The Biggest Switchup in Chainsaw Man! Is Death Denji’s New Girl? Chainsaw Man Chapter 211 Review!

In the previous Chainsaw Man chapter, Yoru attains ultimate power as America dropping rediscovered nuclear bombs starts a new world war with the Soviet Union

Chainsaw Man Chapter 211 is titled, “War, Panties, Chainsaw”

This chapter has 15 pages.

We continue where we left off with Death’s introduction and the explanation that Death did not carry Denji by herself.

Perhaps she could as a Devil but perhaps even Horsemen follow the laws of physics, so with Fami’s help, Death brought Denji into the empty classroom.

She also clarifies that the other girl is the real Fami, the Famine Devil, and that “Fami” is the real Death Devil.

Death reveals that Yoru is now on a killing spree, building a Devil army

Essentially, Yoru has usurped Death’s role in the plot.

She stole the “pen of God”, as it were, and messed the story up but in another sense, this is probably the point.

Death has no control over her power over life and death for she is beyond reason, for she is a fixture of reality that needs to exist.

Yet in her attempts to stop herself, primarily through making Denji and Yoru stronger, she has created a far worse future, a world without death.

In a way, she is like Zeref Dragneel from Fairy Tail, a being who only brings death and seeks to delay it, only to make things worse, especially as they indulge in their desire to kill others.

However, Denji still remains skeptical until Miri Sugo (the Longsword Hybrid and only good guy in the Chainsaw Man Church) vouches for Death and tells her to expose her belly as proof.

If you recall, Death has no innards inside her body but is this really proof enough.

As it turns out, the act of taking off her top was enough, as Denji saw one good look at Death’s panties and forgot he already might have a girlfriend.

The switch up of the century that can easily be turned around.

Denji switches from Yoru to Death because of panties.

Classic.

But we must ask ourselves: what happens to Asa if they fight each other?

The Final Villain’s Most Brilliant Twist

The most brilliant thing about this chapter and of the Death Devil herself is the idea that she has no actual ability to affect the plot.

Although “Fami” was the “Makima” of Part 2, that is not really what she is all about.

While Makima’s concept of power and free will are explored thoroughly, Death is no mastermind but a pawn in the game.

Being the ultimate devil, the ultimate threat, Death is actually unable to stop herself.

She must ensure the flow of life and death, where people die, because that is the only way she, all the Devils and humanity can survive as they are.

You could say that the Death Devil is humanity incarnate.

Without the fear of death, humans cannot form societies, moralities, justifications or any sort of motion because that fear moves humans to make meaning and thus more fears, creating more Devils.

And as the last chapter shows, humans can recreate their own Devils to pursue their self-destructive agenda.

The setup for Part 2 is that Death will end humanity but what if ending death is what ends humanity.

All that will be left is a world that kills itself repeatedly, experiencing constant pain and never-ending reasons to hate.

Yes, in this world, the Devils might find satisfaction in having their fill of immortal humans but it could also be said that such a world is also where humans will surpass Devils and thus their existence is rendered pointless.

Without death, there would be no real fear.

So even in a world of constant pain, humans would lose the need for fear and thus the creation of meaning.

This also means emotions, sentiments, motives, everything becomes “less real”.

Only the war matters and this nihilistic, empty world is a far worse version of our already messed up world.

Our world has capitalistic, imperialistic forces like America sucking the life out of the peripheries to promote the empty engine of gain and profit for the upper class and the gradual boredom of the middle and lower classes, who are cut off more and more from real experiences and real bonds, yet it might get worse in the deathless world.

People will still kill each other but for no real reason and all meaning will be deprived, replaced only with a lust for power and carnage to fill the even greater boredom brought about by Yoru’s world.

Character Regression or Assassination?

Throughout the recent arcs, even after the terrible hand Denji has been dealt with through the loss of his home, pets, and adopted sister, Denji’s carnal desires continue to play on repeat.

He experiences “moments of clarity” during the Aging Devil arc, where he feels guilt about being empty-headed towards his sexual impulses, and in the current arc, where his feelings

However, it seems Fujimoto is not going to allow Denji to heal from his traumatic wounds with at least some level of healthiness.

While Denji continues to find his motivation to live by having someone else, such as Asa, he

Now at this point, Denji intends to fight Yoru, even risking the loss of Asa, someone he genuinely cares for,

The problem is that Denji’s concept of love is so utterly broken, both by being a male victim to the likes of Makima and by the way his life continues to go downhill every time he gets his act together.

Although cyclic, perhaps this frustrating “character regression” is part of Denji’s journey towards some actualization by the end of the story.

Fire Punch did not end with Agni becoming a violent avenger but then again, in each part of the story, he always goes through some reset, with two moments being memory wipes.

However, there is a concern that maybe Fujimoto has lost the plot, that because he keeps letting Denji get distracted by panties, that it is also a subconscious expression of Fujimoto’s own lack of focus or even drive to give Denji proper catharsis.

Unlike in Fire Punch, where catharsis was a core theme via Togata, Chainsaw Man Part 2, for all its meta-commentary on America and Japanese society’s views of sex and aging, does not “direct” its main character in the literal sense towards exploring that theme.

The very first arc of Fire Punch literally had one character act as a director to move the plot along, in a way similar to a manipulative villain.

That was Makima’s game in Part 1 but in Part 2, our mastermind Death is herself unable to move the plot because she herself is its greatest victim.

Originally, Death was setup as the final threat and when we do meet her, we see that she cannot stop her destiny to end the world but now the idea of ending death it itself the ultimate existential threat of Chainsaw Man.

This is an interesting setup but you could also say that this is a representation of where Chainsaw Man is headed, a downward spiral towards repetitive monotony and unfulfillment.

Denji lacking an impetus, a “guiding force”, can be pointed out here but it is not embodied in a character.

Rather, it is embodied in a “world” of characters.

This is what Part 2 lacks.

As the story heads towards its finale, we see less and less characters, only the main players.

Even “that guy” (Miri Sugo), who made the arc fresh with his presence, is not enough to move the plot as he is only there to facilitate the chapter plot, rather than build the encounters and experiences Denji needs to learn more about the world and himself and act on his growing knowledge.

In Part 1, more than Aki, Power and Makima, we met Kishibe, Himeno, multiple characters who lived and died, all forming a complete painting in motion that allowed Denji to grow, even when he retained his impulses.

Without such a colorful world and side cast, Chainsaw Man feels like the empty school building our characters are in right now.

Or perhaps that is a key point to Fujimoto’s thesis that we need to experience, with much frustration, and unfold before us, like a test of our media literacy.

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