The recent return of Garou in the One-Punch Man manga confirms that the ending of his personal arc in the story was incredibly compelling and satisfying. After a long journey that saw him go from renegade Hero Hunter to the biggest threat that planet Earth and Saitama ever faced, Garou's story arc received a resolution that perfectly suits the character and also opened the way for interesting developments in the future of the series.
Despite being a villain, Garou was featured so prominently in the series that he could be considered Saitama's co-protagonist. Showing a natural talent for martial arts, once a pupil of Rank 3 hero Bang, Garou fled his dojo after defeating his fellow students and stealing secret techniques. Garou then became One-Punch Man's "Hero Hunter," challenging and defeating heroes while honing his skills. After getting recruited by the Monster Association, Garou was defeated by Orochi and experienced a process called "semi-monsterification," which gave him powers and abilities beyond a human's reach. While battling Saitama, Garou also attracted the attention of the mysterious "God," which turned him into Cosmic Fear Mode Garou, who killed all S-Class heroes and almost destroyed the planet. However, Saitama was able to fix everything with a single, time-traveling punch, returning Garou to his senses and his human form.
Garou's Ending Does His Character Justice
Chapter #170 of One-Punch Man showed the aftermath of the planet-shattering battle between Saitama and Garou. Everything is back to normal, and the former Hero Hunter has reconciled with his master. Bang accompanies Garou around while he apologizes to everyone he hurt, and the old master promises to watch over his disciple and rehabilitate him. After crossing fists on the battlefield, the two have an even stronger bond, and Silver Fang is clearly the father figure that Garou always lacked in his life. They end up talking about their favorite types of girls, and realize they share a passion for the Super Sentai shows (the live-action superhero TV shows that inspired the Power Rangers) that Garou watched as a kid, which informed so much of his vision of justice. Overall, it's a heartwarming scene that is in striking contrast with the drama of the previous One-Punch Man chapters.
As a kid, Garou saw society's common perceptions of "heroes" and "monsters" as deeply unjust. Heroes were cheered regardless of what they did, while monsters were despised and condemned to lose despite their efforts. This made him want to unmask the hypocrisy of the hero-based society, by becoming the "ultimate evil" that would unite humanity through fear. However, the conclusion of his story makes it perfectly clear that what Garou really wanted was to be a hero, but, as Saitama points out during their fight, he chose the easy way instead, and tried to be a monster. Garou's reconciliation with Bang set him back on the right path, as Silver Fang retires from the Hero Association and announces his intention of training Garou to become his successor as a hero.
Garou Still Has A Role To Play In One-Punch Man's Future
Garou's ending left the door open for him to return to the series, which happened in chapter #190. Garou has returned to Bang's dojo as the "junior" student to make up for his past mistakes, and he seems content enough, despite not having lost his fiery temper. However, as the problems between the Hero Association and the Neo Heroes heat up, he's likely to be dragged back into the spotlight once again, if only as Bang's protégé. There's also the "God" storyline left to deal with, and Garou's close association with the character could see him returning to a position of prominence in the narrative.
The final chapter of the Garou arc also reveals that he was neglected by his family as a child, which could explain his outlook on life and his affection for Bang as a father figure. Overall, the evolution of the character was beautifully crafted by the story and his ending makes perfect sense, which confirms that Garou is one of the most interesting characters ever introduced in One-Punch Man, so fans must be thrilled of his return.