Dragon Ball Super continues Akira Toriyama’s iconic shonen series and introduces even more powerful characters that almost feel like the perfect competition for the exaggerated heroes in One-Punch Man. Both of these shonen anime series cater towards hyperbolic fight sequences and One-Punch Man’s titular hero, Saitama, struggles to find a worthy opponent.
This malaise is not unlike what Dragon Ball’s Goku experiences and the multiversal Tournament of Power finally satiates his hunger for battle. The Tournament of Power pits the strongest warriors from across several universes into vicious combat with one another and throwing Saitama into the proceedings would make for a very interesting development.
10 Ways He Could’ve Won: He Uses Full-Strength Punches
The characters in One-Punch Man have a wide range of special powers, but Saitama keeps things very simple and his ultimate weapon is just a strong, confident punch. Saitama laments over the fact that few enemies are able to withstand more than a single strike for him and even then he’s revealed that he hasn’t fought at his full strength. Based on what Saitama has conquered it seems like it’d be easy for him to win the whole Tournament of Power with a flurry of punches and take out each unsuspecting competitor.
9 Ways He Couldn’t Have Won: He Breaks The Rules And Gets Erased
The Tournament of Power offers a tempting prize, but there are also severe consequences for failure that come in the form of the erasure of entire universes. The Tournament of Power is designed to gage strength and entertain the two Zenos, but there are still a few rules in place that warrant disqualification if they’re broken. Saitama can be reckless and uninformed when he jumps into action and it feels likely that he would unintentionally break a rule. Saitama would dominate any of the fighters, but he doesn’t stand a chance against Zeno, the Omni King, and his erasure ability.
8 Ways He Could’ve Won: His Relationship With Genos Helps Against The Androids
Saitama is used to working solo, but he gradually develops a sweet relationship with the cyborg, Genos, who looks up to Saitama as a mentor. This gives Saitama lots of experience with cyborgs and androids and Genos utilizes highly sophisticated technology.
There are multiple robotic fighters in the Tournament of Power and Android 17 even wins the whole thing. It’s possible that Saitama could use his preexisting robotic relationship to his advantage, whether it’s through secrets about their circuitry or just attempts to evoke sympathy through his kindness towards Genos.
7 Ways He Couldn’t Have Won: Frieza Destroys His Self Esteem
One-Punch Man delivers some truly thrilling action sequences, but it’s also a very funny series and it’s not afraid to embrace wild comedy, like when it comes to Saitama’s plain appearance. Saitama is surprisingly sensitive about his baldness and it’s grown into an insecurity for the character, which isn’t helped by his official hero name of Caped Baldy. Frieza is a vicious fighter that will do whatever is necessary to gain an advantage and he, along with some of the Tournament of Power’s other ruder participants, could crush Saitama’s self-esteem so he lacks the will to fight.
6 Ways He Could’ve Won: He Uses His Massive Leap To Avoid Combat
One of the few rules in the Tournament of Power is that flying is only allowed with wings and not the use of ki. Flight is not a skill that Saitama possesses, but the rest of his abilities are so exaggerated as a result of his strength that he’s proven in the past that he can jump an absurd distance in the air. Saitama’s vertical leap has even taken him to Earth’s moon and back. Saitama could just repeatedly jump in the air and avoid combat while he’s out of sight as everyone else finishes each other off.
5 Ways He Couldn’t Have Won: His Lack Of Ki Skills Hold Him Back
It’s quite interesting to see the type of special energy that’s present in each anime series that features heightened fight sequences and massive attacks of projectile energy. There are tons of different principles behind Nen, Shinsu, Reiatsu, or in the case of Dragon Ball’s universe, ki energy.
One-Punch Man doesn’t establish a magical currency and there are some psychic espers, but many characters rely on physical strength, including Saitama. It’d be safe to predict that Saitama doesn’t have any ki skills, which would leave him seriously disadvantaged against every Tournament of Power fighter.
4 Ways He Could’ve Won: He Maximizes His Resistance To Psychic Energy
Most characters in One-Punch Man wield weapons or resort to their physical strength, which sometimes gives them a more grounded and realistic quality. Other heroes, like Tatsumaki or her sister Fubuki, are blessed with powerful psychic abilities. Early on, Tatsumaki has an encounter with Saitama where he’s able to resist and stay immune to her psychic powers. Plenty of Tournament of Power fighters implement a comparable style of energy and so it’s not unreasonable to think that Saitama would also remain immune to these styles of attacks.
3 Ways He Couldn’t Have Won: He Becomes An Early Target And Is Eliminated
Power can often be a double-edged sword and the very fact that Saitama’s strength can physically obliterate everyone in the tournament is enough to make him an easy target. Universe 7 faces the aggression of other universes teaming up against them because of how Goku rocks the boat for everyone, which means that there’s precedent for this behavior. If the other universes feel especially threatened then they could even orchestrate a massive fusion between multiple people to reach a strength that’s comparable to Saitama. It’d be easy for Saitama to face early elimination just because of what he can do.
2 Ways He Could’ve Won: He Enlists The Support Of The Hero Association
A compelling component of One-Punch Man is the heavy bureaucracy and order that governs the superheroes and there’s a larger Hero Association that ultimately calls the shots. The Hero Association designates everyone’s hero rankings and how to properly respond to the increasingly dangerous threats to the planet. Saitama is usually the one that joins the fight to save the day, but the Hero Association could return the favor with an onslaught of S-Class level heroes to aid Saitama once they sense that their universe is at risk of erasure.
1 Ways He Couldn’t Have Won: He Fails Against Ultra Instinct And Its God Ki
The competitors that enter the Tournament of Power are all already exceptional fighters, but there are certain individuals that unlock new power and transformations during their participation in the tournament. Goku’s Ultra Instinct ability is his newest technique and he still has a long way to go when it comes to mastering it. Ultra Instinct and the God ki that accompanies it cause serious damage in the tournament and it’s likely at a level that’s beyond Saitama’s comprehension. He’s fought powerful aliens and demons, but the power of gods is another story.