REVIEW: “Chainsaw Man,” Volume 6

Chainsaw Man has been exciting fans since the debut of the very first chapter, and like a fine wine, it only gets better with age. Denji has gone from being a mildly perverted young man to an interesting protagonist, and the world of Chainsaw Man continues to evolve in exciting ways in Chainsaw Man Volume 6. After defeating Samurai Sword, Denji and the rest of the Public Safety Devil Hunters finally get closer to finding and eliminating the Gun Devil.

Chainsaw Man Volume 6 is created, written, and illustrated by mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto and localized in English by VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint. The localization team includes translation by Amanda Haley, touch-up art and lettering by Sabrina Heep, design by Julian (JR) Robinson, and edited by Alexis Kirsch. Chainsaw Man Volume 6 picks up at chapter 44 and continues the relationship between Denji and Reze. It may look like the two are destined to find love, but things aren’t quite what they seem.

In keeping with the rest of the series so far, Chainsaw Man Volume 6 immediately reminds readers that Denji is simply not allowed to have nice things. We get a nice confession of love from Reze right off the bat, with romantic fireworks and everything, which quickly devolves into her biting off his tongue and cutting his arm off. You know, casual first date things. It turns out that Reze is a Bomb Devil, which ends up leading to some truly incredible art as she works to eliminate Denji and Beam. The design for Reze in her Bomb Devil form is absolutely incredible, and the art that shows her deadly explosions is truly remarkable. I am obviously excited to see the whole series play out in the upcoming anime, but this battle is one I am particularly interested in.

Denji and Beam barely manage to escape and make their way to the Devil Extermination Division 2 Training Facility, where we find Aki and Nomo training. Reze follows close behind, but no one seems to fall for her damsel in distress ploy. The members of Division 2 attempt to hold Reze back so Denji and friends can escape safely, but Reze proves to be more than they are capable of handling. The extent of her deadly powers is flawlessly portrayed on the pages, and I felt a palpable threat with every panel.

Reze begins to chase after Denji, and when she finally reaches him, he transforms into the Chainsaw Devil despite the risk it puts on his own life. One of the most striking lines in the entire series takes place here, with Denji saying, “Everybody’s after my chainsaw heart! What about my heart?! Denji’s! Does nobody want that?!”. It truly shows Denji’s pain of spending his life alone and his desire to truly be loved. While that desire can come across as a bit perverted throughout the series, it does feel incredibly organic and realistic.

The ensuing battle between Denji and Reze is breathtakingly beautiful. The threat of death for Denji is dripping off the ink in every panel. We also see again that Denji is not alone and that his friends and teammates are there for him just like he is for them. Arguably the coolest moment in the series so far happens when Denji and Beam team up and create an incredibly badass sharknado. Yeah, you read that right—a freaking sharknado.

I’m not going to say how the battle ends, even though the series has been available on the Weekly Shonen Jump app for quite some time because I think the ending of Chainsaw Man Volume 6 is best seen for yourself. The final interactions between Denji and Reze are some of the most interesting character moments in the entire series to date. The entire series is one I highly recommend, but the end of this volume in particular really helps develop Denji in an interesting way.

Chainsaw Man Volume 6 is an incredible work of art from start to finish. Denji continues to develop as a character that readers can’t help but love, and the ensemble cast around him all plays exciting roles that continue to get fleshed out here. The artwork from Fujimoto continues to go above and beyond, and the series is now one step closer to the ultimate climax.

Chainsaw Man Volume 6 is available wherever books are sold on August 3, 2021.