Summary

• One-Punch Man excels at creating unique character designs ranging from simple to incredibly detailed.
• Heroes like Tatsumaki and villains like God and Phoenix Man have visually striking and impactful appearances.
• Saitama's simplistic design allows for flexibility in conveying emotions, making him suited for both drama and comedy.

One-Punch Man's manga is well known for its amazing artwork, and that applies to the character designs just as much as it does to the backgrounds and scenery. One-Punch Man is fantastic at creating cool and memorable characters, even when they don't get to do a lot in the story.

The series is well known for not only its heroes, but also the monsters, which often have incredible designs of their own. Monster designs are generally allowed to be much more open, since they don't need to look anything like an ordinary human necessarily. That results in some truly wild-looking monsters that have appeared over the course of the series, but even then, some heroes still stand out.

For various reasons, One-Punch Man's chapter numbering differs between the Japanese and American releases. This list utilizes the official English language Viz release's chapter numbers.

10 Tatsumaki's Design is Curly and Cute

First Appearance: Chapter 29, "S Class"

Tatsumaki is a good example of a character design that's very simple while also being highly effective. Her curly, windswept hair is evocative of her hero name, "Tornado of Terror." Her outfit is a simple black dress with cutouts, giving it "tails" that can whip around in the wind when she utilizes her psychic powers. Because her design is so simple, it's also easy for her to return to her "Webcomic"-style appearance for gags, such as the infamous "Sassy Lost Child" scene.

9 Genos' Look is Ever Evolving, But Always Detailed

First Appearance: Chapter 5, "Itch Explosion"

Genos is at the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Tatsumaki, with a design that's so absurdly detailed and complex that it's hard to imagine how artist Yusuke Murata manages to draw it each time. Genos' appearance has evolved over the series as he upgrades himself with new hardware in constant attempts to measure up to Saitama's power, but it always boasts some incredible detail. Genos also has the benefit of being able to transform in certain ways, such as when firing his heaviest weapons, and he even manages to look slick in these poses.

8 Drive Knight's Gold Form is Awesome

First Appearance: Chapter 29, "S Class"

Drive Knight is another cyborg like Genos, but has a far less human-looking design. His single cyclopean eye gives him a very distinctive look, while his mop of messy black hair keeps him from looking like just another robot. Drive Knight has several transformations at his disposal, including Rook, Knight, Bishop, Chariot, Silver, and Gold. His Gold form is perhaps his best look, which sees his hair grow long and turn lighter in color as energy radiates from his body, giving him spiky protrusions of pure energy that accentuate his power.

7 Cosmic Horror Garou Makes Space Terrifying

First Appearance: Chapter 39, "Outlaws"

Garou undergoes several transformations over the course of the series, but his coolest design is that of his ultimate form, "Cosmic Horror." Already having partially transformed into a monster, becoming cloaked in black armor, Garou is given power by the evil God, and his dark armor begins to take on the appearance of outer space, with galaxies visible in the black. It gives Garou a suitably powerful vibe, as if he's no longer bound by any limits.

6 Boros Was the First to Actually Challenge Saitama

First Appearance: Chapter 31, "From Outer Space"

Boros is the first opponent who forces Saitama to get serious, so he needed to look like a terrifying threat, something his design definitely accomplished. Boros' singular eye gives him an alien appearance, and his body is covered in lines that appear to course with energy, giving the impression of incredible power. Boros also has a transformation after he loses his armor, in which he gains an eye on his chest that can fire off beams of energy. His spiked hair also accentuates the feeling of power pouring off him, as if it's so intense even his hair stands on end.

5 Phoenix Man's Ultimate Form is One of the Most Threatening

First Appearance: Chapter 57, "Monstrous Insect"

Phoenix Man's initial appearance is that of a man in a giant bird suit, which is hilarious and well done on its own. However, after being reborn, Phoenix Man took on a different appearance which made the silly character terrifying. Resurrected Phoenix Man has an intricate design, with a gem placed in a prominent position on his chest, and massive angelic wings sprouting from his back. He maintains the human-head-inside-a-bird-mask look for his face, reminding fans of what he once was while he looms intimidatingly over Child Emperor.

4 God's Faceless Nature Makes it a True Horror

First Appearance: Chapter 109, "A Dangerous Multiplying Monster"

The villain behind everything bad in One-Punch Man is the mysterious being which is referred to as "God." God is a deceptive being that seeks to eliminate humanity, and everything about its appearance feels unnatural and wrong. God's head is completely faceless, instead made up of a web of neuron-like connections that are a bit sickening to look at too long. Despite having a humanoid shape, God's proportions are off, making it look even more unnatural. God is a true eldritch horror, and its design captured that element of the character perfectly.

3 Blast Has a Classic Hero Look

First Appearance: Chapter 133, "Disgrace and Foundation"

Blast is the classical hero, and everything about his design just screams that fact. He often has a confident expression, and his face is square and strong-looking, with scars, suggesting he has the power and experience to back that up. He looks muscular, but also wears substantial armor and a cape that can billow dramatically behind him, making Blast one of the few One-Punch Man characters to utilize one. Blast looks like an experienced hero and someone that can be counted on when the chips are down, which is exactly his role in the story so far.

2 Monster King Orochi Looks Worthy of the Title

First Appearance: Chapter 64, "The Strong Ones"

Orochi is the King of Monsters and the ostensible head of the Monster Association. His massive size gives him an absolutely dominating appearance. His face resembles an emotionless mask, and he has several devil-like horns growing out of his head. His arms look as if they sprouted out of mouths, giving him a terrifyingly unnatural appearance. Orochi also undergoes several transformations, becoming less regal and more monstrous as he calls on more of his power. His ultimate form, a fusion with Psykos, has four arms and massive wings, and is catastrophically large.

1 Saitama's Simple Design is Incredibly Flexible

First Appearance: Chapter 1, "One Punch"

Compared to many of the detailed heroes and monsters on this list, Saitama looks incredibly simplistic, but that's actually one of this design's strengths. With relatively small changes to how his eyes and face are drawn, Saitama can look silly and harmless, or powerful and intimidating, showing how flexible his design really is. Like Tatsumaki, his simple design also allows him to regress to the "webcomic"-style appearance for gags. As a character equally suited for drama and comedy, Saitama's simple but instantly recognizable look is One-Punch Man's best character design.

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