One-Punch Man: All of Garou's Transformations, explained

In One-Punch Man, few characters have gone through as many dramatic changes as Garou. From his first appearance, he was already different—strong, smart, and dangerous. But what made him truly interesting wasn’t just his skills in battle. It was his evolution.

Garou doesn’t stay the same for long. As he keeps fighting stronger enemies, he changes, both in appearance and power. Over time, his body and mind transform in shocking ways, turning him into one of the most complex villains in One-Punch Man.

Garou begins his journey as a human with incredible martial arts skills. He was once a student of Bang, the S-Class hero also known as Silver Fang. But after being kicked out for becoming too violent, Garou developed a deep hatred for heroes. He believed the world in One-Punch Man was unfair, always cheering for the strong and ignoring the weak.

So, he decided to become a "monster" to fight against that system. This idea would push him down a path full of change, leading to several powerful transformations. This first form is his Hero Hunter Form or Base Form.

In his early battles in One-Punch Man, Garou is still human, but he’s already pushing beyond normal limits. He defeats multiple heroes using pure technique and endurance. His fighting style is called the “Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist,” a flowing martial art that he adapts to suit his needs.

Garou learns fast, copying techniques from his opponents and developing counterattacks in real-time. The first time this was shown was in his fight against Bang and Bomb, when he copied Watchdog Man’s movements. It’s not a supernatural power. It’s just pure determination and instinct. At this point in One-Punch Man, another transformation had started taking place.

His hair was red. One of his eyes seemed to be filled with blood as his sclera was also red. He was covered in a lot of bandages, and his expression started to look more monster-like. This was at the end of the second season of One-Punch Man. This form is called Red Garou.

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Eventually, Garou reaches a point where he begins to mutate, and his limiter starts to break. After taking on too many injuries and surviving countless fights, his body starts to change on its own. After escaping the battle with Bang and Bomb with the help of Phoenix Man, he soon encounters Royal Ripper and Bug God (chapter 89).

This battle was very tough for Garou as his opponents were two Demon-level members of the Monster Association. In a bid to protect Tareo in One-Punch Man, Garou almost dies. After the fight, when Garou woke up, he realised that his shirt had merged with his body. The only part of his body that was still as before was his face. Gyoro-Gyoro referred to this Garou as a Half-Monster form.

At this point, Garou is still very much human as his humanity is intact. That much is shown by his going to rescue Tareo. His strength and speed increase dramatically, and his appearance still looks like that of a regular man. Garou’s attacks were sharper, more accurate, and very deadly. In this form, he got his revenge on Royal Ripper in One-Punch Man.

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After defeating Royal Ripper, in the span of a short while, he fought Unihorn, Showerhead, Super Mouse, Overgrown Rover, Gyoro Gyoro, and Orochi. All these fights were fought one after another (chapters 92 to 94). He ultimately lost to Orochi, the leader of the Monster Association, but these battles made him a different person.

At this point, we get Spiral Garou in One-Punch Man, with even more power. He is faster, smarter, and his durability has reached a whole new level. The injury he received from Orochi in their fight caused him to transform once more. This form is marked by a spiral with its centre at his lower abdomen. At this point, Garou was a Dragon-level threat.

He transforms into this form as he faces off against Superalloy Darkshine, the former S-Class Rank 11 hero of the Hero Association (chapters 121, 127, and 129). At the beginning of the fight in One-Punch Man, he is immensely overwhelmed, but he does not give up.

As the fight progresses, he becomes faster, and his abilities increase again. He was able to take on Superalloy Darkshine’s full power Superalloy Bazooka attack without any damage. At the end of the fight, Garou beats his opponent both physically and mentally, and Superalloy Darkshine retires after their battle.

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Another transformation occurs at this point. Garou transforms into his Complete Monster: First Form. His appearance changes completely. He does not look remotely close to the human Garou that started the series. His body becomes heavily armored, with sharp features and a completely inhuman shape. His movements become faster than ever, and his attacks grow more brutal.

