Some anime protagonists tend to take themselves a bit too seriously and their struggles can make for a heavy series. On the other hand, there is One Punch Man's Saitama. While the typical shounen anime protagonist may struggle with hardships, Saitama's main hardship is finding a hardship. Saitama's character is an interesting one, always busy or complaining about daily life and frivolous chores.
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Saitama is widely known as the blank-faced egg-shaped hero that is itching for a real challenge. While he struggles day-to-day trying to find an enemy that finally makes push his limits for a well-earned victory, he often finds himself bored; and his simplistic and blank expressions can make for some fantastic meme material.
10 The Many Sides Of Saitama
One would guess that with such a simple character like Saitama, he would be stiff with his emotional range. Surprisingly enough, Saitama actually is incredibly expressive and is great meme material for the entire fandom! Saitama's wild ability to be as animated and expressive as he is isn't just limited to his facial expressions either; the way he constantly flails around adds tons of build to his overall character as well as One Punch Man memes.
Saitama is a man of many different faces and couldn't be any more relatable to anime fans everywhere even if he tried.
9 Looks Can Be Deceiving!
Although Saitama is in fact the mentor while Genos is the diligent student, it may look like the roles are the other way around upon a quick glance. Saitama is a great lesson for those that may judge a book by its cover too soon. Although Saimata may look a little silly in his hero costume and his hilarious facial expressions may make him appear as if he is merely a goofy side character, these assumptions couldn't be farther from the truth.
Despite his cute and simple appearance, Saitama is an incredibly powerful hero that no one would want as their enemy. Meanwhile, the intimidating Genos is still well into his training and still has much to learn before becoming even half as strong as his beloved mentor.
8 One Punch Bad
As strange as this mini crossover is, it's an oddly fitting one! The parallel between Breaking Bad's Walter White and Jesse Pinkman and One Punch Man's Saitama and Genos is a hilarious yet accurate comparison. Although Mr. White and Jesse may be on the exact opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to the justice system, the pair still manages to resemble One Punch Man and Genos.
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Aside from their physical appearances bearing some similarities, both duos even happen to sport the same "teacher-student" bond as well.
(But of course, Genos and Saitama's relationship is a much more wholesome one than the infamous meth-cooking team)
7 With Great Power, Comes Great Pain
Unfortunately, being a protagonist of an anime isn't all glitz and glamour. Often time it means overcoming grueling obstacles and losing loved ones along the way. This meme is a great way of showcasing how these protags chose to deal with the hardships they're forced to deal with.
While Evangelion's Shinji chooses to cry it out, Attack On Titan's Eren finds himself feeling numb, and Berserk's Guts rages to get all the negativity out, Saitama chooses to don a zoned-out smile and continue on with the frivolity of his life.
Perhaps Saitama's method is one of the less destructive ways of dealing with his inner turmoil but either way, everyone's hoping for all these protags to find happier days!
6 Teacher And Cyborg Student
This screencap from Into The Spider-Verse has been used countless times as meme material and this One Punch Man version of it isn't any less accurate! Much like how this older rendition of Peter Parker was simply winging it in his battle against Doctor Octopus and Kingpin, Saitama also seems to go with the flow, living life any which way he deems comfortable.
While both Genos and Miles Morales look up to their mentor with bright starry eyes, in reality, their mentors aren't as confident in their actions either.
5 The Power Lies In The Hair
It seems as if there's a recurring theme with anime these days when it comes to a protagonist unleashing their full potential. Dragon Ball's Goku grows his hair for power, My Hero Academia's Deku eats All Might's hair to earn his power, while Saitama rids himself of all his hair to unlock his true potential.
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While other protagonists rely on hair for power, it seems as if Saitama's luscious head of hair was actually holding him back from achieving his amazing strength! The stress of working hard really added a lot to Saitama's character; giving him his signature egg-like look.
4 A Swing And A Miss
The "Netflix Adaptation" meme is one of the most versatile memes ever and the many creative takes there are out there truly prove how imaginative fans can be. This particular rendition is a hilarious take on Netflix's version of Saitama; as instead of simply using a bald actor that resembles him, they decided to make things look even more low-budget by opting for a paper bag with his face hastily drawn on instead!
However, maybe this route was the safer choice as trying to imitate Saitama's signature lazy egg-shaped face may have been an impossible task to do in live-action.
3 The Perfect Spokesman
During an encounter with Sonic, Saitama easily avoids his katana slice with a simple chomp. Apparently, Saitama's amazing durability and strength don't stop at his legendary punches; his power lies in his dental care as well! Perhaps Colgate plays a huge part in the hero's daily regimen when it comes to maintaining his physique.
There's no one better for the job of repping any toothpaste brand after this scene! This is Saitama's way of finally being a good role model and telling everyone to always remember to brush their teeth.
2 Ruining The Illusion
One of the best uses of the ever-changing art style of Saitama's face is changing the overall feel and atmosphere of a scene. Almost everyone can relate to this great meme about Saitama's incredible dichotomy from plain and simple to clean-cut and dashing. In fact, the comparison of his signature serious-to-comedic face to a filter coming off when trying to take a great selfie is the perfect analogy.
However, let this be a lesson to all: don't feel too bad when that filter goes away, instead feel confident and just remember that Saitama's fans love him either way!
1 Be Careful Who You Call Ugly In Middle School
Some fans may have found Saitama's character's design to feel a bit familiar from the get-go. After some digging through some long-forgotten childhood memories, One Punch Man fans may be reminded of the kids' show icon, Caillou.
This meme makes for a perfect opportunity to joke about how eerily similar these two look! The identical sleek bald look was one thing but their similarities go down even to the color palette of their clothes!
Perhaps all the uncalled-for hate Caillou got back in the day forced him to toughen up and turn into the iconic One Punch Man.