Everyone loves Denji, the main protagonist of Chainsaw Man, who can slice up enemies with chainsaws coming out of his body. Within a few weeks of the anime’s premiere, Denji has already found a home in everyone’s heart. But there are a ton of hidden secrets behind this silly action-loving teenager, and we are here to explore them. From his glum past to an unexpected anime cameo, Denji has a lot of deep layers to his story and character. So, without delay, let’s uncover some of the lesser-known facts about Denji in Chainsaw Man.
Facts About Chainsaw Man Denji (2022)
Spoiler Warning: This guide contains spoilers about the characters and the plot of Chainsaw Man’s Public Safety Arc. We suggest watching the Chainsaw Man anime or reading the manga, at least till chapter 97, to avoid ruining the story.
1. Young Denji’s Voice Actor Played Armin in AOT
Marina Inoue, the voice actress who played the role of young Denji in the Chainsaw Man anime, also voiced Armin Arlert in Attack on Titan. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of her amazing career. You can also witness her voice as Mai in Jujutsu Kaisen and as Jennifer Walters in the Japanese dub of She-Hulk.
2. Pochita Considers Him a Real Friend
Many people believe that Pochita, like any other devil, is using Denji to survive and create his hold over the human world. But this claim is revealed to be not true when we see Pochita crying and waiting for Denji to return home while he’s all alone in their home. The scene isn’t only emotional but also shows the shared concern that Denji and Pochita share for each other.
We also realize how much Pochita cares for Denji and his dream when he takes a detour to a burger joint in the middle of a fight. Denji had wanted to try a decent hamburger before his death, and being a good friend, Pochita wanted to fulfill his dream.
3. Denji Is His Creator’s Favorite
While discussing a popularity poll’s results in Shonen Jump, Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto revealed that Denji is his favorite character. Considering the popularity of Denji among the fans, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Though, even after being his mangaka’s favorite character, our protagonist doesn’t get anything easy in his life.
4. Denji Doesn’t Have a Last Name
Since the death of his parents, it appears like Denji hasn’t been using his surname anymore. This could be partially due to the amount of debt his father left behind. Or, it could also be his way of dealing with the painful loss. Whatever the case, it’s now a well-known fact that Denji doesn’t have any last name in Chainsaw Man. But who knows, we might learn one soon in the manga’s second arc, wherein we were introduced to Asa Mitaka.
5. He Got No Education; Can’t Read Kanji
There are segments of Chainsaw Man manga that claim that Denji can’t read or do basic calculations. But, we also see Denji reading CoroCoro magazine (which publishes Doraemon manga) alongside Power in Chapter 50. This contradiction makes it confusing for some people. So, let me make things a bit clearer for you.
Japan follows three writing systems Hiragana (basic and easiest), Katakana (for foreign words), and Kanji (includes complex symbols for specific words). CoroCoro, being a children’s magazine, uses Hiragana, which Denji seems to be familiar with. But when it comes to food menus or serious books, which often use Katakana and Kanji, Denji struggles due to a lack of proper education.
6. Denji is Fueled by Basic Desires
While his peers are busy chasing titles, taking revenge, and world domination, our protagonist, Denji, has basic ambitions. This is mostly due to the abysmal environment in which he grew up. Before turning into the Chainsaw Man hybrid, Denji’s sole focus was to survive the day and collect money, irrespective of what it took to do so. He even agreed to swallow a cigarette in exchange for a few bucks.
Later, once his survival was ensured as a member of the Public Safety squad under Makima, Denji started to dream of fulfilling his innate sexual desires. From the looks of it, Denji is still at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. So, it will interesting to see how he and his needs evolve over time.
7. Almost Impossible to Kill Denji in Chainsaw Man
It might come as a surprise to some, but it’s incredibly difficult to kill Denji. This is especially true in the later parts of the manga, where we see Denji being revived multiple times. We learn in Chainsaw Man manga’s Chapter 83 that Pochita can take full control over Denji’s body and turn him into the Chainsaw devil. This only happens when Denji is about to die or has given up his hope to live.
Since Pochita and Denji’s contract required Denji to show his dreams to Pochita, his getting close to death voids that contract. This allows Pochita to take control over Denji’s consciousness and body in order to save his life and continue the contract. In the complete devil form, Pochita is almost impossible to defeat. So, if you ever want to kill Denji, you will first have to kill the most powerful form of the Chainsaw devil.
8. Denji Appears in My Hero Academia
Denji makes a subtle cameo in Chapter 259 of My Hero Academia manga in his Chainsaw Man hybrid form. His iconic chainsaw head and arms are hard to miss. Even though we might never know how he ended up there, it’s still delightful to see our protagonist mingle with other heroes outside his home turf.
9. Denji in Chainsaw Man Had a Fatal Disease
Before Denji turned into the Chainsaw Man devil hybrid, we saw him coughing blood regularly. Since his mother also died of a heart disease showing similar symptoms, it seems like Denji was supposed to meet the same fate. At least until Pochita showed up to rewrite Denji’s entire story. After turning into a devil hybrid, Denji’s body healed and wiped off this fatal disease out of existence.
10. He Hunted Devils Before Getting Abilities
In order to pay back the debt his father left behind, Denji started working as a part-time devil hunter for the Yakuza gang. During that time, he used to fight and kill devils even without having any special powers. The only support Denji had was in the form of Pochita, the chainsaw devil, who acted as his pet dog.
Thanks to the small chainsaw over his head, Pochita doubled as a weapon that Denji used to kill people. We see an example early on in the series when Denji fights the tomato devil way before turning into the Chainsaw Man. The tomato devil gets a nod in the opening song of Chainsaw Man. Check out all the movie references in Chainsaw Man opening here.
11. Denji Has a Contract with Two Devils
It is common knowledge that Denji made a contract with Pochita, the chainsaw devil, to turn into Chainsaw Man. But that’s not his only contract. In order to defeat the villain of the Public Safety arc of CSM, Denji also makes a contract with Power, the blood devil, in Chapter 90 of the manga. Though, the effects of this contract are only temporary as Denji fully utilizes Power’s shared blood in the fight against the antagonist.
12. He Sold His “Non-Vital” Organs
In the earlier part of the series, we notice that Denji is wearing an eye patch. This is because he sold his right eye, along with a kidney, and even a testicle, to gain some money to pay off his father’s massive debts. He considered these organs to be non-essential in front of his financial needs.
We can only imagine the pressure Denji was faced with to make such a decision even though he was suffering from a fatal condition, as we pointed out above. Luckily, turning into a hybrid allowed Denji to regenerate all his organs, including the right eye.
Lesser-Known Facts About Denji in Chainsaw Man
Now that you know so much more about Denji, we are sure you can’t wait to get back to watching Chainsaw Man anime. Luckily, our guide on how to watch Chainsaw Man will help you get on track in no time. The best part is that you can legally watch the anime for free through some sources. Meanwhile, if you’re a manga reader, you might know that Denji is competing for the spotlight with a new protagonist in the second part of CSM. Yes, we are talking about Asa Mitaka, and you can use one of the best manga apps to check out the new chapters. With that said, which of these Denji facts was most surprising to you? Tell us in the comments below!
