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Chainsaw Man Chapter 102 marks the return of the manga’s protagonist. By giving his readers new characters to be engrossed with, mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto kept Denji out of the second part of his manga to such an extent that readers started to count Asa as the current main character.
However, Chainsaw Man chapter 102, titled Save the Cat, puts a satisfying end to that wait. As speculated from the previous issue, Chapter 102 is action-heavy. But Fujimoto cleverly weaves bits and pieces from Asa’s past and her kind nature into this narrative, alongside the subtle details of Denji’s evolution.
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Disclaimer: Both Chainsaw Man chapter 102 and this article contain the canon-typical amount of violence and gore. Discretion is requested.
Chainsaw Man Chapter 102 shows that Asa and Denji are both similar and complementary, foreshadowing an interesting dynamic between the two
In the previous chapter, the War Devil adapted the name Yoru to humanize herself and appear more approachable to Asa’s eyes. She then encouraged Asa to kill Yuko to make a new weapon. Asa steadfastly refused to do so, despite Yoru's informing her that the closer she is to the victim, the stronger the weapon will be. Afterward, Yuko and Asa ran into the Bat Devil on their quest to find and kill some Devils.
Asa the savior
Chainsaw Man Chapter 102 begins with the Bat Devil destroying the vicinity in his effort to chase after Asa and Yuko. The falling debris knocks Yuko unconscious, with a small rod impaling her ankle clean through. Yoru appears and reminds Asa that since Yuko is now unable to run and will only slow them down, they should kill her and make a weapon to fight the Bat Devil.
The War Devil further reveals her host’s weakness: Asa did not regret killing Bucky; she only regretted that people saw her kill Bucky. Yoru reminds Asa of her pledge to live life more selfishly once she was granted a second life. Despite being frightened and tempted, Asa picks up Yuko’s unconscious body and tries to run away. Unfortunately, she trips and falls very soon, taking Yuko down with her.
Saving the cat
Chainsaw Man Chapter 102, then moves onto a flashback montage from Asa’s life. She was a clumsy child who tripped at the most important moments of her life, be it during her birthday or with Bucky. One day, she and her mother were running away from a Devil when Asa saw a cat in the middle of the road and picked it up to save it. But she tripped, which left her and the cat in the Devil’s grasp.
Her mother pushed her away from danger and was killed by the Devil. Later, when a stranger praised her for saving the cat, Asa broke down. However, this traumatic moment of Asa’s life is juxtaposed with her memories of Yuko. Asa, too, wanted to live her life with her heart in the right place without having to care about the results.
In the present, she realizes that despite the sad outcomes, the intentions behind her actions have always been good. She picks Yuko back up, resuming her run and vowing to save her friend. At that moment, the Bat Devil is desecrated in the ongoing fight between a Cockroach Devil and Chainsaw Man, who break through the walls and continue fighting.
Chainsaw Man returns
Chainsaw Man chapter 102 shifts its focus away from Asa and Yuko, who are seen lying on the ground. The Cockroach Devil grabs Chainsaw Man and dangles him from the building, asking him why he is aiding the humans despite being a Devil.
Concluding that its adversary wants to be a superhero, the Cockroach Devil presents him with a customized version of the Trolley Problem. It holds a car carrying five elderly people in one hand and a young student in the other, asking Chainsaw Man to choose whom to save. However, the Chainsaw Man ruthlessly cuts down the Devil, ironically burning the car and killing the student.
He races to the top of the building where a cat is stuck, and rescues the feline. The news reports say that the Chainsaw Man has saved a cat from a Devil, completely omitting the destruction he has caused and the people who died as collateral damage.
Final thoughts
Chainsaw Man chapter 102 made three things clear, each of which had been previously hinted at since the beginning of part 2. Firstly, it was obvious that Asa had a traumatic past and a personal grudge against Devils. The flashback further clarifies that she has always had a heroic streak, which has historically led to tragedy.
This brings readers to the second point. Asa is at once both timid and headstrong, and how she will act depends solely on the situation and the people involved in it. Yoru misjudges the mettle of Asa’s inherent tendency to save people, to do good, to live free of consequences, and perhaps, above all, to cause no harm. However, Chainsaw Man chapter 102 hints that with her increasing awareness of Asa’s nature, Yoru will soon learn to manipulate this tendency for her personal gain.
The spotlight, of course, is on Denji’s return, and here lies the third point. The Denji whom readers last saw in chapter 97 and the one who appeared in chapter 102 have two different images in the public eye. This Chainsaw Man has been made out to be a hero, and it is evident that news outlets and the government deliberately distorted the truth to make him appear so.
Denji in Chainsaw Man chapter 102 is simultaneously ruthless and endearing, providing a stark contrast to Asa. He saved the cat just like Asa did, but it lacked the pure intention that the girl had. He let six people die, and while Devils are not supposed to care about collateral damage, and Public Safety Officers are even less so, this callousness about human life is a glaring indicator of Denji’s evolution.
A contrary explanation suggests that Denji let the people die to finish the fight faster, thus preventing the Cockroach Devil from causing more damage. However, Chainsaw Man chapter 102 features Denji’s first appearance in part 2, so it is too early to determine anything. What readers must look forward to is how Denji and Asa get along from now on, and how Yoru’s plan to kill the Chainsaw Man fits into that dynamic.
