CITY A - HERO ASSOCIATION HQ
Then it is decided that Mumen Rider
will remain the top-ranked class C hero.
Understood. I will let him know.
I simply cannot understand
why he has no desire to move up to class B...
Our next agenda item is the 55th Hero Certification Exam.
For this exam, the total number of candidates is...
11,684, with the exam offered at six different venues.
That is an increase of more than 22% over the previous exam.
We mustn't be happy with simple quantity.
Even with more candidates,
if the quality of the heroes is reduced,
the numbers are meaningless.
Therefore, we ought to be even more critical during evaluations.
Also, I hear that a certain person of interest
is taking the exam this time.
Yes, it hasn't been confirmed yet,
but it seems very likely that he will.
One puuuuuunch!
Three, Two, One-Kill shot!
I'm here! Victory assured! Total invincibility!
What'd you say? Frustration! I NEVER STOP
One punch! It's done! Another battle, another won!
Shout out! I always triumph! Total victory!
Power! Get the power! To the last, ultimate edge!
HERO!! Applause or voices raised in praise
I don't need any of them.
HERO!! That's why no one knows I fight evil in secret
(Nobody knows who he is!)
A sky filled with enemies all closing in
But I will not turn my back
HERO!! My indomitable will shall be unleashed
I will fight on. Heroooooo!
The lonely herooooo!
I wanna be the strongest hero!
HERO TEST LOCATION #6
Candidates, please form two lines for registration.
Next! Side-to-side jumps for 30 seconds!
Ready...
Go!
Next, the 1500-meter run. Go!
Next, weightlifting!
Next, shot put!
Vertical jumping!
Whack-a-Mole!
Punching machine!
I'm going home...
THE ULTIMATE MASTER
Finally done with all the tests.
Now I just wait for the results.
Oh, you done, too?
Yes.
Hey, is there a point in you taking fitness tests?
Huh?
I mean, can't you just give them the data on your specs?
Well, whatever. So how was it?
Both the written and fitness tests were far too simple.
Right? Is that really all there is to becoming a hero?
We should get our results soon.
70 points is a passing grade.
The written test was so easy anyone could get full points on it.
That just leaves the fitness test,
which for us should not have posed any problems.
ONE HOUR LATER
I got 100 points.
Seriously?
Yes.
It says I'm certified as a class S hero.
Class S? What's that?
I am sure these rankings mean little.
How did you do, Master?
Huh?
Oh! The letter says I'm also...
Class S.
I am not surprised.
On top of that, the font size is bigger than mine.
I expected nothing less, Master.
By the way, what did they ask you at the interview?
Interview?
Yes.
Just one final question, Genos.
Does this building look familiar to you?
We've been secretly investigating a group of troublemakers
that call themselves the "House of Evolution."
Just when we identified its center of operations,
we found the building had been mysteriously destroyed.
And with overwhelmingly intense firepower.
Are you responsible for this?
I am.
Why?
CERTIFIED S CLASS
I see...
I suppose it must be that
they felt no need to go through the trouble of interviewing you.
Master?
Yeah, after all...
I'm just a class C hero with a score of 71 points.
I see.
So I mistakenly thought the top half of the "C" was part of an "S"
Stop analyzing it!
It must be a mistake.
I will talk to the person in charge.
No, don't! You'll just embarrass me!
Mr. Genos, Mr. Saitama,
there will be a seminar for successful candidates at 4:00 PM.
Please come to lecture hall #3.
All right, come on.
All that really matters is we passed.
Let's get it over with and go home.
We finally found the cyborg we've been looking for.
So I've heard.
In consideration of his past accomplishments,
we made an exception and certified him as a Class S hero.
I just wanted to make sure you were notified of this.
Yes, I approve.
Genos, huh?
LECTURE HALL #3
First, congratulations on passing.
Now one of you only made it on a fluke,
So unless you want your luck to go to waste,
I better see you giving it your all.
And don't get all puffed up!
From here on, keep your hero status in mind and act modestly!
After all, your faces will be placed on the Hero Association website.
Did you hear me?
That goofball head of yours is gonna be shown to the whole world.
If you don't want to humiliate yourselves...
Aspire to be a fine hero like me!
Master!
As a class A hero, I have some influence over the Association.
I'll make sure those who behave irresponsibly...
lose points and get demoted.
Don't you forget it!
What should I have for dinner?
Apparently, the Hero Association was formed about three years ago.
So it's only been three years?
It was after the grandchild of a millionaire called Agoni
was attacked by a monster.
The child was saved by a passerby.
When Agoni heard what had happened,
he came up with this system and used his fortune
to establish the Hero Association.
Well, they put on some pretty boring seminars.
In any case, as new heroes, we'll be known around the world.
Now we can work with our heads held high.
Master...
I guess I'm now officially your disciple.
Please continue to guide me as my mentor.
Yeah...
All right, Master. Good night.
Yeah, see you.
Crap...
Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to say I'd take a disciple.
Especially this guy...
Those two newcomers today- did they really pass the exam?
Their attitudes were awful!
I'm Class A, rank 38 damn it, and they had no idea who I was.
Plus they don't know the first thing about how the world works.
Damn amateurs!
They'll be dirt-napping in no time.
No.
Genos got perfect scores on both the written and physical exams.
He's a phenomenal rookie
who gained a class S ranking right off the bat.
The other one, Saitama, had terrible scores on the essay,
but scored a perfect 50 on the physical.
That's how he was able to pass at all.
