Manga Reviews (2010-2019): One Punch-Man vol. 12 (Story by ONE and Art by Yusuke Murata)

How will Saitama do in the second round of the tournament and how will Genos do against the many monsters making their way towards the tournament? If you love action-driven superhero manga series with a a lot of humor, “One-Punch Man” vol. 12 is recommended!

Click to purchase this manga on Amazon

MANGA TITLE: One-Punch Man Vol. 12

STORY BY: ONE

ART BY: Yusuke Murata (村田雄介)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shueisha, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on September 5, 2017

Life gets pretty boring when you beat the snot out of every villain with just one punch.

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem, he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!

As the first round of the martial arts tournament has completed, Saitama (using the guise of “Charanko”) must take on the two-time champ, Bakuzan. And as Suiryu who also has been taking out competition with one hit/kick, monsters are descending towards the martial arts tournament from all sides. This leaves Genos to go out and take them on.

All this and more in vol. 12 of “One-Punch Man” by One and Murata Yusuke!

What is “One-Punch Man” all about?

When it comes to success stories of web comics becoming viral, ONE’s “One-Punch Man” is one of the well-known titles that have taken the world by storm.

Created back in 2009 and having surpassed over 7.9 million hits in 2012, “One-Punch Man” would receive a digital manga remake featuring illustrations by Murata Yusuke (best known for his illustrations for the manga series, “Eyeshield 21”) and would be published on the Shueisha’s “Young Jump Web Comics” website.

In September 2015, Viz Media released the graphic novel for “One-Punch Man” in the United States and in October 2015, the anime adaptation for “One-Punch Man” began airing on Japanese television.

“One Punch Man” is set in City Z and monsters have been appearing in the city causing massive destruction.

But standing in their way is a skinny, bald man named Saitama who also happens to be extremely powerful and can defeat monsters with one punch. But because he often wins all the time, Saitama has grown bored and is often trying to find more powerful opponents.

In volume 12, the martial arts tournament has completed and the first round is done. Saitama has moved on to the next round and now he must take on the champ for the last two years, Bakuzan.

And as others are getting ready for their second round of competition, ruthless monsters have descended towards the martial arts tournament area, leaving various superheroes trying their best to defend the location and protect people.

But what happens when Genos and Blizzard are trying to fight against these monsters? Can they outlast and defeat them?

With the twelfth volume of “One-Punch Man”, it’s martial arts tournament time as the group who survived the first round now must be ready to take on their challengers for the second round.

And so far, people are surprised by the one punch of Saitama (going with the name “Charanko”) and the one on kick Suiryu, what happens when Saitama is pit to go against the champion of the last two years, Bakuzan.

Also, as everyone is watching and being entertained by these one-on-one battles, monsters are descending to the area and the heroes but due all what’s possible to stop them.

And Garos and Blizzard must take on enemies that come their way. Meanwhile, Garo ends up seeing one of the more popular heroes, Watchdog Man, keeping watch. Will Garos take him on?

Also, included is a backup manga featuring King who has people watching him at the cafe.

For the most part, I’m really enjoying this series because the protagonist is quite unusual. You think of a strong and charismatic super hero as your main protagonist, but the protagonist of “One-Punch Man” is a skinny baldheaded man named Saitama who doesn’t look menacing at all.

A person who became strong by working out constantly, he then lost all his hair an became super powerful.

And where most heroes are proud of their work, Saitama is somewhat wanting the attention and respect that comes with being a hero, but yet hasn’t received it. So, Saitama is an interesting contrast to the stereotypical hero who is typically a person that is athletically fit, has a remarkable IQ or tremendous skillset, but for Saitama….he looks like a normal guy.

And while Earth has their heroes ranked, Saitama, despite his awesome strength is rated quite low. Will Saitama be able to prove that he is more than a hero?

Having seen ONE’s original “One-Punch Man”, the artwork from the original versus Murata Yusuke’s artwork is night and day. I always enjoyed Murata’s work on “Eyeshield 21” but his work of bringing ONE’s “One-Punch” man to life is fantastic. It was Murata who approached ONE to redo the artwork and if anything, it had helped ONE’s creation become well-known internationally.

So far, I’m enjoying the series, especially its really crazy and outlandish characters. But I like how the series manages to balance humor and fighting violence quite well. And Saitama is so different from your usual protagonist character in a super hero comic, so I am enjoying what I’m reading so far.

How will Saitama do in the second round of the tournament and how will Genos do against the many monsters making their way towards the tournament?

If you love action-driven superhero manga series with a a lot of humor, “One-Punch Man” vol. 12 is recommended!

Click to purchase this manga on Amazon