Contains spoilers for One-Punch Man Chapter 167!
The new epic power level shown by Saitama in One-punch manThe final arc creates a fascinating possibility for God’s true hidden identity, connecting the horrific villain to the series’ titular “hero.” In an epic battle against Garou, Saitama is able to unleash the Zero Causality Fist, traveling back in time to eliminate the villain and save his allies.
In One-punch man lore, God is a mysterious being who seems to have a level of power worthy of his name. Little is known about God except that he is apparently trapped in another dimension, willing to lend his incredible powers to others to serve his own agenda, and seems to have a bond with the moon.
The true identity and program of God are perhaps the greatest questions of One-punch man, however Saitama’s new ability to alter the weather suggests a possible answer. In One Punch Man chapter 167, Saitama’s ally Genos attempts to explain how the hero’s power allowed him to interact with the multiverse, altering events by splitting the original timeline. The moment is played for a joke, as Genos unleashes a long explanation that goes over Saitama’s head, and yet he still subtly introduces this concept to readers. Combined with earlier moments, this almost confirms that it’s possible that God is actually a version of Saitama from another timeline.
With a time-traveling Zero Punch, it becomes clear that Saitama’s power has no upper limit, giving him divine potential – indeed, Garou refers to this technique as “the power of a god” while teaching Saitama how to unlock it. It’s also clear that time can be changed, or at least individuals in a timeline can create a new one. With time travel in the mix, it doesn’t matter if God predates Saitama, as he could easily be a version of the hero who transcended time or reality and now sits outside of both. This concept is supported by many similarities that seem to invite a comparison between God and Saitama. Both are visually similar, with elongated bodies and bald heads, and both are able to extend their limbs through portals. Likewise, it’s easy to see how God’s willingness to lend his power would result from Saitama’s original obsession with finding a worthy challenger, especially if he lost his humanity and went through the monstrosity process. What better way to create a real challenge than by learning to empower others (perhaps training your past to become a worthy challenger)?
There are a few problems with this theory. First, when they first met, God showed no recognition of Saitama. Second, God seems to have limits to his abilities that simply prevent him from fully manifesting on Earth. Third, that God apparently considers Saitama “the fist that rebelled against God”, at least according to his proxies. Of course, this last point could also go in favor of the theory, because it is possible to read this as meaning that God considers Saitama as his own fist, which would make sense if God was a future version of Saitama challenged by his past (or rather a New self-created by timeline modification.)
It is therefore possible (and would be a twist of genius) that the events of One-punch man take place after the original Saitama’s quest for a worthy challenger turned him into a literal god who then changed the timeline, creating the story that fans actually followed – one in which he clashes with a drastically altered version. of himself. It would actually fit One-punch man even in a meta sense, as the popular manga is based on a webcomic that depicts events in a slightly different way. The only way to prove this theory will be to see how One-punch man unfolds, but that certainly seems to be how the creators are tricking fans into thinking, and with that idea in mind, it’s hard not to gaze at the towering form of God and see a cosmically powerful version of the Caped Baldy.
One Punch Man chapter 166 is available to read now on Viz Media.
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