Why Denji is More Tragic Than You Thought [Chainsaw Man Video Essay]

My first ever impression towards Denji is that he's a very g-o-o-d person? I mean, he's doing every work so he can to not just feed himself but also the chainsaw demon he sees as his "friend". That's when I've already known he's going to be likeable as he still have someone to love in such a state of him. He's the most "human" character I've ever met even though he's half demon and half human. I find nothing of mine is in common with Denji's perspective. However, his reactions towards basic, simple affection and regconization of other characters makes me shivered and immediately want to hug him right away not knowing surely why. And more importantly, I was both shocked and delighted when I found out that all he had ever wanted was just normal "love" like normal people would get as I guessed from the first season was actually right and proved in Asa's part. This makes me believe that he's a good child without a doubt, leading to my love for Denji just grows and grows more along with the storyline's process. The boy is traumatised without realising, he's supposed to be loved, not suffering. ToT

i feel like a lot of characters in chainsaw man are really complex, and yet they get simplified by a lot of the fandom. like even makima just gets simplified to hot evil woman. and yes, she is hot and evil and a woman, but there is more to her. same thing happens to literally every character in the manga. idk why it happens, but i just really love csm and i love how real the characters are

I saw this a lot with the anime, too many superficial interpretations, which was super sad as I love his character

Hey illumiloni will you talk about that new chainsaw man movie

This is great!

I've always liked Denji from the beginning. I definitely feel validated and I love hearing ppl talk about Denji is actually an interesitng and pretty well written character, especially as a shounen protagonist lol

Everytime I thought there was gonna be a super obvious and cliche anime fan service moment like we see in every anime ever, there was always some deeper meaning or layer or character trait reveal underneath it all. That really blew me away how those moments were done. My fav being when he took care of Power when she was having PTSD. Mind you, they're still a little fan servicey but the point is that there's MORE going on here if you look deeper.

But you hit every nail on the head. Really amazing breakdown.

It's good characterization that when Denji finally touches some boobs, it only incites sympathy from women towards his disappointment. At least from the reaction videos I've watched of women seeing that moment.

Like, pretty much all of them went "Aww, Denji!"

That's pretty much unheard of for perverted anime MCs.

Now I can send people this video when they disagree with me on how Denji is a great character.

Now to be fair. Ryan Colt Levy did great in showing Denji’s feral side

Thank you for making the video, it's great, People gotta realise that Denjis boob quest was literally 3 episodes tops and not his whole goal throughout the story when his real goal is trying to find fulfilment in his life the way he can because life kinda gave him a new start, just like. The end of Part 1 after everyone in public safety was killed. Holy shit I might be seeing a pattern

Denji is one of the most well-written character in fiction. Fujimoto knows what he's doing. And you get it. So I'm subscribing. Great video!

Some pretty good observations, I think I just lack patience with the emotionally stunted characters in general so I wasn't sure if the story was really right for me.

For me, Chainsaw Man is a strange deconstruction of what modern shonen is. Fujimoto takes common tropes and turns them into something more realistic. What would the fan service women who smothers the main character look like in a real world setting? Well, Himeno. Someone who is very dysfunctional and represents the darker side of Public Safety. What would a shonen protag who eats a lot, is a bit perverse, and is uneducated be like? They'd be Denji. They would have real trauma and be taken advantage of. They also wouldn't be super kind and pure hearted, they would be emotionally immature and would lack empathy towards others. I could go on. Chainsaw Man is essentially what a shonen cast would be like if you take a real world approach to them. They would be messy people with many flaws and unspoken traumas that harm them and goals that are easier to understand than "I wanna save everyone".

Thank you for validating my opinions on Tanjiro!

As traumatized as he is, Denji's emotional strength and resilience is amazing.

I think it's part of what makes him so likeable. He's lost so so much yet he hasn't lost his ability to make connections with people. While not perfect, he's an amazing caregiver to Nayuta and pretty clearly loves her and wants what's best for her. He's a hormone driven doofus, but he's got such a big heart.

gonna make me cry with this video damnit

No, he's not. He's a incel.

I've seen people try to compare Denji to of all fucking people, Rudeus from 40 Year Old Jobless pervert Reincarnation which is severely fucked.

And after all of that, Denji still didnt cry once

I hate people that say that the CSM manga is better than the anime the CGI wasn’t bad 😠. And Denji’s dub actor did a AMAZING job capturing what Denji’s voice would sound like in English.


Sorry if I came off aggressive but MAPPA did an amazing job animating it anime watchers are just delusional nowadays with shallow-criticism 😂

Great video

I've just watched 4 of your vids in a row (part 1&2 about the women in chainsaw man, the Bocchi video, and now this one) Quality content. Subscribed.

Dislike Denji? You are literally the FIRST person I have ever heard say that about him. I have not seen a single person IRL or online dislike him.

I don't even know what to say sooooo....
👍

As a guy who made a lot of mistakes in the past denji honestly reminds me of myself. I just had to work things out for myself and grow from my mistakes. Honestly that's how alot of guys grow up.

