One-Punch Man started as a webcomic by the pseudonym using manga artist "One." The webmanga, which follows the life of a man named Saitama, was a quick success. One-Punch man was released as a digital manga illustrated by the great Yusuke Murata and released on Shueisha's Young Jump Web Comics website. Viz Media has licensed it for release as an English serialization. The manga was adapted into an anime by Madhouse and began airing on Japanese television in October. A second season is already in the works.

One-Punch Man, like many greats before it (looking at you Snakes on a Plane) has it's premise in it's title. One-Punch Man follows the story of a business man who was minding his own business (as business men do) coming home from a job interview one day when he witnessed a child being attacked by a large crab-man named Crablanté (Yukitoshi Tokumoto). Crablanté, who became a crabman after eating too many crabs is upset with child because the child drew nipples on him. Saitama decides he can not let the child die (due to low birth rates) and steps in to defend the child only to be brutally beaten over and over again. Eventually Saitama uses his tie to shuck the shell from Crablanté proving himself the victor. We learn that from that day onward Saitama trained as hard has he could to be a super hero even resulting in the loss of his hair. Throughout the episode we see him fight various other villains such as The Brain (Takuma Suzuki) and Brawn (Shinya Hamazoe) Brothers, and Super Custom YO649Z Mk. II (Hiroki Gotō). He dispatches each one with little or no challenge while lamenting on that very fact. Had he trained too well? Had he become too strong? Fighting bad guys no longer brought him joy for it was too easy, too trivial.

After turning in for the night Saitama is awaken by the sounds of earth breaking outside his apartment complex. It is the Underground King (Yōji Ueda) and his army of Subterranean People! One-Punch Man jumps into action only to find that this time the enemies are strong—dangerous even. They don't die after one punch. They take effort. Saitama feels alive; the art style changes; the music comes to life. This is what Saitama has been missing! He fights them with the glee of a child on Christmas morning for a true challenge is the only gift he has ever wanted. Suddenly an alarm goes off and Saitama is awoken from his wonderful dream. He hears the sounds of earth breaking outside his window. Had his dream been a vision of the future? He jumps into action and confronts the Underground King killing him, sadly, in one punch. The credits roll and then comes an after credits scene where we see Genos, The Lonely Cyborb, Demon Cyborg (Kaito Ishikawa) walking towards our hero and City Z.

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