Last Updated on November 14, 2025 by “Talha”
Saitama’s serious moves have become one of the most iconic running gags and power showcases in One-Punch Man. From the moment he switches from a casual hero to a serious one, the entire tone of the fight changes, and the enemies, even if they are Dragon level, realise how helpless they are in front of him. In this article, we’ll be ranking Saitama’s “Serious” Moves, based on impact, strength, and awe-factor. This list is completely subjective, but it’s established on the scale and dramatic effect of each move as seen so far in the manga and anime.
One-Punch Man is a Japanese series created by ONE and illustrated in its manga remake by Yūsuke Murata. It tells the story of Saitama, an unimpressive-looking bald hero who has trained to such a degree that he can defeat any enemy with a single punch, and now struggles with boredom and a lack of challenge. The anime adaptation first aired in October 2015 (season 1 studio Madhouse) and a second season followed in 2019 (studio J.C.Staff).
Ranking Saitama’s Serious Moves
7. Serious Side Hops
In this move, Saitama rapidly hops side-to-side, creating afterimages and moving while walking forward. The shockwaves from this move were enough to render Speed‑o’-Sound Sonic unconscious.
6. Serious Headbutt
A newly revealed move where Saitama casually counters a high-level attack with a simple headbutt. While hilarious and effective, it’s still a close-range technique with minimal environmental destruction. This one is only featured in the webcomic, as Murata didn’t include it in the manga
5. Serious Sneeze
Saitama lets out a sneeze during the fight against Garou on the moon Io, and the effect blows away half of Jupiter’s gas layer, exposing the planet’s core. Though it is hilarious and a display of sheer power, this is not an intentional attack from Saitama; that’s why we are ranking it lower than other entries.
4. Serious Table Flip
Here, Saitama digs his fingers into the ground and flips a massive part of the ground into the air. In one case, it ripped apart Io, which is slightly larger than Earth’s moon, while battling Garou. This is where the destructive scale starts to get wild. Flipping a moon’s crust is no joke.
3. Serious Squirt Gun
Saitama uses his hands in liquid to squirt a super-high-pressure stream while submerged in lava, and uses it to overpower Orochi’s Gaia Cannon, which drew power from the Earth’s core.
This one blends absurdity with real destructive power, a weaponised squirt gun in lava, using a core-powered attack. It’s not one of his pure punches, but the cleverness and scale push it higher up in the ranks. The comedic factor displayed in the scene is a bonus.
2. Serious Punch
There are multiple instances where Saitama uses his signature “Serious Punch” move. Our favorite ones are the following:
- Serious Punch against Boros, which cancelled the latter’s “Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon,” and it says a lot.
- Serious Punch against Elder Centipede. The anime sequence of this punch was quite enjoyable.
- Serious Punch against Evil Natural Water – yet to be animated.
- Omnidirectional Serious Punch. You will have to see it to understand how cool this was.
1. Serious Punch²
The biggest and strongest move by far was when Saitama and Garou collide punches (both using Serious Punch), their head-on collision created what’s called “Serious Punch².” This punch generated potent, destructive energy that extended into outer space, presumably destroying numerous star systems, launching both Saitama and Garou to Jupiter’s moon Io.
This move was truly peak spectacle, peak scale, and a peak “what just happened” moment. It was not only the move with the highest level of destruction, but had the most dramatic context, and the biggest awe-factor. It’s the move that defines “serious” in the series. That’s why it sits at number one, without a doubt.
While this is our ranking for now, the series may add more serious moves in future chapters. Until we see some more moves from Saitama, we’ll be sticking to these, which are not only impactful and destructive but also quite entertaining to witness.
