The premise of One Punch Man is absurdly simple: Saitama is so strong that he defeats every enemy with a single punch. This joke has sustained one of the most popular manga and anime of the modern era—but it also raises the ultimate question. Can Saitama ever lose? Is there any being in the universe capable of challenging him? And if not, what’s the point of the story? As ONE’s series continues through the Monster Association aftermath and into new arcs, the question of Saitama’s limits becomes increasingly central to understanding what One Punch Man is actually about.
⚠️ MANGA SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers for the manga through the Monster Association Arc and current chapters, including Garou fight details and cosmic revelations.
Where We Are Now
The Monster Association Arc brought Saitama his greatest challenge yet: Cosmic Fear Mode Garou. Infused with power from “God,” Garou pushed Saitama to levels we’d never seen—forcing him to use consecutive serious punches and even leading to combat that shattered reality itself.
What we learned:
- Saitama’s power continues to grow, even during battle
- He can match and exceed any opponent through growth
- Time travel became possible through sheer force
- Even Garou’s copied Saitama techniques couldn’t match the original
- The fight ended with Saitama still completely dominant
Post-arc status:
- Garou was “defeated” (though spared, reverting to human form)
- Saitama remains undefeated and unknown to the public
- The Hero Association is rebuilding
- “God”—the entity that empowered Garou—remains a looming threat
- New arcs continue with Saitama’s search for a worthy opponent
The current state: Saitama is bored. Still. Despite fighting an opponent who could destroy planets, he felt only the briefest moment of engagement before his power scaled past Garou’s. His existential crisis continues.
Understanding Saitama’s Power
The Source of His Strength
ONE has deliberately kept Saitama’s power origin vague. The in-universe explanation—100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run daily—is clearly a joke. The real source seems to be:
Removed Limiter Theory: Dr. Genus (of the House of Evolution) theorized that Saitama broke through his “limiter”—the natural cap on human ability. While most beings have a ceiling on their power, Saitama has none. His strength is potentially infinite.
Narrative Power: Meta-textually, Saitama is strong because the story requires him to be. His power isn’t a number—it’s “enough to win in one punch.” This means by definition he can never lose through pure combat.
What His Power Actually Is
Based on feats:
- Speed: Faster than any measured character, including light-speed opponents
- Strength: Planet-busting+ with serious punches, casual mountain-destroying with normal punches
- Durability: No attack has ever damaged him
- Growth: His power increases in real-time to match and exceed threats
- Reality Manipulation: At his peak (vs. Garou), his punches broke through time itself
The Garou fight revealed the most important aspect: Saitama’s power grows to exceed whatever he faces. This makes him not just unbeatable but conceptually impossible to beat—any opponent strong enough to challenge him would simply make him stronger.
Top Theories About Saitama’s Limits
Theory 1: “God” Can Challenge Saitama
The mysterious entity called “God” has been built up as the ultimate threat. This being empowers others (Homeless Emperor, Garou) and seems to exist beyond normal reality.
Why God might be different:
- Operates on conceptual/dimensional levels, not just physical
- May not need to “beat” Saitama—could remove him from reality
- Has knowledge and powers beyond normal comprehension
- Represents a truly cosmic threat level
Why it probably won’t work:
- Saitama’s power appears to transcend normal rules
- The series’ premise requires Saitama to win
- ONE likely isn’t building toward a “Saitama finally loses” story
Most likely outcome: God will be the “final boss,” but Saitama will still defeat it—possibly with more effort than usual, but ultimately victorious.
Theory 2: Saitama Loses Through Non-Combat Means
If Saitama can’t be beaten in a fight, perhaps he can “lose” in other ways.
Possible “losses”:
- Emotional defeat: Someone he cares about (Genos, King, the other heroes) dies, and he can’t save them despite his power
- Existential defeat: His depression over being too strong consumes him
- Social defeat: He’s blamed for destruction and becomes a pariah
- Purpose defeat: He realizes power without meaning is meaningless
Evidence:
- ONE has explored Saitama’s depression throughout the series
- The webcomic especially emphasizes his alienation
- Multiple characters exist to show what Saitama lacks (King’s social skills, Genos’s purpose)
- The Monster Association Arc’s most emotional moments weren’t about punches
Why this theory is compelling: One Punch Man isn’t really about fighting—it’s about purpose. Saitama “losing” might mean losing his humanity or his hope, not losing a battle.
