One Punch Man: Why did Garou become evil? Explained

One Punch Man is arguably one of the most enjoyable modern shonen anime and manga series. A big reason why fans love this series is due to the fact that it seamlessly blends absurdity, humor, and high-octane action. This combination caters to a large audience, and the series’ reception is a testament to that statement.

One of the most popular characters that was introduced in the second season of One Punch Man was Garou. He was the antagonist who started to track down heroes and defeat them, earning the title of “Hero Hunter.” He was portrayed as a wicked being who always displayed evil traits at all times.

Fans who have watched only the anime seem to be asking one question - why did Garou become evil in the One Punch Man series? The answer to this question lies in his backstory. The article will also explore Garou’s character development over the course of the manga series.

Disclaimer: This final section of the article contains massive spoilers from the Monsters Association arc of the manga series.

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One Punch Man: Understanding why Garou became evil

Garou as seen in the One Punch Man anime series (Image via J.C. Staff)

A closer examination of Hero Hunter reveals glimpses of goodness in him, particularly whenever he is spending time with a supporting character called Tareo. Despite the rarity of such moments, one can notice a massive shift in his behavior. In the second season of the series, he was the kid who had a directory of all the heroes. Garou saw a little bit of himself in Tareo and helped him get rid of the bullies.

Through a flashback during a fight scene involving him, Bang, and Bomb, viewers gain information about Garou's childhood. As the scene unfolds, Garou sees his life flash before his eyes, and this is when we realize his origin story. As children, his friends always rooted for a hero named Justice Man. However, Garou sided with the antagonist, who was called Crab Demon. This was because the antagonist was merely trying to stop people from polluting the sea.

Furthermore, the Crab Demon not only fought Justice Man but also two of his teammates. The One Punch Man antagonist was impressed by Crab Demon’s persistence in the face of adversity. His “friends” continued siding with the hero, and in the name of make-believe, his friend would often hurt other children while imitating the hero’s move. Garou was always made the monster in such scenarios.

One day, Garou lost his cool and fought back. Everyone ostracized him, and even the principal failed to acknowledge all the wrong things that his classmates did. This is when he realized that there wasn’t a single scenario where the monster would win. He understood that even monsters had their own reason to fight. This, paired with the fact that he was bullied in school, made Garou evil. This is why he hated heroes and decided to hunt them down.

Garou's defeat to Saitama was a precursor to his character development (Image via Shueisha/Yusuke Murata)

He goes on a rampage and destroys a ton of heroes throughout the Monsters Association arc of the One Punch Man manga. However, there comes a point when he realizes all the things he has done wrong since he even managed to take Genos’ life in front of Saitama. However, he was able to recognize his mistakes and managed to teach Saitama to time travel, which led to his defeat.

Garou, under Bang’s guidance, started to make up for his mistakes and apologized to everyone around him. There was goodness in Garou, which finally came to the surface at the end of the Monsters Association arc.

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