One-Punch Man’s titular superhero has come up with the whackiest and strongest moves in the series, but his latest shatters even his previous records. It allows Saitama to make the impossible possible, though it turns out this move does not come without drawbacks as initially presumed. Chapter 167 shows exactly what happens when Saitama uses his newly-learned Zero Punch technique.
Garo and Saitama might have been at each other’s throats recently, but they were quick to change their attitude after the fight’s conclusion. The Hero Hunter realized the futility and recklessness of his actions and asked the bald hero for a favor: to copy his abilities, granting him a God’s power without borrowing it from one. Saitama did and managed to master it before Garo perished, resulting in the conceptualization of the Bald Cape’s recent, time-transcending ultimate move.
After copying Garo, time immediately started flowing backward for Saitama. He watched as the events flashed through him in reverse, and let out a punch when he saw Garo attempting to terrorize the heroes. Interestingly, his punch landed and knocked the Hero Hunter back to his senses. The same hit destroyed the entire future timeline Saitama came from, resulting in him being thrown back into his past’s body. However, he just didn’t turn back time — he came back with future Genos’ core and a dangling willie.
Receiving future Saitama’s punch also left Garo hunched and defeated; it also managed to knock out his divine powers, allowing the other heroes to gang up on him. While Garo was receiving their anger, Saitama and Genos were having a chat. Saitama presented the core he was holding to Genos, stating he had no recollection as to how he got it. Of course, the same was true regarding the ripped area on his crotch. Even when Genos retrieved the memories from the core, Saitama still failed to remember the events his future self experienced.
Saitama failing to recall the feats he accomplished prior to traveling back in time suggests his memory of those events only lasts for a couple of moments. It is still unclear whether the memories simply remain dormant within his subconscious or if they are gone forever. Whichever the case may be, Saitama can no longer use his Zero Punch move in his current state in One-Punch Man.
There is also the question of Saitama’s current power level. Given that he manages to destroy the law of causality and take future Genos’ core back into the past, it is possible his current strength is the same as his future self’s. But the greatest letdown of Saitama’s amnesia is that it cancels out all the character development he’s gained and shown. After all, future Saitama has experienced the worst-case scenario — witnessing Genos’ murder and failing to save the world.
