One Punch Man chapter 198: Sonic and Flash fight Heavenly Ninja Party, Flash's true motives revealed

One Punch Man chapter 198 has been released, and it was a relatively short one. The chapter only had 12–13 pages worth of content, and the focus was centered on the fight that took place between Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, Flashy Flash, and other members of the Heavenly Ninja Party.

The cover of One Punch Man chapter 198 was captivating as fans got to witness Tatsumaki in a Christmas-themed outfit while Saitama resembled Santa Claus with the sled being pulled by Watchdog Man. Let's take a closer look at the latest chapter of the manga series for a few key takeaways ahead of the upcoming chapter’s release.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from One Punch Man chapter 198.

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A detailed breakdown of One Punch Man chapter 198

Sonic and Flash prepare to take on the Heavenly Ninja Party

Sonic and Flash take on the Heavenly Ninja Party (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

One Punch Man chapter 198, titled Habit, kicked things off with Flash joining Sonic to fight members of the Heavenly Ninja Party. Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame were the first ones to make a move against the duo. They were instructed by other members of the party to continue the attack. Wind and Flame were unhappy because they were being asked to play the role of sacrificial pawns.

Sonic is targeted for being the weak link in the team (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

Sonic and Flash split to take on the shinobis. Despite being outnumbered, Sonic and Flash had intel that gave them the advantage in this fight. Since the duo belonged to the same village, they knew exactly what to expect. In a situation like this, the Heavenly Ninja Party would focus their efforts on killing the weaker member. Sonic expected everyone to take on Flash, but he was shocked to see the shinobis attack him all at once.

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Fight intensifies, Flash beats Flame and Wind once again

Flash dodges Flame and Wind's Joro Spider Curtain Gallows (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

Meanwhile, Flashy Flash was up against Hellfire Flame and Gale Wind. He had already defeated these two in the Monsters Association arc. The S-class hero was too crafty to deal with and dodged Flame and Wind’s Joro Spider Curtain Gallows. These two laid out an intricate web of extremely sharp strings laced with poison.

Flash immediately went to help Sonic, who was overwhelmed by attacks from all sides. Since his opponents thought he was weaker than Flash and he got assistance throughout the battle, Sonic was furious. Sonic's rage is palpable in One Punch Man chapter 198 as he battles his ego.

Flash and Sonic fight in perfect harmony (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

Both Sonic and Flash were fighting in perfect harmony, something that baffled the members of the Heavenly Ninja Party. In the village, they were taught to rely on themselves, and speaking to other members of the village would result in their death.

Flash ensured that the Joro Spider Curtain Gallows tied down Flame and Wind. However, he didn’t want to finish them. He asked them to lie down without moving too much since the string could cut them and eventually kill them.

Gale and Wind were caught in their own attack while Flash discusses his plan with Sonic in One Punch Man chapter 198 (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata and ONE)

All this time, Flash wanted a sample of the monsters, which he wanted to analyze and find a way to restore human-turned-monsters to their original states. This was also why the S-Class hero was probably searching for Manako in the previous chapters. Members of the Heavenly Ninja Party didn’t understand Flash’s reason to do so. One Punch Man chapter 198 ended with Flash saying, “you idiots still don’t realize.”

Flash knew that the leader of the village was a monsterized human being. He was Blast’s former partner, and his goal was to revert the leader of the Ninja Village. Flash wanted to find an antidote or some cure that would ensure that Blast’s former partner would become human again.

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