Saitama is the undisputed, undefeated star of One-Punch Man, but how would the series continue if the character’s aura of invincibility was shattered? As the very title implies, One-Punch Man‘s leading hero doesn’t often struggle in fights. In fact, Saitama’s monster-bashing antics have become so straightforward that his primary motivation is simply to find opponents capable of putting up a decent fight. The vast majority of Saitama’s enemies have fallen after a single strike, and even when a villain survives beyond that opening punch, it’s later been revealed that the Caped Baldy was holding back for whatever reason, such as in the cases of Lord Boros and Suiryu.
There’s a strong chance that Saitama will never lose throughout the entire One-Punch Man story. The character’s overwhelming strength is not only One-Punch Man‘s raison d’etre, but it’s also the core running joke in the series, parodying other anime and superhero stories where the protagonist routinely has to break their limits to overcome each new enemy. Consequently, it could be argued that One-Punch Man would change entirely if Saitama ever took an L, and that having the title character lose a fight would strip away some of One-Punch Man‘s unique appeal, relegating it to a more standard anime and manga format.
However, it is possible that Saitama could one day lose a fight, and One-Punch Man would still continue forwards in the same satirical vein as before. The most obvious option would be to have Saitama’s first defeat come right at the end of the series, with the reluctant hero eventually finding a worthy sparring partner in the final arc and picking up his first loss since becoming bald. This would allow One-Punch Man to end after finally sating Saitama’s need for competition, leaving the character calm and at peace with his own strength. Not only could this offer a strangely satisfying ending, but it would also fit with One-Punch Man‘s unconventional approach, since action stories usually end with the hero winning a fight, rather than being defeated.
Although it’d be trickier to pull off convincingly, it’s also be possible that Saitama could lose a battle but One-Punch Man still continue for years afterwards, rather than drawing to an immediate conclusion. This could be achieved if One-Punch Man reversed its own ongoing gag. Ever since the first episode, Saitama has bemoaned the fact that no enemy can defeat him. It would be both a hilarious twist and entirely in keeping with One-Punch Man‘s sense of humor if, instead of being excited by the arrival of a stronger character, Saitama immediately becomes haunted by his loss, desperately seeking answers like Genos or frenziedly challenging this mystery opponent to a rematch similar to how Sonic treats Saitama. It might also be dark-humored development if Saitama is beaten in public for the first time by one single blow and, despite the dozens of monsters he’d finished off easily in the past, the hero finally earns the nickname “One-Punch Man” among citizens for exactly the opposite reason fans might have expected.
The identity of the first character to beat Saitama will be of vital importance, and it would be a lot easier for the series to continue afterwards if that loss was handed out by an ally in a friendly, tournament-style fight, rather than by an actual villain. This would mostly allow One-Punch Man to continue as it has been, with Saitama still effortlessly putting down bad guys and being the bane of monsters everywhere, but all the while knowing that his reputation had come under threat by another hero. This role could even be assumed by the mysterious Blast, who has yet to properly appear in the series.
Many would likely still argue that One-Punch Man would be better served by keeping Saitama undefeated right until the very end, but if the moment does ever arrive when his power is outmatched, that won’t necessarily cause One-Punch Man to lose any of its charm or appeal, and a compelling, hilarious story could still be told. It may just simply mean that Saitama has to do 200 sit-ups, push-ups and squats and an 11k run, every single day.
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