Previously in One Punch Man Chapter 167, the battle between Garou and Saitama was going strong. Saitama’s iconic table flip from the webcomic was finally adapted into the manga. Although a lot of questions asked in the previous discussion have yet to be answered, one thing is certain. The noteworthy fight between Garou and Saitama has undoubtedly come to an end. In this One Punch Man Chapter 168 Discussion, we will be analyzing the latest chapter.
Before we begin, remember this post contains spoilers for One Punch Man Chapter 168. If you have not yet read the chapter, best read it and then come back to this page for the discussion.
Saitama’s Exponential Power-Up
Throughout the battle, it was made clear that even at that very moment Saitama kept getting more and more powerful. Garou had been using his copying abilities, meaning he was copying Saitama’s strength too. However, he wasn’t able to hurt Saitama as, by the time he attacked Saitama, Saitama would have already increased his strength.
This power gap was explained using a curve, showing how with each move, Saitama left Garou further behind. This was explained to be caused by Saitama’s rampant emotions after Genos had been killed, as we see Saitama holding his core till the very end. And this was the very reason Garou could not surpass Saitama.
Serious Sneeze
Even in the heat of one of the most anticipated battles, Yusuke Murata did not fail to add the comedy aspect of the series to the scene. After Saitama’s clothes were ripped off cause of Garou’s attacks, he started feeling cold and sneezed. But knowing how non-human like Saitama is, it wasn’t any regular sneeze.
Yes, this sneeze blew half of Jupiter off! Though some fans believe the entirety of Jupiter has been blown off, the impact is hard to determine yet. What we know for sure is that Jupiter is definitely not the same as before. In the last chapter, we saw Saitama destroy one of its moons, but now that he has damaged an entire planet, no one knows where his strength even stands.
Garou’s sacrifice
The climax of the battle was in favor of Saitama. After everything Garou had done, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him to fulfill Garou’s only friend’s final wish. Even in his awakened mode, Garou could not hide his emotions when he saw that Tareo was dead.
We all know the soft spot Garou has for kids, and especially Tareo who he cared dearly for. Garou burst into tears and ran away, blaming himself for getting too close to him. Instead of saving him, he had been the cause of his demise. Seeing how Saitama was mourning Genos too, Garou decides to make the biggest sacrifice.
He asks Saitama to copy his abilities and gives him God’s power which he had stolen for himself. But as the transfer begins, God’s voice is heard as he begins to take back his powers from Garou. Nonetheless, Garou sacrifices himself, turning to salt, to make sure Saitama is able to obtain at least a fraction of the powers.
Saitama Time Travelled
Saitama didn’t waste a second in copying Garou’s ability and finds himself going to the past. He stops at the moment Garou first descends and declares himself as “Absolute Evil”. Right from the future in Jupiter, Saitama punches Garou with a punch packed with the power of God he had in one of his fists.
This punch was called “Zero Punch” as it landed before it was thrown. It was initiated by future Saitama to the present, hence it had not actually happened. Totaling to zero punches Saitama needed to finish the battle. It was truly another iconic scene that fans would not be forgetting for a while to come.
Genos is Alive
Although Genos had died in the original timeline, after Saitama went to the past, he stopped Garou before Garou killed Genos. And since he was able to defeat Garou’s awakened form right there, Genos was able to survive. Additionally, the core in his hand is shown to be empty, showing the drastic change in the future.
In this timeline, Garou may very well be able to live too, though he wouldn’t have the abilities which he had stolen from God. Until the next chapter, it’s going to be unclear if Garou is able to survive after all his powers have been taken from him.
Meanwhile, the future Saitama merges with the present Saitama. This could indicate that Saitama will be staying in this timeline for good now. A lot of fans also believe most humans and heroes have lost their lives in the original timeline so perhaps this may be for the best.
That’s all for this One Punch Man Chapter 168 Discussion. Tell us what you think of this chapter in the comment section below. You can also read about the official name given to Eren’s founder Titan by Hajime Isayama. For more manga discussions, stay tuned to Retrology.
