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The following contains minor spoilers for One Punch Man.
Fans ofOne Punch Manare feeling nostalgic for some of the best parts of Season 1 as the anime adaptation for Season 3 is fast approaching. Airing in October, some fans have been disappointed by the teasers released so far. With such a long wait between seasons, many fans of the originalOne Punch Manfeel like the show’s story and animation peaked back then, feeling the wait will ultimately not be worth it.
Responding to a highly upvoted Reddit post, fansexpressed a forlorn appreciation for Lord Boros, the series’ first major villain, who gave Saitama his best fight to date. The emotional conclusion Boros delivered in the season finale is still unmatched, and it seems like it will be difficult for the show to replicate this villain’s success again.
Boros Was Different
His Character Gave Saitama’s Struggle So Much Weight
Despite being defeated relatively early inOne Punch Man, it’s strange that the narrative and emotional weight of Boros’s presence has not been replicated. Typically in battle anime like this, the villains keep getting stronger and more impactful as the series goes on. However, Boros is likely the strongest villain the anime has seen so far, and also the one that had the most connection to the protagonist Saitama.
Boros’s backstory served as a mirror to Saitama’s own. He was a being who ravaged the entire universe in boredom, looking for a worthy challenge to his incomprehensible strength. He represented what Saitama could be if he didn’t have the heart of a hero,and gave more meaning to Saitama’s strugglewhen he was eventually defeated by him.
The main image posted to the fan thread celebrating Boros parodies a woman pressed to the ground, remembering a loved one, thinking, “We still talk about you.” Many fans agreed with this sentiment, feeling that something about Boros’s character truly peaked with the series.
“Boros is something else. His fight is awesome, but what truly stands out is what it shows us—how it makes us feel. That panel with Saitama walking away from Boros' corpse lying on the ground, defeated, carries so much weight. It feels serious, and it reveals the pain within Saitama.” -Reddit user Dry-Assumption2634layingout the emotional appeal of Boros’ character.
Boros’s arc gained the most attention of any villain in the first season, taking three episodes until it was ultimately concluded. Because Season 1 was so celebrated for its animation quality and unique premise, this makes him stand out the most in people’s minds when fondly remembering the adaptation.
Wanting More Boros
Fans Feel Like He Wasn’t Given Enough Justice
Given how rare it isfor Saitama to actually have to try in a fight, some fans feel like he should have been given more time to shine against the other heroes to properly show how powerful he was.
“The fact that he just fought Saitama doesn’t do justice to him. Like for all other villains, they fought someone before they ended up with Saitama(in most cases) which showed us how terrifying that monster was. But in this case we never saw their true power because Saitama overshadowed it.” -Reddit user Fuzzy-Reindeer-8338expressinghis disappointment in how Boros was defeated.
Other fans felt that Boros’s storyline restraint compared to some others was one of his greatest strengths as a villain. Unlike the lengths other villains have to go to in the series to get noticed by Saitama, Boros was just built differently.
“Best thing about Boros is that he didn’t need a try-hard monster seed or the unconsensual bad touch of God to be a planet buster. He was just that dude.” Reddit user Mr_Faux_Regardrespondingto the thread.
While previews for the upcoming Season 3 have been met with mixed reviews, the villain Garou may be a cause for similar hype once audiences see his story fully adapted into anime form. Garou’s run in the manga was lengthy, resulting in a truly iconic clash with the series' titular hero that may rival the spectacle of Season 1’s Boros fight. Hopefully,Season 3’s quality will deliver on fan expectationsand give audiences another villain to constantly think about after it finishes airing.