But in practically every activity on the fitness exam,
he broke the Hero Association's test records by inconceivable margins.
It's as if there's a god residing in that body.
Snek, you've already been outranked by Genos.
And Saitama may catch up with you soon enough.
That jackass?
If I get to the top of class C, then I'll get promoted to class B...
And class A is above that with class S even above that...
I guess Genos is actually pretty amazing.
I don't know...
...but maybe this isn't the kind of hero I wanted to be.
The newcomer seminar isn't over yet!
In this business, there's a thing called rookie crushing.
A lot of us heroes hate to be outranked.
So we crush newbies early on... like this!
Hero Registry?
Yes, I am a class S hero and you are a class C hero.
We are both ranked last in our classes.
Right now, we are still listed as Genos and Saitama,
but as we perform more heroic acts, we will acquire hero names.
Hero names? What are those?
I believe they are like nicknames that capture a hero's characteristics.
For example, I might be the "Blond Cyborg."
Wait, if that's how it works, won't I be like the "Caped Baldy?"
Aside from being ranked by ability,
you can also be ranked by popularity.
There are some heroes that have fan clubs.
Well, no one cares about that.
Wha-?!
Thank you for agreeing to my unreasonable request today.
Yeah, well I did promise to make you my disciple...
Is right here good?
Yes...
So we're just having a practice bout, right?
Not fighting for real?
Yes, that's what I have in mind.
But I want you to go all out, so I too will give it my all.
Please grant my request.
That was close...
My clothes could have got burnt up again.
I need more speed!
He's gone?
Have I been chasing his afterimage this whole time?
There!
Incinerate!
I got him this time.
Master will have to take me more seriously now...
Behind-
Okay, I win.
Master...
Yah?
Have you forgotten the rules of the bout?
Dodge any attack you are able to dodge.
Take it seriously and no fooling around.
Do not hold back.
And...
keep fighting until I am no longer able to fight.
Even Master Saitama himself cannot explain.
The secret lo his power...
This fight may give me some insight info it.
Show me no mercy.
Those were the rules, Master-
What the-?!
DEATH
I'm starving. Time for lunch.
Let's grab some udon noodles.
Okay...
I am prepared to do anything in order to become stronger.
But...
I can't picture myself even approaching Master's power.
Not at all...
He's on a different level.
What's the matter? You don't like udon?
I see, that's his location? Thanks, I'll head there now.
No, don't worry.
I'm just going to let him know what the industry expects of him.
I'm glad you like udon.
Yes, I'm not very picky.
Well, I'm also kinda low on funds right now...
Hey, how about another match, Genos"?
SUPER-SPICY MEGA-MONSTER UDON CHALLENGE PRIZE: ￥50,000 FAILURE: ￥10,000
That's insane!
No way!
I give up...
Is that it?
Man, you're awesome!
Welcome?!
You must be Genos.
I'm Amai Mask, class A rank 1.
I'd like to talk to you.
Class A, rank 1?
It's Amai Mask!
He's so gorgeous!
Talk?
He might be a rookie crusher...
Be careful, Genos!
I see. Please wait here, Master.
Very well.
I was just thinking about taking a walk to digest my food.
I hear you were certified class S by special exception.
What of it?
I wonder if he's all right...
Done already?
Yes.
You really are class S.
To have the top-ranked class A hero come to personally crush you...
That's not it.
So he wasn't here to fight? Then what gives?
In short...
He came to welcome me.
Huh? What's that mean?
Excuse me!
You're friends with Amai Mask, right?
May I shake your hand?
Thank you very much!
Shake mine too!
Class S and class C heroes sure get treated differently.
If you think about it, though, isn't that like fraud money?
WELCOME GIFT
I mean, you're a cyborg, right?
Yes...
Never mind. In any case, now we're even with a win and a loss apiece.
Starting today we're professional heroes.
Let's do our best, okay?
Yes.
A professional hero must always be a beautiful symbol of justice.
That is my philosophy.
It's especially true if you're a class S hero.
Come on, there's no need to glare at me.
I came all the way here just to see you.
How was the Certification Exam?
It was nothing but rubbish. An exam like that is a waste of time.
If you came to fight, get on with it. This, too, is a waste of time.
Being hot-blooded is fine, but if you take it too far...
...you'll get burnt.
I'll forget your criticism of the Association.
Thank you for your time.
I welcome you to the team.
We expect great things from you...
Genos.
Master...
I will be back later.
Oh, okay...
I'll see you.
Yes, goodbye.
A waste of time?
Such an interesting fellow...
Hey, come home soon, okay?
On this night when my sighs sway the crescent moon
I close my eyes and all my thoughts are of you.
I want to meet, I want to cry, this romantic mood,
I'm sending them all to you.
I mean, I've always known
How hard you've been working.
The one I love is so very strong, it makes me worry more.
So show me your faults, me alone.
I promise I'll find you before the stars do.
Come straight home, okay?
Please, come home soon, okay?
Uh...
So when you said, "I'll be back..."
This is what you meant?
Yes. I went home to gather my things.
May I live here?
Absolutely not.
I have rent money.
Did you bring a toothbrush?
Yes!
NEXT EPISODE: THE TERRIFYING CITY
I am Snek, Class A, rank 38!
A lot of guys think my name is "Snake,"
but it's Snek, so don't forget it!
Next time on One-Punch Man:
Episode 6, "The Terrifying City."
There's time left? Well, I'm fully aware of that.
That's right! In this industry,
there's such a thing as killing time with episode previews!