Chainsaw Man, a manga that these past few months has become an internet sensation with anime lovers and manga readers singing its praises and anticipating its eventual anime release later in 2022.   

Simply put, Chainsaw Man is a breath of fresh air, from our Protagonist Denji all the way to how terrifying the devils look. Chainsaw man takes boring tropes and flips them on their head to bring a unique and equally entertaining story that is scary, emotional, and jaw dropping.  

There are so many answers to why Chainsaw Man is liked by most in the anime community. It could be its iconic art style from the talented Tatsuki Fujimoto or the demented but quirky cast from Division 2 that we follow as they progress along the story, or a plot that creates suspense and dread with brand new devils.   

Tokyo 2nd Division of Japan is led by the mysterious Makima, a female Devil hunter with a pair of spiral eyes and crimson hair. She is the main motive for Denji’s actions in the story as she rewards him for every task he completes. She treats other hunters, but mostly Denji, as a dog, making him say “woof” to yes or no questions and occasionally comparing him to a puppy. She is feared by Power and Enjeru for some unknown reason. As a character, Makima is great, she serves as a big boss like character for the group of protagonists. She gives the Devil hunters organization, a face we associate it with.  

Denji is interesting even though he has been given the worst card in life, his father committed suicide to avoid the wrath of Yakuza. He has been forced to kill devils with his devil dog Pochita to try and pay off his father’s crippling debt. After his first encounter with the Zombie Devil, he is murdered by the Yakuza after they made a deal with the Zombie devil and resurrected as Chainsaw Man; then rescued by Makima, to become one of her devil hunters. His powers of using chainsaws that tear out of his head and arms create gory but extremely well-choregraphed fights with brutal attacks and spectacular shows of violence. His drastic change of life matches this perfectly and other intriguing scenes with the rest of the cast flashes out his true motivations, the lack of morality and common sense leads to hilarious dialogue and banter between the characters.  

On the opposite side of Denji but similarly is Aki Hayakawa. He is the standard side character with the industry trope of having a desire to avenge his family after they were murdered, he is well mannered, a skilled fighter and overall decent human being. He hides his emotions and personal thoughts behind his desire for revenge and a cold stare. He dreads the idea of working with Denji and Power but does so to appease Makima, like most hunters in the organization, he has made a deal with a devil in exchange for its power. He dresses the same as his fellow hunters to give him a sense of uniformity except for the Katana that he wields and stows on his back from the Cursed devil. He is the stereotypical image of a hunter that civilians in the manga would run to for safety.   

However, some would run for their lives if they saw Power. Power is far more ravenous and morally inept as a character than Denji, an abhorrent fiend with strong abilities tied to the blood that flows in her veins. She is narcissistic and self-absorbed by her own image and figure; she constantly boasts about her abilities. She has a unique design that reminds fans of Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx. Her personality bounces off well with Denji’s innocent but feral attitude and Aki’s serious and straight forwardness.   

Chainsaw Man excels in creating emotional responses within the reader, when I first heard of Chainsaw Man, I was wary of it. I have seen and read Animes and Mangas with similar premises of a protagonist having devil or demon powers fighting other devil-like beings or creatures, but Chainsaw Man did something unique, they made the cast of Chainsaw Man far more relatable than any other group of characters in the medium.   

Besides Makima, Denji, Aki, and Power represent different sides of people. Denji is a little boy forced to grow up in a world with monsters that wish to tear him apart and morally questionable hunters willing to lose limbs and organs for power. He cherishes Pochita despite him being a devil because he is the only creature that genuinely cares about him. Aki is a victim of the world and Power is like Denji, but she is self-conscious and refuses to let anyone know how she feels inside because of how cruel the world has been to her. Reading Chainsaw Man brought out a great need in me to see Denji and the others succeed in the new life they have has been given by Makima.   

Personally, Chainsaw Man resonated deeply with me, I am a sucker for dark heroes and as a fan of gory attacks, really hooked me in, but I was not expecting the emotional scenes to hit me so deep, seeing Pochita and Denji talk about barely having enough money to buy a slice of bread and hearing him talk about his dreams to Pochita made me shed a tear. It is stories like this that bring out the emotions within us. Anime and Manga lovers adore Chainsaw Man for the satire and deep-rooted themes of finding your own purpose in life, and it is because the protagonist, Denji represents the average joe despite his connection with Pochita. Denji before meeting Pochita was just a little boy, no powers, poor and lacking purpose, and everyone in some capacity can relate to this because they have gone through a phase like that in their life. Chainsaw Man is one of the best Mangas to be written and fans cannot wait for it to be finally animated in late 2022.