One Punch Man chapter 197: Sonic vs Flash takes a shocking turn

One Punch Man chapter 197, titled Duel, is finally out and it has a ton of elements that readers would thoroughly enjoy. As the title suggests, the chapter focused completely on the fight between Speed-o’-Sound Sonic and Flashy Flash. The two former Ninja Village members are now duking it out against each other in a location that only those two knew about.

The previous chapter did a great job in setting up this fight since it gave fans some insight into their backstory. Furthermore, the previous chapter also revealed how the two were connected.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from One Punch Man chapter 197.

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A detailed breakdown of One Punch Man chapter 197

Speed-o’-Sound Sonic and Flashy Flash assume battle position

Flash and Sonic prepare to fight (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

Both Flashy Flash and Speed-o’Sound Sonic drew their swords and took their positions.

Flashy Flash was quite surprised to receive a letter from Speed-o’Sound Sonic out of the blue. However, the latter replied stating that he simply wanted to settle the score. Flashy Flash was quite confident that the result would tilt in his favor.

However, Sonic asked Flashy Flash not to get overconfident since it was Sonic who taught him to wield a sword.

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A brief flashback of Flashy Flash and Sonic’s childhood

Flash and Sonic's childhood as shown in One Punch Man chapter 197 (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

One Punch Man chapter 197 then transitioned to a time period where Flashy Flash and Sonic were children. A young Sonic offered Flashy Flash some pointers on how to wield a sword.

The latter was surprised since Sonic was in Squad 5, which was known to be filled with failures. He couldn’t figure Sonic out since he wouldn’t really benefit from helping Flashy Flash.

Flashy Flash also thought about how the life in the NInja Village was quite lonely. The day would last for 72 hours and only 6 hours were allotted for sleeping and recovery. Besides, people weren’t allowed to talk to each other.

This means the only person who was talking to him was Speed-o’Sound Sonic. People in the village were treated as mere tools, and those who had no emotion were considered as the best ninjas.

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Flashy Flash and Speed-o’Sound Sonic showcase their ultimate techniques

Flash and Sonic use their ultimate techniques (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

One Punch Man chapter 197 drew a beautiful parallel of the two fighting each other in the past as well as the present.

Sonic was visibly excited and proceeded to use his ultimate technique: Ten Shadow Funeral. He was moving so fast that there were 10 afterimages created.

However, Flash was able to read his move with relative ease and countered it with Flash Kicks. Flash was shocked because Sonic forced him to use his ultimate technique. Given that he was one of the top ranked S-Class heroes shows just how far Sonic has progressed in the skill of combat.

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Heavenly Ninja Party interrupts the battle

Heavenly Ninja Party interrupts Flash and Sonic's fight (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

Flash had a smile on his face and before he could say anything, the Heavenly Ninja Party members rendezvoused at the battlefield. Sonic insisted that the battle was between him and Flash, urging the Heavenly Ninja Party to refrain from interrupting them.

Flash and Sonic team up in One Punch Man chapter 197 (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

The group expressed their opinions on Sonic and how he is not trustworthy. They wanted to execute Flash for being a traitor to the village.

One Punch Man chapter 197 had a massive plot twist, as Sonic took out one of the members of the Heavenly Ninja Party.

Sonic teamed up with Flash and decided to take out the entire group.

Sonic and Flash are about to take on some of the most elite ninjas from their village. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this fight in the next chapter of the series.

Stay tuned for more One Punch Man anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.