Chainsaw Man Should Keep Denji Out of the Series
Tatsuki Fujimoto has returned to arguably their biggest masterpiece within the realm of manga in Chainsaw Man, with part two taking a decidedly different approach to the bloody story by deciding to not feature Denji at all. In Denji's place, a new protagonist has emerged, and in Asa Mitaka's story, perhaps the series has become that much better by not just showing readers new aspects of the world but by presenting a number of enticing mysteries as a result of the hero's absence.
Asa herself is an interesting character, acting as a channel for manga fans to learn more about the pacts with devils that people outside of Denji's circle make. Denji's absence also gives us a devil who is quite different from Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil, who, at the end of the day, didn't have much in the way of personality and routinely had no input into the life of the former protagonist outside of his wild powers. The War Devil is almost a villain, not knowing much about the human world while also only having the death of Chainsaw Man at the top of its mind. It definitely makes for an interesting dynamic and while there have been plenty of Shonen series that have seen anime heroes dealing with an inner demon, Asa's situation is far different and she is walking the tightest of ropes to ratchet up the tension.
As for Denji himself, his continued absence from the story adds a serious layer of mystery to the series as readers continue to wonder what became of the Chainsaw Man, especially when it comes to everyone in the world still referring to him as a hero who is apparently continuing to operate. Diving right into Denji's story would definitely take something away from the focus on Asa here, and it allows fans to speculate how the world has reacted to both him and the death of the Gun Devil.
Fujimoto has always been able to weave some amazing mysteries, whether it be the secret behind the door that Denji saw in the first chapter or even in the mangaka's one-shot series such as Goodbye, Eri and Look Back, with the second part of Chainsaw Man able to excel by continuing to ask fans the question of what fate befell the former hero. We're three chapters into the return of the bloody franchise and there are still so many interesting twists to be revealed it would seem.
What do you think of Denji not having a role in his own story so far? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Chainsaw Man.