Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
“Unyielding Justice”Incredible Animation, Adrenaline-Pumping Fights: That was nothing short of incredible. Really, I could end this review there, and that would just about cover it. But since I’ve already begun I might as well untangle this awesomeness. First off, the obvious: the animation. I did not think it could get any better than what we’ve seen before, but damn, the first half of this episode was non-stop adrenaline-pumping kicks, punches, explosions, impact shots, and devastating blows. At this point, Genos is destined to be One-Punch Man’s punching bag – since he exists purely to show how strong his opponents are, before Saitama comes in and saves the day. It’s a shame seeing him lose yet again, but his back and forth with the Sea King was beyond amazing. Way past spectacular. Earth-shattering. Breathtaking. Mind-blowing. Sensational. All of those words and more. God, it was good. Not only were the intense action sequences beyond my already high expectations, but near every other shot in this episode was tonally perfect. Whether it be Genos seeming to defeat his opponent early on, with the intense shadows giving a sense of uncertainty. Or the rough lines of Mumen Rider when he delivers that emotional speech. Or how about the shift in art style when it switched over to the reactions of the public, that look to be Ghibli inspired. Truly, the whole episode stood out to me. Visually, it was a feast for the eyes and I can’t see how they could top this. Yet, I’ve thought that before, and I’ve been proven wrong… so time will tell. What It Means to be a Hero: Aside from how awesome this episode was visually, it was also the best thematically. I brought it up last week, but the focus once again is on what it means to be a hero in the One-Punch Man universe, and how each of them embrace that role. You’ve got the ever shady Sweet Mask who is more interested in his public image than fighting on the field. But then there’s the likes of Genos, who is striving for his goals and getting all the popularity from the public (which still amuses me), but is still rooted to his superhero sensei. And then you’ve got the hero himself, Saitama, who is in a bit of a predicament. He may be the one who yet again saves the day, but he is still not getting the credit he is due. This time around he was only bumped up one place (with the opportunity to head into the B rank), and part of that comes down to him playing the ‘bad guy’. Like we saw a couple of episodes back, he ranted at the overlooking public, this time making himself seem like he only got the finishing blow because of the hard work of the previous heroes. Of course, we know that to be incorrect, but if we’re to stick with the premise behind the series then simply put, Saitama cannot get the recognition that he deserves, even if he still strives to reach S-Class. The stand-out of this episode, however, is none other than C-rank Mumen Rider. After not getting much of an impression of him in earlier episodes, last week he caught my eye and had me rooting for him. That carried over here, giving him the most emotional and satisfying moments we’ve seen from the whole show. We all knew he wasn’t going to do anything to the Sea King, but that didn’t matter, because seeing him throw everything he could was all he needed to prove that he’s the most genuine hero of them all. He may not be inherently gifted like those around him, but there’s always something to love about the underdog doing his absolute best, even if it results in failure. Not only that, but I actually teared up when the little boy started cheering him on from the arena, as everyone else joined in with him. One-Punch Man may be an epic action parody, but that moment alone proved that it’s capable of tugging the heartstrings when it wants to. Overview – What’s Next?: This episode was A+, 10/10, would recommend to everyone, anime fan or not. Not only the best episode of the show to date, but a serious contender for one of the best of the entire year (so long as I ignore He Who Shall Not Be Named But Rather Image Linked To Show Who I Am Talking About If You Couldn’t Already Tell). Phew. I’m exhausted after experiencing this episode. Simple put, it was fan-fucking-tastic. |
Saitama is proving to be a very complex character and
understanding what he does and the sacrifice he makes
so that the fallen heroes will be treated (with respect)
is nothing short of excellent and amazing writing.
!!!
Saitama is so much that it meets the eye at first glance, he´s the incarnation of what it menas to be a true heroe, not about the fame, the money, not even the respect, it´s all about doing what is right, no matter how painful or fruiteless it might seen (Mumen Rider is also a good example of that) and then once in a while recive that sincere “thank you” that makes it all wotrh it.
I started watching ongoing anime since the start of 2013, occasionally checking out the AOTY hypes.
AoT? Meh, Eren’s a whiny kid.
SAO? It was fine while it lasted, I’d say so so.
NGNL? Colorful and quite a trend breaker, could have been better with more episodes.
FSN UBW? It was an excellent adaptation alright, though sometimes it feels like there’s too much talking.
OPM? Personally I think the hype is justified. One of the few series this season that really has me hooked..
Also check out this link. Its worth a read. http://tinyurl.com/jewuqtf
Excellent link! Thank you.
At first I didn´t want to watch this series I have heard a lot about it but a guy that defeats all enemies with a single punch? that sounded so lame at the time, then I decided to watch the first episode last week just to see what the hype was all about, I watched all the remaining seven episodes in a single day, I´m hooked as hell and I want more!!!. This why I love anime so much!!!.
Hello. Thanks for the post. It’s always fun to read :D.
Could we have your opinion on the guy that slanders the heroes? For me, it played a significant role in setting the mood for this episode. Here’s my take on that. Inb4 WoT and bad English.
You did mention the that the show is questioning what means to be a hero for each of their characters. I feel that this is also true for the rest of the society that has to live with said heroes among them. We’ve seen quite a few of them, and they sometimes are disappointing regarding their “heroic” activities (as far as actually saving people goes). The slander did meet some approval and was not entirely rejected by discussing it, but by threatening that guy. I feel there’s some truth to what he says: the fact is that the heroes lost. However, he also states that anyone can risk their lives, that anyone can buy time until help arrives. Did anyone who escaped into the shelter try to do something like that? All-back man leaped into action immediately (granted, it was buying time, but he wanted to save as many people as possible even while knowing how weak he is). When that fails the other heroes decide to fight against all odds (again, no one else tried to do it). Does the title “Hero” granted by an association gives you such courage? Is it a vow? There was that father that told his kid that if a monster managed to invade the shelter, they could do something about it with their numbers. Sure we can’t expect regular people to fight such a monster, but what’s so different between those in the shelter and All-back man?
