Warning: Contains spoilers for One-Punch Man chapter #160
The biggest fight in One-Punch Man's history is finally about to happen: after literally years of buildup, Saitama and Garou come face to face at the end of the latest chapter of the hit manga series by One and Yusuke Murata.
One-Punch Man has one of the most atypical protagonists a manga ever saw. Saitama is, without a doubt, the strongest character since the beginning of the series, to the point that his main traits are apathy and lack of interest in what is happening around him. While this peculiar reversal of the shonen tropes is what makes One-Punch Man unique, it is hard to relate with a character that never struggles or evolves. For this reason, One-Punch Man mostly focuses on the battles of the other professional heroes, but it also has a clear deuteragonist: Garou. Also known as the "Hero Hunter", Garou is the rogue disciple of the martial arts master and rank 3 S-class hero Bang (Silver Fang). In many ways, Garou is Saitama's counterpart: both have a strong sense of justice, just with radically different outcomes, and both are driven by a desire to seek strong opponents who can challenge them.
This is, however, where their similarities end. Saitama's wish to find a worthy opponent has never been granted until now; he is simply too strong. Garou, on the other hand, went through a lot of struggles and near-death experiences in order to achieve his current strength. Surviving a series of life-threatening battles, Garou managed to become stronger by constantly overcoming his limits. He was finally recruited by the Monster Association but then suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of "Monster King" Orochi, an opponent that Saitama later defeated with ease. After that, Garou awakened his true potential, removing his "limiter", a natural barrier that restrains the physical growth of a creature. As a consequence, Garou turned into a half-monster.
The efforts (and the punches) of Silver Fang were successful in stopping Garou from completely transforming into a monster. Fighting against one of the Monster Association's top executives, Garou proved that despite his best efforts he is not a villain, but a hero. However, the fight between him and Saitama is still inevitable. Garou hates the hero-based society and wants to become the strongest monster: the fear that he will strike in people's hearts will unite mankind. This means that defeating Saitama, the strongest hero, is a necessary step. Also, both characters are driven by a simple and honest desire to fight against the strongest opponents. The last time that Garou attacked Saitama he was literally swatted away, but things could be different this time.
One theory presented in the manga tries to explain Saitama's ludicrous strength with the fact that he also removed his "limiter". If that is the case, then Garou has the potential to achieve Saitama's same level of power. Regardless of the outcome, One-Punch Man fans are about to witness an amazing fight when Saitama and Garou finally clash.