@noidnoidnoidev: I am still extremely melanchol...
@noidnoidnoidev
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Mar 25, 2026
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1
I am still extremely melancholic that it ended and I can't stop thinking about it. I've been defending Chainsaw Man from superficial criticism for over 6 years lmao so nothing is more symbolic to me than doing this one last time (at least during its release).
Chainsaw Man isn't about Chainsaw Man (kinda is at the end).
Chainsaw Man has always, always been about Denji. Chainsaw Man was always Denji and Pochita was always Denji's heart. But for a long time, the work and we, the audience, considered the two as separate entities. And this is the main, and perhaps ONLY, catalyst for all the conflicts in Part 2. I can't understand anyone who isn't satisfied with this ending because of "loose ends". It took 200+ chapters for you to understand that the great universe and great characters are just the foundation to tell Denji's story? A story that rewards a character who, even after losing everything, kept following his dream and ALWAYS looking for a third option in the midst of dilemmas where both options suck. ALL the fights Denji won were always through his ability to find ways out of "no way out" situations, and not about how strong he is. The work ALWAYS prioritized closing thematic arcs rather than narrative arcs per se. And the second part is completely self-aware, and to me, this ending is perfect. I always knew that only a happy ending would make sense for the manga. Being the Chainsaw Man (hero/devil) we know became Denji's crutch that sustained him after so many traumas. After Makima disappeared, the single problem for everything that happened was the fact that Denji still wanted to be this hero, or at least his idealized version of it. Just like any addiction that stems from our defense systems in trauma situations. It's very common for people who have suffered abuse to persist with habits and raised defenses even after they are "safe" from those abuses. And these quirks become a burden and a problem, just like the burden of being Chainsaw Man was for Denji. The story concluding with him dropping this symbol and not letting himself be carried away by the options imposed by others is sensational. And this point is proven when he, and we as the audience, are totally rewarded, whether by saving Asa from the same cycle of traumas as his, saving the world, seeing Power and Nayuta happy, and Denji doing good just because he wants to and can. And the paradox is that this is what truly makes him Chainsaw Man and the hero he is, without needing a devil's heart. So, in the end, Chainsaw Man is about Chainsaw Man, but Chainsaw Man isn't the hero of hell, but rather our Denji.
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Chainsaw Man isn't about Chainsaw Man (kinda is at the end).
Chainsaw Man has always, always been about Denji. Chainsaw Man was always Denji and Pochita was always Denji's heart. But for a long time, the work and we, the audience, considered the two as separate entities. And this is the main, and perhaps ONLY, catalyst for all the conflicts in Part 2. I can't understand anyone who isn't satisfied with this ending because of "loose ends". It took 200+ chapters for you to understand that the great universe and great characters are just the foundation to tell Denji's story? A story that rewards a character who, even after losing everything, kept following his dream and ALWAYS looking for a third option in the midst of dilemmas where both options suck. ALL the fights Denji won were always through his ability to find ways out of "no way out" situations, and not about how strong he is. The work ALWAYS prioritized closing thematic arcs rather than narrative arcs per se. And the second part is completely self-aware, and to me, this ending is perfect. I always knew that only a happy ending would make sense for the manga. Being the Chainsaw Man (hero/devil) we know became Denji's crutch that sustained him after so many traumas. After Makima disappeared, the single problem for everything that happened was the fact that Denji still wanted to be this hero, or at least his idealized version of it. Just like any addiction that stems from our defense systems in trauma situations. It's very common for people who have suffered abuse to persist with habits and raised defenses even after they are "safe" from those abuses. And these quirks become a burden and a problem, just like the burden of being Chainsaw Man was for Denji. The story concluding with him dropping this symbol and not letting himself be carried away by the options imposed by others is sensational. And this point is proven when he, and we as the audience, are totally rewarded, whether by saving Asa from the same cycle of traumas as his, saving the world, seeing Power and Nayuta happy, and Denji doing good just because he wants to and can. And the paradox is that this is what truly makes him Chainsaw Man and the hero he is, without needing a devil's heart. So, in the end, Chainsaw Man is about Chainsaw Man, but Chainsaw Man isn't the hero of hell, but rather our Denji.
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2
"But what is Pochita?"
