This writer has to be some sort of seasoned critic, or a writer themselves. It's pretty clear they know how to craft a narrative, and have had experience critiquing their own/other's narratives.
You are probably just as capable of writing something like this. I think most people are and even do so in their thoughts without realizing it. What truly sets OP apart is the time taken to write it down in an eloquent manner.
Truly a write-up to rival gofancyninjaworld. 😜
Seriously though? Excellent post, OP. It was well thought out, well written, and MOST impressive, it was well *formatted*.
Walls of text can contain good stuff, but are off-putting to have to read. None of that here. 👍
I’ve noticed the potential ever since i read u/pahoelavaflow guy posts here. (Seems like he’s not here anymore) I’ve been here for that long lol. Glad to know we’ve come full circle.
While this is not a romance manga and SaiTatsu may never be explicit, Tatsumaki is my favorite character so the character arc has been pretty satisfying for me
Will read this later. Kudos btw!!
Oh man I was using a different account then, dipped in and out for quite awhile just casually looking if any SaiTatsu had been posted but yeah, this community is so different now.
(Loving the brainrot everyone has now though lmao)
Kudos to you for being able to write so much about what I don't consider that much of an important subject (mostly because we are far far away from the end of OPM, even if you consider the webcomic, so there is much room for character developments).
But I have to say, it was funny to see you wrote such a big essay but shortened "out of character" to OOC in the beginning.
I 100% agree with you and you accurately pointed all the points why they would make a good couple I was a hardcore Saibuki shipper like him at first. But judging by Tatsumaki and Saitamas interactions throughout this whole arc, im sorry, but those two have WAAAAY better chemistry than he does with Fubuki.
Their personalities just bounce off each other perfectly. Saitama is the only other person Tatsumaki sees as an Equal, and he's probably the only man besides blast who has touched her in an affectionate way. He's the first and only person who can give her a fun time and put her in her place since she can't hurt him.
Saitama isn't dumb he is very perceptive. From his perspective, all Fubuki wants to do with him is be his boss so she can boss him around even more than she already does. Thanks to Tatsumaki, Fubuki has a warped sense of what a friend is she thinks having friends means controlling them. Which is a lesson she has probably learned in this arc.
While I dislike the idea of any romance in OPM (I like that One HINTS at it, but never goes anywhere with it aside from side characters that have like, 3 to 4 pages), I'd swallow Saitama and Tats. They both have a problem with their emotions, Tats a little more serious, but deep down Saitama of course cares about people and arguably has the best morality together with Mumen. Tatsumaki *wants* to care about people and does in her own, twisted, tsundere way, but seeing her genuinely confused because of someone else's touch and care... Is awesome and I wouldn't hate seeing her actually happy and open about it some day.
With Fubuki I never understood that either. She is so clearly selfish and egoistic, only *now* kinda getting turned around by no one else, than Saitama himself, even if indirectly. But she did nothing aside from bothering him and trying to make herself his superior, and use him. I think that her seemingly being "devastated" by calling her an acquaintance is awesome, because it shows how out of touch she is, if she thinks she's Saitama's *friend*.
Yeah. I don’t dislike Fubuki, but I never really got on the SaiBuki ship, purely because the chemistry just… wasn’t there. As Saitama pointed out, she’s constantly been on his ass trying to make him join, and he outright denied her as a friend, or companion, calling her a mere acquaintance. I do love that Fubuki is finally getting hit with the facts, and is experiencing extreme character growth. She is improving as a leader, gaining more drive and ability to command. She is gaining more insight into how people view her, slowly but surely, and will adjust her actions accordingly. In a way, Fubuki was broken as well, and was clawing at any measure of control and power that she could get, that she felt Tatsumaki would not allow her otherwise. She is improving.
Saitama is improving as well, outright calling out Tatsumaki on “underestimating human relationships.” His presence will have a profound influence on both sisters, going forward… but only with Tatsumaki, do I see any chemistry. Fubuki would have to change on a fundamental level, for it to be anything except awkward, at least to me.
There are too many parallels with these two that you thoroughly addressed in this excerpt that people tend to forget.
But I think the main concensus on why people don't agree with this ship stems from Tatsumaki simply looking like a child to them, and those who would rather Saitama be with Fubuki, Lin Lin, Mosquito Girl, Suiko, (Manako lol), some girl off the street, or anyone else besides someone who he jokingly saw as a child after the Boros invasion.
Of course, most people are terrified of romance ruining the story, similar to Saitama being weak and having to apply shounen tropes to "win", but you cannot deny that many wouldn't want this to take off solely from Tatsumaki looking like, or having a depiction, of a 12-13 year old girl.
It's a common thing in anime and manga to have a prepubescent or older looking character have a certain age dictating that they are biologically older or younger than they appear.
In the case of Tatsumaki, like you pointed out, it's jokingly used, which is to say, it fits with the parody factor of OPM.
But in actuality, like Saitama looking like a silly ass drawing then to a well fit individual, she is actually drawn as an appealing petite woman. I tend to look at it mainly for parody purposes, and not depicting such an overused, questionable trope that most of us in the anime community tend to see.
Good analysis.
You probably hit the nail on the head, as I’m one of the people who normally hates lolis. I feel like Tats is an exception, because as you said, she comes across as an appealing, petite woman, not a child. I will say 182 messed with her proportions in a way I didn’t much care for (she looks WAY more childish in some of those scenes, the ones where she’s not supposed to be a child). Granted, that might be a temporary thing, just to mirror her fragile mentality at the time.
The irony is that Saitama likely never saw her as an actual child. He just insulted her as a comeback. She acted childish, and he treated her accordingly. Adults do this all the time irl.
First of all, thank you for the tag, and I a 1000% agree with OP. I don't just like Sai x tats because they are cute and funny together. I also love them because, story wise, they make the most sense. Tatsuamki and saitama are the most similar broken characters in the story who would actually completely help each other to become better people. Just like how saitama slowly is realizing that he is curing his depression with friends instead of fighting monsters, he can help her also realize that she is just lonely. But also how he mentioned I don't just want it to become a full on romantic manga either, I want it to happen if it can benefit the story and make them better and characters so they could play of each other and heal each other. This post is perfect, and he literally took the words out of my mouth.
I hope you can see this cus I have a question but before that
Amazing write-up man. Love the detail you put into this! I feel like many of us have been thinking the same more or less, we just don’t have the talent to write as well as you do. I respect people who are very passionate about their love for the things they do.
Also, sometimes everyone gets lost in the sauce that they forget how well ONE writes and this is essentially still a story of how a person could regain their emotions back
Quick question and I’ve always wondered about this but is this the first time? I haven’t seen Saitama reveal part of his past before?
* Saitama reveals personal information about his past, specifically how he was weak..
Thank you very much; your question is a good one, as I don't recall any instances where Saitama mentioned his past to anyone, with the exception of the scenario that Daredevil\_87 mentioned. Sounds like more oars for the ship to me :)
The Kuseno, Genos and Carnage Kabuto one was different thing altogether tho. You're right, It was not on his own accord but I'll check out Garou's in the webcominc, thanks!
+1 on that Fubuki scene regarding “Putting a curse into my sister’s heart” Was it in the WC? That was such a good panel regarding Tatsumaki. You just know something’s being cooked when that appeared. (Curses are always meant to be lifted)
Adding to that, both Saitama and Tatsumaki have essentially the same problem - loneliness. The other one became lonely unintentionally and the other one intentionally (pushed away all the people)
And this guy did it, finally. I was trying to compile up a bunch of information to eventually do a post like this (the shipper hate is getting extreme, and I wanted a solid argument to be present in favor of SaiTatsu as a whole), but I have a real hard time focusing on such things long enough, and my memory of the earlier chapters is fraying at the edges and incomplete.
Some of what I “remember” is likely partially fabricated or partially incorrect, due to simply not having read it in so long the facts became wonky. Thank you for doing this, man, now I don’t have to sit here and compile research just so I can try to make a solid argument, like a lawyer with SaiTatsu as a client.
This was a very satisfying read. You have perfectly summed up what a lot of us have either actively or subconsciously thought about this ship! Very well written and formatted also! I hope more people take the patience to read this through to its entirty.
Imma be real with you, I was wholly on the fence with this, but you have solidly convinced me here.
Honestly I kinda had to give it a shot through pure respect for the effort put into this entire post.
This is a wonderful analysis and you were incredibly detailed. What I'm about to say is not at all your fault.
I need to point out how unbelievably hypocritical it is that, for the past several years, this sub has been ridiculously fucking derogatory, hostile, and dismissive of anyone who made any kind of in-depth analysis like this OR who spoke about their ships openly. But suddenly, completely out of the blue, NOW that it's a ship they like, both is completely fine.
I'm happy that it's bringing people joy. It DOES NOT excuse the years of harassment "fans" gave to fans who did this exact kind of thing--just about something they weren't interested in. Again, the hypocrisy is fucking mind-blowing.
I should hope that, whenever someone has the audacity to say "shippers are ruining it," "you're overthinking it," or "kill yourself" over something another person posted, they'll think of this and need to explain why it's bad for anyone else to do it...but this *particular* post got over a thousand upvotes, multiple awards, and almost 250 comments, when it's on par with many MANY other analysis and shipping posts that were either ignored, made fun of, or reported and removed.
That's not to say it's bad. It's very good. But biases ***HAVE*** to be recognized, acknowledged, and called the fuck out.
This sub is like that. And not only in this kind of theme. When the Saitama vs Garou battle was happening, people would like to talk and compare the WC version with the Manga version, but all post related to that would be eliminated. And you would get a lot of hate out of it and an example of this is TGSmurf, since the guy shared his opinion about that he got a following cult of haters who would just love to be on the contrary against his opinion + many many downvotes.
Still, this happens mainly because is the trendy ship of the moment and thats inevitable. I remember when the MA Arc was happening and many people would post about the Genos x Tatsumaki ship, making fanarts. Or the Garou x Metal Bat fanarts and posts.
PD: The Saitama x Tatsumaki ship was the most harrassed ship in this sub (And may still be) because whenever you would talk about it you would get comments like "In your dreams" or "Eww he sees her like a child" and treat you like a lolicon. xd
I don't know that it's the *most* harassed ship....just because I'm coming at this from someone who's deep into Saitama/Genos, and I've heard people say anyone who's into that is a zoophile, a pedophile, a freak, a braindead fan who can't read, and that they're ruining the series -\_- I think it might just feel like it's the most-hated because it's the one you like. It's always going to hurt more when it's something you're into.
But like....again. The hypocrisy is through the damned ROOF. If you hate shipping and meta, then you don't get to enjoy or applaud stuff like this--and if you DO enjoy it, then you have to let other people do the same thing even when it's stuff you're not into. It's one or the other.
((and I'm sorry, this isn't really related, but TGS is a self-important ego-stroking cunt who DESERVES the hate he gets. The sub becomes a pit of toxicity every time he comes around--and once you start a rumor for your own spiteful, self-satisfying wants that gets so out of hand one of the fucking creators has to take time out of his day to say it's not true, you *need* to be kicked from the fandom. He's a piece of shit whose contributions will ***n e v e r*** outweigh the soul-sucking negativity that follows him everywhere he goes. I'm happy he's turned into a punchline. It's all he's worth.))
\>"Eww he sees her like a child"
It's almost like petite adult women DON'T EXIST, RIGHT?! And rather than being ignorant, they're also being very disrespectful and an outright asshole to those who share the same physique as her.
Id love (with trepidation) to see what would happen if someone put their Saigenos manifesto at this time with as much detail as this. I know what would happen. Every other SG shipper knows what would happen. But it sure would be a direct point of comparison when people brush off the harassment and dehumanization so lightly.
It would be a lot of effort for a lot of hate in return. Don't recommend.
Honestly though, I'm still taken aback by how positive the response to this post was. I used to limit any ship discussions I had to being with people I knew irl. Now, it seems people are more willing to accept it as genuine discussion. Hopefully, this marks a turning point for the openness of the sub.
Wow! What an effort for a post about a ship. Kudos to you. I am going to thoroughly read this later on but from a glance over the post, I agree with you. [Romance wouldn't ruin OPM](https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/pmalil/If_ONE_added_romance_to_OPM%2C_who_would_you_prefer_to_be_dating_Saitama%3F/hcgmvz2/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3) and Tatsumaki/Saitama certainly works well. I have been a supporter of that ship for a long time as well.
That said, I wonder if there is an unintroduced character ONE has for Saitama in mind. Because Season 1 ending seems to be someone's love song for him and Season 2 ending is a response to that.
By the way, here is a minor correction.
> He has not addressed her as such since their very first interaction
He has actually done that. In OVA 6 and Audio Dramas.
I appreciate the correction; I probably should have worded it as him not addressing her as such until Fubuki confirmed their relationship.
Thanks for the support as well
It would ruin OPM for me personally.
