This article will contain spoilers for all of the Chainsaw Man manga Part 1
Denji – the protagonist Chainsaw manCertainly no one should be judged on first impressions (though that may be difficult, given their physical desires). Make no mistake, this isn’t an article about dingy’s thirst for his boss, Makima, it feels relatable and integral to the plot, and I admit it’s hard to even delve into the story without sounding like I’m discussing a tough X-rated movie, but I think beneath the surface, Denji is a completely misunderstood character, and not as voluptuous as we might think.
First of all, Denji has every reason to hold a deep grudge against female manipulators and antagonists. There’s the domineering demon, who played with Denji’s life as the murderous demon hunter Makima, as well as the cunning bomb demon, a sweet romantic interest turned public menace. Dingy dated both of them, only to have his tongue savagely bitten during a kiss, his friend go off on his 17th birthday, and his heart was literally stabbed until there was no blood left.
Actors watching the script can read one thing, while they can’t help but tell the real story.
To Dingy’s credit, Dingy never acts like a victim, and instead extends a forgiving hand to his tormentors, showing an admirable willingness to sweep everything under the rug if it means these women will have some kind of liberation and completion of their dreams. He proves time and time again that he can see beyond the body and into the depths of a person’s soul.
“But dude, Denji literally goes and tells Makima he wants to be her loyal servant sometime.” I get that, but let’s not forget that a lot of the characters in Chainsaw Man often say things they don’t necessarily mean, even if we don’t see that topic coherent until the final chapter. In fact, Reese has reciprocated Denji’s feelings in her heart, and Denji continues his charade despite knowing Makima doesn’t see him as someone beyond his Chainsaw Man ability. Even Makima herself is exposed as someone who longs for an equal relationship rather than one of fear and control, which her power itself embodies. In a sense, it’s as if everyone plays their part in a movie, and the author continues to prove it wrong to take anything his characters say at face value.
So why does Denji keep lying and humiliating himself like this? Because his contract with the chainsaw demon Pochita gives him an insight into what the most powerful of demons crave. While the demons in the story are physical embodiments of our deepest fears – be it war, guns, or even the terrifying roar of chainsaws – the downside is that their raison d’être (revealed in the final chapter) prevents them from forming meaningful relationships. With humans until these same fears are overcome.
Hence all Pochita really wants is to be hugged and loved. Not only that: He asks Denji to give Makima the same treatment – a hug, something akin to a loving family. However, since Makima’s identity itself obliges her to be the dominant partner in the relationship (as she remains through her Nayuta reincarnation in Part 2), there really aren’t many options for Denji to keep her company and fulfill Pochita’s wishes except to do what she loves. ; Watch movies with her, kill whoever you don’t like, well, she barks like her pet dogs.
Interpreting the characters as “actors” is apt, given how the film-like manga painting in The Chainsaw Man highlights the characters’ visions more than their words, as well as Makima’s fierce love of cinema. Makema’s weeping face tells of her true feelings during a movie date with Denji all night when she saw the scene of mother and son hugging in the Russian movie “Ballad of a Soldier”. Since it was the only scene in all of the movies they saw that made her cry, it reveals how smothering the Ice Queen’s behavior is and how she really longs for such a hug.
Actors watching the script can read one thing, while they can’t help but tell the real story. It was this movie date that exposed the lie that Makima and Denji both live on, foreshadowing the dynamic of their true relationship as Denji tries hard to cure Makima’s loneliness at Pochita’s request.
Denji and Makima’s relationship is actually such that Makima is unable to vocalize her problems or ask for help because her problem is so deeply rooted, and a Denji who will stop at nothing to give her the hug she craves. This is why he welcomes her new baby who is Nayuta’s reincarnation into his home – because he still loves and cares for her even if she doesn’t have the “physical lineage” he’s looking for anymore. This isn’t “simple,” it’s a sign of a deeper kind of love.