I guess the best answer is Mumen Rider’s monolog. It was never about winning or losing, but making a stand, trying his/their best to stop the monster. Heroes bring hope, but they’re not invincible (leaving Saitama out of this, I think the best way to depict how great power leads people to forget how weak they were at the beginning is the attitude of most the S class). Saitama himself started just by doing what he thought to be right (only after came the training and the whole strongest stuff).
Show Spoiler ▼
Perhaps here I might get distracted, but I started to think (and even I agree that this can be cliche or obvious) about the everyday “heroes” we have. At least in my country, the general attitude is that of the slander guy: they’re supposed to protect us, why won’t they do that? It’s their fault if they die because they were weak.
Both in the real world and in OPM’s world, I think it’s unfair. Saitama three years ago, Mumen rider, those fallen heroes (even if it was only for a moment) gave the title “hero” the meaning it had to have, not the other way around.
(Quite the trip I took just to reach this lol)
TL;DR? Being a Hero doesn’t force you to risk your life (ok, Snek might be a bad example :D), but it’s when you risk your life to protect what you believe in that you give being a hero the meaning it should have.
Hence my greatest respect for many people in many professions most of the time.
The very professions I did not go into because I knew I lacked the aptitude and courage and frame of mind. For people who remain uplifting and professional and patient and kind and courageous despite all the slings and arrows that came with their jobs, I don’t know how they deal. (Today’s episode actually reminded me of the news of patient’s relatives ganging up and beating up medical staff for failing to save the patient’s life, when the risk was all laid out, and the man had a very slim chance.)
Of course there are bad eggs everywhere, but we can’t let that make us become biased against the good ones too.
What I thought of the guy slandering the heroes? Tbh, I thought it as just set-up for Saitama to go off on his rant. It sparked that inkling of doubt that could cause the public to question how strong their supposed heroes are, when a rookie C-rank can do the job. Thankfully, Saitama was smart and made himself seem like a douche while making everyone else look better. I wasn’t a fan of his last rant a few episodes back, mainly because the voice acting was shoddy (and it was this time as well) but it seemed to fit the scene better this time around.
ah sometimes I wonder if Saitama is used to everyone reacting negatively to him all the time, even before he became bald, even before he was an adult.
He was actually used to it, if one knows his backstory. You will have to read the manga side stories to get the full idea.
Ok, leavin aside the dramatic-moment-followed-by-hilarious-punching, Mumen Rider did something: he saved Genos. Had he not distracted the Sea King, by the time Saitama arrived Genos would have been trounced to nothingness.
In a way, he’s more heroic than Saitama. Our protagonist can beat anyone, but it’s a hero mostly to get some recognition and payment, and maybe find a foe worthy of his punches. “Lazy Justice”, as Kuzan would say.
and the contribution of the little guy, or the C class heroes, isn’t something to laugh at, like Saitama says. So Sweet mask can belittle them all he wants and talk trash about everyone below an A rank but, without each and every one of them, everyone in the stdium would’ve died before any S class hero could’ve arrived on the scene
What makes Saitama so heroic is the fact that he does not care for recognition, yes he´s lazy and register only to get a payment but even the greatest hero would break if nobody would reconize his effort, no matter if he is all mighty. Saitama cares nothing of it, he knows he´s so powerful that not many things could harm him (only a god comes to mind) and that´s why he gave the credit to his fellow heroes and let the guy trash him, those heroes were little more than mere mortals against that monster and they still face the Sea King and Saitama recognized that, in a way makes him just as heroic as those fallen heroes.
Saitama is pretty great in that he will put his own desire to become S-Class below restoring peoples faith in the other heroes who fought so hard even though they failed.
What defines a hero?
A: The nuber of lives he saves?
B: The risks he takes for himself?
C: The sacrifices he makes?
Unfortunately, the things that the asshole said made sense. If the heroes/police/army/firemen die without saving anyone you only have a bigger pile of corpses and a sadder story, also your taxes were for nothing.
But if you don’t value effort and sacrifice for their own sake, fewer motivations people will have to take that risk. Silver and bronze medals exist for a reason.
Besides Saitama maybe the strongest, but he has limitations. He is not onipresent, he can’t be everywhere, thus you need the other heroes. The heroes (and Sonic) who bought enough time to Saitama to arrive in the nip of time, even the C heroes.
Finally, I can’t help but think that guy as a representation of viewers talking trash about anyone who is not Saitama (“jobber”, “weak”, “bitch”, “modern art”, “Yamcha”).
@What defines a hero?
Ohhh, there are lots, but three I like. Courage, Selflessness, Humility.
@Lyfe
Did you finish reading Grahav’s comment before replying? Although I agree with the three factors you’ve listed, the “Ohhh, there are lots…” shouldn’t be a side remark.
If the heroes/police/army/firemen die without saving anyone you only have a bigger pile of corpses and a sadder story, also your taxes were for nothing. But if you don’t value effort and sacrifice for their own sake, fewer motivations people will have to take that risk. Silver and bronze medals exist for a reason.”
Everything rests on a delicate balance.
Can’t remember where I heard this, but a quote I always liked was “Heroes rush in while everyone else rushes out.”
That’s really simple, and all there really is to it. You risk your life for someone else without a conscious ulterior motive, you’re a hero. Ranking is just to more easily determine who can handle a threat. Doesn’t mean a thing if those “heroes” aren’t heroic enough to show up.
True, but to actually save anyone you have to power.
Power without bravery = nothing done.
Bravery without power = lack of wisdom = one dead more.
The combined effort of all other heroes (plus Sonic) was just enough to Saitama find the Sea King.
So you can count even Allback man talking, and the rider challenge as important here they got seconds.
And Saitama he has the power to one-shot everything but he is not omniscient nor can be everywhere all the time. So, he has limitations.
Whether one is a hero or anything else it has the duty to look for power. Be it strenght, skill or knowledge. That is what defines the “can”s or “cannot”s of life.
