Denji

Denji, also known as Chainsaw Man, is the protagonist of Chainsaw Man Public Safety Saga and one of the deuteragonists of Academy Saga. He is the first protagonist of the series.

As a young boy, he inherits his father's debts from the Yakuza. After meeting Pochita, he becomes a Devil Hunter for the Yakuza in an attempt to clear his debt: Once the Yakuza, under the control of a Devil, betrays him, he dies and Pochita becomes his heart. He is then revived and can become the by pulling a cord on his chest. After meeting Makima, he became a Public Safety Devil Hunter as a member of Tokyo Special Division 4.

Following Makima's death by his own hands, he resigned from his position as a Devil Hunter but continues to fight as Chainsaw Man under the public eye, all the while being enrolled in Fourth East High School as a student. He is also the caretaker and adoptive brother of Makima's reincarnation, Nayuta.

He is the Chainsaw Hybrid, and is contracted with the Chainsaw Devil, Pochita, which allows him to transform into the fearsome Chainsaw Man.

Physical Appearance
In Part 1, after Denji forms a contract with Pochita, his heart is fused with Pochita, a chainsaw cord forms in the middle of his sternum, and he regains his lost organs along with having a muscular build. He spent much of his time wearing the standard Public Safety Devil Hunter uniform, consisting of white shirt, tie, and slacks. He wore the uniform carelessly, his shirt wrinkled, and sleeves rolled up.

In Part 2, after resigning from a Public Safety Devil Hunter, Denji now wears Fourth East High School's uniform, a black buttoned long-sleeved shirt (which he mainly wears unbuttoned) and black pants.

Occasional Appearances
In Dog & Chainsaw, Denji appears as a child, who is about the same as before, but smaller.

In the same episode, Denji wears a normal outfit with a green jacket. In this appearance he also wears an eyepatch.

Also in the same episode, Denji appears shirtless with jeans, and later transforms in the same outfit.

Additionally, Pochita is shown fusing with him in the dumpster, with Pochita latching onto him and his limbs being sewn back together.

In Gun Devil, Denji is fighting the Leech Devil and gets battered and bruised, missing an arm, with half a chainsaw left in his forehead.

In Bruised and Battered, Denji wears glasses while training with Power and Kishibe.

In Chainsaw vs. Katana, Denji uses his legs to draw chainsaw and defeat Samurai Sword.

In Dark Diving, Denji is blown to smithereens, and what remains is a head on a charred stub.

In Chainsaw Man vs. The Weapon Devils, Denji transforms into the true Chainsaw Devil, which appears as a large bulky and black version of the Chainsaw Man form. This form is known as Chainsaw Man Black.

In I, Love, Chainsaw, Denji wears a school uniform for the first time.

History
In the beginning, Denji is a destitute Devil hunter working for the yakuza to pay off his deceased mother's medical debt. His only companion is Pochita, a Devil dog. When Denji is betrayed and killed by the yakuza, Pochita merges with him, transforming Denji into the Chainsaw Devil. He subsequently battles the Zombie Devil and joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters, led by the enigmatic Makima. Denji's journey involves overcoming formidable Devils like the Bat Devil and the Gun Devil while grappling with his newfound identity as Chainsaw Man. The arc climaxes with a harrowing confrontation against Makima, who is revealed to be the Control Devil.

The Academy Saga delves into Denji's attempt to lead a normal life as a high school student while still being Chainsaw Man. He battles Devils like the Cockroach Devil and forges a connection with Asa Mitaka, a fellow student. Denji's desire for romance and a sense of normalcy clash with the demands of his devil-hunting duties. This arc explores themes of identity, love, and the struggles of adolescence. Denji's encounters with Devils and his developing relationship with Asa lead to both emotional and action-packed moments. The saga reaches a crucial turning point when he confronts the enigmatic Falling Devil, risking everything to protect Asa and face his inner demons.

Age
In Part 1, Denji is 16, and in Part 2 he is 17.

Personality
Denji is both brash and naïve as a result of being unable to have a formal education and socialize due to living in severe poverty. His personality comes off as rude and harsh in an almost childish way. However, he has a good sense of empathy towards other people, willing to save those in danger as much as he could, showing he is a kind-hearted person despite his shortcomings. While Denji doesn't necessarily possess the highest intelligence, he is capable of clever ideas to take down Devils, such as lighting himself on fire and using the light emitted to weaken Santa Claus enough to kill her.

Hybrid Powers

 * Hybrid Transformation: By pulling on the cord emerging from his chest, Denji can transform into a bloodthirsty Chainsaw Devil. Denji needs blood in order to use his abilities, so if he does not have enough of it in his body, he can not fully transform and will instead enter a pseudo-hybrid form.
 * Augmented Strength: After entering his Hybrid form, Denji's physical strength is increased exponentially.
 * Chainsaw Manifestation: As part of his transformation Denji grows fully-functional chainsaws from his arms, legs, feet and head.
 * Devil Transformation: After surrendering his contract with Pochita, Denji transformed into a Full Devil. In this form, Pochita displays incredible speed and strength, easily defeating multiple Hybrid Devils in a matter of seconds.
 * Blood Consumption: Denji is able to heal completely from nearly any fatal injury, and in some instances recover from death, so long as he consumes a sufficient amount of blood. After losing his arm to Bat Devil, Denji's arm re-attached itself after he received a blood transfusion.
 * Nigh-Immortality: Due to being a Hybrid, Denji is immortal and nearly unkillable. He can survive getting shot, being thrown from buildings and taking all kinds of injuries that would kill most Devils. Even if he dies, as long as someone pulls the cord on his chest, Denji can come back to life in perfect condition.

Devil Contracts

 * Chainsaw Devil Contract: In exchange for living a "normal life", Pochita became Denji's heart and turned him into a Hybrid. All of his Hybrid abilities are originated from this contract.
 * Blood Devil Contract: In exchange for finding reincarnated Blood Devil and befriending with them, Power gave all of her blood to revive Denji.
 * Blood Chainsaw: Thanks to blood gained from Power, Denji is able to manifest a chainsaw from her blood. It has similar design of Power's horns. By using her blood manipulation ability, Denji is able to disturb regeneration of Makima which allowed him to defeat her.

Buddy Stories

 * Chapter 1: Master Detective Power and her Assistant Denji
 * Chapter 4: Dream of Enoshima

Trivia

 * Denji's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
 * Denji ranked 5th in the First Popularity Poll with 18,302 votes.
 * Denji ranked 4th in the Second Popularity Poll with 59,130 votes.
 * Denji appears in the background of My Hero Academia Chapter 259.
 * Fujimoto revealed that his favorite character is Denji.
 * Before becoming a Hybrid, Denji suffered from a heart disease that he inherited from his mother. The disease caused him to vomit blood regularly and even managed to kill his mother. The disease is very likely mitral stenosis.
 * Denji's name is likely an allusion to Kudou Denji, the protagonist of the manga Abara, which Fujimoto has cited as an inspiration for Chainsaw Man.

Gallery

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