Recent One-Punch Man releases seem to hint at Garo’s change of allegiance. Chapter 159 makes it clear what he really wants to achieve.
The following contains spoilers for One-Punch Man Chapter 159, “Source of Anxiety”, by One, Yusuke Murata, John Werry and James Gaubatz, available in English on Viz Media.
One Punch Man There is no shortage of characters with an interesting power, fighting style, or personality. However, not many of them offer depth. Most are simply there for the sake of entertainment, either as a joke or some form of teasing. Garo is one of the few who actually has a story to tell with a respectable background, though his motivations are questionable.
When Garo made his debut, he announced that he was on the side of the monsters. He claimed to sympathize with the villains and vowed to destroy the heroes. However, he still lacked power, so he sought to fight stronger opponents to hone himself and his abilities. He challenged the S-Class heroes and even hospitalized some of them, but he also defeated countless strong monsters and had wholesome moments along the way. One Punch Man Chapter 159 finally makes it clear if Garo is on the side of good or evil.
After Centisennin and Evil Ocean Water were dealt with, Saitama went to Garo and asked the Hero Hunter what exactly it is. But before arriving, Garo remembered that the S-Class heroes were wiped out and still haven’t respawned. He assumed they were out of commission, which supposedly meant he no longer had anything to fear. Garo was finally able to perfect absolute evil using the martial art form he created. Despite this, he felt that there was something missing, so Saitama arrived.
Garo didn’t recognize Saitama despite having met the bald-headed hero a few times before in One Punch Man. He took a moment to think about Saitama’s question, dismissing his master’s advice to follow his heart. Deciding to accomplish the task that he believed only he could do, he introduced himself as the monster Garo, later claiming that he would cast all of humanity into the depths of despair and become absolute evil.
Garo’s decision is not surprising, as he has always been hell-bent on following the path of evil. In fact, it is the main motivation for him to get stronger. It is just that One Punch Man has made it seem that Garo was finally turning the page. He thoroughly protected the Tareo boy on multiple occasions and even teamed up with Metal Bat, someone he had a bad history with, to defeat Centisennin. Garo also had some kind of enlightenment after coming face to face with his former master, which allowed her to regain his humanity.
With Garo cementing his goal of being the ultimate evil, it’s probably safe to assume that the only means of making him change his mind is to destroy him outright. Fortunately, the most capable person for the job is already on the scene.
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