When theChainsaw Mananime began premiering in late 2022, a popular sentiment grew from out of the larger anime-watching community: thatDenji was not a good protagonist. Reading the discourse on social media and hearing similar thoughts from friends who had just begun watching, I couldn’t help but laugh. At that point,Chainsaw Manhad already long been one of my favorite works of fiction, but I remembered a time when I too shared similar feelings towards the series' protagonist.
It’s not an easy sell, especially in the world of shōnen anime and manga, for a series' main character to be free of any lofty goal or major motivation. Shōnen Jump has boasted the likes of Goku, who always wants to be the strongest, or Luffy, who wants to be the king of the pirates. Now, in one of its newest powerhouse titles,Denji just wants to get with girls and eat good food, maybe have a place to stay if it isn’t too much to ask.
WhenChainsaw Manbegan to really pick up steam during the first part of the manga’s publication, I had just finished reading the lateKentaro Miura’s fantasy masterpieceBerserk. And in my mind, at that time, nothing could compare. So opening any social media app, seeing that now iconic panel of Denji hunched over, stating that he wants to touch boobs,I rolled my eyes at the thought of reading a story that followed a character so shallow. Thankfully, I eventually picked upChainsaw Man, and was never happier to have been proven wrong.
Denji Is the Perfect Protagonist For a New Generation
Denji Is a Reflection of the Younger Generation and Their Aspirations
While going against the grain has always been a priority for author Tatsuki Fujimoto, his decision to portrayDenji as a teen protagonist with low ambitionwas not an attempt to push back against shōnen traditions. Instead,in an interview with BFMTV, the artist revealed thathe created Denji in the image of the younger generation, who don’t aspire to make a ton of money or live lavishly, and are content with striving for everyday normalcy.
When we look at the current younger generation, they are a bit like that. They are not looking for a very high salary. They are satisfied with 150,000 yen per month. They seek to live in a simple way, day by day. I don’t criticize them. I think it’s very good to live like this. It is for this reason that I created the character of Denji, whose ambition is extremely mediocre.
-Tatsuki Fujimoto (via BFMTV)
Belonging to the demographic Fujimoto described in that interview,I immediately found myself bonding with Denji while reading. Admittedly, I found it strange and wasn’t all that proud to admit it. How could I, a person with a degree in literature who just spent weeks on a journey withBerserk’s Guts, find the simple, idiotic titular hero ofChainsaw Manrelatable? Looking back, it was clear: Denji is the part of every young person transitioning to adulthood, terrified of their uncertain future, who hopes to at least be able to put food on the table.
When I reached that panel of Denji hunched over in the empty apartment, this time with proper context,it wasn’t funny anymore. I paused for a long time on the image which became such a wildly popular meme, and I could no longer look down at the series' protagonist, but rather look on with empathy and a sincere desire to see him succeed.
Denji’s Childhood Trauma Stunted the Teenage Hero
His Earliest Experiences Prevented Him From Maturing
As I progressed reading throughChainsaw Man, something else about Denji began to stick out to me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but something about his behavior when in the presence of people he wasn’t already familiar with seemed odd to me.He was entirely closed off. Though played off for laughs in his earliest interactions with Aki, his absolute lack of interest in others was at the forefront of his character from day one of his job as a Devil Hunter, and particularly around other males.
[Denji] isn’t some sex-starved lunatic only out to get with women, but a lonely boy who craves intimacy and genuine affection from someone.
And then Makima made it clear while manipulating Denji; his father was abusive to such a degree that Denji wound up killing him in self-defense. The signs of abuse were always present, from his immature demeanor, standoffish attitude around others, and inability to grasp the concept of intimacy. With his growth as a person stunted,Denji locked his history of traumabehind a door that he made to protect himself.
Knowing this about Denji turns everything about his character on its head. It isn’t that his only goal in life is to eat good food, but rather it’s to not go to sleep hungry. He isn’t some sex-starved lunatic only out to get with women, but a lonely boy who craves intimacy and genuine affection from someone. When the events ofChainsaw Man’s Public Safety arc began, Denji knew only a singular love, that being the one shared between himself and his chainsaw dog, Pochita. And unfortunately, as the series unfolds, life isn’t any kinder to him.
Denji, The Constant Victim
Chainsaw Manhas never been a stranger to heavy subject matter. Embarrassingly, it took until very recently for me to realize just how tangible the lasting effects of Denji’s suffering are, haunting him to the very latest chapter in the series. I’d always felt for Denji, watching as over and over he was exposed to the worst that life has to offer. And over and over, he rises from the struggle, just as The Hero of Hell himself, Chainsaw Man, revs his engine and comes back to life.
To put it simply,Denji has been assaulted several times throughoutChainsaw Man. Each instance was disgusting and wrong, but every time it happened, he seemed to collect himself and move on. While reading these sections, I always figured it was just time to torture Denji again, and never put too much thought into what was happening outside of wondering when our hero would ever catch a break. But the events of chapter #168 permanently altered the way I read Denji.He wasn’t actually moving on at all.
In the controversial chapter #167, Looking up at Yoru, having just been taken advantage of yet again,Denji only asks, “Do you like me?“To which, the War Devil responds that she doesn’t. It all clicked for me then, only further proving that Denji was never a terrible protagonist, but rather a wholly misunderstood one. In his warped sense of intimacy, of love,he was no longer able to differentiate abuse from genuine affection.
I was blown away. So many readers and viewers had been so wrong, dismissingDenjias a superficial, almost idiotic protagonist created only to mock shonen conventions, but the truth was the actual opposite of that. When I realized it, I was nearly moved to tears. Somehow, along my journey throughChainsaw Man, I had become so attached to the simple, uninteresting, idiotic protagonist.
Chainsaw Man
Cast
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a young man burdened by debt, who teams up with his pet devil Pochita to fight devils under the yakuza’s control. Released in 2022, the series portrays Denji’s struggle to achieve his dream of living a simple, peaceful life.
