“I understand now…When people are shrouded in darkness, they seek the light.”
Suiryu finally understands why the world has need of heroes and how they bring hope to those who cannot defend themselves. As someone who carries a lot of strength, this truth was lost on Suiryu as he never was in a position to grapple with this core human longing, shielded from it by his own power. His statement about crawling around in the darkness during, quite frankly, One Punch Man’s darkest hour, stuck with me ever since the chapter was initially released. It’s a statement that highlights Suiryu’s journey from powerful, free Suiryu to defeated, hopeless Suiryu: the former who mocked heroes and their superficial beliefs, and the latter who had no choice but to rely on them. This transformation is particularly powerful in the manga where his hatred for the heroic profession was laid bare, but I have to say I was impressed with the way JC Staff handled Suiryu’s darkest hour. Ironic, but painful – as life often is.
It was Suiryu’s cries for help that summoned Saitama to the scene to deal with Bakuzan, however – this change in his character is ultimately what saved his life. Again, a highlight in Saitama’s code of honor – he cannot leave someone who desperately calls for his help, and will jump to their side out of a sense of duty. Saitama’s complimenting words to Suiryu, telling him how he “did well to hold out this long” also carry weight they wouldn’t normally, as Saitama is not one to give easy compliments – he truly believes what he is saying.
Yet another great moment we have in this episode is the appearance of Lightning Max and Snek to the scene to save Suiryu against the crow monsters, even if it is a derivative of the above reasoning. The more touching scene showcasing these two is when they offer to hold off Gouketsu so that Suiryu can escape – a monster they know they have no chance of defeating, and it’s only a matter of “how long can we distract him”. A terrifying prospect, but recognizing Suiryu as a civilian and themselves as hero, they understand their duty, making yet another bitter pill about reality for Suiryu to swallow.
In a tournament about martial artists, it’s clear that the monster cores represent a “shortcut” to power and an abandonment of the discipline that makes a martial artist what they are. Those that ingested the monster cores were only martial artists as far as physicality was concerned – mentally, they were weak. In Bakuzan’s case, it was like giving in to a dark temptation that was deep inside him all along. It seems the power upgrade that comes along with being a monster is too great for one to pass up.
Saitama is, once again, a contradiction that screams in the face of all these supposed facts about discipline, about strength as a monster. A normal human who surpassed his limits and became above god. No special discipline, no “supernatural” strength. Much like the house of evolution back in season 1, Saitama is here to clear up all misconceptions about what it means to truly obtain strength and what is required to reach the level he has (even if he is not aware of it himself).
