Why Chainsaw Man part 2 is critical for Denji's character development, explored

Chainsaw Man part 2 is immensely significant for Denji's character development, expanding on the complex emotional and moral dilemmas depicted in part 1 of the series. As a character with quite harsh beginnings, part 1 focused on Denji’s evolution into a hero grappling with purpose, relationships, and identity. However, it had unresolved questions and, more importantly, still did not set his path straight.

Now, Chainsaw Man part 2 takes a deeper dive into Denji’s psyche, presenting him with new issues that are seemingly pushing him onto the path he is supposed to be on. A major point of part 2 sees Denji struggle to reconcile his Chainsaw Man persona with his humanity.

But crucially, part 2 revealed the underlying and unresolved issues from part 1, providing a crucial foundation for Denji’s transformation into a more mature and multidimensional protagonist.

Chainsaw Man part 2 proves to be essential for Denji's character

To begin with, Chainsaw Man part 2 has proven to be vital to Denji's character development. Part 1 did develop him, but it did not completely address all his issues, and by the end, it wasn't able to properly set him off on the right path. While many feel that part 2 might have knocked him down, it in fact brought to light what was actually bothering him deep beneath the layers.

To begin with, part 1 witnessed Denji lose both Aki Hayakawa and Power. He had to put away Aki for his own safety and the safety of others, and for Power, he watched her die just as they had developed a sibling-like bond. It was very clear that he did not get over this, especially Aki's demise, since the blood was on his hands. As Asa Mitaka had mentioned, certain things couldn't be gotten over.

Next, following the events of part 1, Denji was no longer a Public Safety Devil Hunter in Chainsaw Man part 2. In essence, this meant that he was at their mercy, specifically after Kishibe had to leave. This had been established from the beginning of Tatsuki Fujimoto's series, as the mangaka likely wanted to portray them as corrupt and bad from the very onset.

Moving ahead, there was also the trauma from Makima's death. Her death left deep scars on his psyche despite her wanting to destroy him. In a sense, it was like he couldn't escape her shadow and was still dealing with the consequences. An example of this was Makima manipulating him to think that he had killed his own father. Needless to say, that belief is still rooted deep within Denji.

Tied to Makima is Nayuta. While the latter did make things better for Denji in Chainsaw Man part 2, there were several signs of persisting trauma. She was the reincarnated Control Devil. While reincarnation and a new start were positive, it only delayed the inevitable, i.e., Denji briefly forgetting his past pain. To him, Nayuta was his little sister who'd make his troubles disappear.

But then Nayuta was also killed (presumed). This likely opened the floodgates, and hence the manga took the turn it is currently at. Something flipped within Denji, and out came the rampaging Chainsaw Man. Finally, Kobeni Higashiyama's role in his life was important, i.e., bad things in life will happen, and they need to be accepted. But this realization was very soon overrun.

It was pushed aside by the opening bits of Chainsaw Man part 2. Denji had learned that Chainsaw Man was a hero and there were women who wanted to be with him. This was big for him—his life henceforth would be hard, but he would always be Chainsaw Man, so he was ready to fully embrace this life and feel alive, but not without ripples.

Final Thoughts

Chainsaw Man part 2 is a testament to Denji yet being on the wrong path. This is likely why it began the way it did. Moreover, he felt that he needed to reveal his identity to get someone to love him. No matter what he did, he couldn't stray off this path of being Chainsaw Man and its dangers, so he might as well devote himself completely to it.

It can be said here that Pochita was Denji's saving grace in part 1. He was the one who continued to help Denji and attempted to make him happy. In part 2, many thought that Nayuta had come for this role, but it has been Pochita all along. To reiterate, Chainsaw Man part 2 exists to showcase that Denji is still very damaged, and through this second part, Fujimoto will repair him.