Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #175 of One-Punch Man
The newest villains in One-Punch Man have an unexpected connection with the series' greatest mystery: God. The series has teased several times the existence of a relationship between the enigmatic creature known as God and the Moon. Now, the name of the recently-introduced villains' group, Tsukuyomi (the moon god in Japanese mythology and Shinto religion), suggests that they could have a connection with God too.
The most intriguing mystery in One-Punch Man revolves around God, a powerful but obscure creature that works mainly behind the scenes, manipulating humans and monsters for his yet-unrevealed goals. Apparently trapped in an extra-dimensional prison, God operates by appearing to selected individuals and tempting them with great power, in exchange for servitude. Fans of One-Punch Man noticed that every time God made an appearance, the Moon was somehow present. This generated the theory that God is actually imprisoned inside the Moon, which was all but confirmed in chapter #167 of the manga, where something that looked like God's back was seen emerging from a crater in the Moon.
Chapter #175 of One-Punch Man provided another hint of the importance of the Moon, introducing a brand-new group of villains called Tsukuyomi. This is a mysterious organization that includes at least one powerful esper (a person with psychic abilities), with enough money and connection to bribe executives of the Hero Association and gain access to their prisoner, Psykos. In Japanese mythology and Shinto religion, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto is the god of the moon, the second born of the creator god, Izanagi. This reference to the Moon, the last in a long series, could not be a coincidence and hint at a connection between Tsukuyomi and God.
One-Punch Man's New Villains Could Be God's Followers
Tsukuyomi wants to use Psykos as a research subject to extract her powerful "third eye" ability and see into the future. They are clearly evil, and their ominous plans perhaps have to do with freeing God from his prison. In chapter #173, it was revealed that the S-Class Rank 1 hero Blast is fighting a secret war to thwart God's efforts. However, just like Blast has recruited other heroes in this effort, God is also not acting alone. Because Tsukuyomi did not appear in One-Punch Man's original webcomic, however, there is still not enough information to confirm this theory.
The ubiquitous presence of the Moon in the One-Punch Man manga indicates that the name of the Tsukuyomi group is not a mere coincidence. The Tsukuyomi group could be devoted to freeing God, who is literally the "god of the moon" if he is actually trapped there. It's clear that the manga has decided to put a lot more focus on God as the overarching villain of the series, so it's natural that the many mysteries and unresolved plot threads of One-Punch Man will all lead back to him eventually.
The latest chapter of One-Punch Man is available through Viz Media.