Chainsaw Man may finally let Denji have his dream, but at a heavy cost

Modified Nov 03, 2024 04:04 GMT

Chainsaw Man may finally let Denji have his dream, but at a heavy cost (Image via MAPPA Studios)

With the long two-week break for mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man series coming to an end, fans are anxiously discussing what to expect from the manga’s return. This has been an especially concerning topic for the community, as it seems that War Devil Yoru is set to take advantage of Denji once again following chapter 181.

A vast majority of this concern comes from the reaction Denji has previously had to attain what could be considered at least steps towards achieving his ultimate dream. In fact, if Yoru goes too far with this latest act of physical intimacy, it could be something that breaks Denji and his philosophy of love to a point beyond potential repair.

Disclaimer: This article contains canon-typical mentions of sensitive topics. Readers’s discretion is advised.

Chainsaw Man’s next act of intimacy could be one that breaks Denji mentally

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Throughout the series, Denji’s primary dream and goal he has been pursuing is physical intimacy with a woman. He places it above all other goals in his life, and uses it as motivation to complete whatever task is at hand.

Even for something as relatively platonic as a kiss, he’s willing to risk his life against enemies he isn’t even sure he can defeat. It’s a pursuit that he clearly values as equal to his own life.

Yet throughout the series, it’s also shown that he feels empty and hollow after these acts, rather than the satisfaction he so desperately longs for. His interactions with Power and Himeno primarily highlight this in the manga’s first part, as does his experience with Reze to a much lesser extent.

His dialogue regarding these experiences in the manga’s second part further drives home that his interactions with women often hurt him more than they help.

However, Chainsaw Man has recently offered hope for Denji throughout its second part, the Academy Saga, in the form of his relationship with Asa Mitaka. At one point relatively early on, Denji plainly says that Asa is the only girl he’s had romantic feelings for who hasn’t hurt him.

Unfortunately, this has changed in recent weeks and months as War Devil Yoru, in Asa’s body, has continued to s*xually abuse Denji and leave him upset and hurt after.

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Since these actions, however, Denji has suffered significant additional trauma via recent events. Control Devil Nayuta’s death is the most significant, but even chapter 181 sees Denji reach a new low while voluntarily taking the blame for all the bad that has happened. This outburst directly precedes Yoru’s latest act of kissing Denji, further setting him up to be broken beyond repair.

The reason for this stems from the fact that what Denji truly desires isn’t physical intimacy, but emotional intimacy. This is why Chainsaw Man chapter 168 saw Denji ask Yoru if she liked him after she s*xually abused him.

The hollow feeling inside of him despite seemingly getting what he wants is due to the fact that what he really wants is love. With Yoru set to string him along and give him the wrong idea yet again, the results could be disastrous.

Final thoughts

War Devil Yoru's next interaction with Denji could be one that mentally shatters him (Image via Shueisha)

Should Chainsaw Man’s upcoming release progress the way fans are expecting it to, the results could bring Denji to an even lower point mentally than he’s at now. However, this is speculative in nature, with spoilers for the upcoming installment unavailable as of this article’s writing and unlikely to be leaked.