“Chainsaw Man” - Episodes 1 and 2 Review

Story posted October 26, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Ethan Hetrick

This show has the scariest chainsaw since “Texas Chainsaw.”

“Chainsaw Man” is the highly anticipated anime based on the manga with the same name. Its basic premise is that a devil hunter has merged with his pet, the chainsaw devil, and together they hunt devils with an elite task force. Like all anime’s, it is a weird premise that is working surprisingly well. But let’s getinto the episode Recaps.

Episode One:

This episode is the main character Denji’s backstory and how he came to be.

The show starts off with a man and pet chainsaw devil, which is a dog-like creature with a chainsaw sticking out of its forehead. Together they hunt devils, which are monsters that can be anything like the duo start off killing the tomato devil.

The audience also finds out that they are hunting the devil because Denji is in serious debt. His father died as a kid and his dad owed money to a member of the Yakuza. So, the Yakuza makes Denji, even as a kid, pay back his father’s debt.

A young Denji starts this quest by helping an injured chainsaw devil nurse its wounds. Together they formed a bond, and they hunted down devils because it was the most profitable way to pay back the Yakuza.

During breaks from the hunt, it is seen that Denji lives in squalor, he can only afford to eat a slice of bread. He talks about his life goals to his pet devil; he wants to live a normal life, eat normal food, and to feel the embrace of a girl. But his dreaming is cut short because the Yakuza called him in to hunt another devil.

They arrive in a warehouse and talk about how he is loyal like a dog and just as naïve as one too. He is then stabbed in the back by the member and the Zombie Devil walks out with his horde of zombies. The yakuza member was turned into a zombie. The Zombie Devil explains that he hates devil hunters and that is why Denji must die. The zombies then kill him.

A flashback occurs, where Denji tells his pet chainsaw devil that it is okay to take over his body if dies so his pet chainsaw can live a normal life without being hunted.

Denji wakes up in a dream and his pet chainsaw is sitting there. The chainsaw can speak in the dream and tells him that he was inspired by Denji’s dreams and kindness. Then he makes a condition for Denji, Denji can come back to life with complete control if he achieves his dream for them. Denji accepts the terms and is reborn with a chainsaw plug on his chest.

The Zombie Devil sees him and orders the zombies to finish him off, but Denji pulls the cord and chainsaws go ripping through his forearms and forehead. Then the slaughtering happens, Denji kills them all and earns the name Chainsaw man.

Chainsaw man is found by a girl and her government team. They can tell a mixture of devil and human. They recruit him to the team and that’s where it ends.

Episode Two:

This is a world-building episode.

Denji hangs out with Mikima, the head of his government team, and they form an odd bond. Denji is smitten by her as she treats him to food and clothing or just a normal life.

They arrive at headquarters, and she assigns Denji a uniform and a new partner, Aki Hayakawa. Hayakawa beats Denji in an alleyway and tells him that he must quit because Denji has no purpose and people with no purpose die. Denji gets up and kicks Hayakawa in the downstairs multiple times, claiming he does have purpose and is evolving.

The two arrive back to Mikima and although the two men despise each other, she believes that Denji is worthy to be in Task force 4 with Hayakawa.

After a small scene of Denji enjoying life, the two go hunt down a fiend which is a devil becoming a human. Fiends are less powerful demons and look like humans but with a distinct feature that makes them look different. The fiend the two track down and kill had a prey mantis mouth for example.

After killing the fiend, the two argue about demons where Denji is nicer to demons because he wants friends while Hayakawa hates demons. Hayakawa then explains his motivation to fight is to get revenge on the demons that killed his dad. Once Hayakawa leaves Denji figures out his purpose to fight… girls. He is motivated by trying to impress girls.

Next, Denji meets his next member of the team; Power who is a fiend! Although crazy, She has a lot of power like Denji. Denji and Power go off to hunt demons. Denji learns that Power is crazy, but he tolerates it because she is pretty.

Eventually, Power picks up the sea cucumber devil scent and just launches herself which immediately splatters the devil on contact. She really displays her power, and the episode ends there.

The show has a weird premise and even more bizarre relationships. Denji’s attraction to girls is extreme and a bit uncomfortable but there is something very alluring to the show.

The dark tone of the show has the perfect mix of optimism to it. The modern animation looks great too. The action looks even better. For the hype surrounding the show, it’s doing a good job living up to it.


Ethan Hetrick is a second-year telecommunication major. To contact him, email eth5186@psu.edu