Nowhere in the definition of hero is that he has to “win”, the hero is the one who opposes the villain.
What defines a hero?
His/her hobby i guess.
One Punch Man, redefining EPIC with every episode.
Licenseless Rider is the hero City Z deserves, not the one it needs.
Even though I’m a big fan of the manga, this episode brought out so much more of Licenseless Rider, to the point where he’s become my favorite character. Then again, Nakamura Yuuichi always knows how to deliver those powerful lines.
shingo natsume was the right choice to have direct onepunch man; not just because of his ability to helm a show of this nature, but because of the connects he has. The key animators responsible for some of the most epic moments in this series arent even in-house madhouse animators. They are animators shingo brought on board to make onepunch man the sakuga fest it is
Best episode of the season, of any show.
Super-touching, tear-jerking awesomeness…
I personally have to disagree. Sure, OPM may be AotY, and it has great episodes. But I think other animes may have had a “stronger” episode than this. But sure, if it’s your opinion, than no one can dictate what you should like more.
Objectively though, I can’t say this episode was the absolute best. And knowing what OPM is capable of, this episode is just the beginning. So I wouldn’t be quick to call this the best episode, especially before we get some Tatsumaki development.
Well, I know he said he didn’t want recognition for what he does as a hero, but he gets the praise from people who matters to him.
https://randomc.net/image/One-Punch%20Man/One-Punch%20Man%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
I’m happy that Sonic came back…(come next episode?).
https://randomc.net/image/One-Punch%20Man/One-Punch%20Man%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
I think Mumen Rider deserves the Number One spot, even if he stays in C-class.
https://randomc.net/image/One-Punch%20Man/One-Punch%20Man%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2038.jpg
So the only human part of Genos is his brain…he should be given the medal of honor.
https://randomc.net/image/One-Punch%20Man/One-Punch%20Man%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
And he is a very cool cyborg (not a punching bag). At least he is ranked higher than the Sweet Mask guy.
https://randomc.net/image/One-Punch%20Man/One-Punch%20Man%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
He’s the true Seigi no Mikata.
Saitama = Kirito. End of story. Same hype. Not every anime is perfect. OPM = SAO. Yes, I like both of this two series. Yes, this eps is fantastic.
“Ka ka” – Shinobu
Sweet Mask is getting on my nerves pretty quickly, the guy acts so narcisistic that makes want throw up, such an arrogant behavior for a bastard who didn´t show up or shows any concern for his fellow heroes.
Sweet mask is not actually narcissistic; he finds power attractive over all else.
Is that so? Well, something about him seems off, it´s like he loves to play the role of hero but that´s it, I don´t sense anything heroic from him.
He’s not heroic, he Show Spoiler ▼
Sweet Mask can handle his own, we won’t actually see much of that, but like all of the other characters he’s not as one dimensional as he seems
Sweet mask has a twisted view of the ideal hero, thats why he seems off.
You need to be a shounen mc. Must look cool, fight for justice and always win. Miss one and you’re trash in his eyes.
He is like the judgement route in shin megami tensei games.
He’s the biggest example of the difference between a “hero” that is just someone strong enough to get promoted, and real ones like Licenseless Rider that are genuinely doing it to help people. Saitama is in the middle since he does it for fun, but also considers helping people to be a bonus while he looks for a challenge.
And that was supposed to go to haseo0408. Fail 🙁
I see what you mean Alex-san, it is true that saitama is real blood knight, as you said he looks for a challenge but he shows moderation, a really complex character. This series has proven to be the jewel of the season, it speaks volumes of the story when the guy is pretty invencible but you look for to what comes next, you get exited with every development.
>] “The stand-out of this episode, however, is none other than C-rank Mumen Rider. After not getting much of an impression of him in earlier episodes, last week he caught my eye and had me rooting for him. That carried over here, giving him the most emotional and satisfying moments we’ve seen from the whole show. We all knew he wasn’t going to do anything to the Sea King, but that didn’t matter, because seeing him throw everything he could was all he needed to prove that he’s the most genuine hero of them all.”
Nonsense. What good is a hero who tries his best but fails to protect anything in the end? Without power, all those sweet feelings don’t amount to anything if all you can do is scream your heart out only to have your body snapped in half like a twig.
What would have happened if Saitama hadn’t been there at just the right time? Of course, every single person there would’ve been slaughtered like helpless sheep. In such an instance, what merit does it hold to call those people heroes?
In fact, it’s really more of an insult when you think about it. Think about it. Say your family is in a life or death situation and the outcome depends on you being able to win a fight. You strive to your utmost, coughing up blood and fighting your heart out until your bones break, your heart gives out and every last iota of strength your body has is exhausted. None of it matters because you never had a chance to win and when you fall, your entire family is killed.
In such an instance, would you want to be called a hero? I would think the answer obvious.
hero – “a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.”
By definition, he’s a hero alright. What you are debating is not whether he is a hero or not, but whether he is strong, or useful. He’s not, strong. But he was useful, albeit in a lucky way that Sea King didn’t just one punch him to begin with. Regardless, Mumen Rider did save Genos. Indirectly, and by pure luck/chance, but saved him nonetheless.
And with your analogy, this is the way I see it: I fight, my family dies. I don’t fight, my family dies. BUT, if I DO fight, there’s a CHANCE I MAY win. While if I don’t fight… well family’s definitely dead. Not to mention there’s a chance that I may stall them long enough for help to arrive. Look at The Mist and what happened when the protagonist gave up hope in that… If he had just held out a bit longer, it would’ve been sunshines and rainbows.
I personally don’t care about the hero moniker, but I do have pride.
With all respect, if you have to resort to textbook definitions in order to classify someone as a technical “hero,” that doesn’t say much about the person himself/herself.
Secondly, you’re right when you say that I’m not arguing about whether or not the person in question is a hero or not. That’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter if the person’s a hero or not if they’re weak. When you don’t have power and you constantly throw yourself into danger, you’re going to die. And when you’re dead, you just become a burden to others; making those who care about you cry, being unable to help anyone anymore, and not being able to be a hero anymore.