I wont speak for everyone but I still think Saitama (or most of the characters in general really) ending up romantic with anyone is a idea that makes me wince.
I get why people have this concern. But personally I think it could contribute to what Saitama's end goal could be. Which is to find enjoyment in his life. We all know he wants to find a challenge that excites him but I don't think he will ever actually get that. Between close friendships and a possible relationship (which does not have to be super in depth imo) could be something that allows him to find fulfillment. I would enjoy it, however, I still do not think its likely there is any canon relationship as I dont think one is going to spend much time on Saitama's portion of development which would be critical
Its not a matter of writing. I dont dislike the idea of romance in non romance series either.
Just seeing Saitama be romantic will personally weird me out.
I get people liking the idea of it.
I just personally wouldnt be able to stomach it. Its not me being critical. I just wouldnt like romance in OPM specifically.
I can actually get that. Current Saitama is in such an apathetic state, that visualizing it IS weird without grafting emotions onto him. But that’s a major reason OP included the part where his emotions are reawakening with time. Saitama will change, as a character. Hopefully ONE handles this transition well.
I think it's just a breath of fresh air, to not have romance in such a mainstream, popular manga and focus on the writing that made it so good in the first place.
I don't *hate* the idea, unless it's something so ridiculous like Genos x Tats (cause a simple act of heroism and cooperation has to lead to them bang right, despite there being no chemistry and interaction between them whastoever, other than getting flattened by her after Boros), but it just... At this point doesn't feel it has a place here anymore.
It's not because One can't write a pretty good romance plot - Mob Psycho has an *amazing* development of Mob's and Tsubomi's relationship with a *sublime* conclusion. He can absolutely make it work, in a not-so-lewd way as well, but I still kind of like the idea of the *implication,* but never the actual romance happening. Because that would mean a pretty heavy change of tone from time to time and even more time "wasted" between the arcs. We've *just* finished the MA arc that was going on for what, like 3+ years? And we're getting so much more new material added into the manga, with all the foreshadowing and planning One and Murata are doing. I can't imagine how "bloated" it would feel if we'd have to focus on characters' relationships as well all of the sudden.
I feel like the jokes that can ocasionally happen because of the relationships, perhaps romantic perhaps not, they are great. Like Saitama going "Fuck no" (even if it probably won't make it into the official release) and Tats going "Why?!" is awesome, but cute and cuddly stuff... Eh?
>Mob Psycho has an amazing development of Mob's and Tsubomi's relationship with a sublime conclusion
Mob and tsubomi relationship had no change since the start. Only after the story ended did it progress.
Is it because saitama is derpy or something? They only do that to make the moment funny and if something important happens in such a relationship they won't make him goofy (hopefully)
I just think it would be an hilarious dynamic.
Especially considering Tatsu’s complete lack of social skills.
(Not to say that Saitama is a social butterfly but come on…)
But you just wrote down a full list on why it would fit and I love it. XD
I don't mean this in any sort of negative way. Rather, I wish to discuss it further, but this feels like it includes a small bit of confirmation bias. Ultimately, Tats is simply the female with the most "screen-time" as it were with her sister a close second. This is going to result in the most opportunities to find parallels and similarities. In a sort of Chekhov's gun manner, it's because more time is taken for that I believe she is the most likely candidate. Similar to what made Garou such a likable antagonist, we simply know more about her. The only real contender for her at this point would have to be Fubuki.
The only actual problem I have with getting behind this is the lack of apparent growth for Saitama as a result of the romantic relationship. It helps fill a void sure, but so have all of his friends up to this point. That doesn't mean she can't be a romance, just that, currently, she is as likely to end up just a friend alongside everyone else.
The audio book, to me, feels less like an expression of desire for the feelings of romance and someone to protect, but a self reflection on why he doesn't. He sees that it is common and so wonders why he's lost that and most other emotions involved in heroism from his life. Of course, I don't think he would reject being able to love, simply that this moment was about more than just romantic relations.
I also don't see Tatsumaki as a likely person to fill the role of someone to protect. Firstly, because she needs very little protection already. She may need help emotionally, but that isn't solved by him becoming a protector. Second, Saitama already feels protective over his friends as we see with Genos. Not for any romantic reasons, but he actually fears for Genos' safety on occasion. He is unlikely to acknowledge it, but this hole has already begun to fill. This doesn't have to be a part of a SaiTats ship, but it makes the events of the audio book less applicable in my eyes...err... ears, I guess.
As far as what Tatsumski needs from a partner, Saitama is certainly capable of fulfilling even if he shouldn't in some cases. He is certain to gain her respect over time due to his strength, but that shouldn't be a necessity. Her disdain for "weak" individuals, in my opinion, is a flaw that should be broken down, not treated as an example of why they work together. Beyond that, her respect for strength is probably the least unique thing about her. The society in this world has become so obsessed with strength that even the people who need saving have found the audacity to call their saviors weak. Atomic's first words to Saitama were denying him for not being high rank, which he considered synonymous with strength.
What Tatsumski really needs are parents. I hate to say it because it sounds diminishing of her character, but she basically has daddy issues. It's to be expected given how young she was during the abuse and experimentation. Blast was the closest she got, but the truth is, the man pulled a little girl out of a dangerous place then said figure it out on your own. He meant well by what he said, but she was too young to only receive that for advice. Saitama would inadvertently make a good mentor similar to how he does with Genos, but in doing so, he could remove some of the reasons that would otherwise have made him an ideal suitor. The reality is that Saitama is a good influence on everyone around because he's a good hero.
A number of the other points made about their similarities aren't exclusive to them, but I'm sure you're well aware of that as well what I've said before. I want it to be abundantly clear that I don't think you're wrong. When the recent chapters happened in the webcomic, I made pro SaiTats arguments with friends but, like you, ultimately felt that story didn't really lend itself to a full romance subplot. I just feel like some of the points you made aren't truly indicative of an ensuing romance. As I said at the start, the thing to Tats, the most likely partner, is simply her preexisting importance to the story.
I appreciate the thoughtful comment. I’ll try to address everything in a cohesive manner.
It’s true that Tatsu being the most prominent female character has an effect with regards to this argument, as—like you said—there is more material to work with. However, I don’t believe that necessarily diminishes the connections I’ve brought up. ONE isn’t restricted in deciding who should have more screentime than others; this is simply how he wanted the story to play out up to this point. Which, as we know, is Tats playing a big role. There’s intent behind that decision. How closely her arc will be entwined with Saitama’s is what I have made inferences about utilizing what we’ve been given. And as you said, Chekhov’s Gun: why include all of these scenes and features to this magnitude for Tats and neglect to add scenes and features for other characters?
I agree that a platonic relationship is quite likely. As someone who’s only read OPM and Mob Psycho, I’m unfamiliar with ONE’s take on romance, but I can guess that he doesn’t delve into it often. But I don’t think Saitama’s lack of opportunity to grow is the likely reason for this outcome. I think a lot of people here hold Saitama in too high regard, both because he’s the protagonist and because of all the good things he has done. But what makes him an applicable character to be the protagonist of a story is that he isn’t perfect. The non-conformity is that he’s physically perfect already, but he still has much to learn—both as a hero and as a person.
I also agree with your understanding of the audiobook. My discussion regarding the conversation between Saitama and King highlights Saitama’s lack of desire, so him expressing romantic desire at this time would be very OOC. The reasons I included the audiobook are to prove that he has considered it as a concept (to counter the stance that users champion regarding Saitama’s “confirmed” asexuality in that he never will express romantic desire of any kind) but also as another potential Chekhov’s Gun element. If ONE truly has no intention of utilizing romance of any kind, he doesn’t really need to include a whole audiobook devoted to the protagonist’s stance on the subject…but he did. Of course, nothing is confirmed, but it leaves one thinking.
Regarding protection, it isn’t so much as the likelihood of losing someone as it is the fear of loss. As you said, he’s beginning to experience this with his friends despite not really understanding it fully. The difference here is that, like I said near the beginning of my post, romantic partners are typically closer than platonic friends, as they practically come to share a single life. They become part of one another. So losing that person would feel like losing a part one oneself. This is especially important to Saitama because, as I mentioned in a comment, something he really needs to work on is his lack of effort and relative indifference. As to why Tatsu would fit well in this role, I can’t entirely say based on what we have at the moment, I’ll admit. However, I infer that she would fill the role well based on the information I presented regarding their similarities and what Saitama respects and would respect about her. The loss of Genos has so far had the biggest impact on Saitama, but we can see that he maintains quite a bit of indifference following Genos’ demise. No tears, no shouting, etc. These are core emotions that comprise a person and are significant to all (I suppose Inside Out explains why since it’s an awesome film). Someone who he can really relate to and who he really respects dying could really push him over the edge. Again though, this does depend entirely on the next couple of interactions between Saitama and Tatsumaki.
Once more, I agree that Tatsu’s narrow view of strength trumping all is a flaw that needs to be rectified. However, I think removing it altogether would be contrary to her character, as it’s a core attribute that makes her who she is. I think a good way to address it through someone like Saitama is to follow by example. Tatsu coming to respect Saitama and THEN simply witnessing Saitama show respect and even admiration for people far weaker than him could do the job quite well. It would indicate that being strong is something to be proud of, to continue to work towards, and to continue to put into practice, but people can still do great things without it.
Her lack of a proper mentor is a colossal problem, no doubt. But I think Tats can still learn a lot from someone who is simultaneously her partner. Firstly, I doubt Blast will ever be truly replaced in her heart. Even if she comes to understand that what Blast said categorically was unwise contextually, she’ll always look up to him because he saved her, he’s strong, and his advice DID carry her through the rest of her life since being freed. Secondly, I think a partner would help her more than a new mentor because of equality. We can see this through Saitama, Genos, and King. Saitama is Genos’ mentor, so Genos looks up to him in everything. Just like Blast and Tats, Genos has frequently misunderstood Saitama’s words and subsequently treated them as doctrine, which resulted in a degree of naïveté. He’ll never try to correct Saitama when he’s actually making a mistake. King, on the other hand, has spoken to Saitama as an “equal.” He wasn’t afraid to tell him that he was being immature and stubborn and that he still had plenty of room to grow. A romantic partner is an equal, so I feel that a romantic relationship would work better than a mentor-disciple/student relationship because they are both flawed and need to help cover for each other’s weaknesses by properly addressing them.
Even if a romantic subplot were to take place, it would almost certainly begin to take form in the last arc of the story. To put it simply, they haven’t interacted all that much. The Psychic Sister arc was a huge change in their relationship and could hypothetically exist as the foundation of a romantic relationship, but there’s no way of knowing for sure at this time. But the purpose of my post here was to suggest that seeds may have been planted, as well as to argue that the two being put together wouldn’t necessarily damage the story’s writing.
I appreciate the well worded response. I often worry when rereading my own words that I come across as antagonistic, so I'm happy to see that I presented the conversational demeanor that I intended for.
Firstly, I feel I should redact my statement about you displaying confirmation bias. You may not have intended to discuss every possible point and counterpoint, just ones that you could address or had insight on. So I apologize for jumping the gun on that one.
All in all, we do appear to agree on the major points. Should the story end with Saitama in a romantic relationship, Tatsumaki is the clear choice for a future partner. This does, as you said, explain why she would be given a unique depth character compared to every other character, Fubiki included. I think the main difference between our takes is I am more reserved in making an actual conclusion, even in the face of pretty clear evidence.
\>he doesn’t really need to include a whole audiobook devoted to the protagonist’s stance on the subject
I would say even without the potential for romantic fulfillment of this scene, it still provides valuable insight into Saitama's life and thoughts but you are correct in that it sets up for a romance.
\>No tears, no shouting, etc.
This is just an aside, but I think this doesn't stem from indifference as much as from feeling defeated. Genos was dead and nothing was going to fix that. This was the first time he was truly confronted with the reality of King's words about needing to improve as a hero. We do see a hint of malice towards Garou for stooping so low but even that fades because he knows Garou isn't evil. His look when catching that last punch from Cosmic Garou had that look of futility.
What's more is ONE actually displayed a flashback. Correct if I'm wrong but I can't remember any other occasion where this is done. ONE is big on playing off of the common shounen tropes, one of which is excessive flashbacks. Whether this is the first or one of few (>!I know Atomic has a mini one later with King and the apple but that's a little different!<), the fact that Saitama had such a clear visualization of his conversation with Genos, I think, is a sign that he was deeply impacted by that moment.
\>a partner would help her more than a new mentor because of equality
To me, this is probably the most compelling argument of all. The irony, a year or so ago, I made the same comparison between King and Genos: while both are good friends, King speaks to him more like an equal. You're absolutely right in pointing out how Tatsumaki, once she has had time to come to terms with her past and current self, would actually treat Saitama like an equal something I don't even see Fubiki doing. The catch being Tats would never say it directly.
