One-Punch Man: Who Is Captain Mizuki?

Since its initial inception to today, One-Punch Man has grown into a smash hit manga and anime series. Centered around its titular hero, the series breaks the mold of the typical superhero story through the untraditional nature of the main hero himself. While it is easy to focus on the star of the series, the franchise has also spawned an entire universe of heroes, villains, and monsters, all serving as commentary on the usual portrayal of comic book and manga tropes. One new hero, in particular, is making waves due to her smashing stereotypes, and that character is none other than Captain Mizuki.

One Punch Man first launched as a simple webcomic back in 2009. Creator ONE wanted to flip the idea of superheroes on its head, creating a character that was immensely powerful from the start and putting him into mundane, real-life situations, rather than grandiose world-saving adventures. The concept resonated with its readers until eventually, the property grew into the global phenomenon it is today; spawning an anime series, video games, and merch galore. ONE’s desire to approach the superhero tale from an untapped angle has paid off, creating as unique a franchise as they come, and Captain Mizuki is no exception to this.

ONE decided that enough was enough and created a female character whose appearance matches her ability. Jacked up and bulked to the extreme, Captain Mizuki flips the stereotype of thin, supermodel-esque female heroes (instead of more realistic body types) on its head by being not only muscle from head to toe but also by still keeping a super bubbly and “girly” personality to display her femininity.

Popping up in the One Punch Man’s chapter 93, Mizuki is a star athlete who has now taken on the role of superhero to help save the city from a monster invasion. As mentioned before, she is insanely muscular, giving her well above average strength; a product of her years in track and field, and her superhero identity is completely wrapped around this concept. She sports her track and field outfit as her superhero uniform, rocking a sports bra and basic spandex shorts, as well as wearing her various championship medals. Her abilities stay true to her background, using things such as pole vaulting and javelin throws in her attack arsenal. Basically, she is a sports badass who applies those skills to crime-fighting, able to take on even some of the highest level adversaries.

Between her bubbly personality and deadly skill set, Captain Mizuki is a force to be reckoned with, as well as a champion of female representation. In a franchise so bent on flipping the status quo of the comic book world on its head, a female character meant to challenge the ways in which women heroes have historically been represented is incredibly fitting, so it is great to see it so well executed. Mizuki is without a doubt a fine addition to the One-Punch roster of heroes.