‘Chainsaw Man’ Episodes 1 And 2: Recap And Ending, Explained: Does Denji Find His Place Eventually?

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“MAPPA,” the production house, is back with another classic anime to engage the audience. With back-to-back epic viral anime like “Attack on Titan” and “Jujutsu Kaisen,” MAPPA, with directors Ryu Nakayama and Masato Nakazono, is back with another exciting anime that kept the audience hyped and waiting eagerly. “Chainsaw Man,” another project undertaken by MAPPA similar to the other manga, did not disappoint with the character designs as well as the monster designs. Equally gory and adventurous, the devil dom has quite the fan base. Following Denji, the Chainsaw Man himself and his adventures with his newfound team, “Chainsaw Man” has definitely hit the top charts just minutes after its release. It is airing on Crunchyroll for the western audience so that weebs like us don’t miss a single episode.

Spoilers Ahead


Episode 1: Recap and Ending

The series opens with a little glimpse into the protagonist’s life as he goes about his day while trying to scrape up enough money to repay the debt his father had left him. He still comes up a little too short even after selling his eye, kidney, testicle, and felling trees. He still owed 38,040,000 yen to the debtors, who had been hitting him up every single day, demanding their payment. He also earns money by killing and then selling the devil carcasses to his debtor. He does this with the help of his pet, a chainsaw devil named Pochito. Pochito and Denji live out their lives in extreme poverty by simply existing on bread. Worried about money and hunger, Denji is kept awake most nights. The outstanding debts had pushed his father to commit suicide, while he, in fear of being left alone, contracted Pochito, who helped him with his missions. 

However, their leisurely life came to an end when his debtor double-crossed him and became a fiend. He ordered other fiends to attack and kill Denji. Denji died a gruesome death after being overpowered by a lot of fiends. Fiends, here, are humans who have been completely possessed by the devils; they are so far gone that their facial features change, they become sluggish, and they share similarities with a zombie. Denji was slashed to death by these fiends, and he died holding Pochito in his hands. After confirming his death, they tossed him into the trash can. This is where Pochito got hold of Denji’s blood and instead gave him its heart so that Denji could live out his dream. Therefore, Denji is one of the few fiends who can sanely and rationally fight the devils instead of being possessed. “Chainsaw Man” Episode 1 ends with Denji transforming into what he is now known as “The Chainsaw Man” and killing all of the fiends as well as the boss fiend in retaliation. However, he is only brought back to his human form after making contact with another human. Makima, on a mission by the Public Safety Devil Extermination Division to kill the Devil Zombie, who was previously killed by Denji, helped him transform back and thus recruited him into her team.


Episode 2: Recap and Ending

The next episode sheds light on Denji’s adaptation to his new life, still missing his only best friend, Pochito. Denji is taken to the city by Makima, where she feeds him and then introduces him to his new partner Aki Hayakawa; however, not before being treated as a dog by Makima. Aki and Denji have a rough start, where both of them brawl to set their differences aside. They share feelings for Makima, and this is where the similarities end. Aki is tasked with looking after and teaching Denji the rules and how not to get killed. Aki gets ticked off by Denji being nice to the devils; this is due to his past trauma, in which his family was killed by the devils. However, on the other hand, Denji was helped, and he also got revived by his best friend Pochito, who was a devil too. Therefore, Denji is a lot more compassionate and wants to make friends and give chances to everyone, regardless of who they are. In this episode, as the series is following the manga timeline, Makima asking Denji’s name was supposed to trigger a fight at the place where they had Udon, however that scene is missing, and the audience is left bereft of witnessing Makima’s power. The anime has smoothly cut out that scene and instead left the audience craving for a bigger finale. 

“Chainsaw Man” Episode 2 has Denji contemplating his reason to fight, and like every other stereotypical teenage boy, he decides to fight for breasts. Hayakawa fights for the revenge of his family, and Denji chooses the simplest path. He wants to fight to earn the right to fondle a girl’s breasts. The episode ends with Denji being partnered with Power, who is a fiend too; however, unlike Denji, she is not possessed. They end the episode with a bang, where Power uses her blood magic to defeat the sea cucumber devil while Denji is left perplexed. Power exudes utter chaos and makes Denji’s chaotic energy seem tame compared to her. She is like an absolute tornado, and she is very hyperactive. “Chainsaw Man” Episode 2 gives us a glimpse into what their dynamics as partners could be like. Hayakawa is the calm to their chaos, and so is Makima, thus tethering these chaotic individuals to their conscience. Hayakawa will go through a lot of headaches in the near future, that is for sure.


See More: ‘Chainsaw Man’ Episode 3 and 4: Recap And Ending, Explained: Why Did Power Betray Denji?


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Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has a keen interest in graphic designing, reading, and photography. Her insatiable appetite for cinema and pop culture enticed her to work as a content writer. She is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma focused in Animation & VFX to explore a new dimension in her career.

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