The world of Chainsaw Man is complex and features a great deal of political commentary, but also good character building throughout its series.

I will cover some of the theories, possible symbolism and little things that we have noticed throughout part one of the manga. There will be spoilers in this review, so please do not read ahead if you have not read or watched past the Reze (Bomb Devil) arc in the manga or anime.

Throughout the start of the manga, there is a door in Denji’s dreams that we constantly look back to. Pochita urges Denji not to open it, and it leads us to wonder why. We know around the end of the first act, he follows Makima into a comfortable life as one of her dogs.

When he opens both the literal door and the one in his mind, we are faced with two separate scenes that not only jar you, but leave you stunned to your core. In his memories, Denji is confronted with the fact that he murdered his father. The imagery of him standing there with Makima to comfort him makes the reader feel sick, like you want to coddle Denji and take him from this constant pain he has experienced.

In his real life, Power is standing outside the door with a cake in hand for his birthday. The second the door is opened, Makima kills her instantly. He is faced with not only the repressed memory of killing his father as a child, but also the current knowledge that his choices and existence have caused his friends suffering and death.

He wants the ability to make choices taken away from him and is faced with knowing that every time he makes a decision, someone he knows or does not know will get hurt or die. He is also faced with this during the Gun Devil fight against Aki. When Aki’s body is taken over by the Gun Devil, Denji has to choose to save his friend or save the city.

He makes the decision and kills one of his only friends and saves the city—but at what cost? Every decision he has made from the start of the manga has brought nothing but pain for everyone around him.

He makes a contract with the Chainsaw Devil as a child and then gains the devil’s heart when they are both dismembered in a dumpster. After that, multiple strong people seek to claim Denji’s newly found chainsaw heart, and it gets the agency and the people around him hurt or killed. All this young boy wants to do is live a comfortable life, and all it does is get the people around him harmed. It’s a really sick thing to think about when you really get deep into the manga.

One of the commentary theories we want to get into is what Angel Devil may represent. This is all a matter of opinion based on what we see of him throughout the anime and manga, but he is treated like a disease from scene one. If you get too close to him, you get years of your life siphoned off, even though he is one of the most non-hostile fiends in the department.

It reminds me of the way people with AIDS/HIV were treated in the early years of its discovery and research. It was a big deal for the world when Princess Diana shook hands with and treated people with AIDS like human beings; it was also a huge deal in the manga when Aki treated Angel Devil with courtesy and opted to touch his hands through cloth and eventually grab his hand to save his life, even though it took a few months off his own.

When I first heard this theory, I could never look at it the same way again. Angel Devil is treated like a disease throughout his initial few appearances in the manga, but Aki treats him with respect and even goes as far as to take care of him when he loses both arms later in the manga.

There are plenty of moments throughout the manga that make you want to sit down and think, but in the words of Denji himself: “Why does no one want Denji’s heart?” Everyone seeks the Chainsaw’s heart in the manga, and there isn’t a solid reason laid out until later on.

The best part of the first half of the manga is the Darkness Devil arc. When they arrive in Hell, they have to stand there and pray that nothing is to come. There are thousands of doors overhead, which is one of the most interesting depictions of Hell that I have ever seen.

Everyone present in Hell is faced with the Darkness Devil, which has one of the most interesting character designs I have ever seen. I will touch on that in a moment, but first, I want to bring your attention to something said in this chapter:

“They’re primordial beings. Devils that have never once experienced death.”

This leads me to believe there are thousands of devils based on fears who have never once either left Hell or actively kill humans the second they get there. The powers of the Darkness Devil are unlike anything we see throughout the series, even with Makima’s heightened abilities as a baseline to use.

The second anyone attempts to attack the devil, all of their arms are instantaneously ripped off, and if you look closely enough, you can see Makima’s name. Due to her abilities not being fully revealed in chapter 64, this is a shocker to see — because why would the Darkness Devil be calling to her of all people?

The most jarring part is when the Puppet Devil claims that he made a contract with this primordial beast and wants the ability to kill Makima, then he is slain. The Devils in this series are not supposed to be able to go back on their word, especially when contracts are in place, so this was crazy to witness.

It shows just how powerful the Darkness Devil is and why he is one of the primordial fears in Hell. Going back to the Darkness Devil’s appearance, it being a stack of heads was a really interesting choice because it feels reminiscent of something you would fear to find in the dark. It may also be some of the heads of the astronauts who traveled into the great darkness and never returned home. Either way, when Makima shows up and offers the Hell Devil in exchange for everyone to be returned to the mortal world, it is still a jarring moment. It makes you wonder just what she is and why she is so desirable.

This is a constant pattern in the first manga, so the great reveal does not come as a huge shock when you learn she is the Control Devil at the end of part one. If you haven’t finished reading the manga, which I really hope you have if you’re reading this, I urge you to at least finish part one. It was an amazing read.