As evening approached, Capital TV Station's ratings began to climb at a frightening pace.
From seven o'clock onward, countless households left their televisions tuned to Capital, killing time on phones and computers while waiting for One-Punch Man to air.
'I turned down a date with my girlfriend just to watch the finale the moment it drops, Shirogane-sensei, don't let me down!'
'So… this is really the end?'
'How many times do I have to say it? It's just a hiatus. Maybe next year, maybe two or three years for Season Five. Think about it, the show's a global hit. They're not shelving it forever.'
'Remember the anime we grew up with? New seasons every two or three years, four cours dragged across a decade. Shirogane-sensei gave us four cours in one year, what more do you want? Trying to work him to death?'
'Honestly, after Shirogane-sensei's work, I can't stomach anyone else's. Once this ends tonight, I just hope the follow-up comes fast…'
'From Season Two's debut to Season Four's finale, the Garou Arc is finally complete. I'm not even thinking about Season Five, I just don't want this ending to leave regrets.'
'Relax. Shirogane-sensei has never messed up a finale, not a single arc. Stop worrying, tonight will deliver.'
Yulin finally tore her eyes away from her phone and looked toward the television in the living room.
Before the episode began, Capital Television was running an aggressive shopping segment for One-Punch Man merchandise.
A combo figure set featuring Orochi, Psycho-Orochi, Black Sperm, Golden Sperm, and Platinum Sperm.
A posed figure of King firing the Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Cannon. Garou in his armored form.
By Season Four, Shirogane's team was clearly operating at full speed, figures of heroes and monsters that had debuted only two weeks earlier were already on the shelves.
Unfortunately…
Yulin shook her head, a trace of resignation crossing her face.
'Too expensive.'
Official merchandise was pricey to begin with, and One-Punch Man gear cost far more than most anime collectibles.
'Forget it. Salarymen can't afford this kind of hit. It'll go on sale eventually, I'll wait for a discount.'
Even so, she couldn't stop watching the shopping program.
Then, eight o'clock arrived.
The moment the finale of Season Four began.
The familiar opening theme played once more. It hadn't changed across four seasons, but this week the arrangement was softer, less explosive.
Yulin felt a faint ache in her chest as she listened.
When the opening ended, the story resumed exactly where last week had left off.
Facing Saitama, Garou gradually began to sense the true depth of the B-Class hero's strength.
What started as disdain turned into all-out attacks, yet even at his peak, Garou couldn't bring the bald hero down.
At first, he mocked Saitama's sloppy technique.
Yes, the strength and speed were comparable, but Garou believed decades of honed martial arts would give him the edge in a prolonged battle.
As the fight dragged on, however, despair began to creep in.
But Garou was a genius who grew stronger the more desperate things became.
If he couldn't defeat Saitama now, then he would surpass his limits mid-fight.
The first four minutes of the episode were nothing but Saitama versus Garou.
The effects were pushed to the limit. The visuals were breathtaking.
Yulin barely blinked, terrified of missing even a single frame.
'This is Shirogane-sensei for you, the ultimate budget warrior.'
Plenty of people in Japan could invest a hundreds of million.
But very few would dare pour that much into a single seasonal anime.
Capital chased returns.
Art meant nothing to it.
A critically acclaimed, high-budget masterpiece could easily earn less than a cheaply produced popular hit.
That was why, even though Japan had the technical skill, animation where every frame dripped money was exceedingly rare.
And yet, here it was.
'The audience is thrilled… the animators must've enjoyed drawing this too.'
From despair, ultimate strength was born.
Garou evolved once more.
"At last… I'm about to succeed. To become what I've pursued all along."
Yulin's eyes widened.
Jet-black armor gleamed under the light. A cold, merciless expression. Twin ox horns curved skyward.
This was Garou's coolest form yet.
'A figure of that would cost at least ten grand,' she thought.
In moments like this, One-Punch Man clearly surpassed Hunter × Hunter.
When its characters were cool, they weren't just cool. They were downright badass.
Even an ugly villain could be ugly in a way that left a lasting impression.
Tornado might look like a child, but her razor-sharp tongue had gathered an enormous following among ACGN fans.
Genos was mocked as the hero who never won, yet his figures were the most expensive and the most meticulously detailed.
On this front, Hunter × Hunter lagged far behind.
Although Hunter × Hunter had a vast and beloved cast, its merchandising audience was far smaller than One-Punch Man's. Garou alone had four or five forms within this single arc, and every one of them looked incredible.
More importantly, Shirogane knew exactly what viewers wanted.
This wasn't a fanservice show, but when beauties like Tornado, Fubuki, and Psykos entered combat, the camera still gave just enough of what it was supposed to give.
That alone gave it an overwhelming edge over Gon, who spent the entire series stuck in the same green shorts. Hunter × Hunter was simply too honest.
Attention shifted back to the screen.
Saitama and Garou stood facing one another.
"What are you chasing?" Saitama asked calmly.
"Monsters," Garou replied.
"I mean after that."
"Absolute evil," Garou said after a pause.
"And it will be completed through your death."
The instant those cool words left his mouth, Saitama's ordinary fist followed, carrying world-shattering power.
Even after evolving again, Garou couldn't block it. Couldn't dodge it.
"Even now… I still can't reach him?" Disbelief filled Garou's eyes.
It took just one punch for Garou to understand that the gap between them was still absolute.
"I was only one step away from changing the world!"
His nearly shattered body regenerated, growing stronger, more monstrous.
Still… he couldn't withstand a single punch.
"Hang in there, Garou…" Yulin clenched her fist.
She didn't know why, but she couldn't bring herself to root against him.
"What do you mean, absolute evil will change the world?" Saitama asked.
"This is what I fear most, power wrapped in justice, crushing anyone who doesn't fit," Garou said, forcing his broken body upright, staring at the man whose strength filled him with despair.
"One more step… just one more step…"
"Enough. You can't beat me," Saitama said flatly.
The background music softened, turning lyrical.
"You've been getting weaker since a minute ago."
Saitama's fist smashed through the armor.
The monster shell shattered, revealing the human face beneath.
"It's not over! I, the monster Garou, will crush you!" Garou roared in desperation.
Another normal punch answered him.
Yulin couldn't watch anymore.
Why was Garou so obsessed with becoming a monster?
Why did he hunt heroes when he wouldn't even harm ordinary people?
He knew the gap between himself and Saitama, so why wouldn't he admit defeat?
Even when he could no longer stand, he still refused to beg.
"Kill him."
From the rubble, Sweet Mask and Child Emperor, still conscious, demanded that Saitama finish Garou off.
"You can't see anything, can't even save a child, yet you call yourselves heroes!" Garou finally roared.
"With heroes protecting them, humans grow complacent. Comfort breeds evil. Monsters are punished by heroes, but who punishes the evil of humans?"
His roar wasn't aimed at Saitama.
It wasn't aimed at the heroes.
It was aimed at Yulin, watching through the screen.
"I'll become the monster the entire human race fears! I'll erase bullying, discrimination, war! This world doesn't need unequal justice, it needs equal evil! I fight for world peace, as the strongest monster, as absolute evil that no justice can defeat!"
Garou poured out everything in his heart.
And despite knowing he was the villain, Yulin found herself shaken.
He… wasn't entirely wrong.
"I became a monster for that mission," Garou screamed. "So why did you become a hero?"
"For fun," Saitama said, casually picking his nose.
Garou froze.
Yulin froze with him.
A moment ago, it had been tragedy.
Now, it was pure One-Punch Man comedy.