4.8 / 5 ( 11 votes )

One Punch Man episode 1 starts off with a bang – literally. It begins on a normal day in a downtown setting when a huge explosion sends the people of the city in a panic. As the smoke clears away from the giant crater, an incredibly muscular blue alien with small antennae is revealed. He then leaps into the air and gathers his powers in the gorgeous and dynamic animation style One Punch Man is most notable for. He sends a ball of energy crashing through the buildings.

Episode 1 immediately gives us a sneak peak into all of the elements soon to come. A high-tech looking headquarters sounds the red alarm. Desk attendants who are monitoring the situation from afar reveal the names of superheroes who are on their way. A news anchor gives on-the-scene coverage of events. We see right away that this is a normal occurrence in this world. As it turns out, our hero is watching the events unfold on TV and decides to help.

A Closer Look At the First Episode

A bald One Punch Man steps on the scene. An adorable little girl is seen crying in the smoking rubble. The giant blue alien approaches and reaches out to crush her, but she is saved in the blink of an eye. The hero, looking very bored, states that he is only there for fun. As the alien describes his origins, episode 1 gives us the feeling that nothing is off limits, and prepares us for a goofy fantasy. It grows, becoming fearsome and gigantic, but before it can finish its speech, he strikes, absolutely obliterating it in one punch. Instead of celebrating, he collapses in despair. How boring!

As far as opening sequences go, this one is pretty sweet. We get more of that signature animation and a killer rock track.

Three years earlier

What we assume is a younger hero with hair walks down the street in business attire. A half-crab (the upper half), half-man blocks his path, threatening him. The crab ate too much crab, turning him into a crab, another silly origin story. Our hero just bombed a job interview and is in no mood to run and hide. The crab monster appreciates his defeated outlook and lets him pass. Besides, he has other plans.

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It turns out the crab is looking for a kid who drew nipples on him. One Punch Man finds the kid first, who turns out to be really ugly. Episode 1 continues laying down the laughs. He doesn’t want to protect him but saves him in the nick of time. A hit from the crab sends him flying, which would kill an ordinary person, so we get the feeling that he probably special in some way, even though he is weak, then he says he always wanted to be a hero. He gets all fired up, but instead of kicking ass, he gets slapped around. Finally, he leaps over the crab, grabs one of the eyeballs with his tie, and pulls out its innards in a gory mess.

Present Day

One Punch Man is in a grocery store reminiscing about the past. He doesn’t even notice the impending danger around him as he pays for his items. Everyone runs, and the side of the store is ripped off. A giant monster stomps his way across the enormous towns in the futuristic setting Episode 1 portrays. Sitting on top of the monsters is the genius older brother who transformed the other, both hoping to conquer the world. Thousands die during the rampage. How many people live in these cities anyway? The short fight scene once again showcases the intense animation and leads to the monster’s defeat by one punch.

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Finally, we get into the theme of the show in episode 1. The hero talks about how bored he is while fighting monsters, and mentions that evil hasn’t diminished at all since he became a hero, hinting at the futility of his new lifestyle. We see him going through his day like any normal person, except that he now feels less in the way of emotion and excitement. It’s no fun defeating people with one punch, and his great power has distanced himself from people and from life. It seems like he leads a very lonely life. Alone and depressed, he falls asleep.

His First Good Fight… Or is it?

Without warning, the hero is torn out of bed and hurled into what is probably the most insane fight scene in anime history. A race of creatures who dwell beneath the surface of the Earth, or, “Subterraneans,” resurface to claim the outside world and solve their overpopulation problem. Does episode 1 mark the end of humanity? They claim to have killed over 70% of the population! To his utter delight, each and every single one of them packs one hell of a punch. But despite their power, none of them can withstand more than one punch. Even so, he is finally able to cut loose and fight with all of his strength. After defeating all of the monsters, the King shows himself, and they prepare for an epic showdown. Unfortunately, his alarm clock goes off and he wakes up. It was all a dream.

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But is it really over? He hears a commotion, and none other than the Subterraneans are threatening the planet! Rather than the huge, tough monsters in his dream, these versions are tiny and pathetic. Still, pumped from the adrenaline of his dream, he prepares for a fight. It doesn’t last long and ends in disappointment. After the encounter, he dons his already iconic “bored face” once more, instead of his excited face, and we get the feeling that he won’t be changing it again for a long time. He’s become too strong. Episode 1 ends with more humor and action than any other anime has been able to offer in such short amount of time, leaving us begging for more.

Stay tuned for the next episode!