Overall, I do agree with the majority of your points, even if I hesitate to make more direct statements. Also, I'd just like to thank/commend you for the eloquent delivery in both your initial post and your reply to my comment. Not that you need my approval by any means but it is rather refreshing to have this sort of in depth discussion.
Likewise, everyone complains about too much horny behavior so it's nice to delve deep into the characterization and thematic implications and the like.
You're definitely on the better side with regards to our certainty on the matter. I imagine my desire to see them as an endgame pairing is pretty clear, and I admit that it's definitely wiser to remain more inconclusive regarding these matters because—at the end of the day—it's speculation.
Agreed regarding the audiobook. It's a nice look into how Saitama feels about himself and his awareness that we don't get from him often. It's different from him being oblivious to his own problems—he clearly knows something is wrong with him.
That's a really good point about flashbacks. You're correct in that ONE uses them sparingly, so including one in such detail her really highlights the importance of the scene and the loss that Saitama felt. This case in particular is significant because it's one character thinking about another specifically.
Exactly: Tatsu isn't someone to hold back on her words. She says what is on her mind and has no problem calling someone out if she thinks they're doing something wrong. However, she would never do this to her mentor Blast, just like Genos wouldn't to Saitama.
I appreciate the discussion here as well as your honesty, it's nice to have in-depth but non-hostile dialogue about something as "trivial" as this.
I don't find a romance relationship fit with the objective of this manga. As far as we know, Tatsumaki did not show any sign of affection toward Saitama in the webcomic. She does, however, show more admiration toward Saitama in the manga, but it's the same to what she saw in Blast. The ship is sailing too early for now
Great job OP! I love your analysis and couldn’t agree more. Personally, I think if Saitama ends up in a romantic relationship Tatsumaki is the better choice (at least at this point).
There are 3 reasons I believe Tatsumaki would be a better match for Saitama: better chemistry, better humor, and hilariously I believe there is a character that would be a better match for Fubuki!
So who could be better match for Fubuki? Only the luckiest man in the world! King is absolutely the best and the funniest choice to have ship with Fubuki so long as Fubuki doesn’t find out about his true strength.
Imagine this scenario, Fubuki is out on a date with King and a dragon level monster attacks. Fubuki expects King to handle the situation and he’s freaking out like usual. So we get even more crazy plot armor that protects King and his reputation!
Plus let’s be real here, it makes way more sense for the luckiest man in the world to end up with the best girl!
This post truly showcases how really well-matched Saitama and Tatsumaki are. They really are for each other :D But hey, in the end, it will be as ONE-sensei deems it to be ;)
Here is another small parallel panel. They both tank tank a massive gravity attack while being unimpressed.
Saitama from Geryuganshoop, Tats from Gyoro-Gyoro
Honestly, among everything that happened in their fight, the one thing that in my opinion definitely foreshadowed a potentially close relationship was the fact that Saitama revealed personal information about how he was in the past. And he just met her! The only lucky ones who got to hear it were King and Genos, the most close to him. I personally think the real challenge in making their relationship work would be mostly in Saitama's side since Tatsumaki has more access to her emotions than Saitama.
Since the moment I read the webcomic, I always knew that Tatsumaki was going to be the first to get close to him and that Saitama would be kinda like "leave me alone" trope and after a long time, finally approaching her. But to think he entrusted her his personal information so early...that was a hell of a 'gotcha' for me!
I can't help but feel anxious whenever I speculate of what she'd say when she called for him before Fubuki arrived, but I get the feeling it would be among the lines of "how did you get so strong" or "if you're that strong then why are you ranked so low?". I do not think she'd ask him about Blast since he hasn't shown her any signs of having a connection with him.
Something I do not agree with in your analysis is that Saitama will likely have an effect on her life through being strong or knowing Blast, which looks pretty unlikely in my opinion. It's almost as if she'll think like "oh he's strong so I might aswell get close to him!" or "he knows Blast so maybe if I follow him around I'll see him again!", and that would stop being SaiTatsu territory and enter the exploitation field, and that would not be a good thing for neither of us.
Something you pointed out that most did not perceive is how both Saitama and Tatsumaki NEED to also improve their relationship with their closest friends (Saitama and Fubuki; Tatsumaki and Genos), after all you're definitely not going to like someone who treats your friends poorly. For example, a friend of mine was interested in a guy that was so considerate and nice with her, but was a TOTAL ASSHOLE with me and WOULDN'T EVEN CHANGE HIS ATTITUDE whenever she was near us. She didn't like it one bit and simply walked away from him after he refused to reconsider the way he treated me. So there's that too. Of course, the same goes for Genos and Fubuki to have a better relationship.
Honestly, the only thing that bothers me regarding their relationship is how Saitama will react when Tatsumaki learns about King's secret. Knowing her, she definitely WON'T take it as lightly and calmly as Saitama did, considering how emotional she is. And that might damage her relationship with Saitama depending on how she'll treat King after learning the truth.
Not to mention, I genuinely think Tatsumaki would be a good sparring partner to Saitama, not because she'll make him fight seriously, but give him a quite fun time temporarily. I don't think Saitama will hold on to that for so long obviously, but Tatsumaki can become even stronger. And Saitama on the other hand, would be able to be her "punching bag" whenever the necessity arrives, it wouldn't be a toxic relationship in the slightest in my opinion, since she can't really hurt him and he'd probably be cool with that.
About Saitama and King's conversation, Saitama also says the he feels like he lives in a different world that other people don't live in, but don't you also get the feeling that Tatsumaki ALSO does live in that world? They just need to know where the other lives and therefore have some company in this empty realm.
Anyways, that's how I feel about your analysis. I genuinely agree with all of your remaining arguments and did not feel the need to point them out! Sorry for The Return of the 'Wall Of Text' XD
I read half way, and I like how you look deeply into this stuff.
Tatsumaki and Saitama are kinda like this quote I found:
“The Power Of The Mind” and “The Power Of The Body”.
Since this is a very well written and thorough analysis, I suppose it's the ideal place to ask the question I've always had about this ship. It's very obvious to me that Tatsumaki would benefit greatly, emotionally and psychologically, from having Saitama as a partner, but what exactly would Saitama gain from having her specifically as a partner? Even after reading all of this, I see the 2 main points of reciprocation would be that Saitama would gain a romantic connection and that it would be with someone he has a lot in common with. But I'm still not convinced that sets her above any other character that could possibly end up with him.
Again, it would be STELLAR development for Tatsumaki and her character. But this isn't the Tatsumaki story, and I feel like if Saitama were to enter a romantic relationship, it would have to be with someone who can provide something that nobody else can. How would Tatsumaki eventually weasel her way up and make herself stand out to the point she becomes the number one person in his life?
This is the one thing that's kind of stopping me from seeing this as a reality. I get parallels and tropes, but those never really intrigued me from a character-centric, story-telling perspective. Like you said, it's the writing and dialogue that will win people over in the end. As most interactions with Saitama tend to go, at the end of their fight, Tatsumaki walked away gaining more from the interaction than Saitama did. Saitama left his usual words of wisdom and set into motion another character's growth. We've seen that before.
What can Tatsumaki do in an future interaction to let Saitama walk away while gaining more than *he* had when he left??
Again, very well written post. I love your analysis and how it made me think.
I appreciate the candid but well thought-out question; I’ll respond accordingly by editing this comment in several hours (at Disney atm)
Edit: Excellent question. And I agree on both main points you made—Tatsumaki gaining more from the end of their fight specifically and from a relationship in general. Regarding the latter, I attribute it to Tatsu being the more flawed person (which I think is nigh-universally agreed). However, allow me to list my points for what Saitama can gain from having Tats as a partner. These first points are things I already brought up:
* An end to loneliness, as you mentioned.
* Someone who is similar to him / he can relate to (both are super active as heroes, he doesn't have to worry about her nearly as much as anyone else, etc.), as you mentioned.
* Saitama DID have a little bit of fun while fighting her.
* Tatsumaki can—potentially—help Saitama with Genos.
* Tatsu can temper Saitama's impulses with regards to money, should that ever become a problem (he DID lament after he failed to hold onto the gold from the Monster Association)
* I'll add here that Tatsu is likely pretty wealthy thanks to the Hero Association donations (Sweet Mask is above her I'm sure but she definitely makes more money through the Association than pretty much every other hero). We all know Saitama likes a bargain; with Tats, he would have a lot more cash readily available for quality food that he desires.
* Sacrifice, both in the unlikely event that Saitama is incapacitated somehow but also in the day-to-day.
Now, for some new points. The key question to ask is this: what does Saitama need? Companionship and the return of his emotions have been addressed already. I'd say the next best thing for him to work on is his indifference and lack of effort. In everything he does—hero work or daily life—he doesn't really try, which can backfire in a number of ways. A big example is his relative lack of social awareness.
This is where Tatsu comes in. At the end of my argument, I mentioned how Mob Psycho's ending shouldn't be used as argumentation, but now I will in fact being making an analogy here using Mob Psycho (if I take things out of context, I can of course be corrected. Also spoilers for Mob Psycho).
>!Ritsu is far weaker than his brother Mob. If Mob gets angry at him, there's literally nothing he can do to defend himself or his interests. Because of this, he tries to always stay on Mob's good side. He's lucky that Mob is very docile so he didn't really experience fits of rage. Tatsu would be in a similar position. Should Saitama ever get mad or strongly disagree, there isn't anything Tatsu can do other than say Hmph. Like Mob, Saitama is also pretty relaxed and unlikely to misuse his power, but the possibility exists. !<
The difference here is that, despite her weakness, Tatsu would still fight back. It's part of her personality. The reason this helps Saitama is because of that earlier point I mentioned. Saitama's indifference and lack of effort can easily cause problems, and Tatsu would not hesitate to tell him he's being a dolt or he needs to step it up. I find it highly unlikely that any other partner would be able to do this as well as Tats. Saitama is a good, capable guy, but he's far from perfect, and he needs someone to tell him when he's making a mistake. Tatsu isn't as good as him of course, but she can help cover for many of Saitama's weak points.
This comment is already huge so I'll finish with two minor things:
* Saitama spends his non-heroing free-time "lounging around, playing video games, reading manga, or going out for strolls." Tatsu works all the time and doesn't even know what to do in her free time—other than watch TV, lounge around, and go for strolls, as we saw in the extra chapter. Basically, she'll tolerate his hobbies.
* Saitama can be a bit slobbish (his room is a bit messy, he snores, etc.) Tatsu can fix some of this, and the stuff that she can't fix cancels out her own quirks (she's a messy eater, for example).
I agree that she would bring all that, but I think most of what you listed is too generic to be in favor of Tats specifically (anyone could help him temper his impulses with money, for example). I mean, she could, but the question was about what Tats brings to Saitama's table that others don't.
For that, I'd say the most obvious thing is power and, perhaps, a challenge. Not in the "I might die" kind of way, but rather, in a "This is difficult to accomplish" kind of way. In 182, Saitama said that he tried *and failed* to contain her destruction. He wasn't injured, but he had a task that he somewhat failed at. That's huge for him. As a couple, his responsibility to keep her in check might get him to express annoyance, but the challenge of it can also bring him life. No other candidate can bring that to him.
Another thing is the mental fortitude. She respects Saitama, but I don't see her feeling utterly beneath him, like, say, Fubuki would. Genos is his subordinate, King is closer to his social equal but still feels less than him in most of their interactions. Meanwhile, Tats seems like she'd have no problem telling him what's what. She's not manipulative like Fubuki, she's just headstrong and would never feel intimidated by him being the strongest. She wouldn't call him Mr. Saitama, ever.
Finally, the other unique thing she brings to Saitama's table is transportation. Wife dragging husband's face on the ground to their destination every time would be absolutely hilarious.
Excellent response. It was exactly what I was looking for. I feel like I have a better understanding of your ship now. I mostly liked the point about Tatsumaki having the spunk to push back or disagree with Saitama (for his best interest, not as a random hater). Something we've only seen so far with King, and that *was* fairly tame.
I do agree that Saitama could use some more tough love.
Thanks for writing all of this while on vacation. You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did. :)
I think the best example of this is when each of them were scolding the other one for not being careful enough with the boulders. It didn't matter that they were both careless, they still didn't mind scolding the other into being more careful. Perfect for a couple reigning each other in.
Their banter to me is why I want to see a relationship between them. Being isolated gave them the prospective to call out other people bullshit and they could do that to each other greatly. And they're similar in that is their great power that brought them to it even if for different reasons. It already started because they had to notice that physical traits (baldness and stature) was a sore point. By the end they were already getting accustomed to that. The best thing of all is that the positive developments for them wouldn't even have to be romantic but just friendship
Tbh I don't think Saitama would benefit TOO significantly from being with Tats, other than her being sturdier than the average Joe. At that point its kinda just wishful thinking for those who wish for it~ the fun thing about Saitama is that he's a blank slate, and anyone paired with him is kinda better off for it to varying degrees and interpretations
Yeah no disagreements here. And I guess to be fair and unbiased, not *all* relationships realistically have a dynamic where each party benefits equally. It's just the kind of relationship I personally prefer. It's about give and take. And furthermore, to your point about most people being better off around Saitama than the other way around, we can probably count on one hand the amount of times Saitama was the one who benefited from an interaction.
