Highlights:
* One Punch Man and My Hero Academia might be from the same universe.
* Both of these stories have multiple similarities- like quirks and organized hero agencies.
* Both Saitama and Deku have similar origin stories.
One Punch Man and My Hero Academia might just share the same anime universe and when you connect the dots- it seems almost intentional. While not confirmed, it’s a popular theory that One Punch Man and My Hero Academia have a shared universe. And once you get into the nitty-gritty details, you’ll come to see why.
One Punch Man and My Hero Academia: A Shared Universe?
One Punch Man and My Hero Academia have too many similar elements to not be related. Both of them have commercialized heroism by having an organized institution of heroes managed either by the government or by an independent body- sort of like an NGO.
One Punch Man’s universe has the Hero Association while My Hero Academia has the Hero Society. Both of these bodies manage and organize heroes based on their strengths and functions- either equally or in a ranking. Additionally, quirks in MHA are awfully similar to some abilities and looks showcased in OPM by either the villains or the heroes.
What separates both One Punch Man and My Hero Academia is likely a difference in the timeline. Either of these stories could have come before or after the other and we’ll elaborate how.
One Punch Man is Set Prior to My Hero Academia
In the OPM universe, most of the population is normal except the ones who go on to become heroes or show up as villains. In the MHA universe, however, 80% of the population has quirks. One can thus posit that OPM was set in the early days of the MHA universe when quirks were just beginning to manifest among humans- even though that would contradict canon information from MHA about the origin of quirks.
One Punch Man is Set in The Distant Future of My Hero Academia
If we consider My Hero Academia’s universe as the beginning of quirks, heroes, villains, and monsters, then the Quirk Singularity theory comes up which basically says that as more and more quirks intertwine and mix throughout the generations, the more complex the manifesting quirks will become- and the stronger, diverse and dangerous they will become.
With that in mind, it makes sense a great catastrophe in the future of the MHA-verse will cause stringent restrictions to be inflicted upon human society to control the quirk factor in the population. Government laws and steps will eventually spell the decline of quirks in the human population until finally we end up in the post-apocalyptic world of OPM where quirks manifest only through strong desires- making monsters or heroes out of the few people it manifests in.
There’s even a theory that Saitama, the Caped Baldy is the final inheritor of One For All which has been passed down throughout the ages for hundreds of years and generations- making it strong enough to solo most enemies in one punch.
It’s further solidified by the fact that both Deku and Saitama have similar origin stories as they both ran towards a monstrous villain without giving any thought to their actions- just to save a helpless victim. If you love their characters then here are the best characters in all of anime.
