"Awakening of the Gods" (神々の目覚め, Kamigami no Mezame, Tonari: 213) is the 173rd chapter of the One-Punch Man manga series.
Short Summary[]
Saitama defeats Garou, who imparts a time travel technique that lets him undo his catastrophic actions. Saitama uses it to travel back and change the Ominous Future.
Long Summary[]
The fight on Jupiter's Io shows Saitama gradually overwhelming Garou. Garou realizes that Saitama is deliberately copying his moves. Saitama mocks him for thinking he could imitate him when he is serious, daring Garou to try. Even after using Mode: Saitama to fight back, Garou notices that Saitama keeps growing stronger. Garou opens a gateway and throws a punch but Saitama catches his fist but begins to sense something. With his clothes torn and exposed to Io's freezing atmosphere, Saitama unleashes a Serious Sneeze at Garou, who narrowly avoids it. The sneeze devastates Io's surface, blasting all the way to Jupiter and tearing apart its gaseous layers.
The impact sends both fighters flying into interplanetary space. As they drift, Garou spots the Sun and searches for Earth, locating it within teleportation distance. After striking Saitama with a massive Nuclear Fission blast, Garou opens a portal to return to Earth. Suddenly, Saitama appears behind him, complimenting Garou on his portal ability, which stuns him. Saitama explains that the cold gave him a stomachache, and the earlier explosion's light made him fart, which pushed him into the portal in time.
Saitama punches Garou back to Earth, landing exactly where their battle began. Realizing his struggle was pointless, Garou questions why Saitama does not kill him. Saitama responds that, unlike Garou's "ever-changing costumes" or King's reputation, he is not suited for such things. Even so, he calls himself a hero and tells Garou that he promised Tareo never to kill him. To Garou's shock, he then sees the boy lying on the ground, dead from radiation.
Consumed with guilt, Garou runs away, grieving that Tareo's death was caused by being too close to him. He sees it as the cost of being the "Ominous Future". Saitama, confused by Garou's behavior, suspects something changed him since he fell from the sky. Garou replies that if something happened, it is because his spirit is weak. He laments that calling himself "Absolute Evil" is laughable if Saitama can defeat him while refusing to take him seriously. Garou believes that if Saitama had killed him, his wish to embody true evil would have come true. Instead, the first person he wanted to save after changing the world is now gone.
Saitama realizes Garou always wanted to protect Tareo, asking if he relied on him for strength. Furious, Garou questions Saitama's understanding of clinging to others, only to notice he still holds Genos' depleted core. He realizes that individuals of immense power like himself and Saitama require the presence of others to act as anchors. When Saitama asks what he intends to do, Garou makes a final request.
Garou asks Saitama to copy his technique, knowing he can master and surpass them. Saitama agrees. Garou begins demonstrating his technique, but a voice suddenly echoes from above, declaring that Garou's powers will be taken back. As his body starts turning to salt, he urges Saitama to closely watch him executing the technique.
With Garou's time leap mastered, Saitama begins to go back in time. Before fully turning to salt, Garou tells him to defeat the "Ominous Future". Saitama then arrives at the moment Garou confronted the heroes. As Garou looks to the sky, Saitama lands a punch that immediately defeats him. The present heroes watch in awe as Garou realizes his strength is fading. The "future" Saitama merges with his "past" self, leaving one Saitama holding Genos's core from the future.
Confused, Saitama only remembers being hit by Garou's Gamma Ray Burst. He is stunned to find the depleted core in his hand and a hole in his costume at the crotch. Suddenly, Genos tackles him, apologizing for losing control.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Chapter Notes[]
Online Cover
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