One-Punch Man Episode 23 recap: Garou finds his inner monster

Photo: One-Punch Man. Courtesy VIZ Media

Garou has established himself as the “hero hunter” on One-Punch Man, taking out multiple heroes with ease. On the latest episode, he reiterates why every hero — regardless of class — should be scared of him.

In Season 2, Episode 11 of One-Punch Man, fans witness a huge showdown between Garou and a group of Class A heroes. Led by Death Gatling, the team seem to have a decent chance of beating the hero hunter. The bad news is that he makes quick work of them, annihilating each hero with his lightning quick moves.

Once he’s taken out the team of lowly heroes, Garou basks in his victory. He sees conquering them as a stepping stone on his journey to becoming a monster, bringing him even closer to that dream. Unfortunately, Garou’s mission hits a major roadblock when Genos arrives.

It’s happened mostly offscreen but Genos has been receiving various upgrades to his cyborg body. He took the tech belonging to a rogue cyborg earlier in the season and in “The Varieties of Pride”, he suggests additional modifications were made the prior day when Genos introduces himself to Garou.

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When the two first collide, Garou underestimates the cyborg warrior’s abilities. He assumes Genos is just another Class A hero trying to make a name for himself and that’s his first mistake. It takes Genos all of a few seconds to bait Garou in, granting him an opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks.

Despite receiving countless blows, Garou recovers and imitates Watchdog Man’s erratic fighting style to counter the cyborg. Genos is a bit taken aback by Garou’s sudden style change, though he adapts to the situation rather quickly. In doing so, Genos is able to trap the hero hunter.

Tied to a tree, Garou appears to be defeated. Genos, standing triumphantly over him, begins charging up to incinerate the beast. He’s about to unleash a powerful blast when Garou pulls the tree trunk out of its root. He lands directly on his face but the impact triggers something inside of him.

Garou rises from under the tree with a slightly different appearance. One of his eyes is now red and his hair has suddenly switched from a striking white to a roaring red color. A possible transformation may have happened, though that’s undetermined.

Looks aside, Garou has bigger problems to worry about: Silver Fang. The old man has shown up to put an end to his misguided protégé for good. He doesn’t wish to kill Garou but the so-called hero hunter may not give him a choice. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the next episode to find out.

What did you think of One-Punch Man’s latest episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

One-Punch Man airs Tuesdays on Hulu. All episodes are currently streaming. For more on OPM, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.

(Source: Hulu)