The Most Disturbing Moments From Chainsaw Man Season 1
From the moment its first trailer hit the internet, the anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's "Chainsaw Man" became the talk of the anime community. Everyone from prolific anime analysts to humble fans on social media was abuzz with chainsaw fever. But would Studio Mappa be able to properly capture the raw emotions, eclectic energy, and dark comedy of Fujimoto's black-and-white manga? With all 12 episodes of "Chainsaw Man" Season 1 having finally aired, we can confirm the answer to be a resounding yes.
The anime takes the stellar skeleton of the manga's illustrations and transforms them into truly jaw-dropping animation. "Chainsaw man" follows Denji, a Yakuza-indentured bottom feeder who makes a meager living as a low-level devil hunter with his faithful canine devil, Pochita. When he's not slicing up the likes of the Tomato Devil, he's selling off various organs to make ends meet. All Denji dreams about is the most basic form of stability — jam bread, housing, and companionship — but his life frequently takes dives into the violent and the absurd.
This results in some downright disturbing moments from both visual and psychological perspectives. Presented here are just a few select scenes that show exactly how unhinged "Chainsaw Man" can really be. So grab some jam bread and hold on tight, because these are the most disturbing moments from "Chainsaw Man" Season 1. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead!
Denji and Pochita are killed by zombies
The first episode of "Chainsaw Man" sets the tone immediately. While out for a seemingly standard devil disposal, Denji and Pochita are suddenly attacked by a swarm of zombified Yakuza, courtesy of the haunting Zombie Devil. Essentially a giant zombie head and brain on a floating lump of flesh, the Zombie Devil is our first true taste of a powerful devil in the series.
Denji attempts to flee, but he's quickly overwhelmed and subsequently chopped up with Pochita, even being thrown in the trash as a final insult. However, death appears to be just the beginning for Denji. Due to a drop of blood making it into Pochita's mouth, an opportunity emerges. We're then shown a flashback wherein Denji promises his body to Pochita if he were ever to die, wishing him a happy and healthy life. This results in an apparition of Pochita offering Denji a contract — a second chance at life, provided that Denji shows him his fully realized dreams one day.
This is all only the beginning of what's to come, but it's pretty disturbing to see the main protagonist and his dog brutally defeated in Episode 1.
Chainsaw Man's first appearance
Following his and Pochita's post-mortem deal, Denji's body is sewn together in sickening fashion by what appears to be sinew-like razor wire. Upon emerging from his dumpster tomb, Denji is shocked to find his previously-harvested organs restored and ripcord in his chest. The Zombie Devil, hilariously disgusted at Denji's resurrection, sicks its zombie horde on him once again to finish the job. In an act of defiance, Denji pulls his new chest ripcord just as the zombies envelop him again. This time, however, Denji emerges as a newly-formed devil-human hybrid, complete with chainsaws erupting from his head and arms.
As fittingly heavy metal music blares, Chainsaw Man makes his disturbing debut by taking the fight to the Zombie Devil. In almost no time at all, he bisects the Zombie Devil and turns the horde into a slurry of meat chunks and 7-Eleven Cherry Slurpee syrup. This is also where he meets Makima, a high-ranking member of the Public Safety Devil Hunters, who offers him an arrangement — work for her as a dog or be put down as a devil. The pilot episode's closing sequence perfectly encapsulates just how simultaneously action-packed and viscerally disturbing "Chainsaw Man" can be.
Power gets eaten
After joining up with Public Safety in "Chainsaw Man," Denji is quickly introduced to two new associates — a Devil Hunter named Aki and an unhinged fiend named Power. A fiend is a devil who, in an attempt to cheat death, takes over a recently deceased human body. In only a few short moments, it becomes clear that Power is not only hyperactive, but delusional and blood-crazed as well. This is shown most clearly when Power jumps from a building, hammer in hand, and splatters a low-level Cucumber Devil into a fine paste.
In "Meowy's Whereabouts," Power tells Denji that she'll let him touch her chest under one condition: That he helps her rescue Meowy, her recently kidnapped cat, by killing the Bat Devil. This is soon revealed to be a partial ruse, as Power actually intends to hand Denji over to the Bat Devil in exchange for Meowy. However, the Bat Devil finds Denji's blood to be unsatisfactory, instead opting to gobble up both Meowy and Power. Denji is later able to save Power from the guts of the Bat Devil, but it's still distressing to see her and her cat get swallowed whole.
