Reasons to love OPM & little tidbits #9

Small characterizations details that are easy to miss ep9:

Saitama is far better in martial arts than it appears.

Saitama from the very beginning has actually been interested in how the human body works, even when he was a mere 12-year old kid, he rather studied human health and physical education than interact with his peers. (Chapter 8.5: "200 yen)

It's honestly painfully profound and human as Saitama struggles with his own identity and self-concept.

You really understand when ONE says that “a normal life is hard,” especially when you're not particularly privileged from the start. And your constant struggle to fit into the world becomes uphill. Which makes you sympathize more with Garou's vision.

Watching OPM you realize that Saitama is particularly talented, and although he doesn't see it, he absorbs more knowledge than he realizes. He could be on par with geniuses like Garou, -whose mind is focused on technique and refinement- if he had the motivation to do so. For his level of commitment and discipline drove him to be so strong in the first place.

It is painfully human that our ability to grow is very much tied to our perception. Whether we see ourselves as capable or we see ourselves as failures. But Saitama's constant discouragement in believing that “Being strong is all there was in him, all that gave him meaning.” But when he became absurdly powerful, he believes he reached his limit as an individual.

Your focus is on the result. If the result is the same, then there is no improvement, right?

It is paradoxical, because Saitama is someone who motivates others not to focus on defeats but to move forward.

He genuinely needs to stop seeing his strength as the only thing that exists in himself, and perhaps open up more to all that he can achieve. After all, supreme strength doesn't always guarantee you to be the most efficient hero and save everyone, we learned that the hard way, didn't we?

Honestly, Saitama's perception and self-concept is painfully human and one that more than one can relate to, if you remember that many of us don't feel capable of achieving some goal just because we think we are incapable, or we think we have reached a plateau and we are nothing more than that.