That's the point. It doesn't matter what devil he is. At no point is it established that the central mystery was his power. At no point does the work set out to do that, and at no point are the powers or abilities of the devils the central point of the narrative. Because no character, generally speaking, is just that. We know Pochita was Denji's salvation. Both physically, allowing him to survive, and emotionally, allowing him to overcome his traumas. From the moment Denji became independent, he was no longer necessary. This power to erase things feels more like a tool in Denji's head to be able to overcome problems, a defense mechanism itself. He always used the erasure of concepts as a tool to solve a problem, like winning a fight. And that's the thing we do most during traumas and conflicts: we forget what isn't important for our survival. Pochita being the only devil without a "concept" assigned to him is very symbolic. There are endless analyses of what types of devil Pochita would fit into, and kind of all of them are right. And that's why he is so humanized and considered a "good guy" compared to other devils. Devils are boiled down to a single word and humans are not. Humans are complex, and Pochita's complexity and his "mystery" is what brings him closer to us as readers and to Denji. The work has always been a tribute to complex characters and shows how we always try to boil down characters, and also people, to one or a few words. Long-time fans know how hard it was to convince people that Denji is a complex character and not a pervert. And I'm glad we've moved past that discussion (a bit) in the community.
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That's the point. It doesn't matter what devil he is. At no point is it established that the central mystery was his power. At no point does the work set out to do that, and at no point are the powers or abilities of the devils the central point of the narrative. Because no character, generally speaking, is just that. We know Pochita was Denji's salvation. Both physically, allowing him to survive, and emotionally, allowing him to overcome his traumas. From the moment Denji became independent, he was no longer necessary. This power to erase things feels more like a tool in Denji's head to be able to overcome problems, a defense mechanism itself. He always used the erasure of concepts as a tool to solve a problem, like winning a fight. And that's the thing we do most during traumas and conflicts: we forget what isn't important for our survival. Pochita being the only devil without a "concept" assigned to him is very symbolic. There are endless analyses of what types of devil Pochita would fit into, and kind of all of them are right. And that's why he is so humanized and considered a "good guy" compared to other devils. Devils are boiled down to a single word and humans are not. Humans are complex, and Pochita's complexity and his "mystery" is what brings him closer to us as readers and to Denji. The work has always been a tribute to complex characters and shows how we always try to boil down characters, and also people, to one or a few words. Long-time fans know how hard it was to convince people that Denji is a complex character and not a pervert. And I'm glad we've moved past that discussion (a bit) in the community.
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3
"Some developments and the weight of deaths were thrown in the trash, a narrative betrayal! An artificial happy ending! And Power's promise? Asa was reduced to a side character!"
I really don't see it that way, at all. This stems from a problem: we are calling the last event a "reset". I hate that it's called a reset. A reset implies that everything went back to the way it was at the beginning. The "reset" didn't revert the world to chapter 1, it repeats the exact same conditions of chapter 1, but with everything Denji and Pochita did acting as a learning experience (like learning to choose for themselves), and that is enough to literally save the world and all the characters. If that is throwing Denji's development in the trash, I really can't understand it. Nothing is artificial, but rather direct consequences of what Denji has become. He promises he'll save Power, and he definitely does! He just doesn't do it the way a shounen conventionally would, with the hero rescuing her from hell. Chainsaw Man was never that, and that's why the work is so important to so many people. That doesn't take away the weight of the deaths. If you read Aki's and Power's arcs, you will still be gutted, because the story is incredible. The weight would have been thrown away if Denji simply found a way to resurrect Power and Aki with some power or plot twist, that would have made zero narrative sense and would be lazy. And Asa wasn't reduced, I believe. She is a self-functioning character. She had already gone through her complete development way back in the first chapter of Part 2, when she decides to be more selfish and embrace having fun like everyone else. But she gets caught in the spiral of tragedies surrounding Chainsaw Man. And she does everything to save Denji, and she does, several times, until Denji does the same and saves her before all this even starts. Without Chainsaw Man, Asa is already a resolved character. In my view, this is truly beautiful. It seems to me that a big part of the complaints are direct frustrations of expectations based on already consolidated structures (which Fujimoto doesn't follow at all). And this prevents people from analyzing and enjoying what the work actually set out to do from the very beginning.
