Top 10 Chainsaw Man Moments

In a show packed with high energy and high emotions, it’s a bit difficult to pinpoint just ten moments that encapsulate just how amazing Chainsaw Man is. But I have a lot of thoughts, and those thoughts need a place to go. Take a look back at some of Chainsaw Man’s most badass moments. Spoilers ahead, you've been warned.

1. Pochita becomes Denji’s heart

Who else took one look at Pochita and instantly fell in love? Arguably this list could just be the snapshots we get of Pochita eating bread, barking, or literally walking down the street. Pochita transcends everything.

The bond between Pochita and Denji is the cornerstone for everything that happens in Chainsaw Man. It’s no surprise that the moment is both emotional, and of course, a bloody good time once the chainsaws come out. It’s sad to see Pochita exit stage left in episode one (I wasn’t expecting it, thanks for ripping my heart out early Chainsaw Man), but it’s an important aspect of Denji’s goals. As wild as his surface level motivations might be, Pochita’s sacrifice lays down the groundwork fo Denji’s journey of finding a life worth living.

2. Aki’s morning routine

I’ll be honest with you, this is my favorite part of the show. Aki making coffee and reading the newspaper? Sign me up. Did I rewatch him tie that little topknot an embarrassing amount of times? Sure did, and I won’t apologize for it. Fun fact: Anytime Aki came on screen, my roommate had to endure me yelling, “AKIIIIII!!!” because he’s my favorite character out of season one.

Aki is a man of discipline and routines. The sequence sets up his character and what he’s about, and how that contrasts completely with Denji and Power when he has to take them in. Also, this is just MAPPA's chance to show off how gorgeous their animation is. This isn’t the last time I’ll be mentioning the animation, but this calm, ASMR-vibe of a scene takes the cake.

3. Denji vs. the Bat Devil (bonus points for the Leech Devil)

Look, I’m already talking about animation again! After the first episode, this is Denji’s first battle that pushes his limits. It’s exciting action mixed with some fun characterization for Denji. He’s not the protagonist who shows up saying, “Stay back citizens, I’ll save you.” He’s more, “Get out of here or you’ll die, bitches.” He gets an A for effort.

In all seriousness, seeing feral, bloody, shirtless Denji screaming his way to victory was so much fun. The animation looked SO. GOOD. As the parentheses points out, special shoutout to the Leech Devil showing up right after the Bat Devil’s demise; it’s another fantastic action scene, and I can hear Denji’s deranged laughter just thinking about it (subbed AND dubbed, mind you.)

4. Katana Devil’s Introduction

The Katana Devil has one of the most badass designs ever. The sword stuck through his head is metal as hell, pun intended. I loved every second he was on screen.

This entire section of episode eight is so good because it comes out of nowhere. It’s so startling, I forgot that Denji getting shot in the head wasn’t a big deal; he’d just pop up in a few minutes. There’s so much to unpack here, from the Katana Devil’s brutal speed and power, Aki’s cursed sword, and probably best of all, Himeno’s use of the Ghost Devil. It was lots of adrenaline mixed with an equal amount of emotion, making this one of the standout episodes of the season.

5. Makima cleaning house

Makima is scary. She made me nervous from episode one and I wasn’t sure why. And then this happened. Watching her murder people from a distance was literally terrifying. Both the calm way she goes about her work coupled with the disgusting explosions of her victims is mind-boggling to watch. In the span of two minutes, Makima showed off why she’s such a dangerous character, one who will only get more deadly going forward. Also the music for this sequence was killer. Again, pun intended.

6. GO KOBENI!!!!

Kobeni is a great addition to the crazy cast of characters. While everyone else accepts the chaotic, violent nature of devil hunting, she’s our only representative for the scaredy cats (me) of the world.

And then she totally pops off and saves the day.

It’s always a fun time to see characters seen as weak or useless have their moment to go goblin mode and wow everyone. Kobeni schools two powerful antagonists and saves Denji’s life. She’s fast, she’s accurate with a gun, and it’ll be awesome to see more of her in the future.

7. Kishibe

He has DILF energy and he’s played by Kenjiro Tsuda in the subbed version of the show. Goodbye, that’s all you need to put him on this list.

In all seriousness, Kishibe’s training with Denji and Power is a treat to watch. Denji and Power are the golden duo. They’re funny and over the top with how they try to best Kishibe. Meanwhile he counters them with a straight face and minimal effort.

Honestly the way he avoided Power’s spear through the door altered my brain chemistry. The devastating kick he landed on Denji, much as I love Denji, made me black out for a second because of how cool it was.

8. Easy Revenge!

Somewhere in my apartment, my literature degree is lurking, begging me to write an essay about how the phrase “Easy Revenge” is used in the final two episodes.

Aki and Himeno’s relationship had me in shambles. The way Aki finds some semblance of closure in her death by the end is so bittersweet. There’s the slow, emotional death of the Ghost Devil, but we’re also treated to the most unhinged nut-kicking beatdown to the man responsible for Himeno’s death in the first place. Aki’s revenge has both sentimental and chaotic moments, which works well in a show that balances those two energies the whole season.

9. Denji vs. the Katana Devil

Me at the end of this fight: “LEG SAW! HE’S GOT A CHAINSAW LEG!!” I’m so obsessed with the hard-hitting action between chainsaw and katana, They just go to town on each other, ending in the second greatest fight on a train of all time (I’m sorry CSM, Spiderman 2 is unbeatable). Again the animation is super smooth, Denji is comedic and entirely out of his mind, and the energy is off the charts. Chainsaw Man has some of my favorite action sequences, and this final fight of the season goes above and beyond.

10. The wholesome ending!

At it’s core, Chainsaw Man is about Denji looking for purpose in life. The small ending sequence of him happily skipping around town with Power and Aki shows he’s made his first steps. They’re a strange, makeshift family causing havoc on playgrounds and enjoying loud meals together, and it works for them. In a show that seems like it’s set out to hurt us in future seasons, (fingers crossed for Aki but I have a habit of picking favorites that end up dying on me), the short wholesome moment is a much needed positive ending to the season.

Oh, I need to end on a bonus positive for the show:

Chainsaw Man is probably the closest I’ve seen an anime come to ending the infamous sub vs. dub debate. Usually I go for the sub because it releases first, but if I really love a show, I watch both. I did that for this show, and if you haven’t watched the dub, you need to. After all, watching it twice gives you the chance to re-experience all the excitement Chainsaw Man has to offer.