When the main character is so incredibly powerful that he ends almost every fight with a single punch, it's hard to appreciate the strength of the other characters. Yet, despite Saitama's tremendous strength, One-Punch Man he can still highlight the strengths of other heroes with the rating system.
S-class heroes are considered to be some of the strongest characters in the anime, with some able to take on dragon-level monsters. But even among the strongest, some shine brighter than others. Let's take a look at every S-Class hero in the anime and see how they stack up against each other.
One Punch Man: Top 17 Strongest Characters in the Series
The One Punch Man series is home to several powerful personalities. These characters are not to be taken lightly.
The King, the weakest “strongest” hero
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Considered by the world to be the “strongest man on earth”, King's true identity is far from her. Luck and a series of misunderstandings secured King's position as one of the strongest characters in One-Punch Man. In reality, he's just a civilian who likes to read comics and play games. But somehow, he always happens to be spotted in front of the monsters Saitama killed and inadvertently takes credit for it.
It's funny that the other heroes and monsters continue to fall for this delusion, which either amazes them or intimidates them. King's glory alone will probably take down dragon-level monsters, but his power won't even scratch them.
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Tanktop Master has limited options
Tanktop Master is by no means weak; he is the leader of an army of tank toppers and is initially able to go head-to-head against Garou. But compared to other S-class heroes, his power is limited because he doesn't have any supernatural abilities or equip any special weapons that give him an advantage. He relies solely on his brute physical strength, which Garou's martial arts have easily overcome.
Prisoner Puri-Puri struggles but grows stronger
Although Puri-Puri Prisoner is an S-class hero, he faced a major setback when he lost to Deep Sea King in the first season of the anime. But this loss helped him grow stronger, and in Season 2 he single-handedly defeated a demon in a level called “Free Hugger” by squeezing it to death while taking damage.
In season 3, he continues to defeat demon-level monsters while surviving the attacks of Nyan, dragon-level monsters. But when Nyan escapes, Puri-Puri admits that Nyan made a bad choice to fight other heroes, implying that he is weaker than the other S-class heroes.
The power of Superalloy Darkshine is incredible
Superalloy Darkshine's impenetrable defense makes him a powerful hero. Through rigorous training, he has hardened his muscles to the point where they act like armor. During Season 3, when the heroes first break into the monster's lair, he uses his body as a shield to easily deflect incoming attacks.
Later, in Season 3 Episode 12, he takes on the God of Insects and lands some quick punches. He also defeats him with a single punch, proving that he is good not only in defense but also in offense.
Watchdog Man, guardian of the entire city
The Q-city defender is comfortably in the middle of the S-class. His stance is similar to Saitama's in that everything around him fails to stun him. In Season 3, when he is targeted by Garou, he easily counters him with his speed and strength. It pushes the Garou to a level where they barely manage to escape alive. He also defeats several monsters that were threatening Q-city itself.
Genos is now more powerful, but has a limit
Determined to follow in Saitama's footsteps, we saw Genos grow immensely. He started out as a mere aspiring hero and rose to S-class. Being a cyborg makes his potential limitless. He is constantly improving his abilities with the help of Dr. Bitten. In Season 2, during his fight with Garou, Garou claimed that Genos' power was already on par with Tanktop Master.
In Season 3, after receiving advice from Saitama, Genos asked Dr. Kuseno to further increase his power. Dr. But Kuseno cautioned that the upgrade was somewhat reckless as it maximized damage, putting an emphasis on the durability of its parts. Genos can only use the full potential of upgrades for 10 seconds; if he exceeds this limit, it could destroy his body and core.
Drive Knight's Strength is still a mystery
Drive Knight was introduced back in Season 1, but fans have yet to see him in a major fight. Similar to Genos, he is a cyborg with immense strength and various weapons in his arsenal. Although he is very suspicious of Metal Knight and even warns Genos against him.
In Season 2, fans got a glimpse of his abilities when he used a high-tech blade to intimidate monsters. It is very likely that he will be at a stronger level than Genos, which is evident from his hero status and experience. His attitude is strikingly tactical and he seems to lack human emotion.
Metal Bat proved his strength in Season 2 when he fought the demon level monsters Centisenpai and Lafreshidon and defeated them both. Despite losing consciousness, he regained consciousness by hitting his head. Shortly after, when a dragon-level monster, Centichoro, appeared, he did not hesitate to attack it.
During his attempt to fight Centichor, he was interrupted by Gara. Garou was shocked by his durability, strength and swing speed. The hero hunter claimed that if one of his swings connected, he could be in trouble. Despite being knocked down, Metal Bat recovered and almost succeeded in a surprise attack, but was stopped by his younger sister.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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A pig god might want to eat any monster he faces
The pig god was seen in action first when we swallowed Eyesight, a demon-level monster, alive. Even her poison had no effect on him. In Season 3, he swallows another demon-level monster alive. We haven't seen much of the Pig God yet, but his gluttony makes him seem immune to most enemy attacks.
Metal Knight also relies on technology, but what makes him different from Genos and Drive Knight is that he is not a cyborg. We get a glimpse of the real Metal Knight in Season 3 Episode 1, and by the looks of it, he's a normal human. But he also seems to have great knowledge and technology on his side.
He also seems to be more concerned with practical and rational decisions than heroic ones, which prevented him from revealing the location of the monster association. Positioning at the top end of the S-Class ensures that much of its power is yet to be seen.