I really don't see it that way, at all. This stems from a problem: we are calling the last event a "reset". I hate that it's called a reset. A reset implies that everything went back to the way it was at the beginning. The "reset" didn't revert the world to chapter 1, it repeats the exact same conditions of chapter 1, but with everything Denji and Pochita did acting as a learning experience (like learning to choose for themselves), and that is enough to literally save the world and all the characters. If that is throwing Denji's development in the trash, I really can't understand it. Nothing is artificial, but rather direct consequences of what Denji has become. He promises he'll save Power, and he definitely does! He just doesn't do it the way a shounen conventionally would, with the hero rescuing her from hell. Chainsaw Man was never that, and that's why the work is so important to so many people. That doesn't take away the weight of the deaths. If you read Aki's and Power's arcs, you will still be gutted, because the story is incredible. The weight would have been thrown away if Denji simply found a way to resurrect Power and Aki with some power or plot twist, that would have made zero narrative sense and would be lazy. And Asa wasn't reduced, I believe. She is a self-functioning character. She had already gone through her complete development way back in the first chapter of Part 2, when she decides to be more selfish and embrace having fun like everyone else. But she gets caught in the spiral of tragedies surrounding Chainsaw Man. And she does everything to save Denji, and she does, several times, until Denji does the same and saves her before all this even starts. Without Chainsaw Man, Asa is already a resolved character. In my view, this is truly beautiful. It seems to me that a big part of the complaints are direct frustrations of expectations based on already consolidated structures (which Fujimoto doesn't follow at all). And this prevents people from analyzing and enjoying what the work actually set out to do from the very beginning.
4
"The ending was rushed!"
Fujimoto plays with the expectations we have for epic and apocalyptic endings, where we are used to having a grandiose confrontation with a climax and high stakes. But again, analyzing this last arc through a THEMATIC lens, it makes a lot of sense. The climax would be Denji recognizing himself as Denji Man and not Chainsaw Man when they fuse there, and accepting that he must keep pursuing the "third option", without yielding to death or to war. When Pochita realizes this, he knows he no longer needs to exist because no matter what happens, Denji will find a way to make the right choice for himself and for everyone. And that's what happens: he saves Asa, which stops her from being possessed by Yoru, which stops the end of the world. So it's a huge sequence of cause and effect that makes a lot of sense thematically. But when we get tied up in conventional narrative, it gives the feeling of being rushed. And that is definitely intentional from Fujimoto, just like he said im 2021 regarding his inspiration from The Big Lebowski in CSM ending.
"Why wasn't the main timeline kept?"
There was nothing left to cling to in the main timeline. Everyone was dead, including Asa. Denji needed to become independent, and one of the foundations of Part 2 was Denji losing everything and everyone. So that this isolation would force that. There was no way to keep it unless Fujimoto revived everyone, and that is PUSSY ACTIVITY. Only by losing everything possible could he develop this independence. And when that happens, Pochita trusts that he is ready to start over and make the right choices on his own. And that's what we saw at the end.
I guess that's it. I've always joked that if you want to understand why people do anything, watch Ping Pong the Animation. If you want to know why people connect, watch/read Mob Psycho. And now, if you want to understand why people exist and persist, read Chainsaw Man!
Fujimoto plays with the expectations we have for epic and apocalyptic endings, where we are used to having a grandiose confrontation with a climax and high stakes. But again, analyzing this last arc through a THEMATIC lens, it makes a lot of sense. The climax would be Denji recognizing himself as Denji Man and not Chainsaw Man when they fuse there, and accepting that he must keep pursuing the "third option", without yielding to death or to war. When Pochita realizes this, he knows he no longer needs to exist because no matter what happens, Denji will find a way to make the right choice for himself and for everyone. And that's what happens: he saves Asa, which stops her from being possessed by Yoru, which stops the end of the world. So it's a huge sequence of cause and effect that makes a lot of sense thematically. But when we get tied up in conventional narrative, it gives the feeling of being rushed. And that is definitely intentional from Fujimoto, just like he said im 2021 regarding his inspiration from The Big Lebowski in CSM ending.
"Why wasn't the main timeline kept?"
There was nothing left to cling to in the main timeline. Everyone was dead, including Asa. Denji needed to become independent, and one of the foundations of Part 2 was Denji losing everything and everyone. So that this isolation would force that. There was no way to keep it unless Fujimoto revived everyone, and that is PUSSY ACTIVITY. Only by losing everything possible could he develop this independence. And when that happens, Pochita trusts that he is ready to start over and make the right choices on his own. And that's what we saw at the end.
I guess that's it. I've always joked that if you want to understand why people do anything, watch Ping Pong the Animation. If you want to know why people connect, watch/read Mob Psycho. And now, if you want to understand why people exist and persist, read Chainsaw Man!