One Punch Man might be cool, but do you know who’s cooler? It’s the creator of it, who goes by the pen name, ‘One’! In fact, it’s not just the name that’s so interesting about him, but also the story behind how he came up with Saitama’s character design, which deserves total respect!
In a past interview, ‘One’ spilled some fascinating beans about his creative process for One Punch Man, and this particular information exceptionally stood out. We’re talking about a character design so iconic, that it’s hard to imagine One Punch Man being the same without it. So, what’s the story behind Saitama’s origin? Why does he look so… plain?
The world doesn’t need any more cool-looking heroes!
This is, in fact, so true! People have already had enough of so many handsome, charming heroes, and while that’s not a bad thing in particular, things need to favor the bottom feeders as well. And it’s exactly what ‘One’, the creator of One Punch Man, had in mind when designing his iconic character, Saitama!
In an interview, published in the 42nd Volume of Weekly Shonen Jump (2013), ‘One’ mentioned how he also thinks that superheroes with good looks should be a thing of the past now. He was already tired of the same old cool-hero trope. So, he wanted to focus on what truly makes a hero, i.e., their spirit, not their looks.
The world is full of cool looking heroes, so I didn’t think that was something I wanted to write about. Plus, I believe that heroes coolness comes from their spirit and not their looks. I don’t think how a hero looks is that important.
On the surface, this may sound like taking a bold step, but fortunately, his ideology resonated with fans worldwide. Even though we know now that heroes don’t necessarily need to be handsome or have a cool costume to save the day. It’s their bravery, selflessness, and determination that truly make them heroic. And while Saitama is indeed a perfect example of it, you shouldn’t forget about Mob Psycho 100 as well, which is from the same author!
‘One’ carries this ideology even in his next popular series, Mob Psycho 100
When it comes to ‘One’s’ approach to designing hero MCs, Saitama is not the only one who deserves all the credit. We’ve also got to give it up for Mob from Mob Psycho 100! While Mob and Saitama are worlds apart in terms of personality, they do share a similar vibe when it comes to their looks, i.e., plain, and average, but would you dare to disagree it isn’t relatable?
Mob’s story is, in fact, pretty inspiring for kids of our generation. As a high-schooler with incredible psychic powers, he could easily coast through life on his powers alone. But instead, Mob is always determined to prove his worth through hard work.
He feels like something that he didn’t work for to get doesn’t really value his worth, so he wants to build his empire with something of his own, something that he earned.
With series like Mob Psycho 100 and One Punch Man, ‘One’ made it clear that being a hero has nothing to do with looks. It’s all about your attitude, effort, and willingness to learn and grow. And honestly, that’s a message we can all get behind. Whether you’re a superhero or just a regular Joe, it’s what’s inside that counts.
Both One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100 are available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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