One Punch Man is an incredibly funny, action packed, mind-blowing, and heartfelt manga collaboration between webcomic author ‘ONE’, and artist Yusuke Murata.
What began as a slapstick comedy series crudely illustrated and written by one man has quickly become an internationally renowned series, with anime and video-game adaptations aplenty!
However, for as light-hearted as One Punch Man is in tone, the series has a great level of hidden depth, as well as a number of yet-unanswered mysteries. Like who is the mysterious figure known as ‘God’ who appears before characters like Homeless Emperor.
However, one particular mystery has been prevalent in the minds of fans since the early days of the original manga. Who is the mysterious Blast?
It’s likely that you’re reading this right now because you’ve pondered this question yourself at some point, so why don’t delve right into the deep end and find out exactly who blast is? Read on below to get all of the answers we have so far!
Very little is currently known about this enigmatic character, and it seems that it might stay that way for quite some time.
What we do know about blast is that he is currently the top ranking S-class hero in the Hero association. This puts a considerable amount of expectations on his shoulders, as he ranks above even some of the strongest characters, such as Tatsumaki, Genos, and Kamikaze.
When Is Blast First Introduced?
Within the mainline manga series, Blast was first introduced in chapter 30, when he was mentioned by name over the course of a meeting of S-class heroes. Up until this point this is the only mention of the character, and no indication as to his appearance or his abilities is given.
All that is told to the reader is that Blast has been missing for some time and only a few characters have a direct line to communicate with him.
Do We Know What Blast Looks Like?
Yes. Blast made his first visible appearance in chapter 135, which takes place entirely within flashback. Within this chapter Sweet Mask thinks back to a time in which he met the mysterious Blast, who saved him from a powerful monster in one fell swoop.
This is the first time that blast is ever shown as a full figure, but his face is still shrouded in Shadow.
Have We Seen Blast’s Face?
Yes. In Chapter 139 of the mainline manga series Blast’s face was shown for the first time, finally revealing the character in his full glory.
In this chapter Blast makes a daring rescue of Saitama, Flashy Flash, and Manako, by whisking them away into a worm-hole.
It is then later revealed by Blast that Saitama, Flashy Flash, and Manako can now communicate with God, as they have touched a mysterious cube, which are objects that Blast says he is collecting.
It is yet unclear why Blast rescued the three of them from the underground caverns of the Monster Association, but it is likely related to his hunt for the Mysterious cubes.
What Are Blast’s Superpowers?
This is easily one of the most intriguing parts of Blast’s character. What are his powers? It is still very much unclear exactly what Blast’s main power set consists of, but what is clear is that he is immensely powerful, and able to keep up with even some of the best heroes in the association.
Within chapter 139 Flashy Flash, upon meeting Blast, remains suspicious, and decides to attack Blast to see whether he is telling the truth. Readers were very quickly shocked to see that Blast was able to move faster than Flashy Flash, who is renowned as the fastest hero in the Association.
We have also seen that Blast is capable of creating interdimensional portals, or some other kind of teleporting technology, which allows him to quickly move about from place to place in a single flash. He can also teleport people alongside him, such as how he did with Saitama and Flashy Flash.
Blast also showed off his super strength, by taking down a monster to save another hero, as well as being able to lift up the Mysterious cubes with just a few fingers, which was impossible for Flashy Flash.
If Blast is able to keep up with Flashy Flash, and has the title of the rank-1 S-Class hero, then it is also very likely that he has more powers that we have yet to see, and that he is a character well worth keeping an eye on as the series moves past its current arc.
What Are The Mysterious Cubes?
Unfortunately, for an element that has now been mentioned and seen multiple times in the One Punch Man series, very little is yet known about what the Mysterious cubes are.
What we do know, as indicated by Blast, is that they act as a direct line of communication with God. Touching a Mysterious cube warps space and time so that one can speak with the yet unseen ‘God’.
The cubes are also extremely heavy, and can grant powers to those who touch them. The only characters who can lift a cube, as we have seen, are Blast and Saitama. It is still unclear exactly what Blast’s goal is in collecting all of the cubes.
Conclusion
Even from the very early days of the One Punch Man series, Blast has been a very important character, at first only mentioned in secret, and with an air of mystery.
Now, while there is still much to learn, we know that he is immensely powerful, but also very personable, as evidenced by his design, and how he carries himself around other characters.
It is clear that ‘ONE’, and Yusuke Murata have big plans for Blast, and fans cannot wait to see what those plans are!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Slast Saitama’s Dad?
This is very unlikely. Especially as it would ruin one of the longest running jokes that Saitama’s immense power was garnered just by a very ordinary exercise regime.
Blast being Saitama’s father would imply that Saitama’s powers are inherited, thus weakening the comedic and dramatic pull of the series.
Is Blast More Powerful Than Saitama?
It is yet unclear whether Blast is stronger than Saitama, but knowing the series’ past, it is likely that Saitama is very much stronger than Blast.
Is Blast Is Saitama?
No. In fact, Blast was first seen in his full form meeting Saitama. Thus it is unlikely that Saitama could be both characters, unless ‘ONE’ decided to pull some crazy mental gymnastics with the story going forward!
