To say that "One Punch Man" has been an unexpected hit is an understatement. The show has both casual and hardcore anime fans in awe of the awesomeness that is in "One Punch Man."
One of the biggest factors for the popularity of "One Punch Man's" is its animation style. While at first glance it seems that the show has a large animation budget, in reality opposite is true.
The show's creator, Chikashi Kubota, states that "One Man Punch actually has an average sized animation budget, reports Anime News Network. Kubota also states that the stunning visuals that are seen on screen are actually the product of the passion his crew and artists have for the project.
However, the show's appeal does not stop at artwork alone; the story also plays a big role in its popularity. While the premise may seem dull and drab at first glance, but fans of the show will tell you that it is one of the main reasons they watch.
"One Punch Man" follows a man named Saitama, who wants nothing more than to be a hero. The catch is that the city he lives in actually has its own heroes already, each with their own letter and number grade.
Saitama looks and seems below average for a hero, his bald head and drab yellow and red costume does not stand at all by hero standard; however, his special power is actually what sets him apart from the rest of the field, according to Wired.
Saitama actually has the ability to defeat, kill or destroy anything with just one punch, hence the name of the show being "One Punch Man." However, the way Saitama gained his ability is where the show starts to go outside the box. Whenever asked about how he got his powers, Saitama replies that he did nothing but train for three straight years.
Saitama's training regiment includes: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 crunches, and a 10 km run every day without fail. Saitama also does not use either heat or air-conditioning.
So what makes this so important? It is because while Saitama's training seems so simple, it actually parodies other anime such as "Dragonball Z" wherein the heroes have to take long, grueling and often times dangerous training missions to get more powerful.
Another reason for the story being so important to "One Punch Man" is that it is really short. Which parodies long running shows such as "One Piece" and "Naruto Shippuden," which are notorious for being long and drawn out.
The fights are short, but exciting and the first season of the show is actually on 12 episodes long.
Check out a English Sub trailer of the first season of "One Punch Man:"