Manga Review: One Punch-Man Chapter 116

One Punch-Man Chapter 116

VIZ

Mangaka: ONE (Writer), Yusuke Murata (Artist)

The battle between the Hero Association and the Monster Association rages on. Below ground, S-Class Hero Flashy Flash and Saitama are running around together, with Flashy Flash continually being both impressed and shocked by Saitama. Above ground, the group of A-and-B-Class heroes continues to battle against the weaker monsters that trickle out of the Monster Association base while also attempting to keep safe former hostage Waganma. Just as things seem to be going well for the heroes, the Dragon-level Mysterious Being Nyan appears.

Arcs like these in manga are both my favorite and least favorite. I love these arcs where battles are constant, especially when we have an artist like Yusuke Murata doing the work. Murata is my favorite artists out there right now, so whenever I get to see his stylish action sequences on the page I feel like Christmas came early. However, in these arcs, there are usually a number of different groups battling at the same time so eventually, we will have chapters focusing on characters I’m not as interested in. This is one of those chapters.

While it is nice to see the different heroes in the association, I don’t particularly care about any of the heroes in this surface group (with the exception of Captain Mizuki, she is bae). And just considering the enemy they’re going up against, you come to expect most of them will end up being fodder to illustrate just how powerful the foes are. Besides this, while I think Saitama is one of the funnier characters in the series I’m always wary when he’s featured because his titular ability makes for incredibly boring action. This arc we’ve finally gotten to see the S-Class heroes really show their skills in combat, so going from an intense battle between Zombieman and the formidable Homeless Emperor or Atomic Samurai vs Black Sperm to the A-and-B-team getting torn apart feels somewhat disappointing.

Even so, this wasn’t a bad chapter, it just isn’t as amazing as the last few we’ve gotten. Still, it’s enjoyable for what it is and it’s setting up for something interesting next chapter. The art here is still wonderful as always, and ONE’s writing continues to be incredibly hilarious while also carrying a gripping and interesting story arc that I’m fully invested in. Hopefully, the next chapter will offer a more interesting narrative in the Monster Association saga.

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