Overview
- Garou’s combat prowess escalates with every encounter, establishing him as a notable adversary in the One Punch Man universe.
- While he is human, Garou’s ability to adapt to various fighting styles makes him a significant yet often overlooked threat to the protagonists.
- By the conclusion of Season 2, Garou’s strength places him at the approximate level of a top-tier S-rank hero, though he is still below the most powerful beings in the series.
Table of Contents
In the anime One Punch Man, Garou emerges as a significant force. His formidable nature is hinted at by S-rank hero Bang in Season 1, who claims Garou surpasses all his students combined. Season 2 solidifies this reputation as Garou demonstrates remarkable abilities while facing some of the world’s mightiest heroes, often while sustaining injuries.
One of Garou’s most notable traits is his ability to continually enhance his strength with each confrontation. This leads to speculation regarding his true power level and whether he could eventually pose a challenge to Saitama. This article seeks to evaluate Garou’s current standing in the anime, gauging the extent of his power upgrades.
Garou’s Frightening Potential
Understated Strength

Garou’s true strength can be elusive and challenging to quantify within the One Punch Man narrative. Among towering monsters capable of devastating entire cities, Garou may appear diminutive, essentially a human skilled in martial arts.
Did I hold back too much because he’s human? No. This guy… is he even human? -Tanktop Master discussing Garou.
Yet, as noted by Bang, despite lacking the physical size of monstrous adversaries, Garou’s skill set renders him uniquely capable of dismantling heroes. Unlike many monstrous foes who rely on sheer brute strength, Garou’s ability to adapt by mimicking any observed fighting style makes him a concerning rival for the predominantly human hero roster.
Often perceived as the underdog, Garou adapts to various challenges, growing stronger through each battle. By employing the water stream rock smashing fist technique, he cleverly counters stronger opponents, such as Tanktop Master. As he gains insights from different combatants, Garou amalgamates these techniques to formulate his personal fighting style, resulting in confrontations that become increasingly challenging for heroes over time.
Garou’s Ranking at the End of Season 2
Analyzing His Rank

To accurately assess Garou’s position in the power hierarchy at this stage in the series, we must review his latest battles. Notably, he nearly defeated S-rank hero Metal Bat during their encounter, all while Metal Bat had previously endured assaults from the dragon-level monster Elder Centipede. From a Hero Association perspective, this situates Garou within the dragon-level classification.
Garou’s feats against several formidable A-class and S-class heroes, even while injured, further illustrate his strength. He managed to withstand confrontations with the demon cyborg Genos and simultaneously battle S-rank heroes Bang and his brother Bomb without conceding to their powerhouse attacks. His endurance, particularly under such dire circumstances, speaks volumes about his combat capabilities.
Even with a conservative evaluation, it is reasonable to conclude that Garou’s strength at this time is at least on par with his former master, Bang, when at full capacity. Bang’s decision to bring his brother Bomb into the fight against Garou indicates a recognition of the significant challenge he posed, highlighting Garou’s formidable nature. Hence, if included in the hero rankings, Garou would likely qualify as a top-tier S-rank hero.
Despite this elevated ranking, it is improbable that Season 2 Garou could compete with the series’ next highest-ranked hero, Terrible Tornado. With her esper abilities allowing her to effortlessly neutralize city-level destructive attacks from Boros’ vessel in Season 1, she stands in stark contrast to the martial strategies Garou employs, potentially rendering his techniques ineffective.
In summary, Garou’s power is exceptionally pronounced as of this juncture in One Punch Man, surpassing many heroes yet still trailing behind the series’ most powerful entities, including Saitama himself.
You can catch One Punch Man streaming on Crunchyroll.