Summary
Ever since the beginning of the incredible Monster Association arc ofOne Punch Man, fans have been introduced to some of the most powerful villains in the entire story. Later on in the arc, during Saitama’s battle with Orochi, there was a mysterious mural that hinted at a threat greater than any that had been shown before it, which was then revealed to be God.
This mysterious being is framed as the ultimate antagonist ofOne Punch Manwhom the heroes will have to defeat by the end of the series. Most importantly, this villain seems to be the genesis of the scourge of monsters in the first place, sohis eventual battle with Saitamais more or less confirmed. However, the theory discussed in this article claims that there is much more to God than previously thought, which can change everything if true.
Story Arc
Monster Association Arc
The Monster Association arcremainsOne Punch Man’slongest and most captivating story arc, filled to the brim with some of the most beautiful art and captivating action sequences ever put into the manga format. As such, it was crucial for the world-building of the story as well, as it laid the groundwork for where the series will go in the future, especially by establishing who the main villain is going to be.
Fans even got a tiny glimpse of God’s unfathomable power, which was so amazing that a brief touch could turn regular humans or generally weak characters into Dragon Level threats. The greatest example of this is none other than Garou, who used his monsterification to usher in new and powerful transformations that put him above all other members of the Monster Association. From here, a mere touch from God gifted him such legendary power that he was able to match Saitama for a time, briefly becoming Disaster Level God by threatening humanity.
This shows that God’s power is the greatest in the entire franchise, and it’s also where the titular theory comes in. Essentially, this theory states thatGod is a version of Saitamafrom a different universe or timeline, and while the only current similarity between the two seems to be that they are both bald, the theory goes deeper than one would think. The true basis for this speculation comes from the fact that both of them represent an unattainable level of strength that none can stand up to.
Firstly, at the close of Saitama’s battle against Cosmic Garou, it was revealed that separate timelines can exist within the world ofOne Punch Manwhere there can be multiple versions of the same character. However, the more damning evidence comes quite recently from the manga during the heroes' battle against Empty Void in the Ninjas arc. Gifted incredible power from God, Empty Void is able to phase in and out of reality.
This is outside the causality of the universe. Fold entire dimensions like bubbles…
In his fight against Flashy Flash and Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, Empty Void explained the nature of how he was able to perform such feats. When he phased out of reality, he revealed that the multiverse exists in theOne Punch Manseries. So, this could be big proof thatGod may be a version of Saitamafrom a different universe who turned out to be evil, and the biggest reason to believe this are his reality-warping abilities. Just like him, Saitama has also proven to alter reality through his physical feats.
There are many examples of this throughout the series, one of the biggest being Saitama’s inherent strength which allows him to do the impossible. If this theory ends up being true, God can act as the absolute peak of Saitama’s strength, which has gone up to such an insane level that he can not only do anything he wants, but can also imbue some of his power onto others. This would be a poetic final villain for the franchise since it would prove that the only one able to give Saitama a proper fight is Saitama himself.
How Likely Is This Theory To Be True In The End?
Is God Actually A Version Of Saitama?
Although this is a fun theory that deserves a lot more digging into, at the current moment it’s mostly just guesswork and speculation. Of course, now that the concept of the multiverse has been confirmed to exist inOne Punch Man, it could very easily show that God is an alternate version of the Caped Baldy who turned evil, but right now, there’s very little evidence that supports this idea more than themboth just being astronomically powerful.
However, this isn’t to say that such an eventuality is impossible, since it actually makes sense for the only person to ever match Saitama being Saitama himself. Moreover, the insane abilities of God could also represent the peak of Saitama’s powers, since his growth seems to be infinite. At the current moment, this theory lacks sufficient evidence, but it eventually could end up being true.
