# Exploring the most compelling One-Punch Man theory. We analyze all the manga evidence for and against Dr. Bofoi, a.k.a Metal Knight, being a secret traitor.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the One-Punch Man manga, up to and including the most recent chapters. Proceed with caution if you are not caught up.
Ngetrenz – In the world of One-Punch Man, few figures cast a longer or more imposing shadow than Dr. Bofoi, the S-Class Rank 6 hero known to the world as Metal Knight. He is a character of profound contradictions: a hero who is rarely present at the scene of a disaster, a protector of humanity whose primary motivation appears to be the cold acquisition of technology, and a genius whose intellect is matched only by his secrecy. This very duality has fueled one of the most persistent and hotly debated questions in the entire fandom for years: Is Metal Knight a traitor?
This isn’t a question with a simple answer. For every piece of damning evidence, there’s a plausible counter-argument; for every suspicious action, a potential justification rooted in a bizarre, ruthless logic. The Metal Knight traitor theory is less a straightforward case and more a complex web of motives, misdirection, and mystery.
This report will not give you a definitive verdict. Instead, we’re going to put on our investigator hats and dive deep into the manga’s canon. We will act as impartial analysts, systematically laying out every piece of evidence for and against the theory that Dr. Bofoi is a villain in waiting. We’ll cite specific manga chapters, dissect character philosophies, and explore the compelling counter-theories that suggest we might be looking at the wrong knight entirely. By the end, you’ll have all the facts, and you can be the judge.
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The Case FOR Treason: Analyzing Dr. Bofoi‘s Sinister Pattern
The argument that Dr. Bofoi is a future antagonist isn’t built on a single event, but on a consistent pattern of behavior that seems fundamentally at odds with the ideals of a hero. From direct accusations to a disturbing apathy in the face of catastrophe, the evidence against him is substantial and deeply unsettling.
Evidence A: The Direct Accusation (Drive Knight vs Metal Knight)
The modern foundation of the Metal Knight traitor theory was cemented in a single, chilling conversation. The scene is the chaotic aftermath of the Monster Association raid. In manga chapter 117, S-Class Rank 9 hero Drive Knight, who had been conspicuously absent for much of the main battle, finally appears to dispatch the monster Nyan and rendezvous with Hero Association executive Sekingar.
When questioned about his tardiness, Drive Knight delivers a bombshell. He claims he was forced to operate in secret, unable to radio in his extensive reconnaissance data because of a traitor within the Hero Association’s ranks: Dr. Bofoi himself.
Drive Knight’s accusation is not a vague suspicion; it is a detailed and damning indictment. He alleges that Metal Knight’s true motives are nothing less than global conquest and that Bofoi is patiently waiting for the perfect moment—when the Hero Association is at its weakest—to unleash his colossal robot army and seize control. He goes further, accusing Bofoi of a specific act of recent treachery: intentionally allowing one of his drones to be captured by the Monster Association. The purpose? To leak critical intelligence about the defenses of the Hero Association HQ, a fortress that Bofoi himself designed, giving the monsters a catastrophic advantage.
What makes this accusation so potent is its specificity. Drive Knight provides a clear motive (world domination), a method (a secret army), and a recent, verifiable example of betrayal. Even though Sekingar correctly points out that Drive Knight has no concrete proof for his claims, the narrative is powerful and plants a seed of doubt that is impossible to ignore. This confrontation establishes the core
Drive Knight vs Metal Knight conflict not as a simple rivalry, but as a potential cold war between heroes, with one side openly declaring the other an enemy of humanity. This moment transformed the question from “Is he a bit shady?” to “Is Metal Knight a traitor?”
Evidence B: A Pattern of Absence and Apathy
Long before Drive Knight ever voiced his concerns, Bofoi was building his own case against himself through a consistent pattern of inaction and chilling indifference during humanity’s darkest hours.
- The Meteor Incident (Chapter 21): This is perhaps the quintessential example of Bofoi’s questionable heroism. When a Dragon-level meteor threatened to annihilate City Z, Metal Knight was one of only three S-Class heroes to respond. However, his objective was not to save the city. He explicitly stated his only goal was to test his newly developed missiles on the celestial body. After firing his payload and confirming it was insufficient, he declared his test complete and abandoned the scene, openly stating he didn’t care if the meteor hit. It was a shocking display of self-interest over public safety, leaving Genos and an elderly Bang to face certain doom before Saitama’s arrival.