As I said, if Saitama hadn’t showed up when he did, Mumen Rider and everyone else would’ve died right then and there, Genos included. It took power to make a difference, not the sentimental ramblings of a hero who couldn’t do anything of substance on his own and could barely even buy time.
That aside, you’re grasping at straws when you talk about my analogy and even missing the point entirely; whether it’s right to call someone a “hero” when they fail and everyone dies, even if they tried their very best. Consequences matter, and calling someone a hero doesn’t necessarily mean that their efforts made a difference, and it can even be insulting. You didn’t address any of that at all.
If Rider hadn’t been there to further delay the Sea King, there might not have been anyone for Saitama to save. True, there’s often a fine line between being a hero and being an idiot, but usually a hero is someone who doesn’t try to be one.
To paraphrase Alan Alda: You know what a hero is? 99 times out of 100 he’s someone who so desperate he doesn’t give a damn about the risks.
Rider is no super hero, and maybe he tries to hard to actually be a hero, but in this particular instance, had he not been there, had he not foolishly attacked the Sea King, everyone else would have died, so in this instance at least, I believe him to be a hero.
I can understand your point though. I think that’s why in Mandelorian culture they don’t have a word for hero; instead they have words for those who aren’t heroes.
Typical fallacious argument by someone who fails to see the larger ramifications of the actions taken, and their effects.
A hero isn’t a hero because of their effectiveness in meeting any specific, limited goal. A hero is a hero because of their effect on others.
A hero puts their life on the line even if winning isn’t a likely possibility. As another commenter said, a hero isn’t always the result of their success, but the effect of their actions. Think of the soldiers who died storming the beaches of Normandy. Without their sacrifice, the soldiers who were able to storm the beach and occupy the area would not have been able to do so. And those men were certainly heroic in their sacrifice, regardless of how brave or fearful or capable they were themselves.
Huh? I think Mumen Rider has incredibly heroic in this episode. Heroism shouldn’t be decided purely on how strong he is, because we already knew he was outranked. The fact that he rode into battle while everyone else ran, to attempt to save those in dire need, is more than enough to label him a hero. If you want to add credit to the claim, then technically he did buy more time and save Genos’s life. In doing so, he helped contribute to saving everyone in that arena, which is what he aimed to do.
Clearly, his intentions are selfless, and that’s what stand out most of all; nearly every other character is either caught up in the system or wants to become stronger, but Mumen Rider thinks only of the public. If he’s not a hero, then no one else.
With all respect, you’re simplifying my argument a bit and, intentionally or unintentionally, ignoring a few key points that I made. I never said that Mumen Riden didn’t act heroically. If I said that somewhere, then please point out where as I don’t remember saying anything like that.
Did Mumen Rider act heroically? Yes, undoubtedly. Was it an incredibly stupid thing to do at the time, considering how much of a pathetic weakling he is? Absolutely. You can cheer for an ordinary person who goes into a roaring fire with absolutely no idea what he’s doing because he has the burning desire (ahahahahaha, more bad puns) to save people, but if he ends up dead and doesn’t actually help anyone in the process, then he’s just a fool.
It’s the same thing here. Your argument, essentially, is that he acted heroically and made a difference because Saitama showed up and actually took care of things. If he had been even a few minutes late, everyone would’ve been dead and not a single person here would claim that he was a hero; or, at the very least, not the kind of hero that made a difference in the end.
All the counterarguments to what I’ve said essentially concede this point, although they never go out of their way to say as much. To be a hero who makes a difference, you have to have power. People like Mumen Rider, while emotionally stirring and admirable, are weak and ineffective. They die as easily as snapping a twig and are only good for buying time.
If that’s your standard for a hero, then that’s your standard for a hero. I don’t settle for that.
@Ryan Ashfyre
By your definition, every Firemen, Policemen, Ambulance driver & emergency rescue that died on their job was totally a fool, and every KIA soldier was a fool too. Because they died, and didn’t make any difference.
In a sense you are totally right. True hero often stand on a mountain of corpse of pointless death.
On the other hand, “true hero” by your definition is someone that has power and will use that power to make a difference, and hopefully survive the ordeal in the process.
So, the guy that pressed the nuke button is totally more heroic than the countless soldier grunts that die in droves. Since soldiers die pointless death anyway, why not simply resort to nukes at the first sight of problem?
@SMistrel:
Given the sensitivity of what’s been discussed here to a great many people, I’ve tried to keep a certain level of decency about my responses, regardless as to whatever people thought of my position.
For you however, I’m going to make an exception. Your presumptive response is easily the rudest and most callous I’ve seen thus far and so I’m going to take a certain level of enjoyment in setting you straight. Buckle up.
First of all, your presumption about “firemen, police officers, ambulance drives” and others misses the mark. All of these people are professionally trained to do what they do. They’re in a different league from Mumen Rider who just goes off on his own, flying by the seat of his proverbial pants and essentially hoping that things turn out alright.
Contrary to your asinine assumption in this respect, you’re the one insulting all of these people by making that comparison and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, not seeming to acknowledge the level of professional effort and training that all of them go through.
Secondly, and though it should really go without saying, everyone dies. For you to make the proverbial leap from my point about an individual dying because they didn’t take the necessary precautions and training first to just dying in general is the height of cherry picking on your part. And just for clarity, that is exactly what you did. You said, and I quote:
>] “By your definition, every Firemen, Policemen, Ambulance driver & emergency rescue that died on their job was totally a fool, and every KIA soldier was a fool too. Because they died, and didn’t make any difference.”
To be perfectly blunt, don’t go around shoving your own warped perception of my views down my proverbial throat. While I have said that one needs power in order to survive and to make a difference in order to help people, it should be quite obvious that I didn’t mean they should survive indefinitely. That’s absurd.
