One Punch Man proves Saitama is the biggest sigma male anime has ever seen

One Punch Man chapter 178 was released recently, bringing fans a step closer to the highly-anticipated Tatsumaki versus Saitama fight. Interestingly, also present in the chapter is Fubuki, Tatsumaki's sister and close friend to Saitama, who is positioned to interrupt them should things start getting out of hand.

Curiously enough, One Punch Man chapter 178 also sees Tatsumaki probe Saitama about what his relationship to her sister Fubuki is. While the answer he gives seems mundane and acceptable enough, many fans are using it as proof that the series has definitively portrayed Saitama as the recently popularized “Sigma male” personality type.

Follow along as this article fully breaks down how One Punch Man fans are arguing this apparent portrayal, as well as what it means and how the general fanbase is reacting.

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One Punch Man’s latest issue has fans praising Saitama’s character as emblematic of “Chad-like” personality

Following Tatsumaki’s question about Saitama’s relationship to her sister, Fubuki, the latter responded by saying that the two were simply acquaintances. This visually devastates Fubuki, who immediately falls to her knees with an absolutely crushed expression on her face. Clearly, she was hoping for a more romantic or intimate description of their relationship than what Saitama gave.

While One Punch Man isn’t typically thought of as a series whose fandom is often shipping characters, Fubuki and Saitama have become an incredibly popular pairing as of late. However, this demonstration of what many are calling the “Sigma male” mentality from Saitama has seemingly crushed any and all hope these fans once had about the two.

Some fans also seem particularly excited that Saitama is demonstrating such a mentality, adding him to the list of fictional characters who are idolized for such characteristics. Interestingly, American Psycho’s Patrick Batemen is one such character, with many supporters of the “Saitama Sigma male” agenda using GIFs of Bateman to discuss this latest development.

However, not all fans are pleased with this latest spin on Saitama’s character. Some are arguing that the comment is irrelevant since he didn’t really “reject” Fubuki. These fans argue that the two are merely friends, and the expression Fubuki makes in the latest issue is due to Saitama calling her an acquaintance rather than a friend, as opposed to a lover.

That being said, these fans seem to be in the minority, with an overwhelming number of readers on social media praising the "Sigma male" interpretation of Saitama’s actions. The “Sigma male” meme rose to popularity in meme culture alongside the concept of “simping” for romantic partners, in which “Beta male” and “Alpha male” concepts were used to refer to those who do or do not "simp," respectively.

The “Sigma male” concept is viewed as related to the “Alpha male” concept, with the major difference seemingly being that a Sigma doesn’t consider the opinions of others. In this sense, Saitama’s latest actions in One Punch Man would certainly qualify him for the categorization here.

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