You know what I found to be telling about one of Denji’s early sexual desires is to touch on breasts. This brings me back to Sigmund Freud theory called the psychosexual development stage that we go through during our earlier stages of development and how it can affect us during our adulthood through certain fixations and hang-ups. I believe Denji could have issues from the oral stage (the very first stage) and the oral stage is when we are putting things in our mouth, suckling, so and so forth. One of the first thing a child suckles are breast and breast milk is connected to nourishment. It is clear that Denji lacked that and as his life trickled to bad, to worst during his early adolescent years it just made this oral fixation more prevalent to where it turned into a sexual desire (maybe a misguided sexual desire). Denji wanting to touch breast is him reaching out for nourishment, warmth and comfort from a motherly figure which Makima took advantage of when it came to Denji and I wouldn’t be surprised if it messed him up way more than is shown through the surface.

Denji is demisexual

Well done video❤

Also, by the way, this is a phenomenal video. I wish more people who think he’s just one dimensional would watch this and read the manga. Summed up everything I think about him perfectly.

I started with the anime too and then moved onto the manga and I’m currently all caught up. I can say, without question, that Denji is my favorite protagonist in all of anime/manga. Out of the nearly 200 that I’ve watched or read, he is my favorite. He’s endearing, kind, emotionally intelligent even if he doesn’t have the words for it, unhinged, is amazing smart when it comes to fighting, he’s complex, he strives to be better and learn from his mistakes yet he still makes them sometimes, his internal dialogue is incredibly realistic, he’s flawed but very likable, and he’s got a really traumatic background but he doesn’t let it consume him. Idk the list can go on but he is just such an awesome well written character. Fujimoto is a god when it comes to writing realistic characters in unrealistic worlds. Also I can say that as much as I’m conflicted about focusing more on Asa in Part 2 than Denji, that Asa is another protagonist Fujimoto has created that is just awesome and endearing. But honestly I could say these things for the side characters in CSM too. Aki is a phenomenal and tragic character seeing him develop genuine sibling love for Denji and Power (especially his and Denji’s incredibly sweet relationship) and his rise, growth, and fall is spectacularly done. Makima is a terrifying villain, and not for the sake of being just pure evil, easily one of the best done villain in any medium in my opinion, and seeing Powers turn from a human despising feral beast into an emotionally aware fiend who loves and cares for her little family (especially Denji but even Aki), whether she will admit it or not, and her cat above all else. CSM Part 1 is a masterpiece honestly and 85% of it is Tatsuki Fujimoto’s brilliant characters and writing.

An often overlooked little moment of character development is after the bomb fight when Reze wakes up on the beach, Denji gave her the shirt off his own back to cover herself with. His verbal language may be overtly horndog but I think when you look at the actual actions he takes throughout the story it paints a far more emotionally complex character.

I would really prefer Denji and Power to keep that sibling relationship. But Fujimoto is a madman who often sets up a blurry sibling relationship and turns it into a romantic relationship. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me but I'm braced for the possibility.

Great vid! Definitely going to my 300+ anime essay/analysis playlist

Subbed, great videos.

SPOILER ⚠️
idk if ur caught up on the manga yet, but as of july 18/23 im rly worried abt denji :(

In Denji and Power's perspective (for me), they are more than siblings; They're friends

please do a video essay on sagiri from hell's paradise

Denji as a horndog mostly seems to come from people just snipping the Í wanna touch boobs'' panel and acting like that's the beginning and end of the character and it deeply annoys me every-time somebody brings it up. Denji's core trait isn't ''horny'", it's ":neglected"'. When we first meet him his greatest ambition in life was to eat a piece of bread with jam on it and his moon-shot fantasy was playing video games with a girl and falling asleep with her.

Denji declares that he wants to touch boobs because he's so abused and neglected that he doesn't even have the vocabulary to express what he wants. We see that when the does touch Powers chest, because he's really that horny, he 's just so deprived he doesn't even have the vocabulary to express the fact that he wants emotional intimacy and human connection, he's a mostly feral child used and abused by the Yakuza, porno mags are probably the closet thing he's ever to a tender interaction in his entire life.

i could not agree more about tanjiro
ironically the main character is the reason why I've come to dislike demon slayer.
i still watched the newest anime and all, but ended up skipping through all the "tearjerker" scenes as it started repeating too often. i truly despise the "thank god everyone is alive 😢" arc finale.
meanwhile i cried silently after seeing power get obliterated in a singular panel while still processing how messed up aki's death was. csm doesn't give you time to take a breather.
but I've noticed that in the second arc everything slowed down a tad bit, which worries me. it's always the first part of a series that grant people the fast paed plot, then it slows tf down and take a decade to finish for some reason (aot)

Watch Evangelion next and do an essay on that maybe?

