Chainsaw Man Season 1 Finale Ending Explained: Everything You Need to Know About This Series!

By Aarush Sharma On Dec 31, 2022

Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

Its first part was serialized in Shueisha’s shnen manga magazine Weekly Shnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020; its second part began serialization in Shueisha’s Shnen Jump+ online magazine in July 2022.

Chainsaw Man Season 1 Ending Explained: Aki

As the credits begin to roll after the end of episode 12, we see Aki, Denji, and Power having a good time as roommates.

While their living situation has been a source of contention throughout season one, the trio appears to be having fun celebrating their recent victory, with Power and Denji eating enough food to pass out on the floor.

This is when Aki decides to go out onto the balcony and smoke the cigarette that the Ghost Devil had given him during his battle with Sawatari.

This is the same cigarette Himeno had kept for all those months when the two began working together at the Public Safety Division; Aki was underage at the time, so she kept it safe until the day when he could smoke freely.

The words ‘Easy Revenge’ is written on the side of the cigarette; Aki sits quietly, watching the words on the cigarette burn away, watching the smoke dissipate into the cold Tokyo evening air…

Chainsaw Man Season 1 Ending Explained: Denji

Denji has another dream while passed out on the living room floor while Aki smokes Himeno’s last cigarette on the balcony.

This dream is a continuation of Denji’s vision from season 1 episode 1, in which he is walking down a desolate alleyway alone as a child.

However, in this dream sequence, Denji eventually arrives at the mysterious door at the end of the alleyway, noting to himself that he always has this dream, but forgets it when he wakes up.

As he approaches the door, he hears Pochita calling his name from the other side. Denji goes to open the door, eager to reacquaint himself with his former friend/pet, when Pochita abruptly tells him not to…

The door vanishes into the darkness at the end of the dream.

The Episode Review

Do you like cliffhangers? Studio Mappa does as we are left with not one, but three scenarios to consider until we get another season of Chainsaw Man. This episode is jam-packed with exciting action sequences and provides satisfying closure for our cast regarding Himeno’s demise.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start for the future. From locating the Gun Devil to Pochita warning Denji not to open a door in his dream world, there are enough questions to keep fans guessing.

There’s even a nod to a specific female character near the end. If you’re going to make that your final scene, it must mean that this particular female is important to the story. Could she be working for the Gun Devil? Is she close to Denji? These are some of the questions I have going into the next season of the show. Speculation aside, the action scenes we got this week were a mixed bag.

While it was entertaining to see Denji and Katana Man fight in the sky, on buildings, and on a moving train, their character animations and designs appeared jarring from various angles.

Their body movements while talking and fighting were not as fluid as in previous bouts on the show. It may ruin several people’s experiences with it, especially those looking for a brutal fight with flawless visuals. On that note, seeing Sawatari fall in battle felt too plot convenient.

While it makes sense given the circumstances, previous episodes show her as a cunning individual who can work her way out of a jam. With the Snake Devil’s assistance, she could have easily defeated Hayakawa and Kobeni.

Although it appears she would have lost regardless, many fans may have wished for a better fight than her surrender and suicide. Other than that, there were some endearing character moments and a few jokes that made me laugh.

Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to Chainsaw Man’s first season. It had some good fights and left viewers with a lot to think about before season two. Let’s hope the show can maintain this momentum as we wait for and (hopefully!) enter the next season.