Spoiler Warning: Chainsaw Man Season One and MangaChainsaw Man recently wrapped up its first season, introducing a whole new audience to its monstrous world of Devils and Devil Hunters. While some fans of the original manga series have criticized the adaptation for toning down some of the more “intense” aspects of the source material, it’s a wonderful introduction to the series that still receives continuous updates in Shonen Jump magazine. Those who watched the anime to its conclusion, especially if they read the manga, will likely notice that the anime, unfortunately, stopped at a crucial point in the story.

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The story of the Public Safety Division is far from over; the Gun Devil is still out there, Makima exhibited mysterious behavior surrounding the Sword Devil incident, and questions regarding if Denji’s predicament really is a unique case have upended what was once a seemingly stable organization, and that’s not even getting into the second major arc that the manga has entered. While we likely won’t see a second season of Chainsaw Man for some time, we can still speculate what needs to happen to keep the story going forward. This is what we want to see in season two of Chainsaw Man.

Makima’s True Intentions

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From the get-go, there’s always been something a little “off” about Makima. The head of the experimental portion of the Public Safety Division is notable for her stone-faced demeanor, unnaturally vibrant eyes, and manipulative nature. She initially approached Denji as an almost motherly figure shortly after his first transformation, before just as quickly treating him like the very same dog he had befriended in his youth.

Towards the end of the season, Makima was “assassinated” on a public train by servants of the Gun Devil, with planned killings of the Public Safety Division’s members following shortly after. It came as a shock when Makima not only stood up straight after being shot squarely in the head but seemingly ripped a perfectly circular hole through the torsos of four separate assassins. Her powers were further shown off by her ability to remotely squash people like a bug, leaving nothing behind but a pile of bloody messes and stained clothing.

Her true motivations come into further question when, after revealing her true goal is to create a world free from all Devils, she’s given full control of the Public Safety Division through purposeful manipulation. This, her fascination with Denji, and her mysterious powers, all imply something a little more insidious underneath her professional visage.

More Half Humans, Half Devils

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Denji’s rivalry with Samurai Sword, albeit short-lived, led to a major reveal that’ll change the course of the series to come: Denji isn’t the only Devil-Human hybrid.

A flurry of questions come to mind: how common are these Devil-Human hybrids? What made Makima specifically interested in Denji? Could the Gun Devil be a hybrid? What makes hybrids so powerful? All these and more are certain to be answered at least partially should season two of Chainsaw Man happen.

The final episode of Chainsaw Man’s first season also showcased other members of the Public Safety Division’s experimental unit. So far, we’ve seen Denji, Aki, Kobeni, Power, and Makima unleash a variety of vicious powers in their never-ending fights against Devils. But, after the raid on the Gun Devil’s underlings’ compound, we’re given a handful of new members never seen before: the Spider Devil, Angel Devil, Shark Devil, and Violence Devil all make short work of a crowd of reanimated corpses. Chainsaw Man already reveled in its varied cast of monstrous creatures, bringing more to life through animation would be welcomed.

Denji Growing as a Character

Over the course of twelve episodes, Denji gradually adapted from his former life of fighting for everything he had, turning that aggression onto the Devils that plague the city. Yes, he does it for a chance to cop a feel off Makima or Power, but it’s still a net good.

Over the course of the season, as some of his friends perish and his limits are pushed for the very first time, he’s shown to have grown as a person, forging genuine relationships with his fellow Devil Hunters. This includes Aki, whose first interaction with Denji ended with him getting kicked in the nuts repeatedly. He even rejects the drunken advances of Himeno for the sake of eventually getting with Makima. It’s a stark contrast to his disposition at the beginning of the season.

As Denji continues to fight Devils and build relationships, however, a second season will have to introduce Denji to a variety of new issues: questions regarding Denji’s remaining humanity come up the more he’s battered and beaten down, the shake-up of the Public Safety Division will likely sow some seeds of doubt within its ranks, and the once-comfortable lifestyle Denji found when he initially signed up to fight Devils is becoming more difficult to maintain.

Season two of Chainsaw Man will hopefully bring the same level of intensity and dark humor that made the series so popular to begin with, further expanding on twists introduced towards the end of the first season while further developing characters that we’ve come to love.