The Infinity Devil reveal
In "Chainsaw Man" Episodes 5 and 6, Denji is sent to a local hotel alongside the rest of Aki's Devil Hunter team, which includes Power, Himeno, Kobeni, and Hirokazu. The ragtag team is tasked with dispatching an unidentified devil located there. Soon enough, however, the team finds themselves entering the same floor over and over again in a disturbing perpetual loop.
This is revealed to be the machinations of the Infinity Devil — a being composed of a swirl of flesh and faces residing in the hotel's structure. The animation for the Infinity Devil is appropriately creepy, perfectly capturing its Lovecraftian nature. Many fans debate which version of "Chainsaw Man" is superior between the manga and the anime, and both sides have merit. However, it's moments like the Infinity Devil reveal in which the full animation truly shines. In a season filled with sensational devil designs, the Infinity Devil stands out as one of the most memorable and disturbing of the bunch.
Kobeni tries to kill Denji
Along with Power, the mousy Kobeni has become a particularly popular character among "Chainsaw Man" fans. This may be due to how disturbingly relatable Kobeni is, in that she seems to be constantly on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. The animation perfectly represents this, as there's very rarely a frame where she isn't twitching, shaking, or nearly foaming at the mouth with anxiety. It's almost as if someone took Megumi from "Food Wars" and gave her a government job that equipped her with dangerous weapons.
Given the high turnover rate when it comes to Devil Hunters, Kobeni seems like the last person who should ever be employed by Public Safety. Her mental state gets put through the wringer when she ends up trapped in the hotel by the Infinity Devil with the rest of Aki's team. However, Kobeni truly cracks when the Infinity Devil offers to release the team in exchange for them sacrificing Denji to it. She's the first one to jump at this opportunity, quickly requesting that Denji give himself over to the devil and even brandishing a knife at him. In a wild display, she screams at the top of her lungs and lunges at Denji before being knocked out by Aki and Himeno.
Aki's tragic backstory
Though he's never shown on screen, the way the Gun Devil is spoken about in passing quickly establishes his level of menace. His last attack apparently claimed upwards of one million lives, making him the highest priority target for Makima and the Public Safety Devil Hunters. The Gun Devil also serves as a white whale for Aki, who seems to be quite obsessed with the infamous creature.
Following his first appearance, it becomes clear that Aki is carrying a lot under his cold, vaguely detached attitude. We get a glimpse beneath the surface a little later by seeing how Aki's childhood ended in the blink of an eye. It's revealed that on a calm and snowy day, Aki's family was wiped out as a result of the Gun Devil's destruction. Just as he and his sibling were ready to play in the snow, Aki's house was blown away with his family still inside. Needless to say, it's a powerful moment, and it completely explains why Aki operates in such a detached way. It also shows just how fragile life in this world is, and how it can be ripped away in a mere instant.
Himeno pukes in Denji's mouth
Following their hotel escapades, Himeno suggests the team meet up for a night out of food and copious drinking. Denji is very excited to attend, especially considering that Himeno promised to French kiss him if he killed the Infinity Devil. Very quickly, the night devolves into shenanigans, with Power attempting to horde every food item in sight. However, things get really interesting when Makima joins them for dinner and asks Denji if he was planning to kiss someone.
Denji, already crushing hard on Makima, is heavily conflicted but remains more than willing to kiss Himeno. As the night goes on, everyone proceeds to eat and drink their weight in chicken, dumplings, and beer — especially Himeno, who becomes sufficiently sloshed. Staying true to her word, she finally plants a sloppy kiss on Denji, much to his shock and delight. Unfortunately, his first kiss is soon tainted as Himeno proceeds to throw up directly into his mouth, much to everyone else's shock and Power's depraved amusement. This is a moment that's definitely disturbing, just for different reasons than the other entries on this list. If you've ever been overserved at a bar or a social function, then this moment may stand out as hauntingly true to life.
The attack on Public Safety
You could say that Episode 8 is where "Chainsaw Man" officially gets kicked into fifth gear, completely pulling the rug out from many viewers. Following their night out, the group of Denji, Power, Akia, and Himeno go out for lunch. Soon, however, they're confronted by a surly man who reveals himself to be the grandson of Denji's former Yakuza handler. He shoots Denji in the head, temporarily pacifying him, and then shoots Himeno in the chest. During a one-on-one fight with Aki, the mystery man reveals himself to be a devil-human hybrid like Denji, known as Katana Man.
This incident coincides with a large-scale attack on Public Safety that sees civilians taking out various Devil Hunters with firearms. That includes Makima, who's later shown to have mysteriously survived despite also being shot in the head. The attack, though carried out by humans and human-devil hybrids, is revealed to have been orchestrated by the previously mentioned Gun Devil.
