Chainsaw Man: Denji relapses into a beast in Chapter 152

Just when things were going well for Chainsaw Man, Denji finds himself reduced to a monster in chapter 152

Since the beginning of the Academy saga in Chainsaw Man, we’ve seen the spotlight shift from our favorite devil-slaying hero, Denji, to the fresh-faced Asa. This does mean that Denji takes a backseat from his role as the main character, much to his displeasure, and tries to live an everyday high schooler life.

As Chainsaw Man, we all know that Denji can dish out the damage with no problem and can take as much as he gives, but we’ve seen a distinct lack of chainsaw-based action in favor of letting new characters shine. However, as the audience probably feels, Denji misses being in the action; he misses being Chainsaw Man and might’ve just hit a breaking point.

Fair warning: there are spoilers for Chainsaw Man Chapter 152 ahead!

Denji loses it in new Chainsaw Man chapter 152

Before all the chaos with the Chainsaw Man Church kicked off, Denji realized how good he had it now that he was being told he didn’t need to be Chainsaw Man anymore. However, if he isn’t Chainsaw Man, who is he? This was the danger of keeping Denji in a metaphorical box, but taking care of Nayuta and all of their pets gave him a good sense of purpose for a while anyway.

Denji didn’t have anything to lose before becoming Chainsaw Man; he loses nearly everything he gains during the Public Safety saga and now risks losing everything again by alienating Nayuta, who, while a bit of a sadist, still cares for him. Denji telling Nayuta that she shouldn’t be around him anymore is heartbreaking.

Despite being the Control Devil, Nayuta hasn’t seen Denji rip and tear like this up close, and he has been told not to rev up his engine anymore. Denji loves being Chainsaw Man because no one really wants Denji until Nayuta comes along, but the people adore Chainsaw Man and love that he saves them from Devil attacks, which is much more thrilling than day-to-day high school life to Denji.

The final single-paged panel may seal our worst fears for Denji while he tanks a hit from the Miri Sugo, the Spear Devil Hybrid, dealing some damage of his own. Denji may be prepared to throw it all away to be Chainsaw Man again, and he’s happy because losing his quaint but boring life may be worth it if he can be back in the spotlight. Killing devils and taking in the applause. It’s simple, but it’s what Denji wants.

This is an extremely bleak situation; Denji and Nayuta’s house is burning down, presumably with their pets, including Power’s cat, Meowy, inside. We can only hope Denji snaps out of the alluring draw that being Chainsaw Man offers soon.

While Denji gets that Chainsaw Man itch out of his system, we’ll try to scratch your anime itch with our rankings of the most emotional moments in One Piece, and if you’re in a fighting mood, the best fights in One Piece and strongest Dragon Ball Z characters rankings are also up for grabs.