Theory 3: Saitama Will Get His Wish (A Good Fight)
Perhaps the ending involves Saitama finally finding satisfaction—a fight that actually thrills him.
How this could happen:
- A being that doesn’t “lose” in the traditional sense (regenerates infinitely, exists as concept)
- A challenge that isn’t about strength (puzzle, race, competition requiring other skills)
- Meeting someone genuinely equal (though this contradicts established power scaling)
- An opponent who matches his growth rate
The emotional payoff: Saitama’s depression lifting would be a triumphant ending. Whether through fighting or other means, seeing him genuinely happy would conclude his arc.
Theory 4: The Point Is That He Can Never Lose
A meta-theory: ONE never intends to answer the question. Saitama’s invincibility IS the answer.
The philosophical read:
- One Punch Man satirizes power fantasy by showing its emptiness
- Saitama is a Buddhist parable—desire for challenge causes suffering
- The “answer” is Saitama learning to find meaning without external challenge
- Peace comes from within, not from defeating enemies
Evidence:
- The webcomic has increasingly focused on character relationships over fights
- Saitama’s happiest moments are mundane (sales, video games, friends)
- ONE’s other work (Mob Psycho 100) concludes with rejecting power as solution
- The series could end with Saitama accepting his life rather than “winning”
Theory 5: Blast or Another S-Class Hero Is Actually Stronger
A minority theory: Saitama isn’t actually the strongest, and someone will eventually demonstrate superior power.
Candidates:
- Blast: The #1 hero with mysterious dimensional abilities
- God: If interpreted as a being rather than a force
- A new character: Introduced specifically to challenge Saitama
Why this is unlikely:
- Every “stronger” candidate has been shown as inferior
- Blast has explicitly acknowledged Saitama’s absurd power
- Subverting the core premise this late would feel like betrayal
- ONE has consistently reinforced that Saitama is definitively the strongest
What’s Most Likely
Based on ONE’s storytelling across both One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100:
Saitama will never lose a fight. The premise is sacred. Whatever happens, when Saitama throws a serious punch, he wins.
However, “winning” will become irrelevant. The ending won’t be about Saitama finally losing or finally finding a worthy opponent. It will be about him finding peace—through friendship, purpose, or acceptance.
God will be defeated, but the emotional climax won’t be the fight itself. It’ll be Saitama’s mental state afterward—has he learned anything? Has his depression lifted? Does he finally understand what strength means?
The Hero Association arc (which satirizes corporate bureaucracy and social hierarchy) will resolve in ways that matter more than power levels. Saitama might become famous, or might remain unknown—but his relationships with Genos, King, and others will define the ending.
Genos’s fate is crucial. If Saitama loses anything, it might be Genos—not in a fight, but permanently. This would force growth in ways combat cannot.
When to Expect Resolution
Webcomic vs. Manga: ONE’s original webcomic continues sporadically. Yusuke Murata’s manga adaptation expands and sometimes diverges from the webcomic. Both are ongoing.
Manga pacing: The Monster Association Arc took years to complete. The manga is now in a new arc with no clear endpoint.
Expected ending: One Punch Man’s conclusion is likely 5+ years away (2028-2030 or later), depending on ONE’s plans and the manga’s adaptation pace.
Anime status: Season 3 is in production. Given the manga’s progress, the anime could run for multiple more seasons—potentially through the 2030s if it adapts the full story.
Can Saitama ever lose? In any meaningful physical sense, no. He’s designed as unbeatable, and that won’t change. But losing isn’t always about fights. Saitama’s real struggle—with meaning, with connection, with finding joy—is the battle he’s actually fighting. And in that fight, the outcome remains genuinely uncertain. Even for the strongest being in existence.