Warning: minor spoilers for One-Punch Man #171One-Punch Man just teased Saitama's next huge battle with a gorgeous cover depicting the S-Class hero known as Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki. With the digital manga about to adapt the webcomic's "Psychic Sisters Arc", Tatsumaki and Saitama are on a collision course that will determine if the prodigious girl can stand up to the bald hero's ludicrous strength.
Tatsumaki is one of the most popular characters in One-Punch Man. She is a powerful esper with unrivaled telekinesis skills that earned her rank 2 among the S-Class, the most powerful heroes of the Hero Association. Tatsumaki has a tragic past: due to her innate abilities, her adoptive parents sold her to scientists who kept her locked in a lab and experimented on her, until she was saved by S-Class rank1 hero Blast. Since then, Tatsumaki developed a strong sense of justice, but also an innate superiority complex that makes her overconfident even in the face of clearly stronger opponents, such as Garou or Saitama himself. She is also unable to have a healthy relationship with her sister, Fubuki, who also has psychic powers but is much weaker than Tatsumaki, who pushes her younger sister away in order to protect her.
The cover of One-Punch Man chapter #171 is fully dedicated to Tatsumaki, shown here in unusual (for her) hip-hop-inspired garments. Some representations of the character have actually brought criticism to artist Yusuke Murata. Despite being canonically 28 years old, in fact, Tatsumaki has the appearance of a barely adolescent girl due to her petite frame and childish looks. Considering that Murata likes to draw his characters (both male and female) in provocative poses and outfits, Tatsumaki's depictions are often controversial, and this cover makes no exception. However, Murata also said that his characters' designs are integral to their origins and powers, and the same goes for Tatsumaki.
The choice of character for this cover may not be a coincidence. The manga - which is a restyled adaptation of ONE's original webcomic - is entering the Psychic Sisters act, where the story focuses on a heated confrontation between Tatsumaki and Fubuki and her associates, the Blizzard Group. As is often the case, Saitama gets involved purely by accident, and Tatsumaki attacks him. In the webcomic, the fight stops because Tatsumaki's wounds from the battle against the Monster Association reopen, but she still boldly declares that, had she been at full strength, it would all be over in five seconds. However, the One-Punch Man manga already moved away from the webcomic's story on many occasions, so perhaps this time fans will get an extended fight between these two powerful heroes.
Despite Tatsumaki's claims, it is very unlikely that she can even keep up with Saitama, who showed that his strength has no limit in the battle against Garou. One-Punch Man just entered an exciting new saga, and the battle between Saitama and Tatsumaki will only be an appetizer for the exciting developments still to come in this best-selling manga.
You can read the latest chapter of One-Punch Man through Viz Media.