Spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 166 (ENG)/168 (JPN) ahead.
With the release of One-Punch Man's 169th chapter in Japanese, the lengthy Monster Association arc has finally come to an end in the manga after five years.
The Monster Association arc started in chapter 78 of One-Punch Man, which debuted in July of 2017, almost exactly five years ago. It began with the group first trying to recruit Speed-o'-Sound Sonic and Garou being mentioned for the first time. The arc grew bigger and bigger as the Hero Association was invaded and had its patron's son kidnapped, bringing in almost every S-class hero and many others of lower rank to conduct a massive operation to rescue him. The arc deviated quite a bit from the series' previous formula by closely following hero hunter Garou, to the point where Garou had more "screen time" than Saitama by the end.
Now, the manga news account Manga Mogura has Tweeted that One-Punch Man's next chapter will officially conclude the seven-year-long arc. The arc's end was clearly imminent from previous chapters, as Garou and Saitama finally had their long-awaited battle, reaching truly absurd power levels that led to the destruction of Jupiter and punches that travel through time. Many characters have had a chance to shine throughout the arc, from Garou to Bang to Fubuki, and even smaller characters like Blackluster and Zombieman. The arc also featured some incredible and truly brutal fights, such as those involving the monster Fuhrer Ugly, who melted faces and shattered bones, Tornado and Psykos' world-shredding psychic battles, or Saitama's legendary punch against Evil Ocean Water, a monster who took over the entire seas surrounding the Monster Association's headquarters. It also revealed a lot about the series' overall myth arc, involving the evil God, the top hero Blast, and eventually Garou and Saitama themselves.
As One-Punch Man is based on the original webcomic by ONE, many fans had certain moments they were looking forward to seeing in manga artist Yusuke Murata's beautifully detailed style, with Evil Ocean Water and Garou vs. Saitama often cited. After a fake-out ending back in May, time was rewritten and a new ending to that Garou/Saitama chapter was released, leading into the epic interplanetary fight which exceeded even the wildest expectations. This was only one of several deviations from the original webcomic's story, which initially prompted some controversy. Despite these changes, the manga has ended in a very similar spot to the webcomic, suggesting it will continue on to adapt the next arc, known as the "Psychic Sisters" arc. As the name implies, this arc focuses on Fubuki and Tatsumaki, diving into their backstory, and is far shorter.
With the One-Punch Man manga finally having finished adapting the Monster Association arc, fans will no doubt begin speculating on the anime's return soon, as popular belief says the anime was put on hiatus until this storyline was completed. Despite lasting years in reality, the events of One-Punch Man's Monster Association arc occur over just a few days, with the assault on the association HQ lasting just one night. Regardless of whether it does, the manga is certainly in for some big changes, since it won't be able to focus so much on Garou. Fans needn't worry, however, as there's plenty more One-Punch Man to keep the manga running for years to come.
Source: Manga Mogura