Review by Ian Keogh

In That Man the Hero Association identified a threat so dire they’ll need all the super powered beings on the planet to combat it. This includes the villains, invited to the Hero Association headquarters under amnesty to learn about what also threatens them. One of their number however, doesn’t see things that way, and his story continues from the previous volume. It’s rather a let down. Writer One is going through the motions to establish Garo the Human Monster for later use, but doing so takes a lot of pages filled with the usual boasts and threats.

Appearing on the cover is Hellish Blizzard, who’s been seen before in passing. She tops the B category of the Hero Association rankings. While there’s something to be said for her being a powerful and independent woman, the downside is she starts off just as petty and unpleasant as any other woman seen in the series to date.

Although there’s no dip to Yusuke Murata’s art, this is a bitty selection of chapters. Garo manifests and causes trouble, before a central section switching the focus back to Saitaima and Genos. The notion of ranking the heroes is something that seems to obsess all of them, and within the rankings it’s now revealed there are factions crossing categories. Only Saitama stands apart unconcerned what his status is. Along the way, however, he has learned about others, and the adage of knowing a man by whom he chooses as friends comes into play. Despite the series title, he has yet to adopt a hero name, and the Hero Association feel it’s time he did, so they provide one for him, and provide a laugh for us.

The whole volume is about bulking up Garo’s threat, which is done via his setting about assorted heroes. He’s certainly someone to be taken seriously by the end, as long as he continues to avoid Saitama, that is. Can he manage that throughout Pumped Up? The bonus story this time concerns Hellish Blizzard and the Blizzard Bunch, who sound rather like a cartoon show, but is a loose comedy constructed around their need for better quality transportation.