One Punch Man
Believe it or not, one of the best shounen anime of all time is literally one long parody about shounen anime. The shounen anime genre usually involves an overpowered hero who, even against all odds, is always able to emerge victorious against the strongest of foes. Even when all logic says our hero should be defeated, they never are. Why? Simply because they are our hero and our hero can’t lose the war. They can lose the battle, but never the war. Well One Punch Man decided to strip away all the smoke and mirrors and create a hilariously powerful protagonist who cannot be defeated. Not only can he not be defeated, but he also has a pretty solid track record for defeating enemies with literally one punch. One Punch Man is easily one of the best satirical anime ever created.
The oversaturated world of anime makes room for many “great power, great responsibility” mantras, but One Punch Man tosses these ideas in a ditch as Saitama steps in to be the hero with all the power, half of the responsibility, and none of the general concern for the safety of others. This is all just something Saitama does for fun. There is no complicated character development or even some thought provoking plot. It’s just a hilarious anime that pokes fun at shounen anime in a light-hearted fashion while also introducing viewers to a protagonist so funny and likable that he has become one of the most popular members on the Internet today.
