Which ‘One Punch Man’ Manga Should You Read? Easy Read Order Guide

If you have been reading shonen manga for some time, you might be able to sense certain similarities that each of them has. However, One Punch Man is one series that tries to veer from this stereotype. There is no denial of it being a shonen series, but calling it an offbeat shonen would be more accurate.

The protagonist, Saitama, has the power every superhero fan would imagine to have – to defeat his enemy with a single punch. It is quite obvious how OP this punch would be, but seeing it happen is something you don’t always get to see.

Saitama is aware of the power he wields, which makes him somewhat disinterested in fighting the bad guys, and is more concerned about missing the Saturday sale. The rest of the characters, including the villains, have a lot more depth to them – which adds twists to the story.

How Many Manga Installments does One Punch Man have?

One Punch Man is created by ONE. The written material can be precisely classified into three installments. But the third installment is not exactly an installment and can be called as supplementary material to the latter. 

1. Webcomic

The illustrations are also done by ONE himself. This installment had two major hiatuses in 2010 and in 2017 and is currently ongoing.

The series became wildly popular within a short time. Currently, the webcomic has 141 chapters (as of July 2022).

2. Manga

In 2011, when ONE returned from his first hiatus, Yusuke Murata contacted him, proposing a remake of the webcomic with his illustrations. One Punch Man was quite popular by that time, and Murata was a fan himself.

This comic, also known as One Punch Man manga, has been published on Jump since 2012.

Currently, 26 volumes of One Punch Man manga have been out as of July 2022 containing 131 chapters (called punches) out of 166, which are published online. The manga became a lot more popular because of Jump’s huge audience and Murata’s incredible artwork.

3. Manga Redrawings

At times, ONE and Murata would get back to an old chapter of the One Punch Man manga and rework it. These reworks include adding more details to certain events, expanding certain storylines, and even rewriting some of them, which would contradict the original events.

Such reworkings should not be considered a separate installment but an annexure to the One Punch Man manga because it directly impacts its story.

Which Manga to Read First?

Both the webcomic and the manga follow the same storyline, so whether you follow the webcomic or the manga, you are not missing out on anything. This also means that you might not want to read both and follow only one.

While the webcomic is the original, the artwork might put you off because compared to the manga, the illustrations lack that detail. On the other hand, the pace of the story is a lot simpler and faster in the webcomic as compared to the manga.

Currently, the webcomic moves ahead from the manga, so you can get to know what happens after the Monster Association Arc.

You can choose any of the two, but we would recommend going for the manga anyway because there is more depth to the same story with better detail in the art.

Reading Order for One Punch Man

1. Introduction Saga

Story Arc	Webtoon Chapters	Manga Chapters
Saitama Introduction Arc	1 – 4	1 – 4
House of Evolution Arc	5 – 11	5 – 11
Paradise Group Arc	12 – 15	12 – 15

2. Hero Association Saga

Story Arc	Webtoon Chapters	Manga Chapters
National Superhero Registry Arc	16 – 19	16 – 19
Rumored Monster Arc	N/A	20
Giant Meteor Arc	20 – 23	21 – 22
Sea Monster Arc	24 – 31	23 – 29
Alien Conquerors Arc	32 – 41	30 – 37
King Arc	42 – 44	38 – 39

3. Human Monster Saga

Story Arc	Webtoon Chapters	Manga Chapters
Garou Introduction Arc	45 – 46	40 – 41
The Blizzard Group Arc	47 – 50	42 – 45
Hero Hunt Arc	51 – 52	46 – 51
Monster Raid Arc	N/A	52 – 65
Super Fight Arc	N/A	66 – 77
Monster Association Arc	53 – 94	78 – ongoing

4. Neo Heroes Saga

Story Arc	Webtoon Chapters	Manga Chapters
Psychic Sisters Arc	95 – 106	N/A
Neo Heroes Introduction Arc	107 – 111	N/A
Ninjas Arc	112 – 118	N/A
Supreme Hero Arc	119 – 123	N/A
Neo Heroes Uprising Arc	124 – ongoing	N/A

Anime vs. Manga

When it comes to comparing the One Punch Man anime with the manga, there is barely any difference. Because a manga displays the events in panels, it is obvious that the anime would streamline them with original scenes. The anime not only does that but also expands on certain scenes, including fight scenes.

The OVAs are absolutely unique stories, which gives all the more reason to watch the anime even if you are up to date with the manga.

About One Punch Man

One-Punch Man is a Japanese superhero webcomic created by the artist One in early 2009. It has a manga adaptation illustrated by Yusuke Murata, as well as an anime adaptation. Following its publication, the webcomic quickly went viral, surpassing 7.9 million hits in June 2012.

On an unnamed Earth-like supercontinent planet, powerful monsters and villains have been wreaking havoc in the cities. To combat them, the world’s government created a Hero Association that employs superheroes to stop them. The heroes are ranked from Class C to Class S.

Saitama, an unassociated hero, hails from the metropolis of City-Z and performs heroic deeds for his own entertainment. He has trained himself to the point where he broke his “limit” and can effortlessly defeat any opponent with a single punch while slaying monsters the same way. But he is now bored with his omnipotence and frustrated by sensing he lacks a challenge.