- The Boros Invasion (Chapter 36): During the alien invasion that leveled City A, Metal Knight was a complete no-show. The S-Class heroes fought and nearly died against the Dark Matter Thieves, but Bofoi was nowhere to be found. He only made his appearance after Saitama had defeated Boros and the threat was neutralized. His purpose? To use his drones to salvage the wreckage of Boros’s highly advanced alien warship, picking through the battlefield like a vulture to harvest technology for his own arsenal. This act of pure, self-serving opportunism in the wake of a global crisis solidified his reputation as a hero who only acts when there is something to be gained.
- The Monster Association Raid: Bofoi’s absence from the largest and most critical operation in the Hero Association’s history is perhaps his most damning inaction. When Child Emperor pleaded for his help, Bofoi’s initial suggestion was to simply carpet-bomb the entire area, a plan that would have killed the kidnapped hostage Waganma without a second thought. When this horrifyingly pragmatic plan was rejected, he refused to participate at all, leaving his comrades critically outmatched against the full might of the Monster Association. He only appeared in Chapter 169, long after the fighting had concluded, to perform “cleanup” of the radiation left by Cosmic Fear Mode Garou, an act that seemed more like data collection and damage control than genuine assistance.
These three events reveal a consistent philosophy that is fundamentally incompatible with traditional heroism. It’s not just apathy; it’s a calculated decision-making process. Bofoi seems to operate on a principle of extreme resource preservation. He refuses to deploy his main assets against threats that could, in theory, be handled by others, or for objectives he deems strategically worthless, like a single hostage. He appears to be saving his true strength for a hypothetical, future “doomsday” scenario that he believes only he can stop. This creates a terrifying moral hazard where he willingly allows cities to be destroyed and heroes to die in the present to conserve his power for a future he alone is preparing for. It is this philosophical chasm that makes his actions appear so villainous and fuels the One-Punch Man Dr. Bofoi evil narrative.
Evidence C: An Obsession with Power and Technology
At the heart of Metal Knight’s true motives seems to be a relentless, amoral hunger for power. Nearly every significant action he takes is in service of acquiring new technology, data, or weaponry, with little to no regard for the ethical implications.
His immediate move to reverse-engineer Boros’s alien ship is a prime example. He also expressed a keen scientific interest in capturing and interrogating the powerful psychics Psykos and Orochi, seeing them not as threats to be eliminated but as valuable data sources.
The most shocking evidence of this obsession, however, comes from the webcomic. In Chapter 150, it’s revealed that Bofoi’s salvaging operation after the Boros fight was far more thorough than anyone imagined. While raiding one of Bofoi’s secret labs, Genos discovers Lord Boros himself, regenerating inside a stasis pod. The fact that Metal Knight not only recovered the body of one of the most powerful beings to ever exist but is actively bringing him back to life is a terrifying development.
This relentless pursuit of power, unchecked by any discernible moral compass, aligns perfectly with the profile of a future supervillain building an unstoppable arsenal. When asking who is the traitor in the Hero Association, the answer often points to the one with the most to gain, and Bofoi’s technological and biological gains are staggering.
Evidence D: The Shadow of the Mad Cyborg
One of the oldest and most foundational mysteries in One-Punch Man is the identity of the “Mad Cyborg” who destroyed Genos’s hometown and slaughtered his family. A persistent and compelling fan theory lays the blame squarely at Dr. Bofoi’s feet.
While there is no direct canonical proof of this connection, the circumstantial evidence is strong enough to keep the theory alive. The most significant piece of evidence is Drive Knight’s very first warning to Genos back during the Boros arc. He pulls Genos aside specifically to say, “Metal Knight is your enemy”. Why target Genos with this warning? Of all the S-Class heroes present, why single out the Demon Cyborg? The most logical interpretation is that Drive Knight is aware of a dark, shared history between Bofoi and Genos. If the One-Punch Man Dr. Bofoi evil theory holds true, creating the Mad Cyborg could be his original, unforgivable sin, making Drive Knight’s warning both deeply personal and ominously prescient.
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The Case FOR Loyalty: A Flawed Hero or a Framed Man?
Despite the mountain of incriminating evidence, the case against Dr. Bofoi is not airtight. A compelling counter-narrative exists, one that paints him not as a villain, but as either a ruthlessly pragmatic and misunderstood hero or, more alarmingly, the victim of a brilliant frame job by the real traitor.
Counter-Point A: The Ultimate Red Herring: Is Drive Knight the Real Traitor?
