Summary
Chainsaw Man only seems to be heating up, delivering another stellar episode that gives last week a run for its money.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Chainsaw Man season 1, episode 9, “From Kyoto,” which contains spoilers.
Things got absolutely hectic in last week’s episode, with more than a few characters’ fates left on cliffhangers. When we left off, significant characters like Himeno (voiced by Mariya Ise) and Makima were killed off. Aki (voiced by Shogo Sakata) was gravely injured as he labored against a resurrected Katana Man. Even Denji (voiced by Kikunosuke Toya) was struggling to find the strength to battle, and things were looking bleak for Division 4.
Whether or not things will get better or worse will only remain to be seen. However, there is no shortage of action and drama in episode 9 to keep things interesting. Like episode 8, this may be one of the best of the season, as Chainsaw Man keeps getting better.
Chainsaw Man season 1, episode 9 recap
Despite her untimely demise last week, the episode opens up just before Himeno’s death, with her Ghost Devil taking on Katana Man. She begs Aki not to die so that when she does, he may cry for her just before her body disappears completely.
Katana Man reveals to his partner, Akane Sawatari, that “the fiend”, or Power, ran off, but it does not matter because they’re after Chainsaw Man anyway. Just then, Himeno’s ghost hand, left over from her contract with the Ghost Devil, manages to crawl to Denji and pull the chord from his chest. He springs to life, chainsaws whirring as Akane tells Katana Man not to damage Denji’s heart when they inevitably battle. With zero fear, Denji launches toward Katana Man just before the opening credits roll.
Akane notices her finger is bleeding but ignores it in favor of jumping on her walkie to inform her partners that they have engaged Chainsaw Man so that reinforcements can be sent in. Behind her, Denji and Katana Man are going blow for blow, tiring one another out more than anything.
For a brief moment, the two separate, with Denji attempting to catch his breath. Suddenly two men with guns emerge from the debris smoke, but Denji manages to take them both out before they can even let off their first shots. He and Katana man engage again, and the other devil hybrid even gets a hit on Denji. In his confusion, Denji realizes the armed lackeys are still conscious as they attempt to shoot at him again.
Holding one gunman hostage, Denji offers not to kill him as long as Katana Man does what he says. Katana Man kneels, making it seem like he is going to surrender, before suddenly disappearing and reappearing behind Denji. With his back towards them, both Denji and his hostage fall over, their bodies sliced in half at the waist. The second lackey runs to retrieve the car as Katana Man picks up the top half of Denji’s limp body. “All of Chainsaw’s people should be dead,” he says before his Katana Man exterior melts away, leaving behind his human form.
More than a few Public Safety Devil Hunter members are dead following the random gun attacks, including Himeno, Hirokazu, Fushi, and several others. Despite being shot in the head and previously believed to be dead, Makima stands up on the train where several of the assailants still remain. Hunters Yutaro Kuruse and Michiko Tendo are waiting for her train to arrive when they hear the news of the attacks. They fear Makima may be dead, but when her train pulls up, people begin running off it immediately. Makima walks off last, covered in blood, and informs them of the situation. However, when they ask Makima if she was shot, too, she lies and says she was not. The viewers get a glimpse inside the train, where the assailants lie dead with gaping holes in their chests. It can only be assumed that Makima is the one responsible.
Too far away from Tokyo to help Denji, Makima tells Yutaro and Michiko that they will do what they can from where they are and asks to borrow “30 convicts with life sentences or worse”, a temple high off the ground, and clean clothes. The convicts are bribed with food and brought to the temple, obviously confused by their reason for being there.
Back in Tokyo, a now-human Katana Man informs Akane that he will be out of commission for a while as lackeys drag Denji’s body into their car. They pause, with one of the men freaking out after seeing crows nearby and thinking something is off. Akane and Katana Man encourage him to get back to work, but as they do, the lackey is crushed to death in thin air, with no assailant in sight. As they all stare on in horror, Akane immediately gets on her walkie to have Team C verify Makima’s dead body, but a member of Team E informs her that no one has heard from them – at least he tries, but his body is crushed before he can even complete his sentence. Crows can be seen near his location as well.
At the temple, Makima stands in front of not only blindfolded convicts but blindfolded Devil Hunters as well. Yutaro asks why they also have to be blindfolded, but Michiko informs him that they do not have a high enough clearance to know exactly which devils Makima contracts with.
Makima instructs one of the convicts to say the name “Shuzo Mishima” as she makes a smashing and twisting motion with both of her hands. In Tokyo, the lackey carrying Denji’s body pauses. Katana Man tells him to hurry up, calling the lackey “Mishima” just before we see Mishima’s body begin to twist and contort in the same motions as Makima’s hands. As Mishima’s body explodes, the convict in front of Makima drops dead. One by one, every lackey seems to explode until only Akane and Katana Man are left. Makima allows Yutaro and Michiko to take off their blindfolds, saying that this is all she can do from this location and that she must return to Tokyo.
Knowing this power can only belong to someone like Makima, Akane tells Katana Man they should leave now while they can. Katana Man can’t believe she is still alive, but as he turns to leave, they both notice Kobeni standing at the end of the block, watching them with a knife in her hands.
Chainsaw Man season 1, episode 9 ending
Kobeni was with Hirokazu earlier when he was shot by an old woman, taking not only the bullet that was meant for him but the one that was meant for her as well. She accuses them of being the shooters, just as Akane sacrifices another one of her fingernails to summon the Snake Devil. The Snake Devil lunges towards Kobeni, but it proves useless as she runs across its body toward them. Despite her previous fear and apprehension of the Eternity Devil, Kobeni moves with precision and skill, slicing off Katana Man’s arm before catching his gun mid-air and shooting him in the back.
Akane attempts to shoot Kobeni, but she dodges by using Denji’s half-body as a shield. After noticing that Katana Man is struggling, Akane then throws him into the car in favor of escaping instead. She drives away while Kobeni shoots at them, only barely missing. Once they’re gone, Kobeni pulls Denji’s body in close and apologizes for trying to kill him the week before.
In a flashback, we see that after watching Hirokazu get shot, Kobeni killed the shooter herself. Feeling responsible, she cries over Denji’s body and vows to tell Himeno she quits when they see each other again.
Makima, Yutaro, and Michiko arrive in Tokyo and are greeted by Madoka, who informs them that almost all the humans in Divisions 1 through 4 were killed in the gun attacks. Makima figures the Gun Devil is likely involved. Due to the lack of personnel, Makima is immediately informed that what’s left of Divisions 1-4 will be absorbed into Division 4 and are now under her control. After relaying the news, Madoka then hands Makima a letter and informs her it is his resignation. Things are getting messy now, and he chooses to quit instead of being killed. She seems to understand.
Just before she leaves, Madoka asks Makima how much of today’s events she had already anticipated. She informs him that she cannot share classified information with civilians and thanks him for his service before leaving. Nervously, Yurato and Michiko remind Makima that despite what has happened, they are only visiting to train and not to join her division. She says that’s a shame, as the “dining in Tokyo is to die for” before the episode ends.
This episode piggybacks off of the previous episode perfectly, continuing with the same momentum. Often you see animes divulge from the main story after dropping a particularly intense episode, but Chainsaw Man picks up with exactly what viewers wanted to see. Several questions were answered, although maybe not with the results viewers were expecting. Of course, many more questions were raised, especially about Makima, but waiting to see them answered is half the fun.
Considering there are only a few more episodes left before the finale, it’s no wonder Chainsaw Man is putting its best foot forward now. If it continues to be this good, it will easily be one of the season’s most exciting animes.
What did you think of Chainsaw Man season 1, episode 9? Comment below.
