Wait, Saitama vs Captain Falcon? Who greenlit this match? That’s right, we’re pitting the One Punch Man himself against the face of the F-Zero franchise and popular Smash Bros. fighter Captain Falcon. You might find yourself asking “Why even compare the two?”. A quick Google search shows that the theoretical fight has been on the minds of fans for quite some time. The most important thing to note about the two is that each is capable of massive destruction with just one punch. One Punch Man fan sites have regularly questioned how Saitama would fare in a one-on-one battle with other fictional characters, Captain Falcon included. Additionally, there are mods that add Saitama as a playable Smash character. Whether in One Punch Man fan fiction or modded Smash Bros. matches, the winner isn’t as clear-cut as you might think.
Captain Falcon vs Saitama: Side by Side Comparison
Captain Falcon
Falcon can trace his origins back to the SNES classic F-Zero as its protagonist and the face of the franchise. His design is equal parts Speed Racer and Judge Dredd, but despite his cool look, his intended place as a Nintendo mascot never materialized. As it turns out, he just didn’t have the same appeal as Mario or Link. Still, players are familiar enough with the F-Zero franchise to make him a popular choice in Nintendo’s flagship fighting franchise Smash Bros. Outside video games he appears in comics and anime based on the F-Zero canon. In those appearances he is shown to have immense power, even using his signature “Falcon Punch” to destroy an entire moon.
Saitama (aka One Punch Man)
Saitama is the fictional hero and titular protagonist of the One Punch Man manga series. He exists as a play on the superhero stereotype where, instead of his immense power being a blessing, it’s a curse. Saitama is already the most powerful person in the known universe, but his inability to use that power to solve everyday problems creates a strange dichotomy where he’s still powerless against life itself. The ensuing ennui that Saitama feels as a result of this contradiction makes him reluctant to fight, but fight he must. Thanks to his notoriety as the most powerful man in the world, he is constantly receiving challenges from would-be opponents.
Outside the manga and anime, he has proven to be a popular character to get modded into video games. While none of his video game appearances are official, they serve as inspiration for some of the One Punch fan fiction that permeates the internet. Most of this fan fiction serves as a forum for fans to debate how the One Punch Man would fare in encounters against other popular fictional characters.
Captain Falcon vs Saitama: 5 Things to Know
Here are some of the more important facts to consider about each before determining the ultimate fighter:
- Saitama’s namesake as the One Punch Man comes from his immense power. He is quite literally capable of defeating any opponent with a single punch.
- Although Saitama is technically a hero and a member of the Hero Association in the manga, he does not act very heroic. This is mainly due to his boredom that comes from being the most powerful being alive.
- Captain Falcon has multiple versions of his character across media. The version of Falcon in the F-Zero game is different from that of the anime.
- The game version of Falcon, F-Zero or Smash Bros., is never shown to have the same kind of power as his anime counterpart.
- Fan speculation about the imagined fight puts Saitama as being able to withstand any of Falcon’s attacks. Conversely, Falcon would likely not survive a single punch from Saitama.
Captain Falcon vs Saitama: Video Game Appearances
In terms of the character with the most official video game appearances, Captain Falcon is the definitive winner. Despite the popularity of the One Punch Man manga and anime, only one official game has been made from the source material. This one game is currently the only title featuring Saitama in an official capacity.
Captain Falcon Video Game Appearances
- F-Zero (1990)
- F-Zero X (1998)
- Super Smash Bros. (1999)
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
- F-Zero GX (2003)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and WiiU (2014)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)
Saitama Video Game Appearances
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (2020)
Captain Falcon vs Saitama: What Fans Theorize
Reading through fan theories on the potential fight between Saitama and Falcon presents some common conclusions. Interestingly, most references to Falcon are to his appearance in the F-Zero: GP Legend anime, which is not the official version of the character. In the anime, there are scenes where he uses the Falcon Punch move with great destructive capacity. Using this as a basis for argument, some fans theorize that Falcon would win by punching Saitama with enough force to destroy a planet. That said, Saitama has historically withstood immense punishment before and survived. Based on this, other contingents of fans argue that he would be able to brush off the attack. Following Falcon’s one chance at defeating Saitama, he would suffer defeat at the hands of the infamous One Punch Man. If using the video game version of Captain Falcon, Saitama wins with no contest.
The Bottom Line
One final thing to note about the potential match-up between the two is the implications for modded Smash Bros. matches. The mod that imports Saitama as a playable character does so with appearances only. To have the character at his full power, a cheat is required. Computing the ability to defeat a character in Smash Bros. with just one punch, the base Saitama is at about 0.000000000000000001% of his power. So, translating this to other characters at base power level, an upgraded and full-power Saitama (with cheats active) would decimate Captain Falcon. Until Nintendo gives fans an official version of Saitama in a future Smash Bros., theory and speculation are all they’ll have to go on. That said, it paints a pretty clear picture of who the ultimate fighter is.