Released on October 19, Chapter 194 of One Punch Man manga continued the Neo Heroes Uprising arc. Saitama was seen in action against a formidable ally after which they embarked on a journey to find the character named Blast. Unfortunately, the pacing and the conclusion of each scene dissatisfied the fanbase.
One Punch Man is almost 25 chapters into the current saga after completing the infamous Monster Association arc. Running for over 90 chapters, the M.A. arc was considered the best due to the build-up to major battles, storyline development, and action sequences. Obviously, it set standards for the upcoming OPM arcs but it seems the latest one has failed to live up to the hype.
Fans of the manga criticized Yusuke Murata’s creation following the release of Chapter 194. They even called it worse than Dragon Ball Super due to the absurd pacing of the events.
One Punch Man Chapter 194 Evokes Comparisons With Dragon Ball Super
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Super is famous for the battle between Goku and Jiren. Apart from that, almost every other battle seemed to be rushed or one-sided. Fans even complained about the manga underutilizing old characters like Frieza, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten, which was the case with Flashy Flash in the latest One Punch chapter.
The uninteresting fight scenes, build-up, and lack of a challenge to Saitama in One Punch Man Chapter 194 have left fans disappointed. A dream clash between the Baldy and the Flash Fist user was thoroughly one-sided, making the latter look weaker than ever.
Also Read: 2 Times The Mighty One Punch Man Saitama Suffered Embarrassing Defeats in Fights
Chapter 194 begins with Flashy Fist offering Saitama a chance to be his disciple. Upon his refusal, the two lock horns in a battle that seemed the most absurd. A full-powered Flashy hit the protagonist with a Dragon Thrust Kick, Falling Moon Palm, Spinning Top Slide, Misty Mantle, and other moves but it didn’t leave a scratch.
When it came to his ultimate technique, Saitama dodged the Flashy Fist and almost knocked his opponent’s head off if not for the interruption of Genos. All three then traveled towards Manako, where they fought against Flame, Sonic, and Wind. One of the enemies even mentioned that Saitama had gotten stronger.
he started powerscaling on-page man what happened 💔
— Phoebe (@tfwPhoebe) October 20, 2023
Compared to the Monster Association arc, Saitama is engaging in battles for baseless reasons and his power remains unchallenged. It is increasingly becoming difficult for fans to wait to witness the hero take on someone who is par with his strength.
Fans Have Pointed Out Power-Scaling Problems in One Punch Man
Saitama lacks the grind that other powerful characters like Goku in Dragon Ball or Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece put in to accomplish great deeds. While others have barely survived near-death situations, the bald hero who exercised regularly to gain god-like powers defeats every major villain with a single punch (or sometimes a few more).
One Punch fans are obviously aware of the power scaling issues in the manga. Chapter 194 led to even more disappointed reactions:
Prime example of jumping the shark. pic.twitter.com/G1iFSmkkfM
— Truggler or something (@hates_place) October 20, 2023
Felt like it started focusing more on crazy fights & overdoing some "gimmicks" than focusing on the story.
— Mr. Diugh (@builtlikeblocks) October 20, 2023
If you just want to look at the fight for the art then i guess it's entertaining but writing wise it's a complete trainwreck
— Phoebe (@tfwPhoebe) October 20, 2023
you can’t power scale saitama because the rule of his verse is that he must win in one punch. sorry but Comedy series logic must stay as consistent as any other 🤷🏾♂️
— Gallows 🇩🇴🤞🏾 (@mightberichie) October 14, 2023
One Punch Man Chapter 195 will be released on November 2, coinciding with the release of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 15. Despite the relentless action scenes, it remains to be seen if any challengers to Saitama get some recognition for their abilities or if they get overwhelmingly soloed like Flashy Fist.
Also Read: “I had stopped updating One-Punch Man”: Saitama’s Saga Nearly Met the Same Fate as Hunter x Hunter
