Chainsaw Man not only changed Shonen forever, it completely changed everything I thought I knew about the genre

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Chainsaw Man not only changed Shonen forever, it completely changed everything I thought I knew about the genre

Shōnen anime and manga normally follow an established formulawith certain guidelines and qualities that have become standard for the genre. Following these sets of rules, series like Dragon ball, One piece, narutoand so many others contributed to shōnen becoming as popular as it has been. There’s nothing wrong with following a framework, especially one that’s proven to work. Personally, though, many of these stories just didn’t sit well with me. And most of the time I avoided them, until I read Tatsuki Fujimoto’s book. chainsaw man.

At the time I had just read Kentaro Miura’s masterpiece Furiousand I felt like I had reached the pinnacle of what manga as a medium had to offer. chainsaw man had just come out of the International Assassins arc, and conversations surrounding the series were rapidly increasing. As discussions and analyzes began to take over social media, all I thought was: “a guy with a chainsaw on his head and a dog with a chainsaw, no thanks.” As Part One continued, however, enthusiasm for chainsaw man in the anime and manga community was reaching a fever pitch and curiosity got the better of me.

I got to the latest chapter around the time Pochita with full power first appeared in the manga, and my mind was blown. Every preconceived notion I had about what a shōnen story is capable of being has been obliterated. I realized this chainsaw man it was basically a shōnen manga; one that pushed the limits, played with and distorted the structure that so many other series in the genre followed.

Chainsaw Man uses Shonen tropes in his own unique ways

Chainsaw Man takes classic Shōnen tropes and makes them his own

As time passes, and chainsaw man gained even more popularity with its anime adaptation, several discussions about the series began to emerge online. Some debated whether Denji was a good protagonist, some criticized the story’s stranger elements, and others believed it was ushering in a new era for Shōnen Jump. Many of these discussions continue today, in Part Two of the series, but the one that never sat well with me was the popular and growing notion that chainsaw man is a kind of “anti-shōnen”, or never belonged to the genre.

Granted, the series works a little differently than its many contemporaries, subverting the genre’s tropes in a number of ways. Without considering, chainsaw man It’s a shōnen story at its coreoperating within that familiar framework while also being as weird and edgy as you want. Despite having no clear main objective, Denji follows the same hero’s journey found in several other popular series, helped along the way by his friends and found family.


Denji, Power and Aki from Chainsaw Man sitting around a table eating.

The search may not be linear or clear, but it is present and grounded in reality; Denji must deal with the chaotic world around him while desperately trying to live a normal life. In some ways, International Assassins is like a twisted tournament arc, while the time spent with Kishibe is a genuine training arc. Fighting in chainsaw man It’s quite and, according to Denji, ‘goretastic’. The tropes are there, disguised by a layer of Fujimoto’s signature weirdness, and their presence in the story taught me that shōnen had a lot more to offer than I thought.

Denji doesn’t follow typical Shonen heroes and is better for it

Chainsaw Man’s protagonist is deeper than many fans think


Chainsaw Man Denji with his loaded bread

Denji as a character is without a doubt the furthest chainsaw man deviates from his shōnen etiquette, and this is reflected in how divisive he is as a protagonist. There remains a small but loud subsection of the anime and manga community that believes Denji is not a good character, and while I vehemently disagree, it’s not hard to understand where they might be coming from. He’s not Goku, Tanjiro or Luffy; he often makes morally questionable decisions, and chainsaw man It’s better to have it.

Denji’s grounded and realistic goals make him a likable character, and as the series progresses, so does its protagonist. Your goals, as funny as they sometimes are, aren’t always exactly what they seem. Denji is a stunted victim of a childhood trauma that is never resolved. Instead, he locks each of his bad experiences behind a door that Makima eventually opens.


Denji and the door in Chainsaw Man

He doesn’t understand love or affection, kindness and care, and so when he claims to “want to touch breasts” or “have lots of girlfriends,” there’s a high probability that what he’s looking for is genuine warmth and compassion from another person. . He may seem a bit stupid, and sometimes he is, But there’s more beneath the surface than meets the eye. Denji may not want to be the strongest or a pirate king, but his goal of being happy is not only commendable but also relatable.

Chainsaw Man pushes the Shonen genre to its limits

Despite his Shōnen status, Chainsaw Man pulls no punches

chainsaw man is a shōnen series, but it consistently does push genre boundaries to their absolute breaking point. Although enjoyed by a wide demographic, shōnen typically targets a younger audience. And given recent events in the manga involving Asa and Denji, I was a little convinced that the only reason it still belongs to Shōnen Jump is its popularity. Even for its online service, MangaPlus, the story really intensified the heavy subject matter.

But dark subject matter and shock value aren’t the only limits chainsaw man pushes, as its narrative, as expected from Fujimoto after his excellent track record in recent years, is excellent. When I finished reading Part One, I didn’t realize how I got attached to that stupid protagonist with a chainsaw on his headbut seeing him finally experience victory moved me in unimaginable ways.


Denji eating meat with chopsticks with meat in the background chainsaw man chapter 97 cover

And as Part Two continues, despite the controversial events of its current arc, chainsaw man It has repeatedly convinced me that it is an incredible work of fiction and that the shōnen genre has a lot to offer. At this current moment, Dandadan is another series that captures the same magic I felt with chainsaw man when I first read it, and it’s worth checking out for any fan of Fujimoto’s work. I’m incredibly excited for future shōnen releases to scratch that itch, and I have chainsaw man thank you for that.

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