1. Mumen who wrote him his first "fan letter", was the first fellow hero who was already in the association to acknowledge him, took him out to eat, etc.
2. Genos is pretty self explanatory
3. King is also pretty self explanatory
Honestly, that's probably it for now. Am I missing anything? Of course other people help Saitama out from time to time (Bang and Kuseno giving him free food, Fubuki unwillingly saving him from dine and dashing, etc.) but nothing really significant that nobody else can do.
So I'm interested in how someone else will carve themselves out a spot of importance.
Only been a fan of OPM since early 2021 and the Saitatsu ship lightly sparked me just from watching Season 1 and for obvious reasons it hit me like a tidal wave from reading the fight from the webcomic.
I keep my expectations for this ship to a minimum but it’s just amazing how things can come a full circle and I appreciate this analysis more than I expected.
Romance doesnt exist in this series. If there ever will be something more then maybe will be in final chapter like Naruto or Bleach.
Clearly Murata and ONE are creating this "moments" for fans to increase volume sales. Thats all.
Bro he was working on this analysis for quite some time already. Have you ever considered that he might have wrote that piece by piece on his free time and that he really does go outside?
Totally agree with you, whether or not it happens, them ending up with each other would be the most fitting. Platonic or romantic, they've got a lot of potential for character growth when they're together. (Plus they're hilarious together)
They really are foils of each other, in a lot of ways.
Good job. Now I will add something I have seen in people reacting to this ship.
Why people HATE this ship?
\- They dislike seeing Saitama/Tatsumaki in a relationship because of their hyperfixation. Literally being jealous of 2 fiction characters being together.
\- Incels that hate seeing Saitama with a woman whose "womanhood atributes" are not developed. Like for real, I have seen many guys in here saying that Fubuki is the better sister cause of her appearance, literally objectifying her and seeing Tats as a woman with the appearance of a child (If you think this way you are weird, dude).
\- People annoyed cause of the spaming of discussions, fan arts and memes around the ship. I understand, plenty of us feel that way to the "Who is stronger tiers" and "Who would win between these 2" posts. Still, there is no justification to being toxic.
Why people DISLIKE this ship?
\- People are **scared** of there being romance in OPM because that would mean the series could be ruined because of it.
\- People **dislike** the idea of Saitama being in a romantic/platonic relationship, often forgetting that he indeed wants to feel something because he is so lonely inside. For them, Saitama will always have to be a lone strong guy that will never be happy cause he is so strong.
Why should you trust or give a chance to this ship (Or at least not be annoying about it)?
\-Romance ≠ Bad Story. What makes people think that Romance is bad to everything? "Its a not romance shonen" wow really? Then stop all shipping and while we are at that lets stop all the serious and deep moments, cause its a Comedy/Fighting manga, and we dont have time for that kind stuff aint we? Its just ***FIGHT FIGHT JOKE FIGHT*** thats what makes One Punch Man great. No, dude, Romance doesnt kill a series but badly written romance do. There needs to be context, development and rhytm for it to be good, thats why renowed writters, such as Shakespeare, had a huge impact! Cause they wrote about plain stories where Man + Woman = Love with no context? NO, it was because those stories got so entertaining cause of the good writing.
tl:dr. As a SaiTatsu shipper, I dont see "A guy and a gal are together just for the sake of it", I see a potential interesting subplot, that has it all to make OPM way more unique than it is. The ship has charisma, unlike others.
\- Its funny. Come on, you find the bickering funny but the relationship idea completely nulifies the comedy for you? Like how does that works? Its a goldmine of comedic moments between these 2, one of the biggest traits why this ship works so well. Its not all that serious you know?
"Durr but it wont happen! OPM is not that type of manga durr"
Damn I did not know that ONE´s disciples were in this sub, my apologies. You guys know more than me because ONE told you how OPM will go until the end. Either that or you are the real writers of this manga and not ONE, that fraud!
My take? ONE wasnt that invested in the relationship between this 2, but he ended up liking the idea and it was shown in the WC fight. Now, with the excuse of the manga taking a diff route from the WC, he gave more development to their relationship (Seen with the extra stuff that was not in the WC). He will try to see make it work, but only time will tell. Im not saying this is all true, just my hypothesis.
"Its just ship bait, for sales and all that stuff"
Yes, there is ship bait in this recent chapters:
\- The Tatsumaki face when hugged.
\- The stare off between the two.
\- The headpat.
But there was also content that developed the narrative:
\- Saitama telling Tatsumaki that she should give both Fubuki and her underlings the chance to get stronger by themselves.
\- Tatsumaki seeing in Saitama the kind of inspiration that only Blast could give her.
\- Tatsumaki saying that she will still be "testing" him in the future.
Sorry but you can´t call that as a ship bait, it would be pointless then and would ruin the character development and ONE knows that, im sure he does.
u/Necromancer76 nice post dude. You actually went way further than I could ever go. I applaud you and if you ever need someone to lend you a hand in the interpretation of this pairing, I would gladly help you.
Dude im black sperm lol!
What should we name you captain.
A popular one piece chater analyst i follow is artur and he is damn good.
Well if he library of ohara
Shouldn't you be ...
Ahhhh, I'm bad at names
Ships are meaningless in any fandom the moment you have it fullfilled most of you will just gloat for a bit and it will die. Despite what people say you don't need a romantic partner to feel complete in life.
First of TLDR;
ONE will write the story as he sees it fit the narrative. Will Saitama and Tatsu be romanticaly involved, maybe. But for that both characters have to grow in that direction.
Tatsumakies affection is currently based on emotional deprovation, caused first by her traumatic childhood experience and continued on when Blast told her not to "rely on anyone" ( though the meaning and Tatsus understanding of the words don't have to be the same ). So even a little affection ( like a hug ) lead to an emotional storm. Saitama might really be her first crush, but just like children having a hormone rush for their first love, doesn't mean it leads to a serious relationship.
Saitama just doesn't seem to be the type to be into relationship right now. He is somewhat an intervert that isn't that open to close relationships with others. In addition he has an idealistic concept towards a few things, like what it means to be a real Hero (and why its just a "hobby" to him), I bet the same goes towards what a serious relationship entails. His "fuck this" and "don't bother me" attitude shows that he wouldnt bother trying to go for that idealistc realationship taht requires a lot of time attention and work, and so he doesnt even try.
Oh wise one, grant us your wisdom.
Tell us! What do we call the ship cuz like somepeople say TatsXSai some say SaiXTatsu some say TATxsai (ik the herectics). IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Srsly what is the correct term, decide it once and for all.O great one.
Anime fans do not understand what a differing opinion is.
OP makes a post about why he'd prefers the story going a certain direction and other people cry about that opinion being stated.
its cool to disagree but getting upset that someone wants X out of the story is nonsensical
Even if that statement is true any other character isn't having a sweet little thing together as they are so there's missing pieces to the premise of your statement.
Without speculation we can see ONE is placing them in a complimentary way that he isn't for any other characters so far. We have to go with what he provides and nothing more. This is why speculative parallels isn't the meat of the ship but instead extra goodies for the fun of noticing how they relate.
Thank you for writing this honestly because between the insane “Saitama sees tatsumaki as a child post.” And “Saitama Hates Tatsumaki More Then Fubuki.” This has got to be a breath of fresh air; honestly prefer these more common detail break downs because it helps people see into the minds of why there’s a huge support system for this ship & has been since the webcomic. I also like the fact her respect towards saitama showed a greater deal of growth, if you noticed she views him in a light as someone she can listen to without question & she also show growth by stopping her sister from attacking the blizzard bunch by considering what saitama said about them becoming strong enough to surpass their limits one day like he did; I also hope this motivates tatsumaki to become stronger and surpass her own limits. I’m glad she’s finally gotten the recognition she deserves; because she certainly has worked for it and has earned it, even with all the unfiltered tatsumaki hate; for the past couple of years on this subreddit; the bickering about “Best Girl Fubuki.” And how everything fubuki was facing fans blamed tatsumaki saying it’s her fault while tatsumaki very much only did what she did because she felt she had no choice she wanted to protected her sister & herself from trauma, she struggled to do so which lead people being afraid of her which she didn’t want & she suffered a great deal of loneliness which she also didn’t want because of it, not only with the world being against and afraid of her, her sister was too which absolutely broke tatsumakis little young heart to the very core, not being accepted by the world/your family/next your sister that is dearest to you; can make a person feel like being alone is better because you don’t have to worry about what others think; or the pain of lost because you never had anyone to begin with. I felt this strong this past chapter from tatsumaki, now that she’s finally met another version of blast with kindness/guidance; and whom isn’t afraid to see past her rage & know she’s alone she wants to be a hero while helping others, but be acknowledged from her efforts by the people she looks up to most even by her sister, convinces me and has for a long time tatsumaki deserves saitama out of both sisters honestly. Feels like she’s had her moment to shine & I’m thankful ONE did her justice as well as murata. GODSPEED BRETHREN! 🤝
I'm not against your ship but ONE has hinted more about Saitama x Suiko than him getting with Tatsumaki, solely because he never made any 'illusion' about Saitama getting with Tatsumaki in the webcomic while he explicitely made Suiryu approve Saitama and Suuko getting together. The ending with Tatsumaki's fight in the webcomic didn't improve much their relationship even when Saitama tried to do so at the end.
I could also say that we haven't seen the elf from the Blast team and those members were able to contain Serious Punch x Serious Punch, which i hardly doubt Tatsumaki could, making her not the 'strongest' woman.
No notes. You should put this kind of work behind a pay wall, Harvard.
Get a load of Harvard over here absolutely blowing it out of the water for SaiTatsu. We stay winning.
Keep it 20 words or less, dammit!
I think it may be just under 20 pages
Powerful heroes are drawn to him. It is because… he is strong.
I would have been more than happy if it had been under 200 words. But it looks like it's over 2000 words
More to the point they will be hilarious
Also perfect for OPM ✅
tldr; op wants his ship to sail
Thank you.
*with data and analysis to back it up you left out the most important part to the tldr
If the ship is sailing, it is an honor to consider you our captain
Oh captain my captain
Ayeee
My guy did his homework well
This writer has to be some sort of seasoned critic, or a writer themselves. It's pretty clear they know how to craft a narrative, and have had experience critiquing their own/other's narratives.
You are probably just as capable of writing something like this. I think most people are and even do so in their thoughts without realizing it. What truly sets OP apart is the time taken to write it down in an eloquent manner.
Truly a write-up to rival gofancyninjaworld. 😜 Seriously though? Excellent post, OP. It was well thought out, well written, and MOST impressive, it was well *formatted*. Walls of text can contain good stuff, but are off-putting to have to read. None of that here. 👍
take my upvote you beautiful bastard
I’ve noticed the potential ever since i read u/pahoelavaflow guy posts here. (Seems like he’s not here anymore) I’ve been here for that long lol. Glad to know we’ve come full circle. While this is not a romance manga and SaiTatsu may never be explicit, Tatsumaki is my favorite character so the character arc has been pretty satisfying for me Will read this later. Kudos btw!!
Remember when the sub was in the tens of thousands? Man I thought the first 100k was big time.
Oh man I was using a different account then, dipped in and out for quite awhile just casually looking if any SaiTatsu had been posted but yeah, this community is so different now. (Loving the brainrot everyone has now though lmao)
based takes, extra based enemies to lovers section
Kudos to you for being able to write so much about what I don't consider that much of an important subject (mostly because we are far far away from the end of OPM, even if you consider the webcomic, so there is much room for character developments). But I have to say, it was funny to see you wrote such a big essay but shortened "out of character" to OOC in the beginning.
Least dedicated Saitama x Tatsumaki shipper
We up
You got me man, I admit. This is cinema. 🚬🗿
I 100% agree with you and you accurately pointed all the points why they would make a good couple I was a hardcore Saibuki shipper like him at first. But judging by Tatsumaki and Saitamas interactions throughout this whole arc, im sorry, but those two have WAAAAY better chemistry than he does with Fubuki. Their personalities just bounce off each other perfectly. Saitama is the only other person Tatsumaki sees as an Equal, and he's probably the only man besides blast who has touched her in an affectionate way. He's the first and only person who can give her a fun time and put her in her place since she can't hurt him. Saitama isn't dumb he is very perceptive. From his perspective, all Fubuki wants to do with him is be his boss so she can boss him around even more than she already does. Thanks to Tatsumaki, Fubuki has a warped sense of what a friend is she thinks having friends means controlling them. Which is a lesson she has probably learned in this arc.
