The thirty-eighth chapter introduces King, the feared S-Class hero whose towering reputation rests on a colossal misunderstanding, as a war machine called G4 targets him and Genos steps in to fight in his place.
Summary
A monster named Tongue Stretcher terrorizes bystanders until the S-Class Rank 7 hero King strides in. His fearsome presence alone breaks the creature, which promptly surrenders, and admirers mob him afterward. Carrying a newly bought video game, King passes Saitama and Genos on the street. A broadcast then warns of danger as a mechanical foe confronts King, naming itself G4, a construct of the Organization that has marked him as its main target. King stalls the challenge by claiming he needs the bathroom, and G4 grants roughly ten minutes, vowing to butcher ten civilians for every minute past the deadline while Saitama and Genos look on.
Alone with the wait, King unravels. In truth he is timid and physically weak, elevated to legend entirely by accident. Whenever his eyes were shut, some unseen force slew the monster before him, and the credit and the S-Class rank followed. Choosing to flee, he apologizes to the crowd, and Genos engages G4 instead, asking Saitama to move ahead since the fight will run long. Saitama simply tells him not to lose.
King bolts home and buries himself in his consoles, only for Saitama to appear, having climbed through an open window. Saitama has already worked out that King prefers games to combat and is likely just bored. As Genos melts G4 from within, the machine reveals a hidden true form and resumes attacking. A Demon-level alert then sounds when the Giant Crow smashes into King's building, and Saitama halts it one-handed while King panics behind him. Genos, meanwhile, hatches a scheme to trap the enemy and declares he is the stronger of the two.
Key Events
King subdues Tongue Stretcher through reputation alone. G4 arrives and threatens mass killings unless King fights. King confesses his cowardice to himself and runs, so Genos takes on G4 in his stead. Saitama tracks King down at home and reads his true nature. A Demon-level Giant Crow strikes the building and Saitama stops it with one arm.
Notes
Opening Volume 8 and the King Arc, this chapter adapts into Episode 13 with King as the cover character. It maps to Chapters 42 and 43 of the webcomic and rolled out in five parts across August, September, and October of 2014. In the first online version, G4's readout mislabeled King as an A-Class hero, an error corrected in the printed Volume 8.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is King a fake hero?
King holds a real S-Class Rank 7 title in One Punch Man, but his terrifying reputation is a misunderstanding. Chapter 38 reveals he is actually timid and physically weak, with monsters secretly defeated by an unseen force while his eyes were shut, and the credit landing on him by accident.
Is King more powerful than Saitama?
No. Chapter 38 shows King is far from Saitama's level; he is genuinely weak and has built his legendary status entirely on credit for fights he never actually won.
What happened to King in Chapter 38 of One Punch Man?
King scares off the monster Tongue Stretcher with his reputation alone, but the war machine G4 then arrives calling him its primary target. Panicking privately, King stalls for time and flees home, leaving Genos to fight G4 in his place while Saitama later tracks King down and reads his true nature.
Who is G4 and why does it target King in this chapter?
G4 is a mechanical construct sent by the Organization that names King as its main target in Chapter 38. When King flees the confrontation, Genos fights G4 instead, and the machine later reveals a hidden true form and resumes attacking.
How does Saitama figure out King's secret in Chapter 38?
Saitama climbs through an open window into King's apartment and finds him buried in video games rather than training, quickly deducing that King prefers games to combat and is likely just bored.
Sources & Information
Looking for more on King? The Dragon Ball Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.
View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Dragon Ball anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:
- Movie pages: theatrical posters and key visuals, credited to Toei Animation and Shueisha.
- Game pages: official box art, credited to Bandai Namco, Atari, and other publishers.
- Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Akira Toriyama.
Official resources:
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