Is Denji an anti-hero in Chainsaw Man? Explained

The "anti-hero" is a trope primarily seen in shounen anime like Chainsaw Man, where the methods of achieving justice are harsher than the typical hero. Their motives for justice are selfish, which makes them different from everyday heroes.

Throughout history, there have been some famous anti-heroes in anime, for instance, the most famous one is Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan, who went against the whole world to protect his loved ones. Another famous example of an anti-hero is Light from Death Note, who decided to take justice into his own hands and went too far.

The character in discussion today is the protagonist of Chainsaw Man, Denji. The man has what it takes to be a hero, but do his self-indulgent motives make him an anti-hero?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Chainsaw Man series.

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The role of Denji in the story of Chainsaw Man

Yes, Denji is an anti-hero. More importantly, he is the anti-hero protagonist of Chainsaw Man. Not only do his selfish, indulgent motives support this statement, but his criminal appearance as a Chainsaw Man adds to it.

Denji is a teenage boy whose life went into trouble at an early age due to his father's debt. After his father's passing, Denji had to do anything and everything to pay off his father's debt to the loan sharks, unless he wanted to be killed.

Unfortunately, he was lured into a trap one day and got killed by some devils who held a grudge against him (as Denji hunted down small devils for money to pay off his father's debts). During his final breaths, Denji's pet devil, Pochita, fused with him and became his heart, giving him a new life.

Denji didn't know that Pochita was the Chainsaw Devil, and fusing with him made Denji the Chainsaw Man. This allowed Denji to use three chainsaws sticking from his head and both arms in any way he wanted.

Denji as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

He used this power to take down these devils and was later saved by Makima and recruited as a Public Safety Devil Hunter. From the start, Denji's motives to live life weren't the most heroic, unlike the usual heroes who want to help others.

He just wanted to live a normal life, which his father failed to give him. But after joining Makima's side, his motives got updated, but now, they just diverted to him wanting pleasure because he suffered his whole life. Everything he does is just for a reward set up by Makima or someone else, which shows he is not like an average anime hero.

His appearance also adds to his "anti-hero" character because a person with a chainsaw sticking out of his head looks more like a monster than a hero. Later in the series, the appearance of Denji becomes even more villain-like as his insides cover him up for his final transformation, the Chainsaw Devil form.

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Final thoughts

Besides Denji from Chainsaw Man, there are other characters in anime who have criminal appearances. For instance, Tokoyami from My Hero Academia or Shinra from Fire Force have powers that look villainous and their appearances also make them look like one.

But unlike Denji, both have righteous aims in life and do not tolerate villains in their presence. The way Tatsuki Fujimoto is not shy about developing Denji's character in such a unique way is worth some praise.