Something I feel needs to talked about more in my opinion is how good denji and asa complement each other so well. Like denji has never had anyone like him for him. Even Reze the closest thing denji has had to a normal relationship wasn’t started because of his seeming appealing but because he has the chainsaw heart. Reze does end up falling for him but it’s more a side effect of them spending time together.

While on the contrary Asa only knows denji as denji. She choses to hand out and talk to him. The only thing is she’s afraid of getting close and having her heart broken. So she constantly pushes him away either consciously or subconsciously. But she does like denji for denji. She still as of when I am typing this doesn’t know he’s even related to chainsaw man. At most she just thinks he’s some weird fanboy. Also I love how denji for the first time in part 2 HAS RIZZ like after they get out of the aquarium denji has one wish he can ask her to grant and unlike makima she will grant it and what does this man do…He just asks her for another date as despite there’s getting interrupted by all the devil nonsense he sill had fun and would love to see her again. Witch omg the aquarium arc of part 2 so far is my favorite of arc of part 2 so far. Mainly because it give not only a lot of insight to Asa and her fake confidence that ultimately crumbles, witch also shows that she isn’t any better then denji when it comes to date’s honestly worse.witch greatly shows how far denji has come as a character. Like he literally says that she’s being rude and annoying. She’s only thinking about her feelings. he came here to hangout and see the animals. He also points out that so far she’s being rude and honestly boring so far. she’s just been talking at him not to him. and for time in all the series for once he puts his priorities over a woman. LIKE HOLY SHIT DENJI IN PART 1 never would have been able to do this. He honestly just grew a spine or at least partially when it come to women. He just like: I came here to have fun and see some penguins and so far only one of those isn’t happening so I am at least gonna see the fucking penguins if nothing else. witch I am shocked that more people haven’t talked about it. Even later on when he faltered and gave into her command like he did with makima in part one Man even has a self reflection after he accepted her command quote from the boy himself “wait a sec. What am I doing ?! I made up my mind to quit it with the mindless obedience” witch not only show how much he’s grown but something I feel isn’t done enough in the shonen manga is that change takes time most manga or anime of the shonen kind it’s characters just one day realize that they were doing bad thing and they have bad tendencies. Then poof all bad tendencies gone the next day like they were never there. But denji and chainsaw man as a whole doesn’t do this it. shows that change takes effort and time it’s not as easy as I wanna change then hey presto. No it takes time effort and struggles. And so far the only manga as of recent at least of the shonen kind I have seen do this is chainsawman. witch is sooo cool and I feel underrated aspect of the series.

Like for a lot of people anime/manga is escape for many people that’s why iseki is so popular. It’s just power fantasy + escapisum. But chainsawman say yeah worlds shit but doesn’t mean it will be forever. life goes on for better or worse. I think the reason why chainsaw man is so wonderful as a series is because It’s not afraid to look at every horrible aspect of modern living and give a character that struggles with it just as much if not more then most people. it shows that life can get better and people can grow it’s hard and depressing and most times you wanna quite hell some do. Still you can do it as long as your willing to try. Witch I think is the most reliable thing about chainsaw man is the simple fact is it isn’t afraid to show how short and depressing life is as well as how beautiful it can be as well.

I don't know how you can have a Denji analysis video without mentioning me, because he's litterally me, but good video nonetheless

Denji never really came off as all that scummy to me since unlike a lot of other anime perverts he never forced people into sexual situations they didn't want to be in or trick them into it (plus not being and super old man like master Roshi helps) basically the main reason Denji ranks higher then most anime perverts for me can be summed up in one line "I WANT TO TOUCH BOBS WITH CONSENT!"

edit: in my defense i made this comment before i finished watching your video

What I loved about Denji's character is his own personal self doubt. I hate myself most of the time. I've had so many people in my life call me stupid and things like that to the point I'm starting to believe it. So to have a character acknowledge that he isn't the smartest, but still try and keep on going and doing the best for who he cares about, really makes me happy to see a character act like that.

What makes Denji different from every horndog Shonen (I'm looking directly at you, Mineta) is that he really understand the term of consent. He could've easily fondled Power's boobs when she's unconscious after Denji killed Bat Devil, but instead, he waited her to woke up and not even talked about that deal until Power gave him a green lit (our boy didn't even talked about that either when Power started to moved in to Aki's apartment until she persuaded Denji in the toilet), or the time with Himeno (if he's really that sexually frustrated, he wouldn't even think twice to bang her). Denji is what you called an innocent kid that society failed him and it made him turned into a horndog, yet the innocent he has never faded away even in the harsh environment

Much of Chainsawman is learning to be human. Denji and Power both being devils learned to care for others and themselves. Aki who is human lost it all at a young age & then relearned to be caring with D/P. Then there’s angel devil who despise all the suppression, had a strong yearning to be with humans. In part 2, Asa has been learning to overcome the burden of her anxieties and also seeking to connect with others emotionally the way Denji has. It’s probably why he holds onto Pochita/Nayuta so dearly. Speaking of Nayuta, that’s another person learning to be human and have a “normal life.”

What do you think about what happened last chapter?