Fan theory suggests Fake Chainsaw Man was Denji's savior all along

With the release of Chainsaw Man Chapter 128 earlier this week, fans saw the apparent impostor of the eponymous hero, dubbed Fakesaw Man by many, shockingly return to the fold. The impostor, or at least the idea of an impostor, first appeared in Chapter 111, where they seemingly killed Asa Mitaka’s former friend Yuko.

Now, for the first time since, this Fake Chainsaw Man (hence Fakesaw Man) has reappeared and is seemingly an ally to Denji and, in this situation, Asa Mitaka as well. With the series also recently showing Denji being saved by an unknown hero in the form of a “blood donation,” fans are questioning if these two individuals could be the same person.

While there is some impressive evidence for the same, a major flaw in this theory is a lack of evidential depth for the argument. Follow along as this article fully breaks down the latest Chainsaw Man theory painting Fakesaw Man as Denji’s blood-donating savior.

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Fake Chainsaw Man may be a friend to Denji despite seemingly ruining his reputation, killing Yuko

Brief chapter recap

The latest Chainsaw Man issue began with Asa Mitaka admonishing Denji for saying s*x is what keeps him going in life. She calls s*x disgusting and gross while Denji defends its beauty and purpose in the world. This eventually leads into Asa pointing out that no one would ever want to be physically intimate with someone who has a chainsaw for a head, thus emotionally affecting Denji.

This causes the two to fly up into the sky and through a door into Hell, where Denji wakes up on a plate with Asa in his arms. The apples and man’s head which the Falling Devil acquired previously are on the disk, as is a pile of intestines and a chef-like decorative smear of what is most likely blood.

Denji picks Asa up and begins running to a door, but is attacked by various unnamed Devils along the way.

Eventually, he arrives at the door with Asa in hand, prompting the Falling Devil to appear and try and make a deal with him. Denji rejects this, prompting someone other than him to begin slicing up the Falling Devil with what appears to be a chainsaw. This enigmatic individual is revealed to have chainsaw powers similar to Denji, begging him to evade the Devils present until sunrise, as the latest Chainsaw Man chapter draws to a close.

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The latest Fakesaw Man theory, explained

Prior to the events in the latest chapter as described above, Denji and the Falling Devil’s first fight ended in the latter’s inarguable victory. Bisected and bleeding out, Denji was seemingly out for the count. However, he was then approached by an unseen individual, who gave Denji their blood and asked him (calling him by his eponymous hero name) to keep fighting.

Once the latest Chainsaw Man issue was released, fans unsurprisingly and instantly began looking for any connections between these two individuals. Thankfully, the original Japanese dialogue held what could eventually be proven to be a major linking factor between the two in the form of a dialect choice.

As Twitter user and apparent series fan @kylescouter (Kyle) points out, Denji’s unknown savior and the latest Fakesaw Man to appear both use the keigo dialect of Japanese. While keigo has some subsets, it’s essentially a polite and respectful way to talk to others in Japanese. Kyle asserts that, due to both using the same dialect, they must be the same individual.

However, as other Chainsaw Man fans are pointing out, this isn’t necessarily the case since Keigo is the dialect typically used when strangers are interacting with one another. As a result, it’s just as likely that the Fakesaw Man is a stranger to Denji as it is that they’re the same person as his savior and are intentionally showing respect to him.

Another issue which fans are pointing out is the apparent difference in pants and shoes that both the Fakesaw Man and Denji’s savior are seen wearing. While this could be a matter of shading, lighting, or simply a continuity mistake on Fujimoto and co’s part, it could also be a damning piece of evidence for the theory.

In any case, fans can expect to have their answer sometime soon after the series returns on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at 12 am JST.

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Follow along for more Chainsaw Man anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news, as 2023 progresses.