The third season of the acclaimed seriesInvinciblehas just been released on Prime Video, continuing the journey of Mark Grayson, much to the delight of fans. As in previous installments,Invincibleis characterized by introducing cameosand references from other beloved superhero comics that are easy to spot for fans of the genre. But while most of these Easter eggs could be traced to western comics,there is a pretty obvious reference inInvincibleto an iconic Japanese superhero franchise,One Punch Man.
In the premiere episode ofInvincible season 3, titled “You’re Not Laughing Now,” all the heroes are captured by Doc Seismic, who has been secretly monitoring vibrations across Earth. Later, as Darkwing II arrived to free the heroes with his ReAnimen,a short scene finally displayed the abilities of the hero based on Saitama fromOne-Punch Man.
Invincible Showcases a Parody Version of One-Punch Man
Invincible Season 3’s Premiere Shows its Own Caped Baldy Hero in Action
A parody ofSaitama the protagonist ofOne-Punch Man—known as Caped Baldy, much to his dislike—has appeared occasionally in the background as one of the American heroes in Invinciblesince episode 3 of the first season. Although little is known about this hero, he shares many similarities with Saitama, like his most distinctive features, his baldness and the empty look of his eyes. As well as the characteristic costume but with inverted colors, since the hero wears a red suit, yellow cape, white belt, and black gloves, as opposed to Saitama’s yellow suit, white cape, black belt, and red gloves.
Marvel, We’re Begging: Please Give One-Punch Man’s Artist Their Own Spider-Man Series
Yusuke Murata, One-Punch Man’s creator, needs his own Spider-Man manga series and this beautiful fanart piece proves it.
When asked about this character,Invincible’s creator, Robert Kirkman, revealedon Redditin an AMA that the hero’s name was Two-Punch Man, a reply that was considered a joke by the fans. However,Invincible Season 3’s premiere proves Two-Punch Man is his real name,as when he is fighting some Magmanites from Doc Seismic, he defeats them with two punches. Moreover, Two-Punch Man blows away the head of the Magmanite with one punch, which means the second was just for the gag, confirming the clear parody of Saitama’s way of fighting. Also, even though Two-Punch Man can fly, unlike Saitama, this change is likely to prevent any copyright infringement.
One-Punch Man Has Received Several References
One-Punch Man' Influence Continues to Grow Over Time
One-Punch Manhas been referenced in multiple mediums, like the character The Walloper inAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, who is a bald monk with a yellow rod that defeats his enemies with a single punch, or the enemy in Borderlands 3 named One Punch. Also, in Marvel’sAll-New Inhumanscomic #5, there is a character similar to Saitama.
There are also references in other animes, like the daily quest of Sung Jinwoo inSolo Leveling,which is the same training regime that Saitama did to become strong, and inMob Psycho 100—which was created by the same author ONE—where Saitama’s picture is the screensaver of Reigen, and one of the members of the telepathy club is reading a parody manga ofOne-Punch Man. Nevertheless, the Easter egg inInvincibleshowsOne-Punch Man’s influence and international recognition as a standout superhero series which could only increase with its upcoming season 3 and live-action adaptation.
One-Punch Man
Cast
Saitama, a superhero from City Z, faces an existential crisis as he can defeat any opponent with a single punch, leading to a lack of challenge and sheer boredom. His quest for a worthy opponent leads him to meet new friends and enemies and join the Hero Association to gain official recognition while accidentally (and secretly) solving all of the world’s problems with a single punch.