Of course all heroes die eventually. What matters is that they made a significant difference in the time that they were alive and that they didn’t die pointlessly. If Mumen Rider had died in that fight, that would’ve been a pointless death not only because he was acting, at least in part, to fulfill his own self-perceived role as a hero, but because everyone else would’ve died too. It was only by sheer luck and circumstance that things turned out alright in the end, none of which he planned for or knew was going to happen.
And, again, does that mean that his actions weren’t heroic? Once again, no. They were still very, very stupid and reflective of his incompetence as a so-called “hero.”
I certainly don’t apply those kinds of actions to our brave men and women in uniform, whether they be fire fighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, or whatever else.
>] “On the other hand, “true hero” by your definition is someone that has power and will use that power to make a difference, and hopefully survive the ordeal in the process.
I’ve already addressed this. Next.
>] “So, the guy that pressed the nuke button is totally more heroic than the countless soldier grunts that die in droves. Since soldiers die pointless death anyway, why not simply resort to nukes at the first sight of problem?”
Since you’re deriving this clumsy example of yours from your own misguided perception of my views, there’s really no point in me responding to it. For the sake of argument though, I’ll do you a courtesy and do so anyways.
First of all, I’ve already explained my views on how soldiers and others like them, contrary to clumsy people like Mumen Rider, are deserving of being called heroes.
Secondly, I’m not going to presume that one who activates a nuclear weapon is or isn’t a hero in his/her own right. It really depends on the person themselves. Taking an action that will assuredly wipe out innumerable numbers of lives can be seen as taking a certain level of spine or an inordinate level of cowardice. It can go both ways. Give me an example of a nuclear strike in our history and I’ll be happy to give you my views on whether it was a heroic act or not.
@Ryan
First of all, your presumption about “firemen, police officers, ambulance drives” and others misses the mark. All of these people are professionally trained to do what they do. They’re in a different league from Mumen Rider who just goes off on his own, flying by the seat of his proverbial pants and essentially hoping that things turn out alright.
Except that they’re actually the same & thus hit right on the mark because Mumen Rider is a professional hero. If he’s not a professional certified by the Hero Association, he’d have no rank just like Genos & Saitama before they joined the association. Just the fact that he’s a ranked C-class hero means that he’d passed the test to be a professional hero paid by the association.
To sum it up, your statements are true, if only Mumen Rider is just an ordinary civilian.
There is a definition of a word problem here. There seams to be a meaning of Hero that means effective maybe like the hero of a story who you expect to win, at least most of the time in western fiction. And this story is using two meaning of hero, one the role the person is supposed to play even if they are not heroic, and second the true heroism.
The classic most often used meaning of Hero has nothing to do with winning. I think of the 300 movie and other stories how the Spartans held out for 3 days yet they all died and the Persians marched though and burnt their target Athens. Yes the Spartans (and other Greeks with them) died for nothing but this is considered a pinnacle of heroism.
The Japanese, I have read, are really into the total failure hero story with many examples from their history of hero’s who fought nobly and died and their cause and what they protected with them.
If you run and die your not a hero if you fight and die your a hero in the meaning most here seam to be using. Now in poor causes you can say don’t be a hero for that but if the person goes and dies heroically they are still a hero.
Yes there can be stupid heroism, you can be a dead hero, you can be a failure at being a hero, but the flaw does not make the person not a hero.
But many heroes in real life fail and die. After all we are just flesh and blood, and life is not a Hollywood movie (why do heroes so often win in these? Sets some unrealistic expectations).
But as a species this is the type of altruism that keeps the species alive, for with every some failures, there is one success, and even the failures inspire. (group selection etc.)
In universe for OPM, even Saitama is not effective. Just look at all the devastation in all the cities since the start of the show. Sure he one punches all the monsters, but often he came a bit too late, and the collateral damage already done. In this world it may seem the heroes are winning, but humanity is losing overall, with ghost towns and destroyed cities and dead families. Saitama can be the strongest being in the universe, but he can’t undo the devastation in city Z, can’t bring city B back, can’t bring back what is already lost.
Can you imagine your own country with as great and often destruction as Saitama’s world? Losing major cities at the same rate? The place’d be nearly unlivable. For all the jokes and triumph and hot blooded feeling we get from the show, the world Saitama lives in, that Genos’ family died in, and Sonic performs hitman jobs in, is a pretty bleak one. And no hero alone can fix that.
Okay, just to get it out of the way, there’s no such thing as altruism, at least not for humans. Altruism means to unselfishly act for the benefit and/or welfare of others without any regard for one’s self.
No human can ever behave like that, and I don’t say that as a pessimist. It’s just the way we are. Even if you throw yourself in front of a bullet that’ll surely kill you because your best friend would die otherwise, part of you is doing that to satisfy the emotional bond that you’ve developed with your friend and to avoid the heart-wrenching pain that would come with seeing your friend die.
To be sure, I’m not saying that the act itself isn’t admirable and even beautiful in a sense. It surely is, but there’s still a part of your that’s acting selfishly in the process, hence one cannot deem it as pure altruism.
That aside, you’re absolutely right about One-Punch Man’s world. I don’t consider a single one of these guys effective heroes. Sure, they convey the idea and emotional appeal of a hero pretty well, but that’s about as far as it goes. Even Saitama’s admitted that he’s just doing this hero thing just to kill time and to keep himself from being bored. Props to him for at least being honest with himself, if nothing else.
Of course there is no such thing as altruism. As stated in my original post, it all stems from group selection, especially for group living animals like us. Sacrifice the one to save the majority. But it is still something that should be praised. And the most selfish and jaded reason is, if such acts are not praised and advertised, who will step up? And if heroism is selfish in its core, why don’t so many of us have the courage to do so?
And in the end we still have to believe in the higher cause, curse our bigger brains, otherwise what is the point? What is the point to life? We’d be plodding from day to day to day with no purpose or joy, for all our impacts on the world are meaningless in the long run? Even Saitama noticed this in the very first episode, where he commented that despite all the monsters he’d killed, there seemed to be no differences made, and he goes through his days, feeling dead inside. Yet as he met more people and made more friends who accepted and acknowledged and believed in him, the man came alive again.
