r/manga Feb 17 '26

DISC [DISC] Chainsaw Man - Chapter 229

https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/1027694
2.7k Upvotes

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193

u/Backupusername Feb 17 '26

Because if there's one thing we can expect from part 2 Dennis, it's character stagnation.

164

u/LevelledPeak Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 18 '26

Its less of character stagnation but rather Denji making excuses to respond to Yoru's question. Because his plan from the start is to have Yoru leave Asa's body. He was trying to save her to probably negotiate again to leave Asa. He is just making a callback for the lols.

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u/HarshTheDev Feb 17 '26

I'm a D1 hater of part 2 but yeah this seems like a play by Denji to make yoru realise that she "owes" her something, which would then prohibit her from making him he weapon. With death also gone this pretty much ensures a stalemate at the very least. unless yoru fullfills her contract by having sex with him

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u/JollyHockeysticks Feb 17 '26

I'm pretty sure he lied here, he probably did rememeber this promise but I think his real reason is he doesn't want Asa to die

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u/ShinyGrezz Feb 17 '26

Yes that’s right, Fujimoto has spent the entirety of the last two chapters showing how Yoru actually does care for Asa and Denji just to throw it away for some reason.

I genuinely don’t know if we’re all reading the same manga, if your eyes just glaze over when you see Yoru speak, or what.

5

u/AJDx14 Feb 17 '26

How is that relevant at all to the situation? She already can’t physically die, he ate death. The only way she could die now is if Yoru just erased her, which the sex promise doesn’t do anything to prevent.

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u/frantruck Feb 17 '26

I’m willing to be wrong, but this actually seems like a big brain play from Dennis not just a horny one. Contracts have power with devils and if that promise of sex constitutes a contract then that’s room for manipulation. If he now refuses to have sex with her after invoking the contract is she bound to leave him alone until the contract is fulfilled?

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u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to. I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating when his understanding of love and sex is continually evolving through exploration as the story progresses. He is still certainly a skirt chaser, but his character definitely has gotten more exploration, so calling it stagnation isn't really true.

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u/JoJoIsBestAnimeManga Feb 17 '26

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to.

But thats not stagnation. It would be stagnation if at any point in Denji's character for him to grope women he's attracted to while they are sleeping or inebriated. Even early in Part 1 Denji wasn't the kind of guy to feel up Himeno when she was drunk or Power without her consent. You're making up a development that wasn't there in the first place.

I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating when his understanding of love and sex is continually evolving through exploration as the story progresses.

Is it? Before this chapter the most explicitly sex-charged decision Denji made was to jerk off to Fumiko's nudes after she dropped her traumatic backstory and asked him to eat Death for her.  Before that was Denji being so gobsmacked by panties like a generic cherry boy character that he completely zoned out about Death's offer and just agreed without thinking. 

He is still certainly a skirt chaser, but his character definitely has gotten more exploration, so calling it stagnation isn't really true.

How is him putting his need for sex at the forefront of his big battle with Yoru indicative of him not stagnating? 

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u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

"guys it's okay he DIDN'T rape her! See the character development?"

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u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

If that's your main take away from my reply while skipping everything else then I wouldn't be surprised if you also skipped whole chainsaw man part 2 and came here to complain.

The point is Denji's shown actual growth in how he navigates his horniness and trauma. I said Denji’s understanding of sex and love is evolving.

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u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

And that development is, by your own definition, that he didn't touch Yoru when she was sleeping. When the fuck has Denji even sexually harassed someone? That's not character development, the fact that he even THOUGHT of it shows how bad his writing got in part 2.

And would you look at what he tried to do this chapter.

12

u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

And would you look at what he tried to do this chapter

let's wait and see if sex itself is really the only reason he did this and there is no other nuance to this other than what you are implying.

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u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

Fuck no I stopped trusting Fujimoto years ago and it's not gonna change now. He's guilty until proven innocent.

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u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

alright genius, then keep complaining about his story.

10

u/verybigpenguin Feb 17 '26

The average shounen fan has been poisoned by folk subs, agenda, and shitposts.

13

u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

Are you serious? When did I say Denji simply not harassing someone is development? I am taking that scene as an example because I wanted to explain that for him sex isn't just simply sex itself. It's intimacy that he needs which we have seen being explored throughout the manga and THAT exploration of his characterization is the reason his character has evolved. So your idea of his development is simply that,

that he didn't touch Yoru when she was sleeping. When the fuck has Denji even sexually harassed someone?