Perhaps the most significant argument in Bofoi’s defense is that his primary accuser, Drive Knight, is arguably even more suspicious. A massive counter-theory, heavily supported by meticulous fans across platforms like Reddit, posits that Bofoi is an intentional red herring, designed to distract from the actions of the true villain: Drive Knight himself.
Let’s examine the evidence against Drive Knight:
- Connection to “The Organization”: There is a stark visual similarity between Drive Knight and the known robots of the mysterious and villainous “Organization.” His single cyclopean eye is a design motif shared by the combat robots G4 and G5. In Yusuke Murata’s incredibly detailed art style, such a consistent design choice across multiple robotic antagonists is unlikely to be a coincidence.
- Suspicious Timing and Actions: In the moments immediately following his accusation against Bofoi in Chapter 117, the Organization’s robot G5 appears and attacks Sekingar. Drive Knight, despite being a top S-Class hero, conveniently claims to be completely out of energy and unable to fight, forcing a newly-arrived Genos to intervene. This sequence strongly implies coordination between Drive Knight and G5, suggesting he was either creating a diversion or testing the HA’s response time.
- Callous Treatment of Allies: During the climactic battle against the fused Psykos-Orochi, Drive Knight persuades Genos to merge with him, draining Genos’s core to power his own attacks. Once he has the monster sample he desires, he callously discards Genos, leaving him on the verge of a catastrophic core meltdown that would have killed him and the surrounding heroes if not for Fubuki’s intervention. This is a profoundly cruel and selfish act, far removed from the behavior of a hero.
- The Name “Zero”: In the original webcomic, Drive Knight eventually reveals his supposed real name to Genos is “Zero”. Many fans have theorized that this is a clue to his true identity: “Machine God G-Zero,” positioning him as the leader or progenitor of the Organization’s G-series robots.
If Drive Knight is indeed the traitor, then his entire interaction with Sekingar is a masterclass in psychological warfare and misdirection. He establishes his own credibility by providing genuine, useful intelligence about the Monster Association. He then uses that credibility to create a phantom menace—Metal Knight—to divert all future suspicion away from himself and onto his biggest technological rival. This reframes the entire Drive Knight vs Metal Knight narrative. It’s not a conflict between two suspicious heroes; it’s a calculated smear campaign orchestrated by a master manipulator. In this light, the answer to “Is Metal Knight a traitor?” is no. He’s the perfect scapegoat.
To better visualize this complex dynamic, let’s compare their actions side-by-side.
Table 1: Tale of the Tape: Metal Knight vs. Drive Knight – A Comparative Analysis of Suspicious Actions
| Event/Characteristic | Metal Knight (Dr. Bofoi) | Drive Knight (“Zero”) |
| Stated Philosophy | Believes in “Peace through overwhelming, controllable military power.” He views other heroes as emotional and unreliable variables. | Believes “Data collection is paramount for victory.” He is willing to use any means, including torture and manipulation, to gather intel. |
| Boros Invasion | Absent during the fight. Arrives afterward to salvage the alien ship for its advanced technology. | Present during the S-Class meeting. Issues a cryptic, targeted warning to Genos that “Metal Knight is your enemy” before departing. |
| Monster Association Raid | Absent from combat. Proposed nuking the base, disregarding the hostage. Arrived only after the battle to clean up radiation. | Arrives late. Fights Nyan, merges with Genos, drains his power, abandons him to die, collects monster samples, and makes detailed accusations against Bofoi. |
| Connection to “The Organization” | No direct visual or stated connection. His robots have a distinct, non-cyclopean design. His robots have even fought against Organization-affiliated machines in the webcomic. | Strong visual similarity to G4/G5 robots (cyclopean eye). His arrival is immediately followed by a coordinated attack from G5. |
| Treatment of Allies | Distant, uncooperative, and dismissive. He is paranoid but has shown concern for his former assistant, Child Emperor. | Deceptive and ruthless. He uses Genos as a disposable power source and leaves him on the verge of a fatal explosion. |
Counter-Point B: The Philosophy of Extreme Pragmatism
If we set aside the accusations from the highly suspect Drive Knight, Bofoi’s actions can be re-evaluated. Instead of malice, they may stem from a philosophy of extreme, ruthless pragmatism. Bofoi seems to genuinely believe that true, lasting peace can only be achieved and maintained through overwhelming, perfectly controllable military might.
