The following article only covers the anime, not the manga.
In recent years, very few anime have redefined expectations in the present the way Chainsaw Man has done — pushing the boundaries of tonal rules, breaking all the typical shōnen tropes, and showing that unpolished unpredictability could be paired with blockbuster status. It just gained more popularity with Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc, a theatrical release that was instantly proclaimed by many fans as the best anime film of 2025. It is an impressive statement for an anime film in a year that already has some heavy hitters, particularly with the release of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1.
What started as a tale of violence and survival has now turned out to be something much bigger, a geopolitical conflict in the guise of intimacy and a tragedy. The Reze plotline does not simply ramp up action; it makes the whole world around Denji a strategy and vulnerability, a power. When the stakes are no longer on the street level, devil hunting but instead switched to the whole world after Denji’s chainsaw heart, these are the characters that hold the most weight in the upcoming arcs of the series.
Chainsaw Man: Every Main Character’s Age, Height, and Birthday
Here's what you need to know about the main cast of Tatsuki Fujimoto's masterpiece, Chainsaw Man.
8 The Gun Devil
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The Gun Devil is the main villain and the driving force behind all the tragedies we have experienced in the anime thus far. Although we may not have seen him yet, his presence is felt in every bullet shot and every agreement that desperate hunters make. It is the fear of humankind as a whole. It is like a force of nature or a nuclear deterrent rather than a typical monster.
What is significant about it is what defines the political landscape of the world and what drives the characters we track. Its flesh provides the most prized currency in the world and motivates the mission of Special Division 4 with its fragments. As the series progresses, the quest to locate and kill this being is the main foundation that holds the whole story of Public Safety together.
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7 Beam (Shark Fiend)
Beam is much more than comic relief or a fast-moving fighter. He is a living encyclopedia about the mysterious past of the Chainsaw Devil. Other characters see Denji as a mere hybrid, but Beam treats him with nothing but admiration and love, which foreshadows the real identity of Pochita. He is the only one who appears to recall the "Lord Chainsaw" of the underworld, and he’s probably the only one to fully uncover Pochita and Denji’s past.
His significance in the present arc is not solely factual, though, since he is the most faithful and resilient ally Denji has in the arena. The loyalty shown by Beam would be unconditional and instinctive, unlike other fiends who may hesitate and have their own plans. He gives Denji the brute strength and protection that he needed to bring down Reze(the bomb devil). Most fans think Beam was the true MVP of the movie, and for good reason.
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6 Angel Devil
The appearance of Angel Devil is a great signal of the change in the emotional coloring of the series, in particular, the character development of Aki Hayakawa. Being a devil that does not harbor any ill will towards human beings but destroys them by just being close to them, he is a representation of the irony present in their world. He is a reflection of the hunters in that even those with so-called divine attributes are in the trap of misery and forced death.
His relationship with Aki and their growing bond is perhaps the most beautiful part of the anime, replacing the space left by Himeno. Aki was someone who hated the devils and fiends more than anyone else, and slowly bonding with one really shows how far he has come. Their relationship is based on mutual sorrow and silent embracing of their limited durations of life, which gives their relationship a grounded, sadistic view to the glitzy action. He is what brings humanity to the devil half of Public Safety and this makes the tragedy of the diminishing numbers of the division even more tragic.
5 Power
Power now is no longer a greedy, bloodthirsty demon but the most crucial emotional crutch in the everyday life of Denji, who lives a chaotic life. Although she first saw humans either as food or a tool, her attachment to Denji and Aki has transformed her into an overprotective yet still unpredictable sister. She offers the aspect of the found family, which does not allow Denji to go totally mad under the influence of his job.
Within the current course of the anime, her significance lies in her mere unpredictability and raw, unpredictable power that she can release in case of a crisis. Being a Blood Fiend, she can control her vitality, which qualifies her as a wild card in any fight. But it is her flowering humanity and her actual fright about losing the little home they have made that makes her character so important in the series now.
4 Aki Hayakawa
It’s safe to say that Aki is the actual soul of the show at this point; he is the one who serves as the mediator between the wanton hybrids and the cold bureaucracy of Public Safety. Since the death of Himeno and the realization of his own desperately limited span of life, Aki’s mission has changed from mere vengeance to a desperate need to save his remaining friends. He is the tragic hero who is aware of the end but is willing to fight it anyway.
Chainsaw Man: Most Powerful Devils, Ranked
The Chainsaw Man manga series' beastly Devils come in various forms. Here are the strongest ones, ranked.
What is most important to him now is that he acts as the protector of the core three and gives them structure and discipline that his two actually stupid best friends, Denji and Power, lack. All his contracts with the Future Devil or the Curse Devil cost him a lot, which only makes his quest for vengeance hit even harder. He is the character whose ultimate destiny seems the most predetermined, making every action in the present arc burdened with the sense of consequence.
3 Makima
Makima is the most mysterious and powerful character of the anime who controls the characters like chess players. Her beauty and soft tone conceal a terrifying amount of control and mystery that has both the characters and the audience in suspense. She may be the one who provided Denji with a purpose to live, but she is also the one who puts him on a short, unseen leash.
Her significance is unconditional, as she is the current director of the status quo existing in Tokyo. Whether it is long-range ritual executions or manipulation of the emotions of her subordinates, all the major events pass through her. With the hunt for the Gun Devil going on, the most outstanding unresolved questions in the whole series are the real intentions of Makima and what her powers are.
2 Denji
If Aki is the soul of the series, then without a doubt, Denji is the heart, and, quite literally, in this case. He holds the vessel of the Chainsaw Devil, a hybrid whose heart all major governments desire to have due to its power to change the world, or at least, that’s what we can safely assume as we head towards Season 2. His significance lies in the fact that he is the ultimate wildcard — the boy who does not conform to the rules of the world and the devils of it.
Denji’s current goal is to find his way through the impossible decision between the normal life he desires and the violence of his heart. With his battles against his enemies such as Reze, it's not his chainsaw skills that grew, but also his emotional intelligence. He is the heart of the story; he is trying to be a human being in a world that sees him as just a weapon that has to be possessed.
1 Pochita
Pochita is the most significant character of the series, despite the fact that he is the heart of Denji, since he is the source of all things. His agreement with Denji to reveal his dreams is the sole factor that causes the story to exist and the sole cause that Denji is alive. Pochita is the one devil that all the other devils and hunters are struggling to know more about, to capture, or to kill.
His significance goes beyond being physically absent, as it is his secret identity as the Hero of Hell that triggers the international conflict. He is the ultimate figure of unconditional friendship in a series full of betrayals and manipulations. Without the sacrifice of Pochita, there is no Chainsaw Man, and the world would have succumbed a long time ago to the Gun Devil, or perhaps a bigger threat? Only time will tell as fans await any news for the upcoming season 2.
Chainsaw Man
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
Cast
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Kikunosuke ToyaDenji -
Tomori KusunokiMakima (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
Chainsaw Man is an action-heavy shonen anime that follows Denji, a guy who fuses with a devil called Pochita. The show is based on a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto.
- Directors
- Takeru Sato
- Writers
- Hiroshi Seko
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Producers
- Makoto Kimura
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Tatsuki Fujimoto
- Story By
- tatsuki fujimoto
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.47