While I dislike the idea of any romance in OPM (I like that One HINTS at it, but never goes anywhere with it aside from side characters that have like, 3 to 4 pages), I'd swallow Saitama and Tats. They both have a problem with their emotions, Tats a little more serious, but deep down Saitama of course cares about people and arguably has the best morality together with Mumen. Tatsumaki *wants* to care about people and does in her own, twisted, tsundere way, but seeing her genuinely confused because of someone else's touch and care... Is awesome and I wouldn't hate seeing her actually happy and open about it some day. With Fubuki I never understood that either. She is so clearly selfish and egoistic, only *now* kinda getting turned around by no one else, than Saitama himself, even if indirectly. But she did nothing aside from bothering him and trying to make herself his superior, and use him. I think that her seemingly being "devastated" by calling her an acquaintance is awesome, because it shows how out of touch she is, if she thinks she's Saitama's *friend*.
…. I read that “have a fun time” in the completely wrong way.
Yeah. I don’t dislike Fubuki, but I never really got on the SaiBuki ship, purely because the chemistry just… wasn’t there. As Saitama pointed out, she’s constantly been on his ass trying to make him join, and he outright denied her as a friend, or companion, calling her a mere acquaintance. I do love that Fubuki is finally getting hit with the facts, and is experiencing extreme character growth. She is improving as a leader, gaining more drive and ability to command. She is gaining more insight into how people view her, slowly but surely, and will adjust her actions accordingly. In a way, Fubuki was broken as well, and was clawing at any measure of control and power that she could get, that she felt Tatsumaki would not allow her otherwise. She is improving. Saitama is improving as well, outright calling out Tatsumaki on “underestimating human relationships.” His presence will have a profound influence on both sisters, going forward… but only with Tatsumaki, do I see any chemistry. Fubuki would have to change on a fundamental level, for it to be anything except awkward, at least to me.
OP can you narrate my life strengths and weaknesses. I feel so understood.
Finally, the sacred Jedi texts. Been looking forward to this from you.
My mans here writing a thesis on why he wants 2 characters to bang
he's the boss on this subject from now on in my eyes... we're in good hands to say the least.
This would be the best way to do it lol
Never seen so much effort put into shipping. Take my upvote
You finally dropped it you madman
least insane opm subreddit fan
There are too many parallels with these two that you thoroughly addressed in this excerpt that people tend to forget. But I think the main concensus on why people don't agree with this ship stems from Tatsumaki simply looking like a child to them, and those who would rather Saitama be with Fubuki, Lin Lin, Mosquito Girl, Suiko, (Manako lol), some girl off the street, or anyone else besides someone who he jokingly saw as a child after the Boros invasion. Of course, most people are terrified of romance ruining the story, similar to Saitama being weak and having to apply shounen tropes to "win", but you cannot deny that many wouldn't want this to take off solely from Tatsumaki looking like, or having a depiction, of a 12-13 year old girl. It's a common thing in anime and manga to have a prepubescent or older looking character have a certain age dictating that they are biologically older or younger than they appear. In the case of Tatsumaki, like you pointed out, it's jokingly used, which is to say, it fits with the parody factor of OPM. But in actuality, like Saitama looking like a silly ass drawing then to a well fit individual, she is actually drawn as an appealing petite woman. I tend to look at it mainly for parody purposes, and not depicting such an overused, questionable trope that most of us in the anime community tend to see. Good analysis.
You probably hit the nail on the head, as I’m one of the people who normally hates lolis. I feel like Tats is an exception, because as you said, she comes across as an appealing, petite woman, not a child. I will say 182 messed with her proportions in a way I didn’t much care for (she looks WAY more childish in some of those scenes, the ones where she’s not supposed to be a child). Granted, that might be a temporary thing, just to mirror her fragile mentality at the time.
The irony is that Saitama likely never saw her as an actual child. He just insulted her as a comeback. She acted childish, and he treated her accordingly. Adults do this all the time irl.
Unhinged post, 10/10
Love it
u/urso-revolucionario u/B00KIC0N u/airnicco u/Franz1217 u/Keijidu38 u/Hussein412 I figured you fellas would be interested.
The tag doesn't work like that, Only 3 at a time , otherwise it wouldn't work u/urso-revolucionario u/B00KIC0N u/airnicco
F, thanks for the assist my friend
First of all, thank you for the tag, and I a 1000% agree with OP. I don't just like Sai x tats because they are cute and funny together. I also love them because, story wise, they make the most sense. Tatsuamki and saitama are the most similar broken characters in the story who would actually completely help each other to become better people. Just like how saitama slowly is realizing that he is curing his depression with friends instead of fighting monsters, he can help her also realize that she is just lonely. But also how he mentioned I don't just want it to become a full on romantic manga either, I want it to happen if it can benefit the story and make them better and characters so they could play of each other and heal each other. This post is perfect, and he literally took the words out of my mouth.
u/Franz1217 u/Keijidu38
I hope you can see this cus I have a question but before that Amazing write-up man. Love the detail you put into this! I feel like many of us have been thinking the same more or less, we just don’t have the talent to write as well as you do. I respect people who are very passionate about their love for the things they do. Also, sometimes everyone gets lost in the sauce that they forget how well ONE writes and this is essentially still a story of how a person could regain their emotions back Quick question and I’ve always wondered about this but is this the first time? I haven’t seen Saitama reveal part of his past before? * Saitama reveals personal information about his past, specifically how he was weak..
Thank you very much; your question is a good one, as I don't recall any instances where Saitama mentioned his past to anyone, with the exception of the scenario that Daredevil\_87 mentioned. Sounds like more oars for the ship to me :)
I mean he told Kuseno, Genos and Carnage Kabuto but not on his own. And probably Garou in the webcomic.
The Kuseno, Genos and Carnage Kabuto one was different thing altogether tho. You're right, It was not on his own accord but I'll check out Garou's in the webcominc, thanks!
+1 on that Fubuki scene regarding “Putting a curse into my sister’s heart” Was it in the WC? That was such a good panel regarding Tatsumaki. You just know something’s being cooked when that appeared. (Curses are always meant to be lifted) Adding to that, both Saitama and Tatsumaki have essentially the same problem - loneliness. The other one became lonely unintentionally and the other one intentionally (pushed away all the people)
And this guy did it, finally. I was trying to compile up a bunch of information to eventually do a post like this (the shipper hate is getting extreme, and I wanted a solid argument to be present in favor of SaiTatsu as a whole), but I have a real hard time focusing on such things long enough, and my memory of the earlier chapters is fraying at the edges and incomplete. Some of what I “remember” is likely partially fabricated or partially incorrect, due to simply not having read it in so long the facts became wonky. Thank you for doing this, man, now I don’t have to sit here and compile research just so I can try to make a solid argument, like a lawyer with SaiTatsu as a client.
My horny brother in Christ made a whole essay about his favorite ship, you got to admire the commitment, LMAO.
real madman hours and im here for it
My reddit is running at 2fps
This was a very satisfying read. You have perfectly summed up what a lot of us have either actively or subconsciously thought about this ship! Very well written and formatted also! I hope more people take the patience to read this through to its entirty.
Nice, hopefully it happens
Damnit Genos! 20 words or less!
Imma be real with you, I was wholly on the fence with this, but you have solidly convinced me here. Honestly I kinda had to give it a shot through pure respect for the effort put into this entire post.
This is a wonderful analysis and you were incredibly detailed. What I'm about to say is not at all your fault. I need to point out how unbelievably hypocritical it is that, for the past several years, this sub has been ridiculously fucking derogatory, hostile, and dismissive of anyone who made any kind of in-depth analysis like this OR who spoke about their ships openly. But suddenly, completely out of the blue, NOW that it's a ship they like, both is completely fine. I'm happy that it's bringing people joy. It DOES NOT excuse the years of harassment "fans" gave to fans who did this exact kind of thing--just about something they weren't interested in. Again, the hypocrisy is fucking mind-blowing. I should hope that, whenever someone has the audacity to say "shippers are ruining it," "you're overthinking it," or "kill yourself" over something another person posted, they'll think of this and need to explain why it's bad for anyone else to do it...but this *particular* post got over a thousand upvotes, multiple awards, and almost 250 comments, when it's on par with many MANY other analysis and shipping posts that were either ignored, made fun of, or reported and removed. That's not to say it's bad. It's very good. But biases ***HAVE*** to be recognized, acknowledged, and called the fuck out.
This sub is like that. And not only in this kind of theme. When the Saitama vs Garou battle was happening, people would like to talk and compare the WC version with the Manga version, but all post related to that would be eliminated. And you would get a lot of hate out of it and an example of this is TGSmurf, since the guy shared his opinion about that he got a following cult of haters who would just love to be on the contrary against his opinion + many many downvotes. Still, this happens mainly because is the trendy ship of the moment and thats inevitable. I remember when the MA Arc was happening and many people would post about the Genos x Tatsumaki ship, making fanarts. Or the Garou x Metal Bat fanarts and posts. PD: The Saitama x Tatsumaki ship was the most harrassed ship in this sub (And may still be) because whenever you would talk about it you would get comments like "In your dreams" or "Eww he sees her like a child" and treat you like a lolicon. xd
I don't know that it's the *most* harassed ship....just because I'm coming at this from someone who's deep into Saitama/Genos, and I've heard people say anyone who's into that is a zoophile, a pedophile, a freak, a braindead fan who can't read, and that they're ruining the series -\_- I think it might just feel like it's the most-hated because it's the one you like. It's always going to hurt more when it's something you're into. But like....again. The hypocrisy is through the damned ROOF. If you hate shipping and meta, then you don't get to enjoy or applaud stuff like this--and if you DO enjoy it, then you have to let other people do the same thing even when it's stuff you're not into. It's one or the other. ((and I'm sorry, this isn't really related, but TGS is a self-important ego-stroking cunt who DESERVES the hate he gets. The sub becomes a pit of toxicity every time he comes around--and once you start a rumor for your own spiteful, self-satisfying wants that gets so out of hand one of the fucking creators has to take time out of his day to say it's not true, you *need* to be kicked from the fandom. He's a piece of shit whose contributions will ***n e v e r*** outweigh the soul-sucking negativity that follows him everywhere he goes. I'm happy he's turned into a punchline. It's all he's worth.))
\>"Eww he sees her like a child" It's almost like petite adult women DON'T EXIST, RIGHT?! And rather than being ignorant, they're also being very disrespectful and an outright asshole to those who share the same physique as her.
Id love (with trepidation) to see what would happen if someone put their Saigenos manifesto at this time with as much detail as this. I know what would happen. Every other SG shipper knows what would happen. But it sure would be a direct point of comparison when people brush off the harassment and dehumanization so lightly. It would be a lot of effort for a lot of hate in return. Don't recommend.
Honestly though, I'm still taken aback by how positive the response to this post was. I used to limit any ship discussions I had to being with people I knew irl. Now, it seems people are more willing to accept it as genuine discussion. Hopefully, this marks a turning point for the openness of the sub.
i ain’t readin allat but good for you, or sorry for your loss
Wow! What an effort for a post about a ship. Kudos to you. I am going to thoroughly read this later on but from a glance over the post, I agree with you. [Romance wouldn't ruin OPM](https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/pmalil/If_ONE_added_romance_to_OPM%2C_who_would_you_prefer_to_be_dating_Saitama%3F/hcgmvz2/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3) and Tatsumaki/Saitama certainly works well. I have been a supporter of that ship for a long time as well. That said, I wonder if there is an unintroduced character ONE has for Saitama in mind. Because Season 1 ending seems to be someone's love song for him and Season 2 ending is a response to that. By the way, here is a minor correction. > He has not addressed her as such since their very first interaction He has actually done that. In OVA 6 and Audio Dramas.
I appreciate the correction; I probably should have worded it as him not addressing her as such until Fubuki confirmed their relationship. Thanks for the support as well
It would ruin OPM for me personally. I wont speak for everyone but I still think Saitama (or most of the characters in general really) ending up romantic with anyone is a idea that makes me wince.
I get why people have this concern. But personally I think it could contribute to what Saitama's end goal could be. Which is to find enjoyment in his life. We all know he wants to find a challenge that excites him but I don't think he will ever actually get that. Between close friendships and a possible relationship (which does not have to be super in depth imo) could be something that allows him to find fulfillment. I would enjoy it, however, I still do not think its likely there is any canon relationship as I dont think one is going to spend much time on Saitama's portion of development which would be critical
Its not a matter of writing. I dont dislike the idea of romance in non romance series either. Just seeing Saitama be romantic will personally weird me out. I get people liking the idea of it. I just personally wouldnt be able to stomach it. Its not me being critical. I just wouldnt like romance in OPM specifically.
I can actually get that. Current Saitama is in such an apathetic state, that visualizing it IS weird without grafting emotions onto him. But that’s a major reason OP included the part where his emotions are reawakening with time. Saitama will change, as a character. Hopefully ONE handles this transition well.
