One-Punch Man Finally Explains Season 1’s Genos Warning

One-Punch Man has finally expanded on Drive Knight’s ominous warning to Genos back in season 1. As things stand, the anime iteration of One-Punch Man is drastically behind its manga counterpart. In One-Punch Man‘s long-awaited second season, Saitama competed in a martial arts tournament that ended in dramatic fashion when the Monster Association made themselves known with a series of violent attacks. The final episode saw Saitama effortlessly take down the formidable Elder Centipede. The comic book story is much further ahead, with the official translated Viz release coming towards the end of the Hero Association’s invasion of Monster HQ, an arc that has comprised many ridiculous and frenzied battles.

In both versions, there’s one particular storyline that has remained unexplored – Drive Knight’s words of warning regarding fellow robotic S-Class Hero, Metal Knight. In season 1, when Boros and his alien thieves attack Earth, the S-Class heroes assemble to fight back and Drive Knight takes this opportunity to tell Genos that Metal Knight is his “enemy.” The two Knights have appeared sporadically since then, but neither version of the One-Punch Man story has elaborated on the true meaning behind this scene. Finally, chapter 117 picks up the thread.

With the Hero Association polishing off the remaining fighters of the (seemingly) defeated Monster Association, Drive Knight arrives to take down Nyan, the creepy cat capable of slipping through walls. Drive wins the fight, but is questioned over his lateness by the Hero Association’s Sekingar. Drive Knight reveals that he was unable to make contact sooner because of a traitor in their midst – a traitor he strongly believes is Metal Knight’s controller, Dr. Bofoi. Unlike in season 1 where Drive dropped his warning and promptly left the scene, he helpfully provides some context on this occasion. The robot claims Bofoi is actually a villain, who is biding his time until the Hero Association are at their weakest and he has a massive cyborg army, at which point he plans to strike and take over the world.

Drive Knight goes further, accusing Bofoi of being captured by the Monster Association intentionally so that the villains would gain valuable intelligence against the Heroes. He also points out that Bofoi was responsible for building the Hero Association’s headquarters, meaning he has full control over the facility and its weapons. Certainly, this would fit with what little One-Punch Man has shown of Bofoi. The doctor seems largely amoral, preferring the gathering of data over actually defeating enemies, and he refused to take part in the attack on the Monster Association base, despite Child Emperor’s pleas.

The revelation that Metal Knight/Bofoi is a villain with secret designs for world domination explains Drive Knight’s season 1 warning, however, a question mark remains over why Genos was chosen to receive it specifically. Perhaps, as the only other S-Class cyborg, Drive Knight thought Bofoi would target Genos in order to improve his own designs. Alternatively, the arrival of G5 in this latest chapter implies Bofoi could have links to the mysterious “Organization” of robots in the One-Punch Man world, and Drive Knight might’ve feared Genos would be recruited. Finally, could Metal Knight have tested some of his world-conquering robot army on Genos’ home village? Some further explanation is needed in this area, but at least now fans know what information Drive Knight has on Metal Knight that made him say what he did in season 1.

Of course, it could be argued that Drive Knight himself cannot be trusted, and is using another S-Class robot to mask his own villainy. Drive has been absent for most of the Monster Association battle and asks Sekingar many questions about the current status of their organization. Although he seems to have an answer for everything, Drive Knight has arguably been just as suspicious as Bofoi, suggesting there could yet be another twist to this mystery. Taking the wild-haired cyborg at his word, however, fans now have a much clearer idea of season 1’s biggest mystery. Now if only One-Punch Man would reveal the secret behind Saitama’s strength…

About The Author

Craig Elvy
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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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