Anatomy of a Hero

Have you ever asked yourself what are the most important qualities to being a hero? Do all heroes need to be crazy strong? Righteous? Talking to a comic-book fan, I asked for five qualities that every hero should have, and he spouted this list off the top of his head:

• The hero must be strong or have a special ability.
• The hero must be selfless.
• The hero must wear a cool costume.
• The hero must have a name that strikes fear in every bad guy's heart.
• The hero must do heroic stuff.

Now that we have these qualities in mind, it's time to introduce you to Saitama of One-Punch Man. Upon first meeting the guy, you might be thinking this:

• Doesn't he look weak...and bald?
• Why does he have lifeless eyes?
• Is that a big zipper on his costume?
• Saitama... Isn't that a prefecture in Japan?
• Can he really do heroic stuff?

Not exactly a great first impression. But, upon closer inspection—i.e., BUY AND READ THE FIRST VOLUME—Saitama actually is a great example of a hero that possesses all those qualities!

The hero must be strong or have a special ability.
Uhh... This dude beats EVERYONE up with a single punch. Now that's what I call strength.

The hero must be selfless.
Well, considering that he's not really doing this for the money, I guess you could call it selfless. But Saitama does claim that he's only doing this for the fun and excitement a tough fight delivers. However, take a closer look at Saitama's actions, especially when he takes on the diabolical Crablante, and you'll see that a true hero's spirit of selflessness resides in Saitama.

The hero must wear a cool costume.
Okay, okay, this one's subjective. But anytime anyone can look like an oversized Anpanman while striking a pose is, in my humble opinion, way cool. And even in his birthday suit, Saitama's still doling out the beat downs.

The hero must have a name that strikes fear in every bad guy's heart.
While he technically doesn't call himself this, I'm going with the "One-Punch Man" moniker as opposed to his real name of Saitama. "Why?" you may ask. Well, simply because if I don't, this article won't work! Anyhoo, One-Punch Man is a GREAT name.

The hero must do heroic stuff.
Saitama may cause more damage than the evil creatures he defeats, but he's still defeating evil creatures, right? Last time I checked, that qualifies for doing heroic stuff. I mean, can we fault the guy for being so strong that he's unaware of some of the collateral damage that takes place?

Now that I look back and think about it, yeah, I admit some things are a stretch. Or are they?! Find out for yourself. Buy digital volume 1 of One-Punch Man!

by John Bae