Chainsaw Man’s third episode has just been released, and it was soooo good. The episode had a different feel than Episode 2, but it was every bit as enjoyable. It gave us a glimpse into some darker machinations going on behind-the-scenes, and revealed just how much control Denji’s already gaining over his new powers. There were also a lot of lighter comedic moments, which I really welcomed, mixed with some truly horrific scenes that left me really sad. All in all, this was a top-notch episode, helping cement “Chainsaw Man” as one of my favorite animes already.
This Chainsaw Man Episode 3 review is for anime-only readers. For the latest Chainsaw Man news, subscribe to our email list, choosing the “anime” category.
The Episode Revealed More About How Public Safety Works
The opening scene was pretty interesting, because we learned that the Public Safety devil hunters can’t just kill any devil they see. There are actually rules and it’s not just “first come, first served.” In fact, Makima is concerned because Power killed a civilian hunter’s devil and might be considered “guilty of obstructing their business.”
The scene also reveals that Power is quite adept at lying and doing so very convincingly. She insists Denji ordered her to kill the devil, but Makima says in the end it doesn’t really matter. They’ve got to learn to work together and follow the rules.
The show does a good job at opening the curtain and giving us glimpses of what is going on behind the scenes — but just enough glimpses to keep the mystery alive and our curiosity piqued.
Makima has an obtuse scene with the board that presumably runs Public Safety.
“The American matter has got the Soviet war hawks crowing more loudly than ever,” one board member says. “There are rumors about the military use of devils, as well. Hopefully, devils will remain Japan’s only enemies in the future.”
(In case you’re confused, my understanding is that all of this takes place in 1997, with a slightly altered history. That’s why there’s so much talk about Soviets and Americans.)
Then he asks Makima how the “hunting dogs” are performing. She says one is promising and another is interesting (presumably talking about Power and Denji, in that order.) For some reason, the word “interesting” triggers the board, and they remind her that she’s just supposed to train them and not get close to them. (I wonder if this is a translation thing, and the word has a slightly different connotation in Japanese?)
Either way, Aki is driving her later and he’s also triggered by her thinking Denji is “interesting.”
(On a side note, as an anime-only viewer so far, I think there’s a clue behind Makima’s strange eyes. They remind me of Power’s eyes, which makes me wonder if she’s a Fiend of some sort herself.)
Power Is a Complicated Character, But Meowy Was Adorable
In a funny scene, Denji agrees to help Power rescue her cat, Meowy, from the devil who stole her cat — in exchange for touching her boobs. It’s funny how he only kind of sympathizes with her (since he’s a dog person, not a cat person) until she gives him that offer.
But Power is still lying. She doesn’t want Denji to kill the Bat Devil, she wants to feed Denji to the Bat Devil in exchange for getting her cat back. When they first showed Power knocking Denji out, I wasn’t even sure if Meowy existed or if she had a different motivation for bringing Denji to the Bat Devil as a snack.
But then we quickly learned that Meowy was real, and Power had a deep connection with the cat. When she was living wild and first met Meowy, the cat was sick and barely surviving. It was a very strong parallel to Pochita and Denji’s first meeting, except Power was living life OK at that moment. She intended to fatten Meowy up and eat the cat, but the kitty soon stole her heart.
The Bat Devil, having been injured by a human, stole Meowy and ordered Power to bring a human to him in exchange for getting Meowy back. But when he tasted Denji’s half-demon blood, he reneged on his deal and just ate Meowy.
That was a horrifying scene for me. I love cats, and the show was really selling Meowy’s sweet nature to me. And just like that, Meowy was gone. 😭
I didn’t want to feel sympathy for Power, since she tried to sacrifice Denji’s life, but the show still managed to cause me to feel sympathy for her. And Denji felt the same. He remembered his bond with Pochita, and how upset he was when Pochita went missing. (We got the most adorable scene showing Pochita crying and Denji cuddling him as they slept.)
I’m not sure why Power then let the Bat Devil eat her without a fight. It’s unclear to me if she was so upset about Meowy that she didn’t want to live anymore, or if she hoped to find Meowy in his stomach and maybe rescue her cat that way. I’m hoping it’s the latter…
We then got to enjoy a kick-ass battle between the Bat Devil and Denji, with Denji eventually coming out victorious. But it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t without a lot of casualties in the process.
With the episode over, I just have one wish: I hope that when Power inevitably emerges from Bat Devil’s stomach next week, she is able to bring a very-much-alive Meowy with her. ❤️
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