One-Punch Man - S1E9 - Unyielding Justice

Previously on One-Punch Man, “The Deep Sea King”

It’s time to pay off all the buildup we got served last week. Genos and Saitama take on Deep Sea King, forcing Saitama to make a decision for the greater good. The surrounding community deals with the aftermath, including Saitama who gets some wins and losses.

Same Old Mistakes

Genos has already upgraded his arms when he confronts the Deep Sea King in the evacuation shelter. One powerful blast from his punch later, it seems Genos has won and the crowd cheers, but they’re woefully wrong. The Deep Sea King reappears to pull off Genos’s right arm as he knocks him across the building.  Genos does the only thing he can do at this point:  order the people to run and hold off Deep Sea King. With one arm, Genos holds his own against the king, even roasting him in midair, nevertheless it doesn’t last long. Although the sea king is weakened back to his original state, he’s still too strong for Genos. A little girl being pulled away cheers for Genos, which earns her a shot of acid spit. Unable to let an innocent be hurt, Genos sacrifices himself, losing his other arm, and any organic parts above his waist, save most of his face.

Victory is in hand, but Genos must die. The Deep Sea King beats Genos outside into the rain, and before he can deliver a killing blow, he’s interrupted by Mumen Rider’s “Justice Crash,” a bike to the back.

My Ambitionz Az A Ridah

Mumen Rider has finally made it and he’s not backing down. However, Deep Sea King catches his punch and gives him the Flintstones’ Bam Bam treatment until Rider’s ripped sleeve sends him sailing through the air. The king again turns his attention to Genos but is caught in Rider’s “Justice Tackle,” which gets him another aerial swat. Having been in the rain for a few minutes now, the sea king has grown even stronger than before, yet Mumen can’t give up, and the crowd begins to cheer him on.

After scraping himself off the pavement, and willing himself into another charge, Mumen Rider eats a weak punch that launches him into the arms of Saitama. Although he lost horribly, Mumen Rider managed to do something few have, win Saitama’s respect.

After freaking out over Genos, Saitama focuses on the Deep Sea King. The King’s first punch, that clears all of the water within 100 feet, lands like a hard slap to the back of Saitama’s head. The murmur of the crowd turns into shocked silence when Deep Sea King’s punch ends halfway through with his back, all of the rain, raining clouds, and puddles blown out. Genos beams for his master who’s finally getting the cheers that he deserves. Meanwhile, Sonic returns in his gear but assumes the king escaped.

There’s Always One

The next day, because their area is so dangerous, the Hero Association sends Saitama and Genos’s fan mail via drone. While Genos’s mail borders on stalker status, Saitama’s mail is almost exclusively hate mail. Genos wants revenge, yet Saitama is oddly Zen about it. After Saitama defeated Deep Sea King, the cheering is cut off by one young man who gets the bright idea to pee on the parade. According to him, class C Saitama beating the king so easily means the monster was weak, making Saitama the new standard. The others don’t deserve to be called heroes since anyone can risk their life, their titles mean nothing. However, it is their duty to serve considering the people pay their salaries. Some agree, and quickly, the crowd begins to turn on itself until Saitama’s laugh cuts through.

Saitama proclaims the other heroes wore it down and he’s just taking credit for their hard work before going heel and saying he’d beat anyone who says he doesn’t deserve it. Saitama begins to egg on the crowd that is turning on him fast, making them appreciate the other heroes again in the process. Genos watches in awe, silently understanding Saitama’s sacrifice and vowing to help him any way he can, because Saitama is the hero Gotham the cities deserve.

Making Waves

The mood takes a turn with the last two pieces of Saitama’s mail. The first was a simple anonymous “Thank You,” and the second from the Hero Association. Defeating Deep Sea King earned Saitama class C’s top rank. As such, Saitama must go to headquarters to declare his intentions on whether he wants to move up in class. Of course, Saitama is ready, so the interviews and psychological analysis begin. However, some of the executives aren’t sold on Saitama, some believing the rumors of him being a fraud, but they all agree that if he’s not the real deal, being in class B will weed him out.

In this week’s douche segment, Amai Mask can’t be bothered with the news of Saitama’s promotion to class B. He’s only concerned with A and above since they are the only ones who truly matter and they all look awful after the sea king. Everything boils down to how it makes him look, period, meaning his little meeting with Genos wasn’t a welcome, it was a warning to not screw up. Amai’s interest peaks when the agent shows him footage of the one punch. Saitama moved faster than the slow motion camera could follow, only catching him dodge and explosion, but not the actual punch.

Did We Just Become Best Friends?

That night, Mumen Rider finally catches up with Saitama, who randomly walks into the restaurant he was in. He had wrote Saitama’s thank you letter and the least he could do was pay for Saitama. The two bond over their sense of justice, dedication, and bravery. Something that began when Saitama was getting a ride and the two simply gave each other respect. The post credits stinger is back, this time with Madame Shibabawa freaking out over a vision of the Earth’s Doom.