Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man has earned a unique reputation within the shonen genre for its distinctly dark tone. While this darkness has always loomed over the narrative, it wasn’t until the end of Part 1 that the story took a truly grim turn. The protagonist, Denji, becomes a focal point for this descent, as his traumatic childhood establishes early on that he is unlikely to ever find inner (or outer) peace. Makima is the first to push Denji further into darkness by killing his closest friends, traumatizing him, and manipulating him down a path no normal human could endure.
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Chainsaw Man Part 2 continues to deepen Denji’s suffering, forcing him to witness further losses, particularly with Nayuta, the closest thing to family he has ever known. Yet, despite the overwhelming trauma, Denji consistently manages to recover. More importantly, despite his recent controversial decision of being manipulated by the War Devil in a way similar to Makima’s control, he retains a sense of heroic spirit, consistently thinking about protecting humans and killing devils. However, the latest installment, Chapter 204 of Chainsaw Man, marks a turning point, as Denji kills a human during his fight with the Fake Chainsaw Man. This moment dashes his earlier chances at grasping at heroism or morality, placing him in a morally precarious place.
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Denji Loses His Heroic Spirit in His Latest Clash With an Enemy
Even though Denji has endured numerous traumatic events, he has always held onto a sense of heroism, possibly stemming from his desire for popularity. He had never killed a human, aside from his father. While the circumstances surrounding his father’s death remain somewhat vague, it’s widely interpreted that Denji acted in self-defense, as his father was an abusive alcoholic. Beyond that, Denji has never been shown killing humans, despite fans speculating otherwise due to his anti-hero personality. Even in his latest fight against the Fake Chainsaw Man, Denji is repeatedly shown trying to protect the humans his enemy has taken hostage and is using as weapons.
Applying a sort of video game logic, Denji attempts to kill the Fake Chainsaw Man by stabbing him in the heart, which he successfully does, but one of the hostages dies in the process. What makes this moment darker is Denji’s complete lack of remorse for the human casualty. While this reaction may align with his anti-villain traits, it contrasts sharply with his earlier priority of protecting humans. This shift suggests that Denji is becoming increasingly morally gray and unafraid to tread darker paths. It appears the cumulative trauma of Denji’s past and recent events has deeply affected him, and he is likely to continue down an even darker road as Chainsaw Man Part 2 nears its climax.
Chainsaw Man is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.
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