One Punch Man’s Weakest Character Stops a Catastrophe in the Most Unexpected Way

Despite being one of the weaker characters in One Punch Man, Tareo has still captured the attention of fans. While he may not seem significant on the surface, Tareo actually plays a crucial role in the series.

Tareo had a profound impact on one of the key characters in the Monster Association arc, Garou. Despite being initially portrayed as a major antagonist, the plot and the character’s development took a surprising turn due to Tareo’s influence.

Please note that this article contains major spoilers from the One Punch Man manga chapters.

The Unexpected Hero: How One of the Weakest Characters Saved the Day in One Punch Man

Garou as seen in the anime series (Image vai J.C. Staff)

In the anime series’ second season, Tareo’s character was first introduced and he quickly became friends with Garou. Tareo initially believed Garou was training to become a hero, but as a martial arts expert, Garou had different intentions.

Despite being bullied as a child, Garou’s perception of heroes drove him to aspire to become the symbol of absolute evil. He believed that by embodying fear, he could unite everyone against the unnecessary struggles faced by weaker members of society, such as bullying.

Garou realizes his mistakes in the manga (Image via Shueisha/ONE and Yusuke Murata)

In chapter 165 of the manga series, Garou faced Blast and successfully defeated Genos. Having turned to the dark side, he had fully embraced the path of darkness. During this time, he came across Tareo and briefly hesitated. Deep down, he knew that he could never see Tareo again. Despite this, he reminded himself that it was a necessary sacrifice.

Even though it was not explicitly stated in the manga series, Tareo had a significant influence on Garou’s transformation. As someone who was also a victim of bullying, Garou saw a reflection of himself in the young boy. Thus, Tareo played a crucial part in the development of the Hero Hunter’s character. However, during their confrontation, Garou’s actions resembled those of nuclear fission, ultimately resulting in the death of innocent bystanders.

Garou's radiations killed Tareo in the manga (Image via Shueisha/ONE and Yusuke Murata) — Garou’s radiations killed Tareo in the manga (Image via Shueisha/ONE and Yusuke Murata)

Despite his lack of awareness, he inadvertently caused the death of Tareo, a realization that dawned on him during their battle. Despite Saitama’s success in defeating Garou, the consequences were irreversible. Among the casualties were Genos and Tareo, along with many others. It was Tareo, the one Garou had sought to save as the embodiment of ultimate evil, who affected him the most. As a result, Garou felt compelled to teach Saitama how to travel back in time.

Without this action, Genos would have remained deceased, causing the Hero Association to endure the loss of numerous skilled heroes. Tareo was the reason for Saitama’s ability to go back in time and stop Garou before he could inflict any more harm.

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