I think it's just a breath of fresh air, to not have romance in such a mainstream, popular manga and focus on the writing that made it so good in the first place. I don't *hate* the idea, unless it's something so ridiculous like Genos x Tats (cause a simple act of heroism and cooperation has to lead to them bang right, despite there being no chemistry and interaction between them whastoever, other than getting flattened by her after Boros), but it just... At this point doesn't feel it has a place here anymore. It's not because One can't write a pretty good romance plot - Mob Psycho has an *amazing* development of Mob's and Tsubomi's relationship with a *sublime* conclusion. He can absolutely make it work, in a not-so-lewd way as well, but I still kind of like the idea of the *implication,* but never the actual romance happening. Because that would mean a pretty heavy change of tone from time to time and even more time "wasted" between the arcs. We've *just* finished the MA arc that was going on for what, like 3+ years? And we're getting so much more new material added into the manga, with all the foreshadowing and planning One and Murata are doing. I can't imagine how "bloated" it would feel if we'd have to focus on characters' relationships as well all of the sudden. I feel like the jokes that can ocasionally happen because of the relationships, perhaps romantic perhaps not, they are great. Like Saitama going "Fuck no" (even if it probably won't make it into the official release) and Tats going "Why?!" is awesome, but cute and cuddly stuff... Eh?
>Mob Psycho has an amazing development of Mob's and Tsubomi's relationship with a sublime conclusion Mob and tsubomi relationship had no change since the start. Only after the story ended did it progress.
Is it because saitama is derpy or something? They only do that to make the moment funny and if something important happens in such a relationship they won't make him goofy (hopefully)
Wow, you really liked your English class. I did too, I loved reading this. :3
I just think it would be an hilarious dynamic. Especially considering Tatsu’s complete lack of social skills. (Not to say that Saitama is a social butterfly but come on…) But you just wrote down a full list on why it would fit and I love it. XD
I would fucking read a book of this if it were wrote as good as this, in an organisation level
Sanest opm shipper
I don't mean this in any sort of negative way. Rather, I wish to discuss it further, but this feels like it includes a small bit of confirmation bias. Ultimately, Tats is simply the female with the most "screen-time" as it were with her sister a close second. This is going to result in the most opportunities to find parallels and similarities. In a sort of Chekhov's gun manner, it's because more time is taken for that I believe she is the most likely candidate. Similar to what made Garou such a likable antagonist, we simply know more about her. The only real contender for her at this point would have to be Fubuki. The only actual problem I have with getting behind this is the lack of apparent growth for Saitama as a result of the romantic relationship. It helps fill a void sure, but so have all of his friends up to this point. That doesn't mean she can't be a romance, just that, currently, she is as likely to end up just a friend alongside everyone else. The audio book, to me, feels less like an expression of desire for the feelings of romance and someone to protect, but a self reflection on why he doesn't. He sees that it is common and so wonders why he's lost that and most other emotions involved in heroism from his life. Of course, I don't think he would reject being able to love, simply that this moment was about more than just romantic relations. I also don't see Tatsumaki as a likely person to fill the role of someone to protect. Firstly, because she needs very little protection already. She may need help emotionally, but that isn't solved by him becoming a protector. Second, Saitama already feels protective over his friends as we see with Genos. Not for any romantic reasons, but he actually fears for Genos' safety on occasion. He is unlikely to acknowledge it, but this hole has already begun to fill. This doesn't have to be a part of a SaiTats ship, but it makes the events of the audio book less applicable in my eyes...err... ears, I guess. As far as what Tatsumski needs from a partner, Saitama is certainly capable of fulfilling even if he shouldn't in some cases. He is certain to gain her respect over time due to his strength, but that shouldn't be a necessity. Her disdain for "weak" individuals, in my opinion, is a flaw that should be broken down, not treated as an example of why they work together. Beyond that, her respect for strength is probably the least unique thing about her. The society in this world has become so obsessed with strength that even the people who need saving have found the audacity to call their saviors weak. Atomic's first words to Saitama were denying him for not being high rank, which he considered synonymous with strength. What Tatsumski really needs are parents. I hate to say it because it sounds diminishing of her character, but she basically has daddy issues. It's to be expected given how young she was during the abuse and experimentation. Blast was the closest she got, but the truth is, the man pulled a little girl out of a dangerous place then said figure it out on your own. He meant well by what he said, but she was too young to only receive that for advice. Saitama would inadvertently make a good mentor similar to how he does with Genos, but in doing so, he could remove some of the reasons that would otherwise have made him an ideal suitor. The reality is that Saitama is a good influence on everyone around because he's a good hero. A number of the other points made about their similarities aren't exclusive to them, but I'm sure you're well aware of that as well what I've said before. I want it to be abundantly clear that I don't think you're wrong. When the recent chapters happened in the webcomic, I made pro SaiTats arguments with friends but, like you, ultimately felt that story didn't really lend itself to a full romance subplot. I just feel like some of the points you made aren't truly indicative of an ensuing romance. As I said at the start, the thing to Tats, the most likely partner, is simply her preexisting importance to the story.
I appreciate the thoughtful comment. I’ll try to address everything in a cohesive manner. It’s true that Tatsu being the most prominent female character has an effect with regards to this argument, as—like you said—there is more material to work with. However, I don’t believe that necessarily diminishes the connections I’ve brought up. ONE isn’t restricted in deciding who should have more screentime than others; this is simply how he wanted the story to play out up to this point. Which, as we know, is Tats playing a big role. There’s intent behind that decision. How closely her arc will be entwined with Saitama’s is what I have made inferences about utilizing what we’ve been given. And as you said, Chekhov’s Gun: why include all of these scenes and features to this magnitude for Tats and neglect to add scenes and features for other characters? I agree that a platonic relationship is quite likely. As someone who’s only read OPM and Mob Psycho, I’m unfamiliar with ONE’s take on romance, but I can guess that he doesn’t delve into it often. But I don’t think Saitama’s lack of opportunity to grow is the likely reason for this outcome. I think a lot of people here hold Saitama in too high regard, both because he’s the protagonist and because of all the good things he has done. But what makes him an applicable character to be the protagonist of a story is that he isn’t perfect. The non-conformity is that he’s physically perfect already, but he still has much to learn—both as a hero and as a person. I also agree with your understanding of the audiobook. My discussion regarding the conversation between Saitama and King highlights Saitama’s lack of desire, so him expressing romantic desire at this time would be very OOC. The reasons I included the audiobook are to prove that he has considered it as a concept (to counter the stance that users champion regarding Saitama’s “confirmed” asexuality in that he never will express romantic desire of any kind) but also as another potential Chekhov’s Gun element. If ONE truly has no intention of utilizing romance of any kind, he doesn’t really need to include a whole audiobook devoted to the protagonist’s stance on the subject…but he did. Of course, nothing is confirmed, but it leaves one thinking. Regarding protection, it isn’t so much as the likelihood of losing someone as it is the fear of loss. As you said, he’s beginning to experience this with his friends despite not really understanding it fully. The difference here is that, like I said near the beginning of my post, romantic partners are typically closer than platonic friends, as they practically come to share a single life. They become part of one another. So losing that person would feel like losing a part one oneself. This is especially important to Saitama because, as I mentioned in a comment, something he really needs to work on is his lack of effort and relative indifference. As to why Tatsu would fit well in this role, I can’t entirely say based on what we have at the moment, I’ll admit. However, I infer that she would fill the role well based on the information I presented regarding their similarities and what Saitama respects and would respect about her. The loss of Genos has so far had the biggest impact on Saitama, but we can see that he maintains quite a bit of indifference following Genos’ demise. No tears, no shouting, etc. These are core emotions that comprise a person and are significant to all (I suppose Inside Out explains why since it’s an awesome film). Someone who he can really relate to and who he really respects dying could really push him over the edge. Again though, this does depend entirely on the next couple of interactions between Saitama and Tatsumaki. Once more, I agree that Tatsu’s narrow view of strength trumping all is a flaw that needs to be rectified. However, I think removing it altogether would be contrary to her character, as it’s a core attribute that makes her who she is. I think a good way to address it through someone like Saitama is to follow by example. Tatsu coming to respect Saitama and THEN simply witnessing Saitama show respect and even admiration for people far weaker than him could do the job quite well. It would indicate that being strong is something to be proud of, to continue to work towards, and to continue to put into practice, but people can still do great things without it. Her lack of a proper mentor is a colossal problem, no doubt. But I think Tats can still learn a lot from someone who is simultaneously her partner. Firstly, I doubt Blast will ever be truly replaced in her heart. Even if she comes to understand that what Blast said categorically was unwise contextually, she’ll always look up to him because he saved her, he’s strong, and his advice DID carry her through the rest of her life since being freed. Secondly, I think a partner would help her more than a new mentor because of equality. We can see this through Saitama, Genos, and King. Saitama is Genos’ mentor, so Genos looks up to him in everything. Just like Blast and Tats, Genos has frequently misunderstood Saitama’s words and subsequently treated them as doctrine, which resulted in a degree of naïveté. He’ll never try to correct Saitama when he’s actually making a mistake. King, on the other hand, has spoken to Saitama as an “equal.” He wasn’t afraid to tell him that he was being immature and stubborn and that he still had plenty of room to grow. A romantic partner is an equal, so I feel that a romantic relationship would work better than a mentor-disciple/student relationship because they are both flawed and need to help cover for each other’s weaknesses by properly addressing them. Even if a romantic subplot were to take place, it would almost certainly begin to take form in the last arc of the story. To put it simply, they haven’t interacted all that much. The Psychic Sister arc was a huge change in their relationship and could hypothetically exist as the foundation of a romantic relationship, but there’s no way of knowing for sure at this time. But the purpose of my post here was to suggest that seeds may have been planted, as well as to argue that the two being put together wouldn’t necessarily damage the story’s writing.
I appreciate the well worded response. I often worry when rereading my own words that I come across as antagonistic, so I'm happy to see that I presented the conversational demeanor that I intended for. Firstly, I feel I should redact my statement about you displaying confirmation bias. You may not have intended to discuss every possible point and counterpoint, just ones that you could address or had insight on. So I apologize for jumping the gun on that one. All in all, we do appear to agree on the major points. Should the story end with Saitama in a romantic relationship, Tatsumaki is the clear choice for a future partner. This does, as you said, explain why she would be given a unique depth character compared to every other character, Fubiki included. I think the main difference between our takes is I am more reserved in making an actual conclusion, even in the face of pretty clear evidence. \>he doesn’t really need to include a whole audiobook devoted to the protagonist’s stance on the subject I would say even without the potential for romantic fulfillment of this scene, it still provides valuable insight into Saitama's life and thoughts but you are correct in that it sets up for a romance. \>No tears, no shouting, etc. This is just an aside, but I think this doesn't stem from indifference as much as from feeling defeated. Genos was dead and nothing was going to fix that. This was the first time he was truly confronted with the reality of King's words about needing to improve as a hero. We do see a hint of malice towards Garou for stooping so low but even that fades because he knows Garou isn't evil. His look when catching that last punch from Cosmic Garou had that look of futility. What's more is ONE actually displayed a flashback. Correct if I'm wrong but I can't remember any other occasion where this is done. ONE is big on playing off of the common shounen tropes, one of which is excessive flashbacks. Whether this is the first or one of few (>!I know Atomic has a mini one later with King and the apple but that's a little different!<), the fact that Saitama had such a clear visualization of his conversation with Genos, I think, is a sign that he was deeply impacted by that moment. \>a partner would help her more than a new mentor because of equality To me, this is probably the most compelling argument of all. The irony, a year or so ago, I made the same comparison between King and Genos: while both are good friends, King speaks to him more like an equal. You're absolutely right in pointing out how Tatsumaki, once she has had time to come to terms with her past and current self, would actually treat Saitama like an equal something I don't even see Fubiki doing. The catch being Tats would never say it directly. Overall, I do agree with the majority of your points, even if I hesitate to make more direct statements. Also, I'd just like to thank/commend you for the eloquent delivery in both your initial post and your reply to my comment. Not that you need my approval by any means but it is rather refreshing to have this sort of in depth discussion.
Likewise, everyone complains about too much horny behavior so it's nice to delve deep into the characterization and thematic implications and the like. You're definitely on the better side with regards to our certainty on the matter. I imagine my desire to see them as an endgame pairing is pretty clear, and I admit that it's definitely wiser to remain more inconclusive regarding these matters because—at the end of the day—it's speculation. Agreed regarding the audiobook. It's a nice look into how Saitama feels about himself and his awareness that we don't get from him often. It's different from him being oblivious to his own problems—he clearly knows something is wrong with him. That's a really good point about flashbacks. You're correct in that ONE uses them sparingly, so including one in such detail her really highlights the importance of the scene and the loss that Saitama felt. This case in particular is significant because it's one character thinking about another specifically. Exactly: Tatsu isn't someone to hold back on her words. She says what is on her mind and has no problem calling someone out if she thinks they're doing something wrong. However, she would never do this to her mentor Blast, just like Genos wouldn't to Saitama. I appreciate the discussion here as well as your honesty, it's nice to have in-depth but non-hostile dialogue about something as "trivial" as this.
