Did Murata nerf Phoenix Man in One Punch Man manga? Explained

Modified Mar 19, 2024 08:25 GMT

Was Phoenix Man nerfed in the One Punch Man manga? (Image via J.C. Staff)

Phoenix Man from the One Punch Man manga is a character who went under most readers’ radar. Very few fully appreciate his abilities as well as his presence in the manga itself.

Those who have watched the second season were briefly introduced to this character. He was from the Monster Association and managed to rescue Garou, who was left unconscious after fighting the likes of Watch Dog Man and Bang.

However, those who started reading the manga seem to have some questions regarding this character. The revised chapters from the Monster Association arc changed Phoenix Man’s abilities in the One Punch Man manga.

The question that fans of the series are all asking is whether Murata nerfed Phoenix Man in the One Punch Man manga. The answer to that is yes, Murata did nerf Phoenix Man in the One Punch Man manga. Let’s take a look at some of his abilities before and after a few revisions Murata made in the aforementioned story arc.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from the manga adaptation of the series.

Taking a look at ways in which Murata nerfed Phoenix Man in the One Punch Man manga

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One of the most broken abilities that this character has in the series is his ability to resurrect. Not only does he resurrect every time he dies, but he also comes back stronger. Furthermore, this character has the ability to communicate with people telepathically by inserting his psyche in the metaphysical space.

Not only does this allow him to communicate with his enemies telepathically, but it also makes them perceive time differently.

There were different modes that he had access to - Prominence Hawk Mode and Phoenix Fire Falcon mode, to name a few. These were shown in both versions of the One Punch Man manga, before and after Murata decided to revise chapters 100-103. These abilities alone make him incredibly broken. The two modes mentioned earlier have specific abilities.

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The Prominence Hawk Mode gives him incredible strength, while the Phoenix Fire Mode, gives him the ability to travel through spaces very quickly. He was so fast that Child Emperor’s sensors were unable to track him. However, this is where he got the biggest nerf.

After showcasing these two modes, he showed his ultimate form - the Brilliant Eagle Mode. This was the perfect fusion of strength and speed, and this combination was taken to a whole new level.

Phoenix Man, in this mode, could absorb high amounts of energy and release it outward. Even when Child Emperor used his most powerful energy beam, he managed to absorb it easily and release it back at them.

The character was nerfed and he regressed to a different form in the revised chapter (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata)

However, Phoenix Man was nerfed and he no longer had this mode in the revised chapters. Instead, Saitama managed to enter the metaphysical space and managed to cause a disturbance. This led to Phoenix Man regressing substantially and later on becoming Chick Man.

This is how Murata nerfed a character who could possibly have been the most broken and powerful villain one could have seen at the time. It will be interesting to see him return in the manga and perhaps side with the good guys in this scenario.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.