One Punch Man S02, E08 | I need a hero! (review)
The Resistance of the Strong episode was the best of the season. We only saw fierce adversaries and highly motivated heroes. Saitama has just run away because he’s been discovered as an imposter and then everything that should have happened three episodes ago begins.
Spoiler’s ahead.
During the award ceremony, the administrators of the Martial Arts Tournament decide to finally tell the attendees that there are monsters ravaging the city. This news doesn’t cause as much of a panic as you would think. Maybe that’s because moments later a bunch of crow monsters landed in the center of the fighting stage.
Perhaps everyone got away.
A select few of the participants and the tournament were rounded up to face Gouketsu, a Threat Level Dragon monster. He was once a human, but after being defeated by a monster he was taken to their lair. Goukestu consumed the monster cells and realized his ultimate power.
Remember in the last episode, Gouketsu destroyed Genos.
The monsters have formed the Monster’s Association similar to the Hero Association. And their objectives are as follows.
- Create terror among humans
- Secure a hostage from the Hero Association
- Turn significant humans into monsters.
So, Gouketsu’s only goal is to turn every martial arts participant into a monster. A lot of them decide to do it out of fear and instantly get taken down. This goes with my previous opinion that becoming a monster does not mean you are going to be the best. If you are weak-minded before you turn, you’ll still get wrecked.
Choze, who was beaten last week in the semi-finals by Saitama decides to eat the monster cells and puts on a good showing, but Suiryu puts him down with little effort.
Goukestu is intrigued by Suiryu’s strength and tries to convince him that being a monster will be “fun”. However, Suiryu says now and commences a one-sided battle with Goketsu.
Suiryu ends up with a broken arm, a crushed spirit, and most of all a crushed spirit. He’s being surrounded by Gouketsu’s hench monsters when he spots Bakuzan.
Yay!
Turns out Bakuzan wants to be a monster because he’s seeing Suiryu and everyone else for that matter get ruined by them. So he consumes at least three or four monster cells and condemns Suiryu to die.
Aw!
It seems like Bakuzan literally bit off more than he could chew because he croaked in and fell to the floor moments after declaring that he’d be the strongest being alive.
But hey, Snek and Lightning Max come back from earlier decimation to help Suiryu fight off the henchman. It was a very awesome moment!
Ready to face Gouketsu, Max, Snek, and Suiryu get ready to fight. They even tell Suiryu to run, because their heroes and they are trying to protect him. Unfortunately, Bakuzan woke up from his food coma and rendered all of them helpless.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Everyone is laying on the floor passed out pretty much except for Suiryu. Bakuzan proclaims victory and Gouketsu is pleased to accept him into the Monster’s Association. However, Bakuzan thinks he’s the strongest creature alive.
While all of the monsters are being summoned back to the lair, Bakuzan resists and attacks Gouketsu. Goukestu quickly knocks him and states that Bakuzan may be Threat Level Dragon, but he is still not stronger than him. He’s not even stronger than many other monsters or Class S heroes for that matter.
My theory written above confirmed!
Gouketsu shares the hideout location and tells him to find them when he is ready.
Feeling a bit taken back because he realizes he’s not going to be the strongest, Bakuzan decides to kill Suiryu. He breaks his legs, squashes his body, and tortures him until he screams, “I need a hero!”
This episode is truly about Suiryu, the Resistance of the Strong. After all of his smug talk in the last episode about heroes being worthless and using his strength for his own gain, Suiryu is screaming for a hero. Who comes to the rescue? One Punch Man himself, Saitama!
I can’t wait for this fight next week!