This single scene of Power and Denji standing, scared, outside of their door will always bring Chainsaw Man manga fans to their knees in tears.
The following contains major spoilers for Chainsaw Man Part 1 manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Amanda Haley and Sabrina Heep, now available in English via Viz Media.
“Don’t open the door.” These four simple words, ominous already without context, can send Chainsaw Man fans spiraling into sobbing messes.
This fan art, illustrated by the incredible fan and artist d3monicas, has brought one of the most heart-wrenching scenes from the manga to life. On one side, signs of Denji, Power and Aki’s happy life together are shown in little pockets, such as a Chore Chart taped on the wall and a photo of the three of them posing together. Alarmingly, a crack splits the glass just over Aki’s face. Other than a single flickering lamp casting a weak light, darkness shrouds the rest of the Hayakawa household. Power, the horned Blood Fiend, who has always exuded an aura of rash bravado, for once, looks frightened. Clutching Meowy close to her chest, Power looks over at Denji. Denji’s hand shakes with a single text on the screen: “Don’t open the door,” a warning that has haunted his dreams. Standing at the door where a “Welcome Home” mat greets visitors is a shadowy figure with something jutting out of their head.
Fans React to the Illustration of the Heartbreaking Scene
This single scene in Part 1 broke many fans when they first read it. While it has been more than two years since Part 1 concluded in December 2020, seeing this fan art depicting the moment right before Denji, who fans sometimes refer to as Dennis, and Power’s lives become irrevocably altered has unearthed a lot of emotions for one reader who wrote, “This scene still makes me sad as fuck.” Many complimented d3monicas’s artwork with one writing, “Holy shit this is so good.” Another aptly expressed the conflicting emotions they felt by writing, “this is amazing & also gonna make me sob.”
Denji’s first meeting with Aki could have gone a little better in Chainsaw Man. Aki insults Denji, believing the 16-year-old’s simplistic dreams served as an insult to the rest of the Devil Hunters who have fought and lost their lives to the Devils. In a ballsy retaliation, Denji decided Aki should never have kids by kicking the daylights out of his private parts. Power and Denji’s first mission together likewise could have fared better. After getting knocked out by the Blood Fiend, Denji woke up to find himself as the Bat Devil’s next meal, as Power had exchanged him for her cat Meowy. Nevertheless, despite how different all three of them were, they found a family with each other.
While Chainsaw Man is known for its explicit sexual content and gore, the series has also received compliments for its character development, especially in its protagonist Denji. Denji has taken more of a backseat in the second part of the Chainsaw Man manga with the introduction of a new protagonist Asa Mitaka, although he reappeared in the most recent chapter, “Apple Thief.” Part 2 premiered in Shonen Jump+ in July 2022.
Fans can read the Chainsaw Man manga on Viz Media, but be warned: they need to carry a box of tissue because they’re in for an emotional rollercoaster.