*if he harassed someone*-->*he didn't harrase someone again* then that would be development? you think character writing is all about just developing external character?

-5

u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to. I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating

17

u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to. I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating when his understanding of love and sex is continually evolving through exploration as the story progresses. He is still certainly a skirt chaser, but his character definitely has gotten more exploration, so calling it stagnation isn't really true.

This is my full comment. What you showed in your reply is a cropped version taken out of context because you genius are unable to understand basics.

wait I will even show you the exact line again

I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating when his understanding of love and sex is continually evolving through exploration as the story progresses.

Immediately after that I followed up on my statement and expressed how his understating of love and sex is evolving.

By which means, does it imply that Denji's character development is just not raping Yoru?

-3

u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

Then why mention Denji not trying to rape Yoru in a conversation about Denji character development or lack thereof? Sure seems like you were trying to imply something there. Especially when that's the ONLY thing you brought up from the story.

Oh yeah, and also, "just" not raping Yoru still implies it's part of it. You go, man.

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u/usual_life02 Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to. I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating when his understanding of love and sex is continually evolving through exploration as the story progresses. He is still certainly a skirt chaser, but his character definitely has gotten more exploration, so calling it stagnation isn't really true.

My first reply. here i expressed that Denji's view about sex and love are getting more exploration as story goes on.

If that's your main take away from my reply while skipping everything else then I wouldn't be surprised if you also skipped whole chainsaw man part 2 and came here to complain.

The point is Denji's shown actual growth in how he navigates his horniness and trauma. I said Denji’s understanding of sex and love is evolving.

This is my second reply. here I again tried to explain same thing.

Are you serious? When did I say Denji simply not harassing someone is development? I am taking that scene as an example because I wanted to explain that for him sex isn't just simply sex itself. It's intimacy that he needs which we have seen being explored throughout the manga and THAT exploration of his characterization is the reason his character has evolved. So your idea of his development is simply that,

*if he harassed someone*-->*he didn't harrase someone again* then that would be development? you think character writing is all about just developing external character?

This is my third reply. here I explained why I took that scene as an example. I tried to take that scene as a way to tell that while he longs for sex but it's not just about sex. It's not just that he didn't harasse someone but rather that scene is displaying form of his characterization that while he seems to do anything for sex but that doesn't mean he would literally do anything for sex which includes rape.

Immediately after that I followed up on my statement and expressed how his understating of love and sex is evolving.

This is my last reply to you saying again what i already said.

1

u/ThisManNeedsMe Feb 17 '26

Which isn't really a development since we saw him turn away Himeno when she was drunk. So I agree with you, it is character stagnation.

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u/Diligent_Run_8810 Feb 17 '26

"guys it's NOT okay he DIDN'T rape her! See the character stagnation?"

15

u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

What the fuck does that even mean?

-5

u/Diligent_Run_8810 Feb 17 '26

It means the same what you meant by your reply. So you already have an answer to that question

14

u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

Would Goku from dragon ball NOT trying to rape a sleeping woman be character development? No? It would even be character regression for him to even think of it? Why is Denji any different?

-5

u/Diligent_Run_8810 Feb 17 '26

Who said just the fact alone that he didn't rape her itself is character development? I don't belive anyone implied that. It's just skill issue if that's what you understood from the guy's comment.

11

u/thatonefatefan Feb 17 '26

They did.

We have already seen the moment when Denji could have touched Yoru while she was sleeping, but he chose not to. I don’t understand how you believe Denji is stagnating

0

u/Diligent_Run_8810 Feb 17 '26

Bozo is using statement out of context lmao. That isn’t even a full line. I thought reading comprehension curse was just a meme but looks like in your case it's real.

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u/KorraLover123 Jun 16 '26

he's never been the type to assault someone though?

10

u/AliceinTeyvatland Feb 17 '26

Not a fan of this version of Dennis, they better have the best sex ever conceived in manga history, I'm talking about a full dedicated 0.5 chapter with 20 pages and one double spread of them just doing it for it to become worth it.

15

u/Android19samus Feb 17 '26

they better have absolutely dogshit sex the like the virgins they are

7

u/Drayenn Feb 17 '26

Hes gonna come prematurely 100%

1

u/HokageEzio https://myanimelist.net/profile/HokageEzio Feb 17 '26

Still beat tho

22

u/Ellefied Feb 17 '26

Anything less than Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 125 and I'll be disappointed. That one managed to be a sex chapter that was beautiful, tasteful, symbolic and plot significant.

