One-Punch Man Reveals Saitama's Best Friend Is Even More Special Than Fans Thought

One-Punch Man is full of extraordinary heroes with abilities, including those refined through machinery and psychokinetic espers in the Hero Association and beyond. However, one particular cyborg has turned out to be especially prominent among Saitama's allies due to the extent of his modifications, although he has featured far less in recent chapters. Genos, Saitama's disciple and friend, is confirmed to be a near-impossible feat of cybernetic engineering, as remarked in the recently released chapters of One-Punch Man.

Genos has been a running joke character in One-Punch Man, deceptively serious in a story frequently steeped in parody and satire while immensely growing as his cyborg modifications are improved. He's been absent for the latest chapters, yet Genos occasionally gets either mentioned directly or indirectly. One-Punch Man might not be giving Genos his dues yet, but the latest reveal related to Wavygyaza's cybernetic modifications indicates that Saitama's friend is far more special than fans may have known.

Genos Is a Cybernetic Marvel in One-Punch Man

A Sky-High Body Modification Ratio

As revealed in One-Punch Man's latest chapter released in Tonari no Young Jump from Thursday, September 19, 2024, fellow cyborg Kokou noted Wavygyaza's cyborg modifications as over 71% of her body. For those keeping track, Genos' only remaining fully organic component is his brain, placing his ratio likely as somewhere in the high nineties. Kokou remarks that the Hero Association has members exceeding 60%, but Genos exceeds even this ratio. Kokou even states that anything above 60% is dangerous and rare, with 71% being seen as an impossibility in One-Punch Man.

While this incredible revelation may easily be chalked up to a minor inconsistency or a lack of understanding of Genos' upper limits, it means even the most heavily modified among the Neo Heroes' assets pales compared to an underappreciated One-Punch Man hero. Thanks to recent upgrades from Dr. Kuseno, these extensive modifications can also improve Genos' power and agility to go solo against Dragon-level threats like the Forest King in chapter #183 (VIZ Media numbering.)

From Kokou's comments (and from what webcomic readers know of Wavygyaza), the extent of modifications that can be endured by a human without dying depends on their motivation and determination. This proves that Genos's true asset is his willpower, motivated first by his desire to avenge his family and then by his admiration for Saitama, which allowed him to endure the modification of almost his entire body. However, Genos is not One-Punch Man's only heavily-modified cyborg S-Class hero.

Genos Isn't the Only S-Class Cyborg in One-Punch Man

One Hero Association Member Still Ranks Higher

Drive Knight is also similarly heavily modified, likely to a similar extent to Genos, minus the synthetic facial skin in One-Punch Man. For a long time in the series, Drive Knight's various modifications, endurance, and strength placed him above Genos. However, entering the Monster Association Arc and beyond, Genos' modifications showed him pulling ahead of Drive Knight, thanks to advantages like Dr. Kuseno's last-resort powerup modifications and overall durability against even the strongest One-Punch Man characters.

While Genos and Drive Knight are more heavily modified than Wavygyaza, other undefined metrics determine raw power in One-Punch Man. While the manga has yet to catch up to the webcomic's developments with Wavygyaza, she has brain modifications, unlike the others, which give her abilities neither Genos or Drive Knight are capable of. However, with Genos continuously getting upgrades that indicate he could soon climb higher on the S-Class ladder, this power and his loyalty to an unknown quantity in One-Punch Man can technically make him a threat.

Genos' Loyalty to Saitama Is Concerning

The Demon Cyborg Hangs on Caped Baldy's Every Word

 

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Genos' loyalty to Saitama is thoroughly documented in One-Punch Man, but one key moment from the redrawn chapter #193 (Tonari no Young Jump numbering) shows the Hero Association top brass' anxiety about Genos turning his might against the Hero Association. It's a mere single-panel moment related to Blast's conversation with Sitch, where they briefly consider "containing" Saitama, fearing retaliation from the cyborg. However, Blast recognizes Saitama as unlikely ever to be a threat on the same page, turning their attention instead to the prophesied crisis.


Genos' initial death at the hands of Garou is the only instance where Saitama truly gets serious in One-Punch Man.

But Genos' loyalty to Saitama is not one-sided, as is especially proven in their fight against Garou at the climax of the Monster Association Arc. When Genos gets killed by a Cosmic Fear Mode Garou, this provokes Saitama into a severe rage that's otherwise never seen in One-Punch Man, consumed by anger over the loss of his friend. It's touching, yet also frightening, as Genos and Saitama's bond can result in clashes causing interplanetary distress or even destruction should either experience harm at the hands of an enemy in One-Punch Man.

The other concerning aspect is Genos' loyalty to Saitama, which prevents him from seeing his own phenomenal strength. He does not realize he's holding himself up to an impossible metric with no upper limits in One-Punch Man. Even after modifications allowing him to handle Dragon-level threats, Genos reads into Saitama's behavior far too much, seeing Caped Baldy shielding his eyes not just due to the brightness of his Lightning Nucleus attack but ludicrously believing Saitama to be unimpressed. But this obsession with growing stronger is part of Genos' key unresolved subplot in One-Punch Man.

A Major Genos Subplot in One-Punch Man Remains Unresolved

Twenty Words or Less!

The moment is an intense instance of Saitama's friendship with Genos in One-Punch Man. It also shows the character as having one of the strongest senses of purpose, true to his overly serious persona, among all other characters save perhaps Blast. But it also frequently draws attention to the mystery of the rampaging cyborg.

Part of the mystique surrounding the cyborg is the utter lack of a physical description, with seemingly no appearances yet in the manga and only brief, subtle appearances in the One-Punch Man webcomic. While the Neo Heroes Saga continues, with even some new cyborgs numbering among the top leadership of the Hero Association's rival, they don't appear to meet the extremes Genos has taken to fight this faceless nemesis. This buildup could lead to an unbelievable confrontation or, equally likely for One-Punch Man, could result in a hilariously brief and one-sided brawl.