Katana Man's design is fantastic — very similar to Denji's own devil design but with swords in place of the chainsaws. We're also introduced to Akane during this sequence, a woman who appears to be working at the Katana Devil's side and helping to coordinate the attack. After watching the characters in such pleasant circumstances just an episode earlier, it's quite the blindside to see them abused like this. Of course, Tatsuki Fujimoto has never been one to maintain a status quo in his stories for long.
The death of Himeno
Following the gruesome attack on the Public Safety Devil Hunters, things quickly go from bad to worse for Aki. We're shown through various flashbacks that Aki and Himeno share a very special bond beyond just being work partners. Both are similar in that they've experienced great loss at the hands of devils — Aki's family having been killed by the Gun Devil, and Himeno having had five partners die before Aki. Additionally, we're shown that Aki only smokes because Himeno got him hooked just so she'd have someone to smoke with.
This makes it all the more heartbreaking when Himeno, who we've just grown to like, makes the ultimate sacrifice for Aki. Despite his best efforts, Aki is quickly overwhelmed by the Katana Man and his associate Akane, due largely to the latter's contract with the Snake Demon. In an act of desperation, Himeno gives up her entire physical being to the Ghost Demon in order to save him. This results in Himeno fading away limb by limb until all that remains is her Public Safety uniform and her eyepatch. With her parting words, she tells Aki not to die because she'll need someone to cry for her. It's enough to make anyone misty-eyed. As far as disturbing emotional gut punches go, few moments in "Chainsaw Man" Season 1 measure up to Himeno's untimely demise.
Makima uses her powers
From the moment we meet her, there's definitely something off about "Miss" Makima, the head of Public Safety Division 4. Not only does she appear bizarrely calm in the most gruesome of situations, but she always seems to have everything already sussed out. Her thousand-yard stare, complete with target-like lines, is both intriguing and disturbing. Our first real taste of what Makima can do arrives during the attack on Public Safety, where she's gunned down point blank on a train. However, in mere moments, Makima is back on her feet and able to take out her attackers with ease.
Following this, she links up with two fellow Public Safety agents — Kurose and Tendo — and has them assemble a group of death row inmates at a Kyoto temple. Makima then begins some form of ritual by making the inmates, all of them blindfolded, say the names of the gang members. This causes various members of the attacking group to implode, almost as if someone reached down and squashed them with their thumb. This all goes down so quickly and Makima carries it out with such calm precision that it's hard not to feel uneasy while watching it.
Makima confronts the Yakuza
Following the Gun Devil's coordinated attack on Public Safety, the Devil Hunters go on the offensive, starting with the Gun Devil's Yakuza connections. Makima sits down with their Tokyo head of command to obtain information regarding the members of the Yakuza families involved. She makes it clear that she doesn't just want the names from one family, but of everyone involved. At first, the Tokyo leader laughs this off and lights a cigar, explaining that such an action would cause a war.
To show just how serious she is, Makima presents a lone paper bag to him and places it on the table between them. She goes on to reveal that the bag contains severed eyeballs from members of the gangsters' families. She notes this process can be undone, but only if they agree to provide her with the names she requires. One man attempts to strike her, but her stare induces a bloody nose and what appears to be a stroke. She then lambasts them all for their ideals, ending the scene on as chilling a note as humanly possible.
Akane is killed by the Snake Devil
As the events of "Chainsaw man" Season 1 come to a close, we're shown a bit of the aftermath of Denji's epic battle with Katana Man. During the events of the season finale, Aki is once more forced into a face-off with Akane, who played a key role in Himeno's demise. During their fight, Aki is confronted again by the Ghost Devil, who begins choking him out before mysteriously letting him go. It then extends a hand revealing a lone cigarette, courtesy of Himeno, with the words "Easy Revenge!" written on it. Now able to mute his fear, Aki swiftly decapitates the Ghost Devil, much to Akane's shock.
With Kobeni's help, they're able to subdue Akane and take her into custody for subsequent questioning. However, later on, it's shown that Public Safety was unable to get any information out of her, as Akane had a sort of fail-safe built in. Per her deal with the Snake Devil, Akane is killed before she can spill any information regarding the Gun Devil. Her head is chopped off by the Snake Devil while en route for questioning, right in front of poor Kobeni. It's a disturbing and surprising death that reaffirms just how horrifying the world of "Chainsaw Man" is.