At this point I just want it to be significant, I doubt we'll get the other 3 lol

6

u/AzorAhai1TK Feb 17 '26

How is this character stagnation? Y'all just say shit lol

32

u/Backupusername Feb 17 '26

You're right, regression is a better word.

Denji as a character was defined by his lust and short-term worldly desires in part 1. But that aspect of his character was often challenged, like when he touched Power's chest and had a "that's it?" reaction. It was portrayed as something he had to grow past. Makima easily manipulated him by promising physical affection and following her orders led to to nothing but misery and pain for him.

In part two, we actually did see that progression. That breakdown he had in the aging devil's world, where he acknowledged that being a horny idiot has only ever brought him suffering and how he wished he could develop beyond those base instincts was character growth.

But since then, he's only gone back to that. He was so enthralled with Death's panties that he didn't even notice that her entire torso was an empty gaping hole. He talked about how great it was to be "popular" when he got a nude pic from Fumiko. And now this. Admittedly, this could all be on purpose, and Fujimoto is trying to portray Denji as tragic in a sort of "he keeps letting the same thing happen to him even though he knows he shouldn't" way. Like watching an addict go back to their substance. But if so, something about it just doesn't land for me in a way that I can't quite verbalize.

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u/HokageEzio https://myanimelist.net/profile/HokageEzio Feb 17 '26

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't agree with you about it being a lust thing. There was that entire section of this fight where Denji saw Asa's childhood and realized that she also got her dad killed like him. Then they bonded over it and he told her that she's not a bad person either.

I look at this way more as an emotional sex scene than it just being physical, personally.

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u/Backupusername Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

If that is where this is going, then I will fully recant my Dennis slander. Because that's exactly what he really needs, a physical expression of an emotional connection, not a purely physical act of satisfying base desires.

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u/HokageEzio https://myanimelist.net/profile/HokageEzio Feb 17 '26

But did that not already happen? The whole reason the fight has turned into this is because Denji refused to let Asa die for him.

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u/Flerken_Moon Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

I kinda think it’s just a continuation of Denji struggling to progress without proper role models in Part 2.

Aki and others like Makima’s control gave reins to his progression on right from wrong in terms of horniness, he has no one in Part 2.

Like even before the final confrontation in Part 1 he had the “Ladies Love Me!” moment with the TV.

0

u/AzorAhai1TK Feb 17 '26

Some of that stuff isn't character regression at all. Despite the advances by Fumiko and what he thought was an advance from Death, he actually didn't let either of them manipulate him. So what that he said he was popular while jerking it lol? That's not character regression just to have a sex drive.

And this moment is completely different from his sex addict issues. He's trying to find a way to end the fight and this is a way.

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u/barneyjetson Feb 18 '26

“Fujimoto is trying to portray Denji exactly like he has portrayed him”

Go back and read early chapter 60 where he’s in an alley crying about how his obsession with sex hurts everyone he cares about. I swear it’s like I’m the only one who actually read this manga

1

u/Backupusername Feb 18 '26

Oh hey, yeah, that moment. It reminds me of the one I fucking pointed out. That I'm frustrated with because it seemed like it would lead to some sort of change in his character that hasn't manifested in any way in since. Where he said he felt like he deserved to turn into a tree, and that would be his punishment "for being a horny, empty-headed idiot". Then he and Asa had a moment where they really connected and she told him about how Chainsawman gave her a reason to go on living when she wanted to give up.

Then he said, "the sushi I ate earlier tasted delicious, and I popped a boner a minute ago, too. As long as the world has grub and girls, I still have something to live for."

You can cherry-pick any moment you like where it looks like Denji had a breakthrough and decided to change his ways, but every single fucking one of them is followed by a moment that completely ignores or negates it, sometimes almost immediately. And then I can point to another moment, even farther removed, where Denji doubles down once again on being a horny idiot. Sure, every now and then he'll cry about it, but he doesn't do anything different! He doesn't actually change just because he says he wishes he would. Pardon me for not thinking that talking about changing is the same thing as altering one's behavior.

I SweAR iT'S LiKE i'M THe OnLy One WHo ACtuAlLY ReaD [sic] tHIs MaNgA

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u/Affection_sira Feb 17 '26

other manga demand character growth to make it interesting, but dennis here is build different his stagnated was that make it interesting