u/Short-Possibility535

I think we need to stop overthinking this one. Pochita is just the Chainsaw Man devil. The fear of Chainsaw Man, not of chainsaws. That’s why Denji can ask for a chainsaw, that’s also part of the reason why Pochita is still his heart, and thats why when Asa says “Thank you, Chainsaw Man.” Pochita as Denji’s heart revs up for a moment. It’s the concept feared by devils made by humans that erases concepts and is the hero of Hell.

It also explains why when Pochita eats himself everyone dead, and the entire world seemingly resets. It’s because he’s not just eating the concept of Chainsaws, or himself as Pochita, he’s eating an extension of himself and the concept of this entire story, and for this story to have never had happened, you need to erase everyone ever affected by it.

Originally what pulled me into Chainsaw Man was how a YouTuber back in 2021 described Denji, as someone who’s like Sisyphus and kinda tragic in the way that he is in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes over and over and you have to imagine him to be happy.

But the thing is, I don’t think you have to imagine Denji being happy. I think he actually is happy, even if you raised him in a totally ordinary life and you gave him more things to aspire to, I think he’d be happy with simplicity and excitement. And the reason I say this is because like any person he’s gonna want more, but unlike any other person, he doesn’t search for something deeper, because he genuinely derives pleasure from basic, instinctual needs beings met, feeling excitement, and fighting. He’s a complex person with the interior to prove it, but he’s also a dog who is willing to accept simple pleasures and to keep doing those same things even if it’s repetitious or simple just because he likes it.

I think that’s really cool when you compare him to characters like Aki, Makima, Asa or anyone in public safety who keeps trying to reach beyond what’s right in front of them, and are trying to ascend to god hood, or trying to find a meaning worth living for, whereas Denji is just wanting to find something to eat, and I think that’s where he’s at his best.

What do you guys think? Do you interpret Denji staying a dog til the very end as a tragic, good, or nuanced thing?

The leaves are falling off, is the plant rotted? Should I cut part of it?!