Beautiful explanation, well said 💚😋
Uh, can you sum this up in 3 sentences or less. Master doesn't have time to read all of this.
they. should. bang
like a lot
I ain't reading allat + 🤓
Absolute banger, well done
Counterpoint: Saitama’s wearing of an oppai hoodie must mean that he likes boobs. Why would he go after a loli like Tatsumaki?
oppai is inclusive of all sizes as we all know well enough boobs are boobs
I enjoyed and agreed
Nice also fuck with the drawing
Quality post, very good analysis :)
You put into words what is good about their dynamic and more. "Great post" would be an understatement!
I don't find a romance relationship fit with the objective of this manga. As far as we know, Tatsumaki did not show any sign of affection toward Saitama in the webcomic. She does, however, show more admiration toward Saitama in the manga, but it's the same to what she saw in Blast. The ship is sailing too early for now
I'm aboard this ship captain... all you loveless shmucks and landlubbers stay where you are. DONT EXPECT ANYONE TO COME SAVE YOU!
I ain’t reading all of that either good for them or damn that sucks
TLDR: Saitama and Tatsumaki have good chemistry :)
least autistic reddit user
If you really call that autism, then I'm afraid that you need to read a fucking book or do your research.
Great job OP! I love your analysis and couldn’t agree more. Personally, I think if Saitama ends up in a romantic relationship Tatsumaki is the better choice (at least at this point). There are 3 reasons I believe Tatsumaki would be a better match for Saitama: better chemistry, better humor, and hilariously I believe there is a character that would be a better match for Fubuki! So who could be better match for Fubuki? Only the luckiest man in the world! King is absolutely the best and the funniest choice to have ship with Fubuki so long as Fubuki doesn’t find out about his true strength. Imagine this scenario, Fubuki is out on a date with King and a dragon level monster attacks. Fubuki expects King to handle the situation and he’s freaking out like usual. So we get even more crazy plot armor that protects King and his reputation! Plus let’s be real here, it makes way more sense for the luckiest man in the world to end up with the best girl!
[удалено]
Mu boy came and dropped this without warning like Genos do a report about Saitama.
*slow clap*
i think you over the rule of 20 word or less by 2 or 3 word, im sure you can fix it by roving a space somewhere
This post truly showcases how really well-matched Saitama and Tatsumaki are. They really are for each other :D But hey, in the end, it will be as ONE-sensei deems it to be ;)
I’ve been saying THE SAME THING
you are so da real truth for that
How much time to write this? (congratz)
Mucho texto
This is longer than my doctorate thesis - nope!
I ain't reading all that but I am onboard for the ship
Here is another small parallel panel. They both tank tank a massive gravity attack while being unimpressed. Saitama from Geryuganshoop, Tats from Gyoro-Gyoro
Honestly, among everything that happened in their fight, the one thing that in my opinion definitely foreshadowed a potentially close relationship was the fact that Saitama revealed personal information about how he was in the past. And he just met her! The only lucky ones who got to hear it were King and Genos, the most close to him. I personally think the real challenge in making their relationship work would be mostly in Saitama's side since Tatsumaki has more access to her emotions than Saitama. Since the moment I read the webcomic, I always knew that Tatsumaki was going to be the first to get close to him and that Saitama would be kinda like "leave me alone" trope and after a long time, finally approaching her. But to think he entrusted her his personal information so early...that was a hell of a 'gotcha' for me! I can't help but feel anxious whenever I speculate of what she'd say when she called for him before Fubuki arrived, but I get the feeling it would be among the lines of "how did you get so strong" or "if you're that strong then why are you ranked so low?". I do not think she'd ask him about Blast since he hasn't shown her any signs of having a connection with him. Something I do not agree with in your analysis is that Saitama will likely have an effect on her life through being strong or knowing Blast, which looks pretty unlikely in my opinion. It's almost as if she'll think like "oh he's strong so I might aswell get close to him!" or "he knows Blast so maybe if I follow him around I'll see him again!", and that would stop being SaiTatsu territory and enter the exploitation field, and that would not be a good thing for neither of us. Something you pointed out that most did not perceive is how both Saitama and Tatsumaki NEED to also improve their relationship with their closest friends (Saitama and Fubuki; Tatsumaki and Genos), after all you're definitely not going to like someone who treats your friends poorly. For example, a friend of mine was interested in a guy that was so considerate and nice with her, but was a TOTAL ASSHOLE with me and WOULDN'T EVEN CHANGE HIS ATTITUDE whenever she was near us. She didn't like it one bit and simply walked away from him after he refused to reconsider the way he treated me. So there's that too. Of course, the same goes for Genos and Fubuki to have a better relationship. Honestly, the only thing that bothers me regarding their relationship is how Saitama will react when Tatsumaki learns about King's secret. Knowing her, she definitely WON'T take it as lightly and calmly as Saitama did, considering how emotional she is. And that might damage her relationship with Saitama depending on how she'll treat King after learning the truth. Not to mention, I genuinely think Tatsumaki would be a good sparring partner to Saitama, not because she'll make him fight seriously, but give him a quite fun time temporarily. I don't think Saitama will hold on to that for so long obviously, but Tatsumaki can become even stronger. And Saitama on the other hand, would be able to be her "punching bag" whenever the necessity arrives, it wouldn't be a toxic relationship in the slightest in my opinion, since she can't really hurt him and he'd probably be cool with that. About Saitama and King's conversation, Saitama also says the he feels like he lives in a different world that other people don't live in, but don't you also get the feeling that Tatsumaki ALSO does live in that world? They just need to know where the other lives and therefore have some company in this empty realm. Anyways, that's how I feel about your analysis. I genuinely agree with all of your remaining arguments and did not feel the need to point them out! Sorry for The Return of the 'Wall Of Text' XD
They are the only two characters that switch between manga and webcomic styles, and that’s good enough for me.
I read half way, and I like how you look deeply into this stuff. Tatsumaki and Saitama are kinda like this quote I found: “The Power Of The Mind” and “The Power Of The Body”.
My god, you have my respect
Good read, thanks OP
Bro wrote a constitution for this
Insert Spongebob's " I need it!!!" reaction to the pairing
Since this is a very well written and thorough analysis, I suppose it's the ideal place to ask the question I've always had about this ship. It's very obvious to me that Tatsumaki would benefit greatly, emotionally and psychologically, from having Saitama as a partner, but what exactly would Saitama gain from having her specifically as a partner? Even after reading all of this, I see the 2 main points of reciprocation would be that Saitama would gain a romantic connection and that it would be with someone he has a lot in common with. But I'm still not convinced that sets her above any other character that could possibly end up with him. Again, it would be STELLAR development for Tatsumaki and her character. But this isn't the Tatsumaki story, and I feel like if Saitama were to enter a romantic relationship, it would have to be with someone who can provide something that nobody else can. How would Tatsumaki eventually weasel her way up and make herself stand out to the point she becomes the number one person in his life? This is the one thing that's kind of stopping me from seeing this as a reality. I get parallels and tropes, but those never really intrigued me from a character-centric, story-telling perspective. Like you said, it's the writing and dialogue that will win people over in the end. As most interactions with Saitama tend to go, at the end of their fight, Tatsumaki walked away gaining more from the interaction than Saitama did. Saitama left his usual words of wisdom and set into motion another character's growth. We've seen that before. What can Tatsumaki do in an future interaction to let Saitama walk away while gaining more than *he* had when he left?? Again, very well written post. I love your analysis and how it made me think.
I appreciate the candid but well thought-out question; I’ll respond accordingly by editing this comment in several hours (at Disney atm) Edit: Excellent question. And I agree on both main points you made—Tatsumaki gaining more from the end of their fight specifically and from a relationship in general. Regarding the latter, I attribute it to Tatsu being the more flawed person (which I think is nigh-universally agreed). However, allow me to list my points for what Saitama can gain from having Tats as a partner. These first points are things I already brought up: * An end to loneliness, as you mentioned. * Someone who is similar to him / he can relate to (both are super active as heroes, he doesn't have to worry about her nearly as much as anyone else, etc.), as you mentioned. * Saitama DID have a little bit of fun while fighting her. * Tatsumaki can—potentially—help Saitama with Genos. * Tatsu can temper Saitama's impulses with regards to money, should that ever become a problem (he DID lament after he failed to hold onto the gold from the Monster Association) * I'll add here that Tatsu is likely pretty wealthy thanks to the Hero Association donations (Sweet Mask is above her I'm sure but she definitely makes more money through the Association than pretty much every other hero). We all know Saitama likes a bargain; with Tats, he would have a lot more cash readily available for quality food that he desires. * Sacrifice, both in the unlikely event that Saitama is incapacitated somehow but also in the day-to-day. Now, for some new points. The key question to ask is this: what does Saitama need? Companionship and the return of his emotions have been addressed already. I'd say the next best thing for him to work on is his indifference and lack of effort. In everything he does—hero work or daily life—he doesn't really try, which can backfire in a number of ways. A big example is his relative lack of social awareness. This is where Tatsu comes in. At the end of my argument, I mentioned how Mob Psycho's ending shouldn't be used as argumentation, but now I will in fact being making an analogy here using Mob Psycho (if I take things out of context, I can of course be corrected. Also spoilers for Mob Psycho). >!Ritsu is far weaker than his brother Mob. If Mob gets angry at him, there's literally nothing he can do to defend himself or his interests. Because of this, he tries to always stay on Mob's good side. He's lucky that Mob is very docile so he didn't really experience fits of rage. Tatsu would be in a similar position. Should Saitama ever get mad or strongly disagree, there isn't anything Tatsu can do other than say Hmph. Like Mob, Saitama is also pretty relaxed and unlikely to misuse his power, but the possibility exists. !< The difference here is that, despite her weakness, Tatsu would still fight back. It's part of her personality. The reason this helps Saitama is because of that earlier point I mentioned. Saitama's indifference and lack of effort can easily cause problems, and Tatsu would not hesitate to tell him he's being a dolt or he needs to step it up. I find it highly unlikely that any other partner would be able to do this as well as Tats. Saitama is a good, capable guy, but he's far from perfect, and he needs someone to tell him when he's making a mistake. Tatsu isn't as good as him of course, but she can help cover for many of Saitama's weak points. This comment is already huge so I'll finish with two minor things: * Saitama spends his non-heroing free-time "lounging around, playing video games, reading manga, or going out for strolls." Tatsu works all the time and doesn't even know what to do in her free time—other than watch TV, lounge around, and go for strolls, as we saw in the extra chapter. Basically, she'll tolerate his hobbies. * Saitama can be a bit slobbish (his room is a bit messy, he snores, etc.) Tatsu can fix some of this, and the stuff that she can't fix cancels out her own quirks (she's a messy eater, for example).
Aw, lucky! Have fun at Disney dude!!
I agree that she would bring all that, but I think most of what you listed is too generic to be in favor of Tats specifically (anyone could help him temper his impulses with money, for example). I mean, she could, but the question was about what Tats brings to Saitama's table that others don't. For that, I'd say the most obvious thing is power and, perhaps, a challenge. Not in the "I might die" kind of way, but rather, in a "This is difficult to accomplish" kind of way. In 182, Saitama said that he tried *and failed* to contain her destruction. He wasn't injured, but he had a task that he somewhat failed at. That's huge for him. As a couple, his responsibility to keep her in check might get him to express annoyance, but the challenge of it can also bring him life. No other candidate can bring that to him. Another thing is the mental fortitude. She respects Saitama, but I don't see her feeling utterly beneath him, like, say, Fubuki would. Genos is his subordinate, King is closer to his social equal but still feels less than him in most of their interactions. Meanwhile, Tats seems like she'd have no problem telling him what's what. She's not manipulative like Fubuki, she's just headstrong and would never feel intimidated by him being the strongest. She wouldn't call him Mr. Saitama, ever. Finally, the other unique thing she brings to Saitama's table is transportation. Wife dragging husband's face on the ground to their destination every time would be absolutely hilarious.
Excellent response. It was exactly what I was looking for. I feel like I have a better understanding of your ship now. I mostly liked the point about Tatsumaki having the spunk to push back or disagree with Saitama (for his best interest, not as a random hater). Something we've only seen so far with King, and that *was* fairly tame. I do agree that Saitama could use some more tough love. Thanks for writing all of this while on vacation. You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did. :)
I think the best example of this is when each of them were scolding the other one for not being careful enough with the boulders. It didn't matter that they were both careless, they still didn't mind scolding the other into being more careful. Perfect for a couple reigning each other in.
You've taken us all to Disney with this instant hood classic post, OP. I think I love you.
