One Punch Man has been an iconic series in the anime community, but what’s more iconic is the discussion surrounding whether it’s better to read the webcomic or the manga. In this article, I’ll delve into which medium is the best way to experience the story and what you should do.
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One Punch Man
The story revolves around Saitama, a young adult who is a Hero for fun. Despite his eager interest in battling exciting monsters and bringing thrill into his boring life, he simply became too strong to achieve such a life. With his deadpan expression, he lives every day looking forward to meeting someone who would challenge his strength.
The story is a satirical take on the classic Hero troupe and Humankind in general. As the world finds itself to be continuously disheveled with chaos, Saitama brings the light-hearted parody of a Hero to life as he defeats everyone with a single punch. He is created exactly in a way no one would ever imagine a true hero to be – bald, uninterested, and in a pretty bland costume.
One Punch Man Webcomic vs. Manga
The main difference between the two mediums is the difference in art. The visual experience in the manga would be leaps and leaps beyond what you’d experience in the webcomic. However, there is more than simply art that will make you pick one of them over the other.
- The webcomic is the original story, and the manga is simply the redrawing of the said story.
- The webcomic has a crude art style, while the manga has a detailed and refined art style.
- The manga has many additional scenes, such as the Orochi arc, the fight between Garou and Saitama, and the Psykos fusion.
- The webcomic has a better portrayal of the humor than the manga.
The author of the One Punch Man franchise is ONE, and the manga has been redrawn by Yusuke Murata with certain additional scenes and plot lines that have not been there in the original. This has fueled the discussions about which story is better to follow with each having its own advantages.
Which to pick?
The discussion has led the community to arrive at a resolution, which is actually two-fold.
- One can continue with the manga, if the webcomic’s art style is not what they like.
- One can read till the manga, and then continue on with the webcomic to progress in the story.
Thus, bringing a light end to the discussion, however, one would always argue about which is the best out of the two. For this, I believe the webcomic is in the clear win. Being the original and way ahead in the story, it also has a better grasp of the comedic timing and sense of humor that makes One Punch Man such a witty piece to read.
Conclusion
With this, the discussion has reached its end. The webcomic vs. manga discussion will continue to exist in the community, considering there will be some who would want their subjective ideas to be accepted by everyone, however, One Punch Man is a series that can be enjoyed in both its manga and webcomic form.