One Punch

“There is scarcely any passion without struggle.” Albert Camus, "Don Juanism" in The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, Justin O'Brien Translation p. 54, 1955

One Punch Man (IMDB Wikipedia Amazon) is a popular anime that I was recommended at the behest of a friend a few years back. At the time I viewed it as a bit of an absurd, that is, random and funny anime, filled with nihilism and existential angst from the main character Saitama who can defeat anyone with one-punch as the title suggests. Sometime in the near future (or now as I go back and edit this for release) the second season is coming out, and so I wanted to re-watch the first and refresh my memory of the characters etc.. As I was watching, and maybe because I have been working on this project, I was struck at how one can also read into Saitama as someone on the path to Absurd Hero, even though he's already a hero. Just for fun.

There's been a few good videos I found looking at his psychology and philosophy (I'll link at the end), but none quite hit what I was looking for, and, since I'm doing my own take on all these things anyway (also just for fun), I thought I would explore his journey and how it relates to Absurdism a bit more, if at all.

Saitama begins the series already the hero we will come to know, bald, wearing a yellow jumpsuit and cape, invincible and massively powerful. There isn't a traditional origin story, although it does relate how he first discovers his calling, unemployed and looking for work he rescues a kid from a monster. During this encounter with said monster, Saitama reveals he's basically given up on life, and is so pitiful that the monster initially just lets him go about his business. Saitama in his crisis finds new purpose and struggle in the path to becoming a hero, . We find out later that Saitama embarks on his own Sisyphean training regimen of 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and 10 mile run everyday (including not using heat or air-conditioning in his apartment). This results in his hair falling out and his newfound power. It seems he found satisfaction in doing this. Then once he realized that he could defeat any enemy with only one punch he finds himself in a slump, there's no struggle anymore, and his just for fun hero-ing fails to give him any joy or satisfaction.

We even learn that Saitama is becoming disconnected from his feelings altogether. He appears to feel no joy or pain, only the occasional bouts of self-consciousness (about his baldness and seeming unpopularity) jealousy, and frustration. Is this perhaps the evidence for the quote above, “There is scarcely any passion without struggle.” where the lack of struggle for Saitama now means he has lost his passion?

In the later episodes, Saitama and Genos join the Hero Association and Saitama begins the task of climbing the ranks, even if he still insists he's just in this for fun. He does so in a humble and team-player kind of way, and I think this speaks a lot to the nature of the character that he doesn't just use his great power to defeat everyone all the time. But I also think this is an indication that he isn't finding his struggle in this. I think he hopes that somewhere along the way he'll find a challenge, but so far is just showing up to save everyone else once they've exhausted their own struggles.

One aspect of Saitama that does speak to the Absurd man and for those who make the leap, is that he is definitely isolated. He's so powerful he can't relate to anyone, not even his foe in the climactic final battle of the first season, who considered himself the Saitama of his own galaxy until, spoiler, Saitama beat him with one punch. Saitama has also found some meaning in taking Genos on as disciple. He certainly worries that he's doing the right thing, and wants to genuinely help Genos, but does this count as struggle? Is his ultimate purpose to save Genos and help him receive redemption? I think this is unlikely, the comic and show is ultimately a parody of the genre, of multiple genres actually, and a neat wrap-up like this seems to me out of character. I like that we don't really know how Saitama got his power, and I like to think we'll never see his end. In this scenario. Maybe his struggle becomes this ultimate lack of catharsis, Saitama not-relating to the rest of a humanity that can never understand him and his power now that he's evolved beyond them, and yet he still feels compelled to save them? This is definitely something an Absurd Hero can relate to, and is captured well in The Plague, so maybe Saitama is an Absurd Hero, even if just for fun, anyway.

-DA

Here's a couple links exploring this in a few other directions: 

The SCIENCE of ONE PUNCH MAN – What Psychology Can Teach Us About Saitama – Wisecrack Edition

The Philosophy of ONE PUNCH MAN – Wisecrack Edition