Finally, One-Punch Man's Manga Is Going Back to Its Webcomic Roots
Warning: Contains Spoilers for One-Punch Man Chapters #196 (JP)
After the shocking announcement on January 22, 2025, that One-Punch Man’s manga would be getting a second redraw and starting from scratch again the Ninjas Arc, it generated frustration in fans eager for the story to progress. However, this creative decision has just proved to be for the better with the release of chapter #196, which recontextualizes One-Punch Man’s story to its roots.
While it’s undeniable that Murata seeks perfection in his work, choosing to redraw already published chapters and taking a new direction from ONE’s original webcomic, this marks the third version of the Ninja Village arc in the manga, leaving many readers trapped in a narrative loop for more than two years and generating much criticism as this makes the chronology of events confusing. However, chapter #196 confirmed that the reason for the redrawing is to tone down the divergence between the One-Punch Man manga and the webcomic and return to ONE's original plot to the delight of many fans.
Flashy Flash’s Complete Backstory Shows One-Punch Man Manga Is Returning to the Webcomic
One Punch Man’s Latest Redraw Is Improving The Ninja Village Arc
In the redraw of One Punch Man chapter #196, the manga adapted for the first time the complete backstory of Flashy Flash and Speed-o’-Sound Sonic instead of just including some parts of it like the previous version. Moreover, the redrawn chapter was almost identical to chapter #115 of the webcomic, showcasing the harsh life of Flash and Sonic in the Ninja Village in the backstory while also taking back some changes made in the previous redraws, like the demonsterization reversal experimentation with the separation of monster cells or Empty Void attacking the Hero Association facilities, which wasn’t present in the webcomic.
This revised chapter #196 has improved art, composition, character design, and enhanced visual storytelling, making the story exactly like the webcomic, which is more linear and simple to digest for readers, while also including new gag scenes that share the usual unserious atmosphere of the story—which was partly lost in the previous redraws due to God's imminent presence—like how Blast and Stich casually go to Saitama’s place and all of them sit at the cramped table or how Genos made a hole in the wall to connect both apartments, which is breaking the dorm norms.
The chapter also brings back the anticlimactic and funny scene from One Punch Man webcomic where Saitama disregards the whole conversation about Flash’s tragic past and casually thinks about the ingredients in his fridge to make a stew. This way, this revision has been the best version so far of the Ninjas Arc in the manga and is sticking close to the webcomic since the only significant change in the manga from the webcomic is Blast, Stich, and Manako’s presence.
One Punch Man’s Manga Is Giving More Emotional Depth to Flashy Flash and Speed-o’-Sound Sonic
Flashy Flash’s Backstory Explains Previous Events in the Manga
In the previous versions, Flashy Flash’s backstory was only three pages long, and while it gives an insight into his training and how he met Sonic, it didn’t carry the same emotional weight as in the webcomic. The previous version of chapter #196 only included a flashback to the moment that Sonic offers advice to Flash, and later, at the beginning of their fight in chapter #197, how Sonic tells him about his dream of eliminating the system and making a new village.
However, this revision faithfully adapts the webcomic, delving into Flash's mindset and adding more depth to his relationship with Sonic as he admits that talking to him helps him recover the emotions that he has lost. Also, it shows how Flash hid his strength to remain in class 5,—which had the harshest training regimen—how he was the one who destroyed the village instead of Blast, and how he spared Sonic from the massacre by poisoning his food.
This proves that Flash did care about Sonic but didn't trust him enough, choosing to let his survival depend on himself and carrying out his own plan of eliminating the village. Additionally, this flashback explains why Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame said that Flash was a miserable-failed student in chapter 194. Furthermore, Flash's revelation that Sonic developed resistance to poison may be related to why the monster cell had no effect on him and also how he lost his dream; it may hint that he found another goal by challenging Saitama, explaining more about their characters and giving depth to the story.
One Punch Man’s Manga Revisions Are to Reach a Better Interpretation of ONE’s Story
One Punch Man’s Manga Artist Seeks To Improve the Adaptation
In this new revision, Blast doesn’t talk about how Empty Void is able to open the gate to the celestial rock cave, which is the dimension where god live, or whether he is looking for a way to make him human again like in the previous versions. This opens the possibility for the upcoming redrawn chapters to make another retcons of how Empty Void awakened his powers, scrapping the previous one where he absorbed the cosmic rays of Garou.
In a statement from Yusuke Murata in 2013, he said that the revisions are necessary in order to achieve a clear vision and interpretation of the plot. This way, as the manga is returning to faithfully adapting the webcomic, the story isn't straying from ONE original plan, which is a decision praised by fans. Looking back and returning instead of reaching a point where the story lost itself is not something that many manga artists are able to do, so despite the controversial redraws, One-Punch Man has pleasantly surprised fans who can't wait to see what will happen next in the manga.
- Created by
- ONE, Yusuke Murata
- First Film
- One-Punch Man: Road to Hero
- Cast
- Makoto Furukawa, Kaito Ishikawa, Max Mittelman, Zach Aguilar, Robbie Daymond, Hikaru Midorikawa, Marieve Herington, Laura Post, Rich Brown
- TV Show(s)
- One-Punch Man
- Video Game(s)
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, One-Punch Man: Road to Hero
