Saitama, the protagonist of the popular anime and manga series One Punch Man, is an impossibly strong superhero who can defeat any opponent with a single punch. However, despite his overwhelming power, Saitama yearns for a worthy opponent who can give him a real fight. In this article, we will explore who could potentially be considered Saitama’s strongest enemy.
Saitama’s Power Level
First, to determine who is a worthy opponent for Saitama, we need to establish exactly how strong Saitama is. Some key points about his power include:
- He defeated Vaccine Man, a monster who destroyed an entire city, with a single casual punch.
- He withstood multiple punches from Carnage Kabuto, a dragon level threat, without taking any damage.
- He leaped from the moon back to Earth without effort, showing he can survive the vacuum of space.
- His punches have enough force to part clouds around the world just from the aftershock.
From these feats, we can surmise that Saitama has God-like strength, speed, and durability. He has yet to encounter any enemy that can challenge him in the slightest. Even the most powerful threats in the series thus far, like Lord Boros, were at best able to briefly surprise Saitama before being obliterated.
Boros
As mentioned, Lord Boros is likely the strongest enemy Saitama has faced so far. Boros was the leader of the Dark Matter Thieves, a group of alien invaders who came to Earth seeking worthy foes. He possessed immense regenerative abilities that allowed him to quickly heal from Saitama’s attacks. In their epic clash, he also displayed:
- The ability to destroy a planet’s surface with a single attack.
- Speed almost matching Saitama’s normal pace.
- Enhanced armor that could initially withstand punches from Saitama.
This combination of insane power and durability is what let Boros last longer against Saitama than any previous enemy. Even after being punched to the moon, Boros was able to return to Earth for one final clash before Saitama had to get truly serious, using his “Serious Punch” to finish Boros for good. This battle pushed Saitama farther than ever before.
Boros’Threat Level
Boros is certainly in a class above any other opponent Saitama has faced. If we classify Boros’ threat level, he would likely be considered “Dragon” or above. The threat levels used by the Hero Association in One Punch Man are:
| Threat Level | Description |
| Wolf | Ability to harm small groups of people |
| Tiger | Ability to harm large groups of people |
| Demon | Ability to devastate entire cities |
| Dragon | Ability to cause massive destruction to multiple cities |
| God | Ability to cause extinction of humanity |
Based on Boros’ displayed powers, he should be classified as at least Dragon, though his claim to be able to destroy a planet would likely put him above this into the realm of God level. As the first enemy to ever force Saitama to reveal his true strength, Boros proved himself to be Saitama’s strongest opponent so far.
Garou
Another character deemed one of Saitama’s strongest foes is Garou, the Hero Hunter. Formerly a young boy who was bullied for wanting to be a monster, Garou dedicated himself to becoming the ultimate villain who would unite the world by defeating all heroes. In combat, Garou utilizes an amazing fighting technique that allows him to analyze and defeat any opponent, copying their fighting styles and improving on them.
By hunting numerous heroes, Garou steadily became stronger and stronger. At his peak, he evolves into a “Monster Garou” form that has exceptional regeneration, strength, and durability. Even in this form though, Garou is outmatched when facing Saitama. While able to dodge a few of Saitama’s punches thanks to his martial arts skills, Garou is unable to do any damage in return. The fight ends when Saitama literally slaps some sense into Garou, ending his monster crusade.
Garou vs. Boros
When comparing Garou to Boros, it’s unclear who would win in a fight. Boros likely has the edge in destructive power, but Garou exceeds him in terms of technique and skill. Garou’s ability to analyze opponents and copy their moves could potentially allow him to at least survive against Boros for a time. In the end though, Boros would likely overwhelm Garou through the sheer magnitude of his energy attacks if the battle dragged on.
Against Saitama himself, neither Boros nor Garou pose a true threat. Boros has the edge when it comes to physical power, but Garou’s technical skill allowed him to evade Saitama a bit longer before being definitively outmatched. Overall, while Boros and Garou push Saitama’s limits more than any other villains, they still fall woefully short of actually challenging him. Saitama remains essentially invincible against foes of this magnitude.
Saitama’s True Equal?
Since no enemy so far has come close to matching Saitama, is it possible one could exist who could go toe-to-toe with the One Punch Man? Fans have speculated on who could potentially equal Saitama in power.
Blast
Blast is the #1 ranked S-Class hero of the Hero Association, despite the fact that no one has seen him in years. He does not show up even when massive threats like Elder Centipede appear. Some fans theorize Blast could potentially be strong enough to match Saitama, or may even be a future version of Saitama himself. However, this is mostly speculation, as there are no real feats to quantify Blast’s power as of yet.
God
This mysterious entity was introduced in the second season of the One Punch Man anime. It is some kind of inter-dimensional being who provides monsters with mysterious cubes that can cause them to evolve into more powerful forms. God claims to be able to give strength rivaling “that man”, implied to be referring to Saitama. God may be the one foe truly capable of testing Saitama’s strength, if it is ever fully revealed or encountered. For now though, its powers are still vague.
Saitama from the Future
One interesting theory is that Saitama could eventually fight a version of himself from the future. In this scenario, Saitama gets so bored of easily defeating any opponent that he travels back in time to fight “past Saitama” and get the challenge he seeks. This would be an intriguing fight as both would have equal power, speed, and invulnerability. However, this is just a theory with no actual basis in the series.
Conclusion
When reviewing all information currently available in the One Punch Man universe, no existing enemy or character truly matches up to Saitama in power. Lord Boros and Garou are likely the closest beings who could be considered Saitama’s strongest foes, with Boros having the edge. But they still fall painfully short of representing a real challenge to Saitama. The enigmatic entities Blast and God may have the potential, but too little is known to say for certain. Saitama remains undisputed as the strongest being in his reality. The day may come when an equal opponent emerges to give the Caped Baldy the fight he seeks, but for now his power level is peerless.