Summary
Saitama considers King as his true friend as they have a special relationship that allows him to relax and understand. Unlike Genos, who often misunderstands Saitama, King truly sees him for who he is, which is an important trait in a friend. As Genos admires Saitama, the king has more in common with him and is set up as a counterpart to the main character.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ONE-PUNCH MAN CHAPTER #194 (#192 ISSUES NUMBERING)The latest chapters of One-Punch Man, in addition to featuring their usual banter, also feature Saitama openly calling one of his heroes “friend”. Ironically, although Cyborg has been around for a long time in both the manga and the bald hero’s life, Genos is not. Instead, Saitama’s companion is someone who was always the obvious choice in hindsight.
As seen in One-Punch Man chapter #194, Saitama seems to consider the King a true friend. This makes sense: thematically, King has always been Saitama’s foil and confidant, allowing Saitama to relax and distance himself from the constant misunderstandings of everyone he knows in their daily interactions.
In the last chapter, Saitama called the king “his friend”, a word he rarely uses. Either way, it’s clear the two have a special relationship, which is unusual for Aulf Saitama.
Only the king doesn’t understand Saitama.
Chapter #194 has another great “Saitama doesn’t understand” moment. After being beaten by ninjas, heroes, head disciples, rivals, and the like, Saitama tells them that he doesn’t really want to teach, learn, or compete. This translates to Genos, Flash, and Sonic alike: Saitama lacks confidence. When everyone tries to comfort him, he gets angry and immediately calls King to set up a video game session, saying, “These people will never understand!” He shouts. This response shows that Satama regards the king as someone who truly sees him, which is an important trait in a friend.
This is an unfortunate development for Genos, who has a true devotion to Saitama. Even though he’s been a follower of the dog Saitama since the beginning of the story, that ultimately remains Genos’ position: a loyal, independent student.” Although Genos was aware of Saitama’s power, he always took their virtual “relationship” seriously, often never understanding what King Saitama said or did without the other side, and vice versa, these two never put their unearned names into their relationship, which is why they get along so well.
Genos’s worship put an end to their friendship with Saitama
King is the only one who truly understands Saitama and never interprets his actions or words, just like the rest of the world. On the contrary, Saitama is the only person who doesn’t misinterpret the king and doesn’t think he’s the strongest person in the world. This created a real, strong bond between the two, which was evident in their play sessions. Nevertheless, seeing Saitama abandon Genos to his own whims in order to have fun with the king proves how the omnipotent character views his relationship with each of them.
That’s not to say Genos isn’t worth it, but ultimately he’s part of the ongoing joke around Saitama. King, on the other hand, despite being incredibly weak, has a lot in common with Saitama and is clearly positioned as a companion to the main character in the story. Once again, One-Punch Man used a comedic setting to deliver a powerful and profound message about its main character, and unfortunately for Geno fans, they have to accept that the title of Satama’s best friend must go to King.
One-Punch Man is available from Viz Media.