If I Had Super Strength Like One Punch Man
Saitama from ‘One Punch Man’ is arguably one of the strongest fictional characters. What would I do if I had strength on his level, and what happens when obstacles no longer challenge me?
Written by Ang Rui Tian
I was never one to smoothly pass my National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) 2.4 kilometre runs. If you were sitting at the bleachers, I can usually be spotted beet red, weakly flailing my arms to gain momentum while my jelly-for-legs trudge grudgingly forward.
As I fall gracefully towards the finish line, dropping to my knees and sputtering congratulatory words for myself, I close my eyes and imagine myself in an alternate reality where I have the stamina of an ox… or perhaps Saitama — the protagonist of Japanese superhero manga series ‘One-Punch Man’ — who runs 10 kilometres a day as part of his workout routine.
Besides his out-of-this-world aerobic endurance, Saitama is also known to be an undefeatable character who takes out his enemies with a single punch. With such superhuman strength, it is tough to imagine what one can do with it. I, personally, would never exploit such power… except in one or 1000 situations.
If I’m feeling bored, I would challenge every WWE champion to date, use mountains for shot put practice and shut tight the peanut butter jars of those who might have rubbed me the wrong way.
Nothing would stand in my way. Besides the possibility that I may be bothered by the lack of hair on my head (as the vain teenager I am), the only setback is that there is no setback. Unlike pesky antagonists who always seem to get the better of us, this too was the main foil in Saitama’s superhero narrative.
When trials no longer become triumphs, triumphs may well be the trials.
I would imagine myself with my arms akimbo, standing victorious after I’ve vanquished all obstacles. Yet, passing my 2.4 kilometres run without breaking a sweat doesn’t quite kindle the same cathartic euphoria as having huffed and puffed two-thirds of the route to reach the end.
Stoic philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius once wrote to himself, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Without any impediments, actions may all but seem futile in the search for something greater. Life stagnates without challenges. While others find joy and fulfilment in accomplishing feats they never thought possible, meaning is lost for those whose goals are accomplished at the lift of a finger.
My limited lung capacity, the blazing sun that forces my fiery gaze down to the red rubber track and my stride that never seems to cover much distance — these are all things that stand in my way to the finish line. Yet, these are also the shortcomings and setbacks that make the ending beep on the stopwatch sound all the more like the ringing bell at the gates of heaven.
As Saitama continues his search for a worthy opponent, let us take life’s hurdles in stride and envision ourselves not as One-Punch Man, but as the side characters who challenge themselves time and time again to become better than they were yesterday.
