Is Suiryu an S-Class Hero Material in One Punch Man?

Is Suiryu an S-Class Hero Material in One Punch Man? Explore the abilities, feats, and potential ranking for the renowned martial artist.

Is Suiryu an S-class Hero Material in One Punch Man? (image via Shueisha)

One Punch Man is one of the few unique series that focuses on its secondary characters more so than its primary protagonist. This is because the narrative follows Saitama, an invincible Hero who can end most fights with a single punch. As such, focus is usually given to every single character other than Saitama, making their progression the real highlight of the narrative.

Among such characters, Suiryu perhaps stands out the most. He is a martial artist prodigy whose strength and combat prowess puts most Pro Heroes to shame. Moreover, his impressive battles in the Super Fight Tournament led many to wonder – is Suiryu S-Class Hero material in One Punch Man? To answer the question in short – no, Suiryu currently may not be on par with the top-ranked S-Class Heroes.

That being said, he certainly has the potential to eventually become a higher-ranking A-Class Hero or even a lower-ranking S-Class Hero in the future.

Who Is Suiryu in One Punch Man?

Suiryu in One Punch Man anime (image via Studio J.C. Staff)

Suiryu was introduced in the Super Fight Tournament arc of One Punch Man. He is an exceptionally talented martial artist and was immediately noticed by the fans. Unlike most participants in the tournament, Suiryu wasn’t there for fame, glory, or to prove his skills. He fought for pure enjoyment.

Although Suiryu’s confidence was analogous to arrogance, he had the necessary skills to back it up. He was a four-time champion of the Super Fight Tournament. What’s more, Suiryu dominated all of his opponents in the tournament, with Saitama being the only and obvious exception.

Despite not being a recurring character in the series, Suiryu’s character growth had a lasting impact on fans. Initially, he despised heroes and had no interest in fighting for others, as he only fought for his own pleasure. However, when his own life was on the line at the hands of Bakuzan and Gouketsu, Suiryu’s entire outlook changed when Saitama came to his rescue as a Hero. From thereon, Suiryu became determined to become a Hero after his recovery, which he eventually ended up doing after joining the Neo Heroes.

Suiryu’s Powers and Abilities

Suiryu as seen in One Punch Man manga (image via Shueisha)

As mentioned earlier, Suiryu is a martial arts prodigy who was considered to be a legend due to his four consecutive victories at the Super Fight Tournament. He became one of the most revered martial artists in the world and had achieved unparalleled mastery in the Void Fist fighting style. In the tournament, he effortlessly defeated two A-Class Heroes, Max and Snek, with a single kick each. While he obviously couldn’t deal any damage to Saitama in the final round of the tournament, his fighting abilities were on par with the S-Class Heroes.

As for his physical abilities, Suiryu’s strength far surpasses that of an average Hero. In the Super Fight Tournament, he split the entire fighting ring in half with a single chop and even flipped up half of it with a stomp. His speed and reflexes are no joke either. During his fights, most of the audience could not even perceive his speed. He blitzed most of his opponents with blinding attacks that even the other martial artists could not see coming.

Suiryu is extremely resilient, seeing how he could take hits from Gouketsu, a Dragon-level Mysterious Being. He also completely recovered from the onslaught at the hands of Bakugan and Gouketsu. Lastly, the fact that Suiryu was evenly matched against Garou in a virtual martial arts battle is perhaps his most impressive feat. The fans often wonder what heights Suiryu could rise to, if he took his training seriously and didn’t spend most of his time slacking off.

Suiryu’s Notable Feats in One Punch Man

Suiryu as seen in season 2 (image via Studio J.C. Staff)

Despite having limited appearances in the series, Suiryu displayed several impressive feats that made people wonder about the extent of his strength. For instance, he defeated two A-Class Heroes of the Hero Association with a single kick each. This feat places him in the upper ranks of A-Class Heroes. After the 22nd Super Fight Tournament, Suiryu was stated to have defeated four martial artists, who had transformed into Mysterious Beings, with their disaster level ranging from Tiger-level to Demon-level.

Suiryu’s fighting abilities impressed Gouketsu, a Dragon-level Mysterious Being and the winner of the first Super Fight Tournament. His superhuman strength, speed, durability, and reflexes were on full display during the tournament as well. He was not only capable of splitting the entire fighting ring in half with a single-handed chop, but he also landed attacks at unbelievable speed.

This mixed martial artist was also durable enough to remain standing after taking multiple hits from Bakuzan and Gouketsu. With his last ounce of strength, he broke Bakuzan’s toe, who had transformed into a Dragon-level monster after consuming multiple monster cells. After fully recovering from his injuries, Suiryu joined the Neo Heroes, where he shortly became a Neo leader due to being one of the organization’s strongest Heroes.

Does Suiryu Deserve To Be Ranked as a S-Class Hero in One Punch Man?

Does Suiryu deserve to be a S-Class Hero in One Punch Man? (image via Shueisha)

In One Punch Man, S-Class Heroes are the elite, top-tier Heroes, each of whose power is equivalent to an emergency army division. These Heroes are capable of handling disaster-level Demon and Dragon Mysterious Beings all on their own.

As for Suiryu, his combat abilities and raw power place him at least in the high A-Class range, maybe even breaching the lower S-Class tier. Low-tier S-Class fighters like Tank Top Master and Puri-Puri Prisoner would likely overwhelm him in raw strength, but his overall skillset would allow him to hold his own. That said, top-tier S-Class Heroes like Bang, Tatsumaki, and Atomic Samurai would dispose of Suiryu pretty quickly at his current level.

All in all, if Suiryu continues to train relentlessly with proper discipline, he might just become powerful enough to be in the same league as an S-Class Hero. Given that he recently recovered from life-threatening injuries and began active work as a Neo Hero, he certainly has the potential to grow immensely powerful in no time. His virtual martial arts fight against Garou is proof of the same.

Conclusion

We can thereby conclude that while Suiryu currently may not be powerful enough to be classified as an S-Class Hero, he may eventually rise to their power level with consistent and more rigorous training. For now, Suiryu remains a fascinating character whose journey is just beginning. With that in mind, stay tuned to see how Suiryu further evolves in the One Punch Man universe.


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