Does Reze actually love Denji in Chainsaw Man? Explained

Modified Aug 30, 2024 02:30 GMT

Denji and Reze in Chainsaw Man (Image via Tatsuki Fujimoto, Viz Media)

The titular antagonist of the Bomb Girl Arc in Chainsaw Man, Reze was an immediate fan-favorite upon introduction. Spanning chapter 39 to 52, Denji runs into an attractive stranger who shows immense interest in him. However, as he soon discovers, this beautiful romantic interest seems to have a more explosive side than he anticipated.

Reze turns out to be the Bomb Devil Hybrid, sent from the Soviet Union on a mission to acquire Denji's heart, quite literally. Initially, she came off as a kind and gentle girl who seemed to have taken a liking to Denji. She teased and tantalized him through her appeal and behaviour. But all this was a facade to get close enough to him to carry out her mission.

However, despite her fake crush on him, Reze did reciprocate her feelings towards him. She empathized with him since they had both never been to school before. So, while Reze did leverage Denji's attraction towards her, she did come to care for him and developed a soft spot for the boy.

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Why Reze likely does actually love Denji, explained

As mentioned, despite her mission to acquire Denji's heart, Reze did develop feelings for the boy and started to care for him. This is because the pair had shared experiences in their lifetimes. For instance, both of them had never been to a school or experienced what it would be like. That's why they decided to go to school at night together.

Moreover, even though she was trained from a young age, Reze's mission was such that she needed to get close to him. While doing so, she spent a lot of time with and related to him, i.e., identified with him due to her unconventional upbringing as an experiment raised in government custody. While with Denji, Reze started to have a good time too.

The conflict between Reze completing the mission and her finally finding someone she identified with added a new layer to Reze asking Denji to elope run away with her before their fight. She informed him that she knew someone who could help them if they ran away together. This was likely true due to her connections as a Russian agent. But Reze realized that this was a lost cause when Denji expressed his desire to continue working for Public Safety.

Denji and Reze's relationship in Chainsaw Man

Considering Reze's origin, she was likely genuine about wanting to run away from her situation and thought Denji was someone who might understand her. So, she did take advantage of Denji's want for love and companionship, but after a certain point, she began to develop something for him and came to care about him.

Their relationship began solely due to her mission and she needed to get his attention somehow. Having been trained by the Soviet Union from a young age, she knew how and what to do. But as mentioned, the line between fulfilling her mission and finding someone on par with her soon faded.

The more time they spent together, the more she fell for him. True enough, her role began with her focusing on his Chainsaw heart, but by the end, she only wanted Denji's heart. As she stated later, she had meant the things she said to him during their battle, the festival and at the school.