Warning: contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter 166!
After shocking fans with some unexpected developments over the last few chapters, One-Punch Man just switched gears again to deliver the best chapter in the series' history. Everything that readers expected from Saitama and Garou's final confrontation was thrown out of the window, leaving room for a completely new outlook for the series' protagonist and an overall acceleration of the story's progression that was totally unexpected, even by hardcore fans.
One-Punch Man is a unique manga because many readers already know where the story is going. The digital manga drawn by Yusuke Murata is, in fact, a remake of the original webcomic created by the eclectic mangaka One, who is now providing the story for Murata's beautiful art. The webcomic has mostly ceased publication, but the digital manga adaptation still has not caught up to it, and One has mostly stayed true to the original story. There were minor changes in the plot and the characters, but for the most part, readers of the webcomic - and people not afraid of spoilers - knew what to expect, at least until now. Starting with chapter 164, the digital manga totally stepped away from the webcomic's story, and it was the best thing that could ever happen to the series.
Chapter 166 opens with Garou - the former Hero Hunter gifted unbelievable power by God - confronting the assembled S-Class heroes. Saitama has been blasted away by Garou's attack at the end of chapter 165, so readers expected a confrontation between Garou and the S-Class heroes (as happened in the webcomic), before Saitama nonchalantly showed up, as usual, and ended the fight without breaking a sweat. Instead, S-Class rank 1 hero Blast appeared (having been a complete mystery even in the webcomic until now) and tried to stop Garou, until Genos (aka Demon Cyborg) butted into the fight and was mercilessly killed by Garou. Saitama arrives just in time to witness the end of his disciple and closest friend and, for the very first time in the manga, he gets serious.
This chapter is a landmark entry for many reasons. First, it makes absolutely clear that the manga is taking a different direction from the webcomic. This means that fans could see the progression or resolution of storylines that have been teased for years, including the mysteries behind Blast, God, and perhaps even the secret of Saitama's strength. It's not just a matter of plot, however: this chapter also stepped away from One-Punch Man's tried-and-true formula. For the first time ever, Saitama is showing his emotions. He is usually oblivious and mostly disinterested in what is going on, but Genos' death has shaken him to the core, so much so that he is even doubting if he has what it takes to be a hero. The Saitama fans know and love never doubts himself and never thinks too much, meaning that this is the first major evolution in the character's history.
Chapter 166 of One-Punch Man has everything that fans could ask for: Blast's powers are revealed, he fights for the first time and drops more clues on God's role; Genos has an epic but sad moment of sacrifice; Saitama gets serious (and angry) for the first time. The upcoming weeks will surely bring more new and exciting developments for the manga, but chapter 166 of One-Punch Man will remain forever one of the most important in the series' history, setting a new benchmark for its ambition and what it can offer fans.
You can read One-Punch Man chapter 166 now on the Viz Media website.