Chainsaw Man's final chapter brings back 2 beloved characters to give Denji the ending he deserves

Sorry folks, no part 3 for now

The Chainsaw Man manga has ended with chapter 232, published on March 24. Fans who were hoping to see an announcement teasing a part 3, similar to what happened when part 1 ended and part 2 began, were left disappointed. It probably doesn't help that the hit manga's finale, while delivering on the emotional fulfillment, still leaves many questions to be answered.

[Ed. note: Warning, spoilers for Chainsaw Man chapter 232 ahead]

In the previous chapter, Pochita decided that Denji would have lived a better life without meeting him, so the adorable Chainsaw Devil devoured his own heart to erase the existence of Chainsaw Man from the universe. Chapter 232, "Thank you, Chainsaw Man!," opens with Denji waking up in the same rundown shack he inhabited at the beginning of the story, before quickly replaying the events of the first chapter. Just like then, Denji is betrayed by the yakuza and killed by the Zombie Devil. However, in this reality, there's no Pochita to save him. Instead, Power, the Blood Devil, appears and kills the Zombie Devil. She decides to forge a pact with Denji because he smells like a dog, and she likes dogs. Then they are interrupted by the arrival of the Public Safety, only this time it's not Makima leading them, but her following incarnation, Nayuta.

Power was killed during part 1, while Nayuta surprisingly died during part 2. Seeing both characters come back for the finale is great, considering how much Denji cared about them. Still, other important characters like Aki and Reze did not show up in the finale. The chapter moves forward, showing Denji and Power working for Nayuta as Devil Hunters, but the girl seems like a much better boss than Makima, more interested in playing video games than conquering the world or enslaving Chainsaw Man. Speaking of the latter, we can now conclude that Pochita was never actually the Chainsaw Devil, because chainsaws still exist in this world (unless Pochita isn't actually dead).

As Denji and Power are dispatched to a school to deal with a Devil, the boy crosses paths with Asa, the co-protagonist of part 2. The two literally bump into each other, and we see that, in this new world, Asa doesn't accidentally kill the class mascot, Bucky, the Chicken Devil. There's a spark between her and Denji, so we get some hope that, this time, both will be able to find love or at least express their feelings in healthier ways than what was seen in part 2. There's also no trace of Yoru, the War Devil, or the other members of the Four Horsemen. The manga concludes with Denji and Power going to get food, and the overall tone is pretty upbeat. The message in the final panel simply says, "The end!" So for now there's no indication of a part 3.

I'm sure that fans will be discussing and dissecting this finale for a long time. Seeing Denji getting a true happy ending is honestly very uplifting after everything he's been through. Chainsaw Man's main themes deal with emotional abuse, trauma, and existential desire, and this ending does a pretty good job in showing how our protagonists managed to get over them. Denji especially, who was always driven by his most basic desires, seems to be in a much better place in this new reality. A lot of questions still remain unanswered, but that's probably for the best, as Fujimoto's work was never about detailed worldbuilding. Now the wait begins for the next work of one of the most innovative mangaka of this generation.