An iconic Denji moment is given new meaning after Chainsaw Man chapter 174, and it's heartbreaking

Modified Aug 17, 2024 22:30 GMT

Chainsaw Man chapter 174 showed the tragedy of Denji's decisions (Image via MAPPA)

Chainsaw Man chapter 174 recently came out and showed how Pochita continues to erase concepts all over the world, leading to more chaos and disarray. In that regard, some people have noticed that Denji's current state is a direct result of something he stated in the first part of the manga, making his fate even more tragic now.

Before engaging with Makima in their final battle, Denji had lost the will to fight because of the deaths of Power and Aki. However, he eventually recovered his spirit and chose to be the Chainsaw Devil, thus leading to the scenes that have been shown in Chainsaw Man chapter 174, perhaps being author Tatsuki Fujimoto's way of explaining that his protagonist never had a chance of being free.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Chainsaw Man chapter 174 shows how Denji's desire to be the Chainsaw Devil in first part probably doomed him

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One of the most iconic moments of the first part of the manga was before Denji's final battle with Makima when he was at his lowest because of the deaths of Power and Aki. However, he eventually gets back on his feet and chooses to be Chainsaw Man, which became one of the fandom's favorite moments, and felt like a scene where the protagonist finally gets control of his own life.

Now, looking back at this moment with the events currently taking place in chapter 174, there is an argument to be made that the statement of Denji's was what doomed him. His desire to be Chainsaw Man became a major driving force of the plot in the second part, and was what led to the new version of Public Safety manipulating him and using his power for what was convenient for him.

Denji's desire to be with women was what led to Makima manipulating him during the events of the first part, and the one of being Chainsaw Man has been the main focus of the second one. That has led to a lot of problems for the protagonist and there is an argument to be made there is no chance of return for him at the moment.

What can happen in the coming chapters

Pochita in his Hero of Hell form in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

There is a good chance that after the events of Chainsaw Man chapter 174, Pochita is going to deal with more threats from the likes of Public Safety. The idea of executing the Aging Devil has also been introduced in the most recent chapter, which is going to play a pivotal role in the story moving forward, at least based on what the government wants to do.

The character of Yoru is also going to have to come back into the fold at some point, especially considering how she wants to fight the Chainsaw Devil. However, the likes of her and Katana Man have been sidelined in the most recent chapters, although they are bound to return because of their connections with Denji.

Final thoughts

Denji's desire of continuing to be the Chainsaw Devil in the first part is probably what doomed him, as shown recently during the events of Chainsaw Man chapter 174. The character has always been dominated by his desires and now it seems that there is no coming back for him.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay