Warning: One-Punch Man Content Reveal Chapter #186 (JP) The world is changing One-Punch Man with the rise of a new group of heroes, Neo Heroes, which means that every existing hero, including Saitama, will have to decide who to side with. As it turns out, Saitama made his decision and he did it in the most Saitama-like way possible.
In the recent chapters of One-Punch Man, Genos has suffered from leaving the Hero Association, and in chapter 186, he finally speaks these thoughts out to Saitama. Saitama initially wished Genos well when he expressed interest in switching to Neo Heroes, but Genos asked if Saitama would like to switch with him. To Saitama, that sounded like a lot of work with little benefit, so he immediately turned to the idea, prompting Genos to abandon it as well. Saitama has decided to stay with the Hero Association, but out of laziness more than anything else.
Saitama Hero Association’s decision can have great consequences
Simply by making his own decisions, Saitama also influenced Genos’s decisions, ensuring they both sided with the Hero Association. Genos has some very good points: that the Association underestimates Saitama and remains blind to his true power even though he doesn’t try to hide it. The Hero Association is also suffering from corruption, which Saitama eventually got his hands on even though he didn’t know about it by arguing with Tatsumaki a few chapters ago. Staying with them out of laziness, or at least unwillingness to handle the inconvenience of change, isn’t really a good reason, but it’s one that perfectly suits Saitama.
The Neo Heroes, on the other hand, are a completely unknown number at this point. They claim to have better goals and intentions than the Hero Association, but someone has to fund its creation and that person has some reason of their own for doing this. Who will say that those reasons are not nefarious? If Genos’ numbers are correct, then the Neo Heroes already have more than three times as many heroes as they did during the Association’s peak. It takes a lot of money to support an organization of this size, and that’s not counting the time and effort it takes to recruit all these people.
Only time will tell if Saitama will regret his decision, but there’s really no reason why being cautious and maintaining the status quo would be a bad thing. The Hero Association has its problems, but it can’t be helped. Perhaps by letting someone like Saitama climb to the top, One-Punch ManThe Hero Association will be able to remodel itself and once again become a beacon of hope that people feel they can rely on.
