WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One-Punch Man Chapter 157, "Blessing," by One, Yusuke Murata, John Werry and James Gaubatz, available in English at Viz Media and Manga Plus.
Transformations are a common sight for the monsters in One-Punch Man but the heroes, who are mostly humans, rarely shift appearances. Cyborgs like Genos are an exception to this, but maintaining a single look is especially true for the S-Class heroes, who mostly rely on their outstanding physique to obliterate monsters. However, Pig God's new appearance not only comes as a surprise -- it's also a callback to beloved characters from Naruto and My Hero Academia.
The last time readers saw Pig God was when he saved the Narinki Private Force by swallowing them, moving them out of harm's way and regurgitating them to safety. Like the other S-Class heroes, he faded in the background afterward. However, Pig God returns to One-Punch Man's limelight with a whole new look in Chapter 157.
After mainly focusing on Garo and Metal Bat's fight with Centisennin, Chapter 157 of One-Punch Man opens with an angry Amai Mask. The #1 A-Class hero saw a young man he thought to be a civilian and requisitioned what he thought to be a tent. However, the young man was wearing a very oversized shirt with the word BUTA written on it, and claimed the "tent" Amai Mask used to cover his lower body to be his jacket.
Amai Mask offered to take the young man to a safer place but the latter declined, saying he still has to eat. The subsequent panel then showed him munching of what remained of Gums, a Monster Association executive, which also confirmed his identity as the S-Class Hero Pig God.
Pig God is always shown snacking on something in One-Punch Man, and this image was further expanded when he munched on numerous monsters during the Monster Association raid. Similar to Gums, Pig God can devour monsters bigger than him. His coincidental meeting with Amai Mask is the first time he is shown as thin and ordinary-looking, and such a development reminds fans of Choji from Naruto and Fat Gum from My Hero Academia.
Being bulky is the selling point and charm of both Choji and Fat Gum, especially since their abilities heavily rely on their mass. Interestingly, both characters tend to lose their fats in congruence to exhausting their strength. Choji's strongest technique in Naruto is manifesting chakra butterfly wings, increasing his strength by a hundredfold. Similarly, My Hero Academia's Fat Gum can actively lose his fat and use the kinetic energy stored in it for a destructive attack. The side effect of using these techniques is shedding weight and becoming skinny versions of themselves.
Pig God's thinner form surprises One-Punch Man readers as it is completely unannounced. Although the look is possibly inspired by Choji or Fat Gum, Pig God isn't shown to use a special attack. Following the logic of what seems to be the archetype for this kind of character, he may have simply exhausted his strength. Regardless, fans will have to wait for future updates of One-Punch Man to further expound on this curious new transformation.
