Chainsaw Man has ended, and the discourse online about the final chapter of Denji’s life has been fast and furious on the web. While the anime adaptation still has years of stories ahead of it, should it stick to the source material, fans are mourning how creator Tatsuki Fujimoto brought the Shonen Jump story to a close. Unfortunately, while there are some amazing and heartwrenching moments in Chapter 232, there are some major weaknesses when it comes to the Chainsaw Devil’s final foray. We narrowed down our criticisms to seven and ranked them when it comes to our biggest pet peeves.
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Warning. If you have yet to read Chainsaw Man’s final chapter, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into spoiler territory. As a quick recap, the manga’s last chapter sees a world where Denji isn’t fused with Pochita, and his life changes drastically as a result. Luckily, the protagonist finds his happy ending thanks to running into Power far earlier in his life, being linked to her thanks to a contract being agreed upon by the two. Things change for Denji for the better as the pair defeat Makima, raise Nayuta, and eventually encounter Asa, accidentally saving her from joining with the War Devil. The series then ends with Denji continuing to hunt devils alongside Power, sans Pochita.
7.) A Lack of Reze
This might be recency bias, thanks to the success of Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc, but not seeing the Bomb Devil appear following her relationship with Denji felt like something was missing. Despite attempting to kill the Chainsaw Devil on more than one occasion, Reze had a tragic end, and her character was infectious both in the manga and the anime adaptation. Even having a single panel dedicated to showing readers what had become of her would have gone a long way, though we have to imagine that the Bomb Devil’s life went much better with Makima now out of the picture.
6.) Asa Pushed to The Side
Considering Asa Mitaka, aka the War Devil, was such a fundamental part of Chainsaw Man Part 2, losing her in the shuffle of the finale, to a degree, hurt the overall chapter. While we do get a sense of how Asa’s life has changed, as well as seeing that Bucky the Chicken Devil has lived, Mitaka being featured for only so long almost felt like a disservice to the character. Asa and Denji felt like the best “frenemies” of the shonen landscape over the course of the manga, so not seeing them get more time together does hurt a bit, though Power returning to life might make up for it.
5.) Everything Went By Too Fast
Creating a brand new universe for readers to explore is no small feat, but it is something that Tatsuki Fujimoto was able to slip in under the wire thanks to Pochita “eating himself.” While readers do get a fairly expansive rundown of what had taken place in the universe thanks to Denji never encountering Pochita, it feels like so much was left on the cutting room floor. While clearly some characters couldn’t have the chance to shine here, with the length of the final chapter, we can’t help but feel this new world might have been better explored had it been introduced over the course of several chapters.
4.) Where’s Aki?
Considering Tatsuki Fujimoto brought back Power, not doing the same for Aki Hayakawa seems like a missed opportunity. While Aki might have never become a devil hunter without Pochita following the route he took in Chainsaw Man, even getting a single panel would have gone a long way. Perhaps the devil hunter was able to live a happy life with his family, who might not have been killed by the Gun Devil in this new reality. It’s just a shame that we might never know for sure what became of Aki and whether he lived a good life akin to Denji and Power.
3.) What Exactly Happened to Pochita?
One big mystery that is surrounding the finale is what exactly happened when Pochita ate himself? Chainsaws, as we see in this chapter, still exist, as Denji is shown using one to fight a devil during his newfound career. We’re left to wonder if the Chainsaw Devil still exists, if he is still trapped within Denji as his heart, or something else entirely. Denji and Pochita had quite the adorable relationship, despite the blood and guts that were a major part of the shonen series, and it’s a shame that readers didn’t get one more opportunity to see the adorable canine in action.
2.) Too Many Unanswered Questions
When all is said and done, there were simply so many questions that never got answered when it came to not just this new reality, but the sheer number of plot points that helped make Chainsaw Man such a success. While many different aspects of the series might still exist in this new world, such as the Primordial Fears, there are seemingly just as many that have been wiped off the map. This goes back to our point of the breezy nature of the final chapter, and how having the chance to explore the new universe would have worked so much better to nail the manga’s ending. Fingers crossed that Tatsuki Fujimoto might pull off a “My Hero Academia prologue” and dive further into what became of Denji.
1.) It Was All a Dream
While the events of the Chainsaw Man series did happen, many readers have been heartbroken with the idea that Tatsuki Fujimoto ended the story with the trope of “it was all a dream.” Seeing Denji wake up in the shack he once lived in really feels like a regression of the character, taking him back to square one to finish the beloved series. For a manga that has been excellent at pushing the envelope and weaving compelling character developments into its panels, starting from scratch to end everything can feel like a cheat for many.
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