A time-skip will be the worst thing for Chainsaw Man right now

Modified Oct 25, 2024 13:30 GMT

A time-skip in Chainsaw Man could be risky, given the series’ fast-paced, chaotic world and unhinged characters. Common in anime and manga, time-skips often bring changes like more mature characters, a transformed world, new threats, and enhanced abilities. However, shifting away from Chainsaw Man's current momentum may disrupt its unique intensity.

Adding a time-skip at this point would likely omit a couple of events from the story which might enhance it and please fans simultaneously. Hence, time-skipping might carry considerable risk. Here's how.

Disclaimer: This articles contains the sole opinion of the author.

Chainsaw Man implementing a time-skip now would be a poor shout

Given where Denji and Asa Mitaka/Yoru are right now, adding in a time-skip might be a risky move. It feels that it might be too early too implement once for a couple of reasons. To begin with, both protagonists have much of their character development still to go. Jumping forward might show us older versions of the pair but it would skip on how they got there.

Denji growing out of his still childish self into a more mature individual and Asa gaining more confidence in herself are things fans would prefer to see. Further, the latter faces a complex relationship with the War Devil within, which needs sorting out. These aspects will be missed should creator Tatsuki Fujimoto introduce a time-skip in the manga.

Again, the dynamics between Denji and Asa's relationship finally seem to be heading somewhere. A fast-forward would likely show them as a Devil-fighting duo, near-perfectly in sync and capable of understanding each other. But them actually cooperating with and understanding each other has been one of the vital parts of the Denji-Asa dynamic and omitting it might harm the series.

Katana Man vs Chainsaw Man (Image via MAPPA)

Moving on, the threat of the Aging Devil is very real at the moment. This presents the perfect opportunity for Denji and Asa to get on the same page. They must escape the Aging Devil's world and one cannot do it without the other. Denji is showcasing despair and no will to live while Asa is confused and terrified at the entire scenario. But her feelings for him remain unchanged, hence the kiss.

Skipping the chance to develop Denji and Asa's relationship, possibly even romantically, could be a missed opportunity. Facing the looming threat of the Death Devil will require both Pochita and Yoru, alongside Denji and Asa, to work together before this ultimate terror arrives.

Again, the existing tension of the story, its characters and current events might lose momentum if the story skips forward. Fans are yet invested in Denji and Asa's struggles and taking that away might disrupt the series' sense of progression. Also, given Chainsaw Man's chaotic storytelling, readers might face confusion upon time-skipping. Fujimoto's delicately woven balance of emotion, comedy, and action could be fractured through an inappropriately placed and timed skip forward.

Final Thoughts

Time-skips come with their own merits and demerits. On one hand, they afford accelerated character growth, considerable world-building changes and refreshed stakes, the flip side offers incomplete character development, loss of continuity and a complicated shift narrative. A flashback sometime later could counter but that might make the story needlessly longer and deviate from the main bits.

In this case, the story should continue without a time-skip. Denji and Asa's characters have a great opportunity to develop and arrive on the same page before the great disaster. Moreover, their fight against Aging is much-anticipated.

What can be done, however, is use the pair's time in Aging' world as the time-skip. So, when they escape, they are greeted with entirely different reality, one where the Death Devil's arrival is nigh or has already arrived and begun causing havoc.