One-Punch Man vol. 16

It’s not that I don’t get what ONE and Yusuke Murata are going for in this volume.  They’re pitching Garo’s struggle against the members of the Hero Association who come to take him in as something noble that turns tragic.  That his desire to stand up to inevitability is something to be admired. I get that, and yet it doesn’t work for me. Part of this is because Garo has been pretty unlikeable ever since he was introduced.  How am I supposed to feel sorry for someone whose crimes include beating Mumen Rider within an inch of his life? There’s also the fact that his initial struggle against the eight heroes who come for him stretches believability in all the wrong ways.  Here’s Garo, still recovering from being smacked by Saitama in the previous volume, then poisoned by a couple arrows in this current fight still able to take on everyone in front of him? I just can’t buy that.

What I think the creators are trying to say with Garo’s struggle is that there’s a thin line between heroism and villainy.  Only it comes off like the, “We’re not so different, you and I” of ideological discussions without the self-awareness of how tired that particular setup is.  It also feels like there’s some stacking of the deck as the heroes Garo is facing off against happen to be just ruthless and uncooperative enough to suggest that he may have a point.  Which is quite convenient. Fortunately Genos, Silverfang and Bomb show up to hand Genos his ass at the end of the volume. Or do they? It’s the kind of last-minute ass-beating that suggests we’re in for some big twist that allows the Hero Hunter to get away in the next volume.  Of course if the creators decide to have this be Garo’s last stand then I’d be more than fine with that.