Review by Ian Keogh

Despite the series being titled after One-Punch Man, Saitama’s not often seen these days, so his presence in two chapters of Drive Knight after his decisive intervention in Sacrifice is something to be welcomed. This time round it’s the turn of Flashy Flash to be puzzled by Saitama, as joyfully depicted on the cover.

While the fight in the tunnels may be continuing, One also moves the action to the surface. It’s only the most powerful heroes who were sent into the tunnels, so how will the lesser characters cope when Nyan appears before them. Nyan is among the more interesting monsters, which is high praise, a humanoid cat able to slip away anywhere if there’s the slightest hole.

The volume’s named after Drive Knight, who’s not been seen for an awful long time, and it’s reiterated how powerful he is, and also how the way he operates can result in the deaths of others as he waits for the ideal moment to engage the enemy. Drive Knight is instrumental in One moving the plot forward slightly. It’s been known there’s a traitor within the ranks of the heroes, just not who. Considering One is hardly shy of prolonging a plot for book after book, it’s somewhat surprising that a name is very rapidly disclosed.

Every review of One-Punch Man stresses the quality of Yusuke Murata’s art, and the superlatives are beginning to run dry 25 volumes in. His design and action are phenomenal, yet it’s never at the cost of sacrificing the storytelling. You always know what’s going on.

This is somewhat a transitional volume. There are still heroes in the tunnels and monsters are still a threat, yet more time is spent on the surface than underground in Drive Knight. The plots still intrigue, and the characters remain strong heading into Unfathomable.