Chainsaw Man was the break-out hit of Fall 2022, with its unique perspective on the human psyche and its awesome cinematic presentation that became a standard for future MAPPA productions.
But now that it has been a good year, people have started speculating about the eventual season 2 (that may be released sometime around 2024) and what it will bring to the table regarding the plot.
Where did Chainsaw Man Leave off?
Before we approach spoiler territory, let us first look back on the horrors that some of our characters have faced up till now and what they may lead into their future.
- Denji – Being the Main character has not dealt him any favors considering what he has had to suffer through. Being made an orphan and forced to live in filth since childhood in order to pay back a debt that his father left him with, Denji has not seen much happiness in his life. He eventually gets killed and then revived as the Chainsaw Man at the expense of losing his best friend Pochita and being stripped of his human rights as a Devilman.
- Aki – A survivor of the Gun Devil and a very reserved man at that, Aki has probably been dealt the worst card in this story as he not only lost his entire family to the onslaught of the Gun Devil, and Captain Himeno to the Sword Man terrorist attack, but he is now literally on death’s door as he has only a few years to live as a result of the nail piercing curse.
The rest of the Special Division 4 also have suffered major losses as they come to grips with the death of Team B Captain Himeno, and the multiple casualties suffered in the Sword Man Terrorist Attack against the Devil Hunters Association.
Chainsaw Man Season 1 sufficed to say, ended on a pretty grim cliffhanger surrounded by death and tragedy unlike anything that the series might have set us up for during its final build-up. But how will this sudden change in direction work with the upcoming seasons?
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Where will Chainsaw Man Season 2 be headed?
In reference to the manga, we can deduce that the Chainsaw Man anime has 4 major arcs to cover before they can transition into Chainsaw Man 2.
- Bomb Girl Arc – This arc attempts a huge leap in character development for Denji as he finally delves into the concept of romance with a fellow Devilman Reze (The Bomb Girl) who provides him with a choice to escape the world with her, but that’s a choice he could never make as Reze is killed by Makima in one of her many acts of deviance.
- International Assassins Arc – The first arc to introduce some major world-building for Chainsaw Man. Special Division 4 is the target of a mass assassination attack from multiple different factions to kill Denji and are quickly stranded in Hell, during which they are attacked by the terrifying Darkness devil and survive only through the quick intervention of Makima, who is also revealed to be one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.
- Gun Devil Arc – The Devil Hunters Association finally locate the Gun Devil but are left in shock as they find out that it has already been dead for years and is currently in the custody of the United States. But before they can rejoice, Makima’s actions lead to Aki becoming a host for the Gun Devil and is promptly killed by Denji in an act of desperation during his rampage. This event breaks Denji mentally.
- Control Arc – Makima finally finds the opportunity to assert her control over Denji, and promptly kills Power. She further reveals her plans to betray the Japanese government and use the power of the Chainsaw Man to facilitate her plans to destroy the primordial devils and bring about her own twisted version of paradise. But she is soon killed by Denji in the literal blindness caused by her hubris.
When it comes to deducing the Arcs that Season 2 will be covering, it is a pretty clear-cut scenario of them adapting the Bomb Girl and International Assassins Arcs first and reserving the Gun Devil and Control Arc for the inevitable Season 3.
Conclusion
Chainsaw Man is a fever dream of an anime that feels as surreal today as it felt back when it was released, and Chainsaw Man season 2 is easily one of the most awaited releases for 2024 due to that very fact, and considering the brilliant material left to be adapted from the manga, it is safe to assume that when it comes to the story it especially won’t disappoint if it continues the quality standard it has set as an adaptation.