I think this quote from one of my favorite authors summarized it all pretty nicely:
“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need… fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—”
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
“So we can believe the big ones?”
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
“They’re not the same at all!”
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME…SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
“Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point—”
MY POINT EXACTLY.”
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
I don’t really get your point, to be honest. You say Mumen Rider was useless. So? It was pointless for him to throw himself into the fight because he couldn’t win. And? We all know it’s great when the hero is strong and can win, but that’s beside the scene’s point. He was heroic because he couldn’t not try to save the people. Sure, if everyone dies then no one will call him a hero, but if he doesn’t try to save them then everyone dies anyway and he’s left with the fact that he ran. Is that some selfishness in the sacrifice? Yup, tastes like cinnamon. But the whole point is that not doing anything because you know you can’t win doesn’t save anyone. If you fight you spend the enemy’s time, and the people you’re protecting have a better chance of surviving than they did before you started getting your ass kicked(which is the entire points) because maybe the enemy is that much more tired, or that much less interested, or reinforcements are that much closer. You can’t even pretend to be a hero if you’re just going to say “hey, these people are going to die, but since I can’t win I’ll just watch.” That is a worthless act.
With all respect, the entire premise behind your series of assertions amounts to a what-if scenario:
– What if Mumen Rider hadn’t done anything and just stood by the sidelines?
– What if Mumen Rider does buy time and reinforcements arrive just in time to save him and everyone else from being slaughtered like sheep?
Hey, that’s cool. I can play that game too:
– What if Mumen Rider had actually spent his time becoming strong rather than just riding everywhere on a bicycle and playing hero all day in a world where that obviously doesn’t cut it?
– What if the Deep Sea King had, instead of toying around with him, decided to snap him in half right then and there from the moment he showed up?
You say that you don’t get my point, so I’ll lay it out as plainly as I can. You are justifying Mumen Rider’s outcome based on the convenience of a situation (ie Saitama showing up to save the day at the last moment) that he had absolutely no control over and would have resulted in both his and everyone else’s death if even the slightest thing had gone wrong and calling that heroism.
Now let’s be perfectly clear about something. I’m not saying that what Mumen Rider did wasn’t heroic, but you’re justifying everything that happened based solely on that and, as far as I can tell, saying that if things had gone wrong and everyone had wound up dead, well at least he tried, right?
That’s not heroism, that’s just pure, undiluted selfishness; playing to the role of a hero because it makes you feel better, even if what you’re doing has absolutely zero chance of succeeding and then being praised because convenience happened to show up at the right moment to save everything from going all to hell.
I’ll say it as many times as I have to. You can’t protect anything if you’re weak. Sugarcoating unforgiving reality by insinuating that acting heroically even in the face of insurmountable odds sounds very nice, but it’s also just a means of running away. If Mumen Rider were genuinely serious about wanting to be a hero that saves people, he’d spend his time trying to become stronger so he could make a real difference on his own, not throwing himself into the proverbial fire just waiting to be killed.
Oooooooh, okay! You were saying he should’ve trained harder! Thanks, I seriously wasn’t getting that from your other posts. Not even being sarcastic, I wasn’t getting that point at all.
Here’s what I see as the problem with that, though: Mumen Rider is an ordinary person, and all the exceptional heroes we’ve seen have been anything but ordinary. And before anyone says it, I do not believe for one second that Saitama got that strong on his training regimen. Something happened to him that even he doesn’t know about. Maybe he passed out and slept on an alien meteorite, or drank an irradiated energy drink, or something(I’m also blaming that something for his baldness). Bang is the closest to normal and a hero that had a chance against Deep Sea King that we’ve seen, and he only got that way by spending his entire (long)life training.
I also think it’s a bit unfair to just assume Mumen Rider never trains and just rides around all day. True, we only see him when he’s riding around, but he’s C-Class, so he needs to fill his quota. I get the feeling that the quota was meant to be a form of training at some point, then got warped along the way, but that’s neither here nor there. There’s nothing saying that training hard every day would ever get him past C. Should he try to get stronger? Of course. Can he? Who knows. People have limitations built into them, but what I felt his fight was partially about was overcoming those limitations. You can’t let those limitations stop you if you’re needed. You have to at least try, because nothing happens when people just give up.
Though after all that is said, it’s still a fact that Genos would’ve died if he hadn’t gone to fight, and maybe everyone else in that hall since Saitama would still be lost if Mumen Rider hadn’t dropped his phone. Props where props are due.
If you want to work to be a hero, work to be a powerfull hero.
So, I’ve read through a few of your comments and you’ve said some pretty interesting stuff and all. I don’t agree with some of it but I won’t comment on all of the things I don’t agree with cause there really wouldn’t be a point. I do however have a few things I’d like to bring to the table.
1) You clearly don’t believe that Mumen Rider was a hero this episode, but I’d like to ask what you think he should’ve done in that situation instead. Not knowing that Saitama would arrive, knowing that the Sea King was about to attack the civilians, what do you think Mumen Rider should’ve done?
2) I’d like to just comment on a conception you seem to have drawn on Rider’s character. Correct me if I’m mistaken but I seem to have come under the impression that you believe Rider is playing at hero, bicycling around all day instead of getting stronger. But from what I’ve seen, I feel like Rider isn’t like that. He’s bicycling around to patrol the streets and prevent minor crimes or help the citizens. He probably then trains in his spare time. I don’t think that Rider is just playing at being a hero; he is truly trying to be one. Every day he is out on the streets helping with whatever he can. From his actions in this episode and the last, we see that he isn’t worried about the danger he may face but more concerned about the danger others may face. That’s all really. Just wanted to say this.
With respect to your first question, please don’t misunderstand me. I’ve already said, numerous times over at this point, that Mumen Rider’s actions were heroic – contrary to whether he himself is heroic, which is another argument entirely – and even admirable. I don’t dispute that at all.
