In the previous episode of “Chainsaw Man,” Denji killed the Bat Devil and saved Power by hacking through his enemy with the help of his chainsaws. He was still okay after making sure Power was conscious and wanted to enjoy his dream, but was obstructed by another devil, the Leech Devil, who was the Bat Devil’s girlfriend. While battling her, Denji loses his mind from the severe blood loss he was already facing after the Leech Devil cut his arm. He is escorted to the hospital, where Hayakawa takes care of him. Aki helps Denji cover for Power and gives her another chance after her betrayal, making her indebted to Denji. Later, Power is assigned to the duo, and they are overwhelmed by her antics. Aki is quite expressive and is clearly in love with Makima because she manages to placate and talk him into accepting Power in his home. Aki is left to deal with both Denji and Power. Denji fulfills his dream of squeezing the chest, as promised by Power.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Chainsaw Man’ Episode 5: Recap and Ending
Continuing from the point when Power allows Denji to squeeze her chest three times and fulfill his dream, Denji seems starstruck. He spends his waking and sleeping hours contemplating his dreams, and he feels a sense of loss rather than fulfillment. He gets rather disheartened when he feels no joy from fulfilling his simple dream. This is the case for a lot of people in real life, too, thus making Denji a somewhat relatable character. He questions himself and tries to understand if the joy and purpose that he felt were only toward the chase and not the goal itself. Humans spend a long time trying to fulfill a lifelong dream, and when they do achieve that goal, they seem perplexed and empty, not knowing what to do next. Here is where Makima comes in to save Denji. She helps Denji realize his goals and helps him plan and fixate on another goal once he reaches his first milestone. To help him grow and keep him in her palms, Makima dangles the prospect of intercourse between them in front of Denji. She also conveys to him the need to connect deeper to ultimately enjoy the act of copulation.
Makima goes on to explain to Denji about the Gun Devil, who has been wreaking havoc throughout the world. She dangles the prospect of intercourse and a deeper connection to ensure that Denji stays in line and focuses on killing the devils who are a menace to society. The Gun Devil was personally involved in massacring Hayakawa’s entire family in a wink. This episode provides the audience with a glimpse into Aki’s life; previously, it was known that his family died at the hands of a devil. The viewers did not know which devil was responsible or how it was responsible. On the day of the incident, Aki had finally gotten around to playing with his brother after being a bit put out that his family only paid attention to his younger brother. To protect his brother from the cold and also from falling sick yet again, Aki sends him back home to get his gloves; however, in a split second, his entire family is wiped out along with his home in an unforeseen explosive wave. This incident leaves him traumatized, and somehow Aki later equates Denji with his brother, which is why he feels the need to help and protect Denji. This makes him take Denji under his wing. He accepts Power as well because he sees both Denji and Power sharing the same brain cell.
Aki introduces them both later on to his other team members. Himeno, who leads the group of newbies, is thrilled with the new members. She had a team of six members who were wiped out by another devil, but she survived the assault. This led to her believing that she was solely responsible for surviving and then shifting the blame onto her dead comrades for being so weak. Himeno had entered into a contract with the Ghost Devil and exchanged her right eye for his right arm. This helps her manipulate the desired action through space and time invisibly. She does not have high hopes for her new team, as she describes them as eager and timid; however, she rushes to save them whenever they face danger, trying to make up for failing to save her previous teammates.
The Gun Devil is identified by little chunks of bullets that are magnetized and attract each other from a long distance; this helps the team locate and narrow down the location of the other bullet chunks, ultimately identifying the Gun Devil. These bullets can also be eaten by other devils, regardless of their Power, and will help them grow their Power immensely. The team locates such a devil who has swallowed one of the bullets from the Gun Devil, which attracted the bullet that the team had. They arrive at a desolate building and encounter a devil, who seems like a small fry. Here too, Aki keeps both Denji and Power in check by offering them chewing gum, similar to what a parent would do to placate their child from throwing a tantrum. The team reaches the floor with the small fry; however, after killing the devil, they seem to be stuck on the same floor. They seem to be stuck in a mirror world with no escape. Even when they venture to the higher floors or venture down, they return to the same floor. “Chainsaw Man” Episode 5 ends by leaving all of them perplexed and providing the viewers with a criminal cliffhanger.
Final Words
“Chainsaw Man” Episode 5 provides a retrospective of all of the major characters and gives the viewers a perspective to help them understand the characters better. Their reasons for dealing with the devils the way they do, and their tales. The episode does not explain it all. However, it provides a glimpse. It also shows how both Makima, and Aki have a way of dealing with the eccentric behaviors that the characters project. It is quite an important episode for setting up the stage and the character arcs of the main protagonists.
