Ryu Nakayama has overseen the entirety ofChainsaw Man’s TV run throughout its shocking first season,but with so many stellar episode directors, it’s easy to forget the man weaving it together. By the end of the finale, it feels truly fitting that the man who directed the premiere would tie things together at the end of the first chapter of hopefully more to come.
Last week, Aki stole the show once again, pushing past grief to accept a new demonic contract and take the fight to the followers of the Gun Devil alongside the rest of Division 4. It all culminated in a tense standoff between him and Sawatari, who used the previously vanquished Ghost Devil against him.
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The Main Event
Before catching up with Aki, it feels wrong to delay discussing the standout fight of the episode and perhaps the best of the entire season. In the last episode, it almost felt like Denji was taking a back seat to Aki’s journey, so a lot was riding on this battle against Katana to truly bring Denji’s arc this season to a fitting conclusion.
A lot has been said about the animationin discussions online and even in past reviews here on GameRant, but any doubts about the animation seem to evaporate in the presence of this fight. Just as the CGI during the end credits of Episode 11 thrived because of slick camera work, the final fight between Chainsaw and Katana is positively phenomenal for the same reasons. This animation style which has been confusing the hell out of anime fans for the entire season reaches its apex thanks to great framing, posing, camera work, and satisfying impacts. The fight taking place on the train no doubt added extra elements to consider, but if it was a hurdle it certainly didn’t feel like it.
It’s the character writing - more than anything - that makes the climax of the duel so satisfying. Samurai Sword, even with his improbably cool design, actually has a pretty lame personality and that isn’t a condemnation of the storytelling. It’sDenji’s past coming back to haunt him, but the story doesn’t pretend that Denji has anything to atone for. Samurai Sword is so sad about his horrible monster of a grandfather being dead that he doesn’t even believe Denji when he tells him that he had a perfectly understandable reason to kill him. Even if his grandfather hadn’t betrayed Denji, it isn’t like Denji was given a home or love and Samurai Sword was clearly showered in it as a child.
He’s entitled and whiny and Denji brings the story full circle by once again fighting for his right to live against a foe that can only look down on him and his dreams. Denji isn’t a well-adjusted person by any means,but his motivation is just to live comfortably, and fans want to root for him because, in a world like his, that’s a pretty reasonable aim. A reasonable aim in an unreasonable world. There was a lingering fear that Kishibe’s training would have felt rushed, but Denji used what Kishibe taught him in the most Denji way possible right at the end. It was glorious, and for an adaptation of a manga often said to have breakneck pacing, this episode flies by without losing even an ounce of its charm.
“Easy Revenge”
If there was any character that could have gotten more time to shine, it might have been Power, as she mostly was there to… well, be Power and kill a bunch of zombies. Denji and Aki were the stars of the show, andspeaking of Aki, the conclusion of his arcthis season was something beautiful, if perhaps not as high-octane as Denji’s.
With Himeno having passed, there was a feeling that her spirit would persevere in some way, and with the bond that she and Aki shared, it was only right that the Ghost Devil bridge the gap. It’s not exactly made clear if Himeno is within Ghost or if Ghost is honoring Himeno’s wishes, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Aki isn’t afraid anymore and has accepted her passing.
It’s actually really sweet, and it only gets sweeter when Aki and Denji reunite after the whole ordeal is finished. The two of them have had quite a rocky start to their partnership, mostlybonding over a shared frustration with Power, but the finale gives them an extremely important moment together. And it’s by kicking Samurai Sword in the nuts together.
In a demented way, it’s kinda wholesome, at least byChainsaw Man’s standards, and further hammers in how pathetic Samurai is as a character. Sawatari is a bit more egregious as an antagonist, as not much is learned about her before the end, but she served her role well and her Snake Devil was pretty cool.
Ending Theme Week 12
In lieu of a traditional ending, the final episode opts for a diegetic montage of the main trio walking about town,which itself informs where the characters areby the end. “Fight Song” by Eve might have been the perfect way to conclude everything, as Eve’s music is already the easiest way to get excited about anything.
It’s not a particularly grim song, nor is it a moody contemplation on a recent tragedy in the series. It basks in the happiness of its characters at an end that is far more optimistic than one might have expected a few episodes prior. It’s a nearly perfect way to end a season of a great show: rocking out to good music and seeing the characters just living their lives. Because god knows whatever is coming next is going to be a nightmare.
