Warning: contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 162!
The retcon to One-Punch Man's latest chapter could actually have an in-universe explanation that changes everything. The serialized publication of manga, whether it be in physical magazines or online, sometimes leads to chapters that don't align with the creator's original vision. In such cases, chapters can often be changed after the fact. One-Punch Man just did this for its latest chapter by releasing a revised version of the chapter and deleting the originally published version.
One-Punch Man is a manga by ONE and Yusuke Murata that follows an incredibly powerful hero Saitama. The series is a manga adaptation of an ongoing webcomic currently being created by ONE in a much more basic art style. As the manga is behind the webcomic in terms of plot, ONE often has Murata change or add details that he feels would improve the story based on future events in the webcomic. However, while their collaborative effort on the manga has been very effective so far, creating one of the most popular series currently being published, it is not without its hiccups, as the most recent chapter 162 may show.
Chapter 162 continues the fight between Saitama and Garou. In the original version of the chapter, Garou realizes that Saitama is too strong for him to defeat and thus gives up the fight. The chapter ends with Saitama and Garou about to sit down and talk things out together. However, this ending has been retconned and a new version of the chapter has been released. In this version, God descends from the clouds and makes a deal with Garou, giving him incredible power. At the end of this new chapter, Garou seems to be on Saitama's power level, and he describes himself as a fist of God. This vastly different direction for the story could indicate that ONE request changes, but there is a much more interesting and exciting explanation.
One-Punch Man has consistently pushed the boundaries of how manga can tell its stories online. Whether this be through using a surprise full-color spread when God was first introduced or through using a gif to show the devastating power of Garou's new abilities, the manga's willingness to innovate and experiment is one of the series' best features. In this spirit, the altered chapter could be another innovative way to tell One-Punch Man's story. God already warped how the story is told, so the change could suggest the meta ability to literally change the plot. The new version of the chapter definitely aligns more closely with God's plans. So God might have been responsible for the retcon, erasing the reality where Garou and Saitama reconcile and replacing it with one where Garou becomes his tool.
If this is the intent, it would make God almost impossible to defeat. If a fight ever turns against him, he can always retcon it. An enemy like that would truly have to be defeated in one powerful punch, before he could have a chance to use his retconning powers, which would give Saitama’s abilities a deeper purpose. So if One-Punch Man's latest retcon was actually caused by God, it would be a brilliant way to enhance the characters of the series while also pushing manga storytelling to its limits once again.
One-Punch Man chapter 162 is now available from Viz Media.