Whenever the discourse about the strongest characters in the anime and manga community comes up, the one name that is forever seen at the top is Saitama from One Punch Man. Most anime protagonists cannot even imagine reaching his level of power as a hero. However, he is not only famous for his immeasurable strength.
His well-proportioned physique has also been an inspiration for many One Punch Man fans, and one of them is Keisuke Murata, who is the son of Yusuke Murata, the illustrator of the redrawn version of One Punch Man. Keisuke recently took part in the Japanese National High School Bodybuilding Championship and scored second place.
Keisuke even posted his achievement on his X account, but the young talent was not so happy with his success as he wanted to be placed at the top. Nevertheless, One Punch Man fans were happy with his performance and even praised him for his Saitama-like physique.
Saitama’s Physique Has Served As An Inspiration
As One Punch Man fans know, Saitama’s highly popular physique is the result of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 KM run on a daily basis. Saitama followed this routine for three hundred days, and the high-intensity workout bore fruit in the form of a lean muscular body that could take down even the strongest of monsters.
Saitama’s physique is the epitome of bodybuilding, and every aspiring anime fan who has an interest in muscles has at one point admired Saitama. The same happened with Keisuke.
色々落ち着いたのでお知らせします!高校生ボディービルにて二位になりました!悔しいですがまた精進します!!#ボディビル #高校生ボディビル pic.twitter.com/YzpKNBEw8h
— 肉体美鑑真@skeb募集中 (@21enLLrsax9QVcW) August 25, 2024
Keisuke was closely related to Saitama’s character as his father was the one working on his story. Thus, he was likely inspired by him to join the world of bodybuilding and prove himself. He even used One Punch Man’s theme “The Hero” for his performance.
He posted a tweet of him scoring second place at the Japanese National High School Bodybuilding Championship, which got a lot of applause and appreciation from his fans. Even his father was proud of him and shared an appreciation post for the young athlete.
One Punch Man Fans Appreciate Keisuke Murata
Although Keisuke is disappointed in himself for not winning the first position, One Punch Man fans have shown their love for him. Keisuke might be a little bulkier compared to Saitama, but him following in his footsteps is certainly a great thing for the character and for him as a bodybuilder.
Thus, when the news about Yusuke Murata’s son embodying Saitama’s love for muscles went viral, fans of the One Punch Man series came together to appreciate him.
While some talked about Keisuke’s routine to gain such a great build, others compared him to the One Punch Man protagonist.
Murata told him Saitama’s secrets.
— Nicholas Light (@NicholasLightTV) August 28, 2024
He used the song "The Hero" from One Punch Man for his body building stage performance. pic.twitter.com/ezAdloFcIc
— Anime News And Facts (@AniNewsAndFacts) August 28, 2024
He is HIM pic.twitter.com/VNnj6pHKqE
— Anemone (@anemone_aurora) August 28, 2024
Funny and thats so cool! Congrats to Keisuke!
— Rachel Roo (@Rachel_Roo34) August 28, 2024
Did he do 100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats and 10 km run everyday to look like this?
— Luke Chen (@itslukechen) August 29, 2024
One Punch Man’s Saitama has had an impact since he debuted in 2009. Fans have been crazy about the protagonist and now are patiently waiting for him to make a return in season 3 which will most likely be released by the end of 2024.
One Punch Man is available on Crunchyroll.