Review by Ian Keogh

Garo has been the lead character for the past few volumes of One–Punch Man, heavily conflicted and his current allegiance uncertain. Because I’m the Bald Cape? ended with the Monster Association wanting to recruit him as deputy leader, but as he’s a relatively unknown quantity to them he’s told to prove himself by bringing them the head of a hero.

There may be a reader somewhere completely attuned to One’s mind who will be able to predict where he takes the story from that point, but it’s very, very unlikely. What One does is build on what we’ve seen of Garo’s youth, by providing a reason for his looking kindly on the little kid with the hero catalogue, and come to a decision. The foundations have all been laid in earlier volumes, while the new introduction here is the concept of the limiter, an artificial device explaining why some monsters exist. The discussion of it applies to all heroes and Yusake Murata delivers four great spreads showcasing some of his amazing character designs across the heroic and villainous spectrum.

While Garo’s deciding what’s important to him, Saitama’s also having a crisis. He’s lost his wallet. With 6000 yen inside! This leads to a larger role for the title character than he’s had for several volumes, while One also spotlights the Monster Association. Their very natures ensure they’re not a bunch inclined to getting along with each other, so while they may have the numbers in the short term, can they maintain that fragile alliance long enough to deal with the heroes?

Limiter is another step back upward, not least for Murata’s amazing art, but how long can One maintain the tease before all-out conflict? With the next volume titled All My Cabbage, it seems as if there’s a while to go.