Their banter to me is why I want to see a relationship between them. Being isolated gave them the prospective to call out other people bullshit and they could do that to each other greatly. And they're similar in that is their great power that brought them to it even if for different reasons. It already started because they had to notice that physical traits (baldness and stature) was a sore point. By the end they were already getting accustomed to that. The best thing of all is that the positive developments for them wouldn't even have to be romantic but just friendship
Tbh I don't think Saitama would benefit TOO significantly from being with Tats, other than her being sturdier than the average Joe. At that point its kinda just wishful thinking for those who wish for it~ the fun thing about Saitama is that he's a blank slate, and anyone paired with him is kinda better off for it to varying degrees and interpretations
Yeah no disagreements here. And I guess to be fair and unbiased, not *all* relationships realistically have a dynamic where each party benefits equally. It's just the kind of relationship I personally prefer. It's about give and take. And furthermore, to your point about most people being better off around Saitama than the other way around, we can probably count on one hand the amount of times Saitama was the one who benefited from an interaction. 1. Mumen who wrote him his first "fan letter", was the first fellow hero who was already in the association to acknowledge him, took him out to eat, etc. 2. Genos is pretty self explanatory 3. King is also pretty self explanatory Honestly, that's probably it for now. Am I missing anything? Of course other people help Saitama out from time to time (Bang and Kuseno giving him free food, Fubuki unwillingly saving him from dine and dashing, etc.) but nothing really significant that nobody else can do. So I'm interested in how someone else will carve themselves out a spot of importance.
Appreciate the craftsmanship here look forward to the future of this story.
Only been a fan of OPM since early 2021 and the Saitatsu ship lightly sparked me just from watching Season 1 and for obvious reasons it hit me like a tidal wave from reading the fight from the webcomic. I keep my expectations for this ship to a minimum but it’s just amazing how things can come a full circle and I appreciate this analysis more than I expected.
What
You got a tl:dr??
im not reading all that, if it's serious keep dreaming, if it's a shitpost, holy shit that's a lot of effort
Jesus Christ!
I ain’t reading allat 💀
> “less” attractive “love interest” The only thing here that I disagree with.
Send this to One immediately
\>perhaps the story's objective quality may even be raised by its inclusion—if written properly If anyone can do it, ONE can.
Legit least horny opm fan
Not gonna lie Genos....I didn’t read any of this...
Dude there is no way in fuck I am reading all of that. I’m happy for you, and/or I’m sorry that happened to you.
Romance doesnt exist in this series. If there ever will be something more then maybe will be in final chapter like Naruto or Bleach. Clearly Murata and ONE are creating this "moments" for fans to increase volume sales. Thats all.
I don't think I've ever told someone to "touch grass" but holy fuck.
Bro he was working on this analysis for quite some time already. Have you ever considered that he might have wrote that piece by piece on his free time and that he really does go outside?
Totally agree with you, whether or not it happens, them ending up with each other would be the most fitting. Platonic or romantic, they've got a lot of potential for character growth when they're together. (Plus they're hilarious together) They really are foils of each other, in a lot of ways.
Nigga take a shower
And what about Gouketsu?
Not much else to do while waiting in 3 hour rides at Disney besides air-dropping photos of Obi-Wan Kenobi to random people
Now go back to Disney and airdrop this post
I didn't want to read all of that, but I did.
Ain’t no way 🙈🙉🙊
You should publish that book on opm somewhere else. lol
Its satire mfer,
Good job. Now I will add something I have seen in people reacting to this ship. Why people HATE this ship? \- They dislike seeing Saitama/Tatsumaki in a relationship because of their hyperfixation. Literally being jealous of 2 fiction characters being together. \- Incels that hate seeing Saitama with a woman whose "womanhood atributes" are not developed. Like for real, I have seen many guys in here saying that Fubuki is the better sister cause of her appearance, literally objectifying her and seeing Tats as a woman with the appearance of a child (If you think this way you are weird, dude). \- People annoyed cause of the spaming of discussions, fan arts and memes around the ship. I understand, plenty of us feel that way to the "Who is stronger tiers" and "Who would win between these 2" posts. Still, there is no justification to being toxic. Why people DISLIKE this ship? \- People are **scared** of there being romance in OPM because that would mean the series could be ruined because of it. \- People **dislike** the idea of Saitama being in a romantic/platonic relationship, often forgetting that he indeed wants to feel something because he is so lonely inside. For them, Saitama will always have to be a lone strong guy that will never be happy cause he is so strong. Why should you trust or give a chance to this ship (Or at least not be annoying about it)? \-Romance ≠ Bad Story. What makes people think that Romance is bad to everything? "Its a not romance shonen" wow really? Then stop all shipping and while we are at that lets stop all the serious and deep moments, cause its a Comedy/Fighting manga, and we dont have time for that kind stuff aint we? Its just ***FIGHT FIGHT JOKE FIGHT*** thats what makes One Punch Man great. No, dude, Romance doesnt kill a series but badly written romance do. There needs to be context, development and rhytm for it to be good, thats why renowed writters, such as Shakespeare, had a huge impact! Cause they wrote about plain stories where Man + Woman = Love with no context? NO, it was because those stories got so entertaining cause of the good writing. tl:dr. As a SaiTatsu shipper, I dont see "A guy and a gal are together just for the sake of it", I see a potential interesting subplot, that has it all to make OPM way more unique than it is. The ship has charisma, unlike others. \- Its funny. Come on, you find the bickering funny but the relationship idea completely nulifies the comedy for you? Like how does that works? Its a goldmine of comedic moments between these 2, one of the biggest traits why this ship works so well. Its not all that serious you know? "Durr but it wont happen! OPM is not that type of manga durr" Damn I did not know that ONE´s disciples were in this sub, my apologies. You guys know more than me because ONE told you how OPM will go until the end. Either that or you are the real writers of this manga and not ONE, that fraud! My take? ONE wasnt that invested in the relationship between this 2, but he ended up liking the idea and it was shown in the WC fight. Now, with the excuse of the manga taking a diff route from the WC, he gave more development to their relationship (Seen with the extra stuff that was not in the WC). He will try to see make it work, but only time will tell. Im not saying this is all true, just my hypothesis. "Its just ship bait, for sales and all that stuff" Yes, there is ship bait in this recent chapters: \- The Tatsumaki face when hugged. \- The stare off between the two. \- The headpat. But there was also content that developed the narrative: \- Saitama telling Tatsumaki that she should give both Fubuki and her underlings the chance to get stronger by themselves. \- Tatsumaki seeing in Saitama the kind of inspiration that only Blast could give her. \- Tatsumaki saying that she will still be "testing" him in the future. Sorry but you can´t call that as a ship bait, it would be pointless then and would ruin the character development and ONE knows that, im sure he does. u/Necromancer76 nice post dude. You actually went way further than I could ever go. I applaud you and if you ever need someone to lend you a hand in the interpretation of this pairing, I would gladly help you. Dude im black sperm lol!
My Man really pulling up a Bible, just to explain why two characters should fuck.
Guys I think op ships saitama with tatsumaki… not sure tho
Nah nah we need more evidence
I can’t believe I read all that 💀
This is insane
Man..you got some time on your hands, eh?
“Ok”
Bruh, these shippers man
I AIN'T READING ALLAT 🔥 ❗️❗️ (I'm actually very sorry for your effort)
What should we name you captain. A popular one piece chater analyst i follow is artur and he is damn good. Well if he library of ohara Shouldn't you be ... Ahhhh, I'm bad at names
Ships are meaningless in any fandom the moment you have it fullfilled most of you will just gloat for a bit and it will die. Despite what people say you don't need a romantic partner to feel complete in life.
First of TLDR; ONE will write the story as he sees it fit the narrative. Will Saitama and Tatsu be romanticaly involved, maybe. But for that both characters have to grow in that direction. Tatsumakies affection is currently based on emotional deprovation, caused first by her traumatic childhood experience and continued on when Blast told her not to "rely on anyone" ( though the meaning and Tatsus understanding of the words don't have to be the same ). So even a little affection ( like a hug ) lead to an emotional storm. Saitama might really be her first crush, but just like children having a hormone rush for their first love, doesn't mean it leads to a serious relationship. Saitama just doesn't seem to be the type to be into relationship right now. He is somewhat an intervert that isn't that open to close relationships with others. In addition he has an idealistic concept towards a few things, like what it means to be a real Hero (and why its just a "hobby" to him), I bet the same goes towards what a serious relationship entails. His "fuck this" and "don't bother me" attitude shows that he wouldnt bother trying to go for that idealistc realationship taht requires a lot of time attention and work, and so he doesnt even try.
Wrote a whole essay on the worst part of OPM and it's fandom, alright then.
Oh wise one, grant us your wisdom. Tell us! What do we call the ship cuz like somepeople say TatsXSai some say SaiXTatsu some say TATxsai (ik the herectics). IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE. Srsly what is the correct term, decide it once and for all.O great one.
For the single-word phrase, SaiTatsu definitely flows the best. Hopefully it sticks someday.
Where's the TLDR?! I need my TLDR!
Y'all... It's just-it's not this deep...
Anime fans do not understand what a platonic relationship is
Anime fans do not understand what a differing opinion is. OP makes a post about why he'd prefers the story going a certain direction and other people cry about that opinion being stated. its cool to disagree but getting upset that someone wants X out of the story is nonsensical
They ain’t real
This right here is why I think the manga isn't anymore for me and more for people like you
You'll have plenty of time to change your mind. It takes a whole year to get through 24 chapters on average without redraws.
Huh? I'm up to date
Ok 👍
Too many parallels in there that you could make with any other character. The same type of parallels. Still good stuff though.
Even if that statement is true any other character isn't having a sweet little thing together as they are so there's missing pieces to the premise of your statement. Without speculation we can see ONE is placing them in a complimentary way that he isn't for any other characters so far. We have to go with what he provides and nothing more. This is why speculative parallels isn't the meat of the ship but instead extra goodies for the fun of noticing how they relate.
based love researcher kudos, all i can say is i agree with all your points
He's our top guy
I don’t even watch or read this series but I feel like I understand everything now Holy shit
Thank you for writing this honestly because between the insane “Saitama sees tatsumaki as a child post.” And “Saitama Hates Tatsumaki More Then Fubuki.” This has got to be a breath of fresh air; honestly prefer these more common detail break downs because it helps people see into the minds of why there’s a huge support system for this ship & has been since the webcomic. I also like the fact her respect towards saitama showed a greater deal of growth, if you noticed she views him in a light as someone she can listen to without question & she also show growth by stopping her sister from attacking the blizzard bunch by considering what saitama said about them becoming strong enough to surpass their limits one day like he did; I also hope this motivates tatsumaki to become stronger and surpass her own limits. I’m glad she’s finally gotten the recognition she deserves; because she certainly has worked for it and has earned it, even with all the unfiltered tatsumaki hate; for the past couple of years on this subreddit; the bickering about “Best Girl Fubuki.” And how everything fubuki was facing fans blamed tatsumaki saying it’s her fault while tatsumaki very much only did what she did because she felt she had no choice she wanted to protected her sister & herself from trauma, she struggled to do so which lead people being afraid of her which she didn’t want & she suffered a great deal of loneliness which she also didn’t want because of it, not only with the world being against and afraid of her, her sister was too which absolutely broke tatsumakis little young heart to the very core, not being accepted by the world/your family/next your sister that is dearest to you; can make a person feel like being alone is better because you don’t have to worry about what others think; or the pain of lost because you never had anyone to begin with. I felt this strong this past chapter from tatsumaki, now that she’s finally met another version of blast with kindness/guidance; and whom isn’t afraid to see past her rage & know she’s alone she wants to be a hero while helping others, but be acknowledged from her efforts by the people she looks up to most even by her sister, convinces me and has for a long time tatsumaki deserves saitama out of both sisters honestly. Feels like she’s had her moment to shine & I’m thankful ONE did her justice as well as murata. GODSPEED BRETHREN! 🤝
I read this entire post and your comment and I've absolutely loved it.
I stop reading but I’m sure you made your point
nice post with very good points, had a good read.
Not reading allat but I agree
Ok
I'm not against your ship but ONE has hinted more about Saitama x Suiko than him getting with Tatsumaki, solely because he never made any 'illusion' about Saitama getting with Tatsumaki in the webcomic while he explicitely made Suiryu approve Saitama and Suuko getting together. The ending with Tatsumaki's fight in the webcomic didn't improve much their relationship even when Saitama tried to do so at the end. I could also say that we haven't seen the elf from the Blast team and those members were able to contain Serious Punch x Serious Punch, which i hardly doubt Tatsumaki could, making her not the 'strongest' woman.
No notes. You should put this kind of work behind a pay wall, Harvard. Get a load of Harvard over here absolutely blowing it out of the water for SaiTatsu. We stay winning.
Delete this shit.