With Void able to absorb Blast’s dark powers, little seems to stand in his way beyond Saitama.
With Saitama’s power directly hindering God’s goals, it is equally possible that God could see Saitama as a potential vessel, regardless of whether he agrees with it.
However, as with most fan predictions about One punch maneverything refers to the possibility of Saitama’s confrontation with God. While there is nothing concrete to suggest they will fight, with Saitama’s power directly getting in the way of God’s goals, it is equally possible that God could see Saitama as a potential vessel even if he were okay with it, which means he would have to protect it as an asset. Finally, as with any opponent in the series, even immensely powerful ones like Cosmic Fear Garou, nothing stopped Saitama with his limiter removed.
Fighting God seems to be the only possibility, but the series has progressively introduced more worthy vessels of God’s powers, and there is no indication that God is even inclined to fight directly. With corruptible characters like the ex-partner to the no. 1 hero and legions of other possible worthy vessels among the S-Class heroes or Neo Heroes, It could all be a matter of God’s most worthy ship being Saitama’s true final opponent. But as God’s powers are not yet fully understood, it is uncertain who could be next in line to inherit his abilities, or to what extent.
A fight between Gods may not necessarily complete Saitama’s character arc
One-Punch Man has more going on than Saitama’s development at this point
One punch man did well to introduce other types of threats to Earth besides those empowered by God or Monstrous Cells, with the Neo Heroes Saga still ongoing in the webcomic. God seems to be Saitama’s most worthy potential opponent in a fight. Still, given the way the series is written, it seems inevitable that Saitama’s lack of a limiter will result in the fight being a series of Serious Punches with the potential to shatter dimensions and transcend time. A final fight with God could eliminate the overarching interstitial threat in One punch manbut it won’t resolve Saitama’s other struggles.
God probably also sees the risk of fighting Saitama directly, so using vessels for his powers could also be a conscious choice.
On the one hand, removing the most worthy opponent possible would echo Saitama’s boredom of One punch man chapters 1-3, with his overwhelming strength not only being boring but serving no further purpose. God probably also sees the risk of fighting Saitama directly, so using vessels for his powers could also be a conscious choice. But there may already be another fun and true opponent for Saitama.
Saitama already has an opponent who can cause him more problems than God
The King of Fighters
One of the best characters in One punch man is ironically one of its biggest cowards, with King being the only hero technically to run undefeated against Saitama. This is the case in his numerous fights in fighting games, where Saitama’s limitless strength is irrelevant, and his complete lack of true skill shines as an example of how much he still has to learn from others. In addition to Saitama’s frustrations with being the strongest hero in the world and at the same time sincerely wanting to learn and grow, his matches against King are played to hilarious effect in One punch man as your most annoying opponent.
While it may be frustrating that Saitama’s final adversary is off the battlefield, it is arguably closer to the point in the series where Saitama’s obsession no longer lies with becoming stronger, but with finding a genuinely earned victory. As other heroes like Genos increase their fighting skills and the Hero Association encounters dangerous and potentially malicious rivals in the Neo Heroes group, Saitama’s goals may seem much more trivial, but they work on a similar level. Without a worthy opponent like God in One punch manSaitama must find a victory that truly moves him and instills a sense of accomplishment.