WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One-Punch Man Chapter 155, "Bad Boys," by One, Yusuke Murata, John Werry and James Gaubatz, available in English at Viz Media and Manga Plus.
Garo has defeated many heroes in One-Punch Man during his stint as the Hero Hunter, plowing through them while amassing more strength of his own. But no matter how much more powerful he gets, a stronger opponent always comes to challenge him. Garo has grown leaps and bounds during his consecutive battles, but he is still not yet on Saitama's level, often finding himself in dodgy moments. In fact, he receives unexpected help from the most surprising hero in Chapter 155 of the manga.
After regaining his consciousness, Garo quickly attacked the Monster Association executives, managing to eliminate Barf President Ugly with a single strike as well as Evil Mineral Water. When Saitama and the gang reemerged at the surface, Garo, Flashy Flash and Platinum Spermatozoon engaged in a three-way fight, ending with Garo turning Platinum Spermatozoon into a rain of light. However, the battle was far from over; Centisennin, a giant centipede monster, made its debut alongside the upgraded version of Evil Mineral Water, Evil Ocean Water.
As Garo bombarded the insect monster with strikes, Centisennin acknowledged his strength. However, he's not as slow-witted as the other monsters Garo faced before, quickly noticing his attempt to protect the helicopter Tareo was in. Centisennin threatened to shoot the helicopter down should Garo make the slightest bit of movement, and Evil Ocean Water took this opportunity to shoot the Hero Hunter with a tower-thick stream of water.
At that time, Metal Bat joined the fray and hit the giant monster with his Pumped-Up Dragon Pummelin' but the attack barely did any damage. When he fell, Metal Bat bumped into Garo and immediately recognized and attacked his old foe, but Garo ran up Centisennin and jumped toward the helicopter instead.
However, Metal Bat then blocked Centisennin's attempt to strike the chopper, allowing Garo to communicate with the pilot. The Hero Hunter immediately returned the favor by hitting the centipede monster consecutively as it was about to attack. He and Metal Bat bickered, but ultimately got it together and landed a simultaneous attack on Centisennin out of annoyance.
One-Punch Man readers will recall that Garo and Metal Bat once faced each other during the former's stint as the Hero Hunter. Interestingly, their first meeting also involved a giant centipede monster. More than the comedic undertone, Garo and Metal Bat's unlikely team-up proves that even though Garo has transformed into a monster, he does not necessarily align his views with the Monster Association. His legitimate concern for Tareo is also evidence that a part of him remains human.
Garo may have done irreversible damage against the heroes, but his recent actions make readers second guess his intentions and allegiance. He openly announces being a sympathizer of villains, yet he also doesn't think twice before ending them. Since One-Punch Man doesn't offer any conclusive answer yet, fans can only anticipate finding an explanation in future chapters of the manga.