Now, I’ve also said that what he did was incredibly stupid, and to that I stand. Given the context of the situation at the time however, what else could he have done? Really, there was nothing else he could have done. It would be a fool’s errand to think he could just hang back and wait for more reinforcements and he obviously doesn’t have any special skills or the like that would let him attack from a distance to try and distract Deep Sea King or anything like that.
As for your second question, I genuinely have a hard time believing that Mumen Rider is earnestly trying to become stronger. At the very least, I haven’t seen anything that would lead me to believe that. Is he practicing martial arts? Learning any special skills? If there were any insinuation of that, I certainly didn’t see it. Hell, even his precious bicycle is about as plain and simple as you can get.
So, really, why should I believe that he isn’t just bicycling around all day long trying to help people like a normal person? Which, hey, is admirable and all, but it’s also something of an exercise in futility if you’re not earnestly, consistently trying to gain the kind of power that will make it that much easier to help those precious people.
All that said, my main point boils down to this. If you want to be a hero, you need power. Period, full stop. If you want to say that people like Mumen Rider who go around, striving against all odds and facing insurmountable adversity are heroic and admirable near to a fault, that’s perfectly fine. I agree with you, but none of that changes unforgiving reality in that such people are, essentially, throwing themselves into the proverbial fire, just waiting to be killed.
That is such a damn waste.
Hell, even Fate/Stay Night’s Shirou understood something this basic. That’s why he trained every single day, always trying to constantly improve himself even though he had basically no talent, and look at how he turned out. Show Spoiler ▼
If Mumen Rider’s goal was to save lives, then the only hope he ever had in contributing to that was delaying the sea king with his antics (and against a dragon-level threat, antics are really all Mumen Rider is capable of), until someone else strong arrives.
It was the equivalent of “This boat is sinking, let’s use this bucket to bail out water, and hope the coast guard finds me before we all drown.”
His only contribution was delaying the Deep Sea King in killing Genos and the civilians (which he probably could have done in under a minute). Best case scenario, something happens and he’s saved. Bad case (but probable outcome) scenario, at least he buys everyone an extra 30 seconds or so of life. Worst case scenario is he’s killed instantly and makes no difference (which could very well have happened).
Let’s look at the “bad but probable outcome scenario”. Let’s take this 30 seconds and multiply it out by the number of by standers, which, let’s assume to be about three thousand.
So 3000 people X 30 seconds of life
= 90000 man.seconds of life
= 25 man.hours of life
So in a way, he sort of would have kept the equivalent of 1 person alive for just over 1 day.
At this point, we might as well argue that if his goal was simply to “delay slaughter”, he’d have been better off having worn a clown mask and putting on an amusing show for the Sea King. But who know if that was actually his intention. It could very well have been exactly what Ryan’s pointed out, and it’s purely feel good / gain self-fulfilment in knowing that he did everything he possibly could to contribute in some way (regardless of how in vain) to preventing death. And that’s OK too.
Hot damn check out the details
http://imgur.com/a/2nJV1
OMG, that child wears the same clothes every day.
.. Oh wait, it’s a school uniform. Ok, makes sense.
Mumen Rider and Saitama really brought the feels. That amazing speech by Mumen really tugged that heartstrings, it’s almost impossible not to root for him. And that selfless fake rant that Saitama made after, sacrificing his public image to give respect to all the heroes that fought, that’s not something anyone can do.
And although no one will compliment him, I think the voice actor for the Deep Sea King was astounding. He was menacing and cruel, and he performed his job as the villain splendidly. 😛
Glad to see that Samu is turning around from his initial OPM impressions.
Glad to see OPM becoming something worth turning around for.
I generally agreed with Samu after episodes 3 and 4. A couple more episodes like those, and I would have dropped the show entirely. However OPM has shown that those episodes at least had a purpose, and is continuing to truly improve in great strides.
“A couple more episodes like those, and I would have dropped the show entirely.”
A couple of more GREAT episodes like those, and you would have dropped it?
Ooooh! *clappyclappy* 😀
The animators added a little bit more to the Genos vs Sea King fight compared to the manga. I didn’t know that Genos could do a Solar Flare with his eyes.
Also, I was surprised at how horrified I felt when I saw Genos’s face closeup right after he got splattered with acid. Had to go back and re-read those manga chapters to compare. Yep, that expression on Genos’s face was not the same as depicted in the manga. *shivers*
put my hand over my eyes while i clicked to get here…WHY!?!?! CUZ I DONT WANNA RUIN A MOMENT OF THE EP IM ABOUT TO WATCH!!!
i dont watch TV…..but this show has me soo wet right now….okay im gonna watch!
Completely mental episode!
I think Genos and the Deep Sea King were pretty well matched, and it was only due to circumstance that Genos lost as badly as he did. There’s no doubt that overall, the Sea King was stronger, but if it weren’t for the various distractions, the fight would have dragged out for much longer than it did, with Genos potentially having won (via whatever secret robot weapons he might have packed inside his body).
As for Saitama, regarding those who think he’s the ideal hero: I really don’t think this is the case at all, or the way that the manga is trying to represent him. Personality-wise, Mumen Rider is with little doubt, the ideal hero. But Saitama is completely different in what he wants and who he wants to be. Mumen rider is a hero because he wants to protect every and anyone he can. But Saitama protects people he wants to be a hero. I almost wonder that if someone (somewhat) close to Saitama, such as Genos, were to have been killed, if Saitama would have been terribly fazed by it.
you forget recent Saitama’s quote
Genos : Master, it seems to you threat level doesn’t matter
Saitama : Well of course, If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?
http://i.imgur.com/VgXYNLD.png
Ah, yes, good point.
Though is always being there to take on monsters really to protect people? No doubt that he does go to efforts to protect people; he just doesn’t seem very emotionally invested, and almost indifferent to the outcome.
