CrunchyrollAs we wait for One Punch Man Season 3 to finally land, check out this story of one fan who decided to stop laughing at Saitama’s ridiculous workout regime and actually try it. Not only did he smash it (pun intended) but the lifestyle switch has transformed his life.
The premise of One Punch Man is simple: Saitama is an independent superhero who grows bored after training to the point where he can defeat any opponent with a single punch.
He does this through a workout plan so absurdly simple it’s become a meme: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run… every. single. day. No breaks. No excuses.
Plenty of anime fans have tried it in the past, but perhaps none were quite so successful as Li Shuangyong, who completed 1,000 days and became a viral sensation.
Meet the real life One Punch Man
According to Jiupai News (via Men’s Health), Shuangyong previously had a fish farming business that collapsed. He was in debt, his marriage was over, and his life had fallen to pieces.
But rather than spiralling, the Shandong province resident – known online as Tangzhu – decided to take matters into his own hands. “I had to save myself. I could not keep living like that. It could not get any worse,” he explained.
At that time, he came across the One Punch Man manga, which was adapted into an anime series in 2015, and he felt inspired by Saitama’s journey. From August 2021 to July 2024, he took part in the character’s training regime.
While it transformed him physically, it was about the journey as much as the destination. With no money to start out with, Shuangyong initially used running shoes that cost less than 10 yuan ($1.40) and mostly just ate ramen and eggs.
But as he documented his progress online, he built up a following, eventually landing himself sponsorships for new shoes and supplements. One fan group in Taiwan even live-streamed his runs and trained alongside him remotely.
CrunchyrollAlong the way, he met his new girlfriend who continues to encourage his journey. By the time the 1,000 days were up, Shuangyong was ripped, having run over 20,000 kilometers and carried out thousands of reps.
To mark the end of the challenge, he shaved his head just like Saitama. This even caught the attention of the manga’s creator One, who wrote on X/Twitter, “Your willpower is incredible! Congratulations.”
Now, he’s now got his sights set on landing a Guinness World Record by running a marathon every day for an entire year. Even Saitama would be shocked, but Shuangyong says he hopes his story is able to “amplify hope without limits”.
One Punch Man Season 3 is set to release in October 2025. While you wait, check out the best anime to watch if you love One Punch Man, the best shonen anime like One Piece, and the most anticipated 2025 anime.