We might know Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man Man are Superheroes for the rest of the world. But in a world where manga and comic books are sold—Saitama reigns supreme.
Saitama is the main protagonist of the One-Punch Man webcomic, who can knock out his enemies with just one punch. It was written by ONE (Pen name) as a free webcomic in 2009.
One-Punch Man has now gained popularity like crazy among non-anime fans as well.
Are you confused between One-Punch Man’s webcomic and manga? Don’t worry, you are not alone! Those unfamiliar with the comics world get confused between One Punch Man’s webcomic and manga.
The webcomic version is originally written and drawn by ONE, whereas the One-Punch Man manga is the adaption of the webcomic. The manga, however, is written in great detail with some super fantastic art that can blow your mind away.
In this article, we’ll dig deep about the difference between One-Punch Man’s webcomic and manga. Are they both the same? And which one is better?
Let’s go!
Webcomic Vs. Manga
Webcomic, manga, and anime— these are the terms you might have heard many times but do you know the difference between them?
Let’s deep dive and distinguish the terms webcomic and manga before we proceed further.
What is Webcomic?
A webcomic, in simple terms, is a digital version of comics. It is a digital cartoon or illustration created for online publishing on websites and blogs.
Artists use photoshop or illustrator to write and draw webcomics. An example of a webcomic is Eric Millikin’s Witches and Stitches, which was written and published online in 1985 by Millikin.
What is Manga?
The term manga refers to cartooning and comics, the graphic novels first originating from Japan.
People from all walks of life and age read manga in Japan. Manga has become a significant part of the Japanese publishing industry.
It is different from American comics in terms of variety, diversity, and creativity.
Japanese manga is owned by individual artists, while for American comics, the publisher has more rights.
No matter the genre: action, adventure, business and commerce, comedy, detective, drama, horror, mystery, science fiction and fantasy, sports, you can easily find a manga on it.
Are Webcomics and Manga the same?
No, webcomics and manga are not the same. Webcomic is created to be published online; it can be colored or black and white. On the other hand, manga is a specific term for Japanese comic books.
Manga is printed in black and white and read horizontally. However, the webcomics can be read by typically scrolling vertically on computers, tabs, or mobile phones.
Webcomics are more prevalent in South Korea as webtoons.
Manga is only published in Japan. However, webcomics are available worldwide written by independent authors.
How close is the One-Punch Man Manga to the Webcomic?
The basic idea is the same; the pacing is different. I can say the manga is roughly 60% close to the webcomic.
One Punch Man manga takes several volumes that include great details and artwork to cover only a few webcomic chapters.
One-Punch Man’s manga covers a total of 107 chapters while the webcomic version has only 62 chapters.
Some events and characters mentioned in the manga don’t exist in a webcomic.
The Boros fight in the manga is much longer than it is in the webcomic. Also, Saitama gets launched to the moon in the manga but not in the webcomic.
Manga includes more additional content, fight, and sub-storylines than webcomics. It is more popular because of its supreme artwork. However, the webcomic is the actual canonicity source material for O.P.M.
Which one came first: Is the Manga or the Webcomic?
Webcomic was the first to get published in 2009 based on the adventure of the main hero— Saitama.
ONE wrote it, who self-published the series on the Japanese manga website Nitosha.net. In April 2019, the webcomic resumed publication after a two-year hiatus.
On the flip side, manga is drawn by Yusuke Murata with the permission of ONE.
Murata is a highly skilled professional manga artist who creates exquisitely detailed art for every manga page. He is a fan of O.P.M. and proposed the idea of drawing art for O.P.M.
The manga version was first published on Shueisha’s Tonari no Young Jump website on June 14, 2012.
One-Punch Man Webcomic Vs. Manga: Comparison
Let’s compare the main difference between One Punch Man Webcomic Vs. Manga.
| One-Punch Man | Written and Drawn by | First Published Year | Canonicity |
| Webcomic | ONE | 2009 | Canon |
| Manga | Yusuke Murata | 2012 | Non-canon |
What’s the difference between One-Punch Man’s Webcomic and Manga?
There is a huge difference between the webcomic and the manga in terms of the plot, the undeniable technique used in producing the art itself, and even the continuation of the story.
Let’s take a closer look at each one of them below.
Plot
The primary storyline is identical, but the plot changes as manga have more additional details about the story and characters.
There is no denying how O.N.E. did a great job writing the whole plot, which has become a worldwide sensation.
Many fans around the world are not fond of his drawing. But you have to agree that his drawing has its charm, and because Murata is an artist, we can accept the big difference in their art.
Is the plot of manga the same in the manga?
Yes! the plot is almost the same. But the story takes an independent turn in the regular manga.
Original comics are more to the point, and O.N.E. doesn’t indulge much spoonfeeding. He has to give a simple mention, or a hint in a frame is to be deduced that has happened.
Manga, on the other hand, is a more perfected version of a Webcomic plot. The manga plot starts to change from volume 7.
Chapter 47 of the Manga version plot seems to divert from a more in-depth explanation.
For example:
“Rumor” is the 20th chapter of the One-Punch Man manga series that has events that are not in the webcomic. A fight happened between monster Kombu infinity fights against the heroes golden ball and spring mustachio. All of these don’t even exist in the webcomic version.
Let’s point out a few important things that stand out in the plot of Manga and Webcomic:
Webcomic
- The story is straightforward, skipping a few detours that may seem unnecessary.
- The personality of some characters seems more interesting (because we see them in other situations)
- The best, it is explained why Saitama has so much power.
- There are a couple more mysteries in the webcomic than in the manga.
- If the story ends similarly to the webcomic, we will know what will happen when we read it.
- The webcomic is accessible free online.
Manga
- Additional characters and additional fight scenes that were not in the webcomic.
- The reason why some humans turn into monsters
- The manga has extra chapters that do not alter the main plot.
- By diverting and detailing the history of characters, it might surprise us with something.
- The blast also makes a proper appearance in the storyline- something that never happens in the webcomic.
- Saitama and Flash meet and talk.
So the plot is similar— however, the pace is different with extra details added in the manga version.
Art
The main difference is the artwork of both webcomic and manga. Murata’s art is way superior to anything O.N.E. has ever drawn.
You can tell the webcomic has a rough drawing that is not horrible, but anyone can draw it quickly. It has the crude simplicity of ONE’s original art style, which adds its charm.
It’s a simple drawing done as a vessel for the plot and dialogues. On the flip side, Manga version artwork is art in itself.
Yusuke Murata, on the other hand, did a great job. It is just refreshing to see the characters in more refined art.
If O.N.E. owns the credit for writing the fantastic story plot of One Punch Man, then the Murata won the art game.
Talking about characters I have found this video about the strongest character in One Punch Man. Enjoy!
Ongoing story
Speaking of plot and artwork changes, we can’t tell what will happen at the end of the story in both webcomic and manga.
Both are following the same narrative and exciting journey of Saitama. Many fans are making assumptions about how the story will end. But we will only see when the time comes.
Conclusion: Which one is better?
If you like to read straightforward scenes and avoid background stories, go with an original webcomic. The plot is straight without any added thrill in it.
It will be very subjective to compare both as to which one is better. I think it depends upon the reader.
However, if you want to read more stories with explanations and appreciate art, then go with manga.
Some fans enjoy getting all of these extra details, while others may wish it would just move on to the next plot point— I will advise you to read both!
The webcomic is far ahead in story events, and manga has yet to catch you with it. This is nice to read and compare both you will enjoy it.
Happy reading!