Time arrived in December, and autumn was also coming to an end.
Following the end of the Hunter Exam Arc, this manga also entered a new chapter. The number of weekly votes for Hunter x hunter on Dream Comic was increasing, already approaching the one-million mark.
As for the anime market, there was basically no suspense left.
The One-punch man anime definitely suppressed Burning sin in terms of overall popularity.
Although fans of Shirogane and fans of Burning sin were still arguing fiercely online, refusing to yield to each other, the data did not lie.
One-punch man was clearly superior to Burning sin in every metric.
The anime industry is a highly commercialized industry; the work that receives the most market attention and has the most paying fans is the best work.
This quarter, Hunter x hunter and One-punch man were definitely works that changed the existing structure of the anime/manga industry.
And the key figure connecting these two works, Rei, was no longer regarded as a newcomer or a young person in the Japanese anime industry.
He was an absolute top-tier creator in the Japanese animation and manga industry.
Furthermore, just in time for December, the anime merchandise customized by Rei and commissioned from various Japanese companies finally began selling on the official website.
Only now could the One-punch man anime be considered to have officially started recovering its costs.
BD discs, figures, clothing, props appearing in the work, collaborative products...
As long as the work was popular enough, the cost and difficulty of promoting these items to the market rapidly decreased.
If Rei had time on weekdays, he would also visit local anime conventions and ACG commercial streets.
Since a month ago, these places had basically been occupied by elements related to One-punch man.
Friday, December 3rd.
Tonight was the premiere of the ninth episode of One-punch man.
In the previous two episodes, the Deep Sea King, the Mysterious Being who could be considered to have the most screen time in the first season of One-punch man, made his appearance.
From the moment this character appeared, the members of the Hero Association launched successive battles against him.
A-Class Rank 28, Stinger.
A-Class Rank 20, Lightning Max.
The last S-Class hero, Puri-Puri Prisoner.
And S-Class Rank 17, Genos.
These characters appeared one after another and were all defeated by the Deep Sea King in successive battles.
A character like this was not even considered a Dragon-level, but merely a Demon-level threat.
The plot buildup surrounding the Deep Sea King over two to three consecutive weeks made the hearts of Japanese anime fans race.
Half an hour before the premiere of the ninth episode, the major forums were already buzzing with arguments.
"So when is Saitama going to appear? I really can't watch anymore. Is the Hero Association that useless? Two S-Class heroes and two A-Class heroes defeated by one Demon-level threat?"
"Seriously, has Genos ever defeated an enemy after appearing? His hardware strength feels extremely high, yet he somehow loses every time for inexplicable reasons."
"Genos feels like a watershed for power levels. Anyone who can beat him is a decent threat. Anyone who can't is not worth Saitama's intervention."
"If just the Deep Sea King can defeat two S-Class heroes, wouldn't the Giant Brothers, Vaccine Man, and Rhinoceros Beetle from earlier episodes have wiped out the Hero Association? Who else can fight besides Saitama?"
"Didn't the earlier plot mention them? There are many powerhouses in the Hero Association. Like Blast, S-Class Rank 1, and King, the Strongest Man on Earth. Even though they've only been mentioned, maybe their strength isn't inferior to Saitama's?"
"No chance. The strongest combatant in this work is Saitama. Do not fantasize that anyone can compete with him. If such a character appeared, the plot of One-punch man would collapse."
"Anyway, the most formidable threat so far is the Dream Subterranean King, who fought Saitama to a standstill in his dream, the absolute number one."
"Exactly."
"Compared to the Subterranean King, all these monsters are trash."
There were ten minutes left until the premiere of the ninth episode of One-punch man.
Jun glanced at the flood of online comments, took a deep breath, and shut down his computer.
Although he knew the formula of One-punch man a powerful enemy appears, the heroes fail, and Saitama delivers the decisive blow he never grew tired of watching it.
Jun knew exactly why.
The true highlight of this work was not Saitama's one-punch kill after his appearance.
Rather, it was the courage displayed by the people who appeared before Saitama, when facing enemies they could not possibly overcome.
Genos, in order to save a girl, had the upper hand when facing the Deep Sea King, yet chose to use his body to block the opponent's corrosive acid and was defeated.
A-Class heroes Stinger and Lightning knew they couldn't win, but they didn't run away either.
And which heroes would appear this week?
Filled with anticipation, Jun's TV paused when the clock hit 9:30, and the screen jumped to the opening theme song of One-punch man.
After the opening theme ended, the plot continued from the previous week: a rainy night, dark clouds, a dim atmosphere, lightning flashing, and the terrifying, cruel gaze of the Deep Sea King. A group of people were forced to retreat step by step by the Deep Sea King, and heroes who rushed in were defeated one after another.
Because the Deep Sea King was given sufficient plot development, the sense of oppression created by this character far surpassed that of previous Monsters.
In the anime, the Deep Sea King walked toward a group of unarmed civilians.
At this moment, a man riding a bicycle, wearing armor, and showing an uneasy, nervous expression stepped forward and stood in front of the Deep Sea King.
C-Class Rank 1, Mumen Rider!
Jun was stunned.
Mumen Rider?
This guy had been mentioned in the previous plot. He was just a pure ordinary person.
It could only be said that his physical fitness was excellent among ordinary people, but compared to a true monster, he was still at the level of an ordinary person.
He angrily charged toward the Deep Sea King, who was about to attack the civilians, but the Deep Sea King merely grabbed his fist with a giant webbed hand, like a cat playing with a mouse, and flung him to the ground.
"Forget it, Saitama should just come out," Jun muttered, frowning.
He had thought this part of the plot would continue sending more S-Class heroes to deal with the Deep Sea King. Why did a C-Class hero appear?
The Deep Sea King threw Mumen Rider to the side of the road, preparing to continue his attack.
But after only two steps, Mumen Rider, lying on the ground covered in blood, climbed back up and tightly hugged the Deep Sea King's massive leg, preventing him from moving forward.
What is he doing?
Jun's idiocy aversion syndrome kicked in.
He actually hated it when incompetent characters who overestimated themselves constantly appeared in anime.
They talk about upholding their inner beliefs, but in reality, they are making meaningless sacrifices.
Sometimes, powerlessness is simply powerlessness. If you can't win, you can't win. If you can't protect others, at least protect yourself.
The Deep Sea King wasn't even focusing on him and was about to attack other civilians. He could have just quietly run away, and no one would condemn a C-Class hero for inaction.
But just as Jun was thinking this, Mumen Rider, lying in a pool of blood with his forehead and nose bleeding, struggled to get back up in the anime.
"I know, no one expects anything from me!"
"I understand that better than anyone!"
As soon as these two sentences were uttered, Jun's heart trembled.