In this form, he battled Bomb, who noticed his new power level (chapters 146 & 147). He commented that Garou had taken the style from all the fighters he had faced and made his original fighting style. But he soon lost to the overwhelming Garou in One-Punch Man.

At this point, Garou’s former master Bang arrives to take over, and the two battle it out (chapters 148, 150, and 153). Garou shows new moves like Exploding Heart Release Fist before using Sky Ripping Fist, which shocks Bang and Bomb.

The final clash was powerful and beautiful. Garou’s face armor was cracked, and Bang lay on the floor defeated. In this same form, he blitzes three Dragon-level monsters in fifty milliseconds after his fight with Bang.

Garou also had a three-way battle with Platinum Sperm and the S-class hero Flashy Flash in One-Punch Man. The three of them were moving so fast that there was a geometric structure of light covering the sky of Z-City. At the end of the day, Garou was the last man standing as Flashy Flash was knocked unconscious and Platinum Sperm was killed.

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But Garou doesn’t stop there. Another transformation comes during his fight with Saitama. After receiving a punch from Saitama, he gets angry, and he realizes that his body mutates in response to how he is feeling. He accepts the transformation, and his body changes again. Protrusions grow out from his back, and he begins to look more monster-like with more armor on his body.

Garou views Saitama as his biggest roadblock on his path to becoming Absolute Evil, which triggered this Complete Monster: Second Form transformation. Unfortunately for Garou, this form was not strong enough to even scratch Saitama. This just showed that Saitama is so far above Garou in One-Punch Man.

After landing a lot of punches and attacks that would have put many out of commission, Garou realizes that this form is not enough and transforms again. He enters his Final Monster form. He becomes a lot bigger than before, and he sprouts wings on his back. His horns too become more distinct, and his armor increases.

In the battle, he brings out more hands as a means to match the overwhelming power of Saitama. Garou was faster than ever, stronger than ever, and even more durable than he had ever been. And yet, his power was not enough to take on the One-Punch Man.

Notably, Garou’s durability skyrockets as he is able to take a clean hit from Saitama and is unaffected. In the end, Saitama’s punches break his spirit and armor, reverting him back to his human form.

Then comes his most extreme form, shown later in the One-Punch Man manga. After coming into contact with a cosmic being known as “God,” Garou is given even greater powers. He becomes what is called Awakened Garou: Cosmic Fear Garou (chapter 164).

His new form in One-Punch Man is beautiful and has a less terrifying outlook. He looks like he is filled with galaxies and stars, as his face and other parts of his body were sparkling. Aside from the appearance, he had gained knowledge of the flow of all energy and the behaviour of all forces in the universe. When Garou landed in front of the heroes, he represented the symbol of fear that brings all heroes to despair. He became the symbol of Absolute Evil.

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Who won in One-Punch Man?

Garou’s power in One-Punch Man was no joke as well. He had mastered the flow of energy, and his attacks were manipulations of energy, some of which were detected as nuclear attacks.

He also uses his new powers to perform an All Life Eradication Fist: Gamma Ray Burst attack that made Saitama fear for the world if it touched the ground. Garou is now capable of copying techniques to perfection, making it difficult for the original user to keep up in an extended duel.

Garou overpowers Blast, the S-class Rank 1 hero, with a copy of his attacks and transfers his focus to Saitama. He copies and uses his Saitama Mode and uses Serious Punches. Their battle in One-Punch Man dragged out for a long time with a show of world-destroying attacks, but ultimately, Saitama took the win.

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Conclusion

What makes Garou’s transformations so unique is that they reflect his mindset. Every time he changes, it’s because of what he’s gone through, what he’s learned, and what he’s feeling. He’s not just becoming stronger—he’s reacting to the world around him. And even when he looks like a monster, there’s always a piece of humanity still left inside him.

In One-Punch Man, Garou’s journey isn’t just about power. It’s about identity, belief, and what it means to be a hero or a villain. His transformations are a physical way of showing his inner conflict. And while he may start off as a villain, by the end of his arc, many fans see him as something more. He is a tragic anti-hero who wanted to change the world but got lost along the way.