From this cold, utilitarian viewpoint, his actions, while horrifying, become logically consistent. Sacrificing City Z to a meteor is an acceptable loss if it allows him to test a weapon that could save the entire planet later. Refusing to join the Monster Association raid is a calculated risk; he conserves his irreplaceable arsenal for a future threat that he believes only he can defeat, betting that the other heroes can handle the present crisis.
He sees his fellow S-Class heroes as emotional, unreliable, and ultimately fallible variables. His machines, by contrast, are predictable, loyal, and disposable. This perspective doesn’t make him a good person, but it makes him something far more complex and interesting than a simple villain lusting for power. He may not be trying to destroy the world, but rather trying to build the only thing he believes can truly save it, and he is willing to make morally bankrupt sacrifices to achieve that goal. This intricate viewpoint is a cornerstone of the Metal Knight traitor theory.
Counter-Point C: Incontrovertible Contributions to Humanity
Finally, the most straightforward argument against the One-Punch Man Dr. Bofoi evil theory is his record of tangible, undeniably positive contributions to humanity. These are not the actions of a man plotting the downfall of society.
His single greatest achievement is the construction of the new Hero Association Headquarters in the ruins of City A. This impenetrable fortress, which withstood the full bombardment of Boros’s warship, was a project estimated to take ten years. Bofoi completed it in seven days. Furthermore, following the devastating battle with Garou, it was Metal Knight’s fleet of drones that decontaminated the battlefield of lethal radiation and provided medical treatment to the poisoned heroes.
These actions have saved countless lives and provided the heroes with their single greatest asset and safe haven. This creates a glaring contradiction. If the answer to the question “Is Metal Knight a traitor?” is yes, then why is he also the single greatest benefactor to the very organization he supposedly wants to destroy? His actions demonstrate a deep investment in humanity’s infrastructure and survival, even if his methods and personality are abrasive and deeply questionable.
An Enemy in Plain Sight?
So, where does that leave us? After weighing all the evidence, the picture is more complex than ever. On one hand, Dr. Bofoi’s calculated apathy, his disturbing obsession with amassing power, and the direct, damning accusations from a fellow S-Class hero paint the picture of a classic villain biding his time. The question of who is the traitor in the Hero Association seems to have an obvious, heavily-armed answer.
On the other hand, his tangible, world-saving contributions to humanity and the mountain of evidence suggesting his accuser is the real villain cast serious doubt on his guilt. The Metal Knight traitor theory might be the greatest red herring in the series. The truth about Metal Knight’s true motives remains shrouded in secrecy.
As of the latest manga chapters, the question of is Metal Knight a traitor remains officially, and masterfully, unanswered. Authors ONE and Yusuke Murata have cultivated this ambiguity, making Dr. Bofoi one of the most compelling and enigmatic characters in the story. He is a walking, talking Chekhov’s Gun—a vast and terrifying arsenal sitting on the world’s stage. The trigger has yet to be pulled, and we still have no idea which direction it’s truly pointing.
What’s your verdict? Is Dr. Bofoi a pragmatic, misunderstood savior or a diabolical villain hiding in plain sight? For more deep dives into your favorite manga, be sure to check out the latest articles from Raven C. And don’t forget to follow and like Ngetrenz on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for all the latest news, reviews, and theories!
Summary
- The central debate in the One-Punch Man fandom is whether the S-Class hero Metal Knight (Dr. Bofoi) is a secret traitor planning to take over the world.
- Evidence For Betrayal:
- He was directly accused by fellow hero Drive Knight in manga chapter 117 of plotting world domination.
- He consistently displays apathy during major crises, such as the meteor in City Z and the Boros invasion, often only appearing to test weapons or salvage technology.
- He refused to help in the Monster Association raid, suggesting instead to nuke the base, which would have killed a hostage.
- He has an obsession with amassing power, culminating in the webcomic reveal that he is regenerating Boros’s body in a secret lab.
- Evidence Against Betrayal:
- His primary accuser, Drive Knight, is himself incredibly suspicious, with visual links to the villainous “Organization,” a history of abandoning allies, and a pattern of manipulative behavior. Many believe Metal Knight is a red herring.
- Bofoi’s actions can be interpreted as extreme pragmatism rather than evil. He may be willing to make sacrifices in the present to build an arsenal he believes is necessary to save the world from a future threat.
- He has made significant positive contributions, such as building the indestructible Hero Association HQ in a week and cleaning up the radiation after the Garou fight.
- Conclusion: As of the latest manga chapters, there is no definitive answer. Dr. Bofoi remains one of the most ambiguous and mysterious characters, with strong evidence supporting both his potential loyalty and his potential villainy.