That being said, he did take a hit to his public reputation just to protect the honour dignity of the heroes that fell. But then does count as such a great deed if he’s indifferent to how the public perceive him?
Saitama takes attacks to his character by the public the same way he takes physical attacks form monsters – being completely unscathed.
This is probably all part of the big underlying theme to the entire OPM story…
Damn OPM and its many layers!
They removed the dialog that addresses his emotions in adaptation for whatever reason, but basically he lost all emotions when he gained his power.
“They removed the dialog that addresses his emotions in adaptation for whatever reason, but basically he lost all emotions when he gained his power.”
In the very first episode of the anime they had Saitama already monologue-ing about this.
Oh do find the manga and read it. There are some chapters that answer your questions about Saitama’s character easily. And let us not forget what the man did during his three years of training. Before he was invincible, he risked a great deal every time he fought a monster as well, but he still fought.
The man is just so used to be overlooked and bullied and ridiculed his entire life, that he is almost used to it. To me he even shows signs of depression.
Regarding He Who Must Not Be Named, I liked the shot of Pri dropping the antics for a second while looking down at the newspaper declaring him an “S-class failure.” It’s stuff like that that lets me see a glimpse of why some of my friends are big fans of his.
It does a good job making us feel like he may have hidden depths. The animators can do a lot with couple of frames in this show.
I’m surprised they didn’t take a jab at Genos as well, given that he (more or less) also suffered the same fate. Regardless, I hope PPP gets an opportunity to prove himself somewhere down the road.
Maybe it happened? It’s not as if Genos would care. Nevertheless, PPP got beaten in a one-to-one fight, while as far as the civilians in the shelter are concerned, Genos appeared when they needed him most, directed them to flee while he distracted the enemy, even after losing an arm was still fighting and only got corroded because he tried to save a little girl.
Genos’ case is easier to sell. Also, isn’t PPP supposed to be in prison? A convict is hardly going to get any good PR from media.
So? PPP appeared when Stinger and the other guy also needed him, so as to not get killed by the Sea King.
He’s a convict but he’s an exception from the rule. How many other convicts are S-class heroes who can go in and out of jail when they please?
Mumen Rider speech made me tears.
Genos and Saitama start a band:
http://artbooksnat.tumblr.com/image/132963903907
Genos and Saitama, defenders of supermarket sales:
http://artbooksnat.tumblr.com/image/133073531088
The stuff with Puri Puri Prisoner at the hospital this episode wasn’t even in the manga, so in that sense, it was wholly unnecessary.
Good. I’ll pretend it wasn’t even there! 😀
If you’re going to ignore that part of Pri-Pri-Prisoner in the hospital then I’m so calling you on it.
It’s wholly unfair for you to bash him in the previous episode’s review and then when a new development for him comes up this week you intentionally ignore it?
FFS you’re not even giving him a chance to redeem himself! You’re blatantly ignoring the fact that he has another, deeper side to him and have already written him off as an unneeded character only because you don’t like him.
Your utterly one-sided viewpoint of Pri-Pri-Prisoner would result in readers of your review having a biased opinion of a character in this story if they haven’t even understood his character. And he is definitely way more than what you make him out to be.
Yes, that scene was not in the manga but that doesn’t make it “wholly unnecessary”. In fact it preludes into what is later shown to be his transition into an “evolved” fighting style. If you’re not reading the manga then stop comparing which scenes are in or not, there’s bound to be differences naturally.
I respect that you have a different understanding of him than I do but I really do find it unfair that you’re being biased here. Would you ignore a person just because that person doesn’t fit into your ideal image of how a person should be like like? Would you ostracize that same person and ridicule him as someone whose name is not even worth mentioning?
Because the way I see it, you’re being no different than Sweet Mask when it comes to Pri-Pri-Prisoner.
Feel la Feel
This year sure loves some batman, huh?
Winter – (cannot think of one)
Spring – Hachiman (Oregairu)
Summer – Adler (Rokka no Yuusha)
Fall – Saitama
Well, I think it’s a good episode. Not great but it was a heck of a ride.
You ain’t seen incredible yet. Hoo boy! Wait until next week
I have seen plenty of manga readers getting hyped up for what’s coming next. Surely it can’t get any more epic than what we got this episode? If so, I can’t wait!
The next arc will surprise everyone. Yes, even Saitama *winks*
this is that people call send first the jobbers and then asspull and a very predectable asspull
I can’t believe i’m going to say this, but this is the only show where i’m disappointed we aren’t getting any of the filler conten. Those were also awesome.
Finally the plot is going somewhere and I’m starting to care about the characters.
The true measure of a hero is when a man lays down his life with the knowledge that those he saves…will never know.
Mumen rider is a true hero while Saitama is a superhero.
Next arc should be amazing as we will finally see the S Class Heroes in action.
Genos is basically there to compensate for the lack of fight scenes Saitama can gives.
He has the flashy moves, the cool poses, can take a lot of beating and visible damage before he’s down and then Saitama comes in to finish it with one final punch.
In a way, you could say he actually is a cheater. As he steals the final punch scene from Genos after Genos did all that effort in making a glorious fight scene.
I might even add that Mumen Rider does the same as Genos but on an emotional level. The 3 of them together would be the 3 aspects of a hero. To stand against evil, to halt/stop evil and to beat evil.
And I totally BS’d this together. 😀
Aww chill. I would still join Genos Fan Club. I think he is very cool
Saitama is one of the anime heroes we don’t deserve…
Love this episode yes because of the fight scenes and stuff. But really, it shows the depth of the characters now.
Especially on Mumen Rider (albeit cliche) and Saitama, and probably the Prison Dude with the Angel Style move.
I like how it focus on Mumen’s riders toil on helping the weak despite himself being on of the weakest but with iron will.
And of course, Saitama seems to be very depth despite his shallow appearance. He does really highlight the plight of the heroes that went un-appreciated by the public. The public that takes the heroes for granted just because they pay donations. And how he had thought of the bigger picture and decided to just take the blame, keeping the rest of the heroes still in relevance.