Chainsaw Man #1-11

Chainsaw Man #1-12

Originally released in 2018

Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Art by Tatsuki Fujimoto

When it comes to manga, I'm not exactly up to date; I tend to stick with Shonen Jump series (so I rarely get a ton of variety), and I haven't gotten into several popular releases from the last decade or so - Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Dr. Stone...  I figured I could address one of these today, so I went with Chainsaw Man.

As one would expect from a series called "Chainsaw Man", it's violent, though that violence is kept in check somewhat by the black and white nature of manga.  Unlike Dragon Ball or Yu Yu Hakusho, I'm mostly unfamiliar with the series - I've picked up a few spoilers through osmosis, but I'm not aware of most of what happens in this series.

Denji starts out the series inheriting his deceased father's massive debt from the yakuza (the Japanese mafia).  As a result, he has to spend all of his time trying to pay off that debt, to the point where he's never attended school and he considers putting jam on his bread to be a massive expense that he can't afford. (it's unclear when this series takes place - the Soviet Union is mentioned, though I'm not sure if it's meant to be in the 1950s, 1980s, or an alternate universe where the Soviet Union lasted to the present day)

The best way to do that is by hunting demons, though people are quick to take advantage of him by taking most of the reward money for themselves to make his progress with paying off the debt even slower.  The yakuza see him as little more than a servant, and the closest thing that he has to a friend is a small chainsaw-like demonic dog named Pochita.  Unfortunately, a demon-hunting mission gone wrong leads to Denji being dismembered, and Pochita seemingly sacrifices his life to revive Denji with demonic powers, turning him into the titular Chainsaw Man. (comments are made about how Pochita is still alive inside of Denji, and not in the metaphorical sense, though he hasn't physically returned as of yet)

This brings him into contact with the Japanese government's demonic-hunting organization, represented by Makima.  Makima seems kind of morally gray - on one hand, she's a mentor to Denji and seems sincere in her desire to get rid of demons, but on the other, she has no problem with manipulating Denji or treating him like a pet.  Denji's unabashedly perverted - maybe not to the extent of perverted characters in other series (he won't touch a woman without her consent, at least going by these chapters), but at this point, his entire goal in life is to grab a woman's breasts, and Makima takes full advantage of this.

Other demon hunters are Aki Hayakawa, an older man who was saved by Makima and has to keep an eye on Denji, and Power, a ditzy "Blood Devil" who can shape her blood into various weapons.  Aki seems like he was clearly intended to be a stoic, serious rival figure to contrast with Denji, like Sasuke from Naruto.  Power's much more entertaining, with her impulsive nature leading to some fun comedy. (though Aki is involved in some funny moments, like his shocked/annoyed reaction at Denji and Power's stupidity, and his reaction to the reveal that when Denji fights men, he exclusively aims for kicking them in the groin, with Aki himself being the unfortunate recipient)

Both Power and Denji are powerful, but they're limited by how much blood they have - lose too much blood, and they can't fight back.  As a result, while Chainsaw Man is powerful in-universe, there's still tension with the fights, as Denji can't last very long as of now.

Chapter 12 ends with Makima telling Denji about a Gun Devil that has been summoned. (naturally, it first appeared in America)  So far, the demons that have been introduced tend to fall easily once Denji's Chainsaw Man side enters the picture, but I'm guessing that this one will be different.

The series starts off pretty well.  I'm not sure about how I feel about Denji as a protagonist.  He follows in the path of various other shonen protagonists by not being well-educated but meaning well, though it seems like virtually any reasonably attractive woman could get him to do just about anything, even betraying the organization that he works for, with promises of something lewd - I'm not sure where his moral compass is at. However, the downtime material (where he's simply learning about what a normal life is like) is fun to read, the action is solid, and the art is good.