Chainsaw Man Season 1 ending and post-credits scenes explained

We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Chainsaw Man Season 1 Episode 12, which contains spoilers, and explains the ending and the post-credit scenes.

It’s hard to believe that this is the end of the season, but no one can deny that Chainsaw Man exceeded expectations with every episode. Last week the series left fans on a cliffhanger, with Aki’s (Shogo Sakata) life literally in the hands of the Ghost Devil (Hiroko Kiso) while Denji (voiced by Kikunosuke Toya) and Power (Fairouz Ai) searched for Katana Man. They hope to defeat him and get closer to finding the Gun Devil, but whether or not they will succeed remains to be seen in this epic finale.

Chainsaw Man Season 1 Episode 12 recap

The episode opens where the last one left off, with Aki being choked by the Ghost Devil. As his consciousness wanes, we flashback to the moment when Himeno offered Aki his first cigarette. He was too young to smoke then, but she said she would save it until he was older. Suddenly, Aki finds himself on the ground in front of the Ghost Devil, who is opening her hand to offer him something: the first cigarette Himeno ever offered him. On the cigarette is a note that says, “easy revenge.” He remembers then that the Ghost Devil has no eyes and uses fear to see. Seemingly unafraid and ready to get his revenge, Aki easily climbs the devil’s back, beheading it. Just then, Akane attempts to summon the Snake Devil, but Kobeni is already behind her with a knife to her neck.

In an elevator, Power and Denji continue to search for Katana Man. They pull up to a floor filled with Zombies that Power chooses to engage despite Denji asking her not to. He continues to ride in the elevator alone, which leads him to the floor where Katana Man and two henchmen are waiting. They claim they will surrender if Denji atones for the friends he killed, but he refuses, as he does not care about the Zombies’ lives. Katana man attempts to make him feel remorse, saying murder even keeps him awake at night, but it does nothing to change Denji’s mind as he turns into Chainsaw Man and tackles Katana Man out of the window.

The two begin to battle, jumping from building top to building top to tear one another apart. They end up on top of a moving train, where Denji admits he only cares about doing this to maintain his current lifestyle. Katana Man clearly doesn’t respect his logic, attacking him again before tackling him through the roof of the subway car. As passengers flee, Denji attempts to save a woman, resulting in his arm being chopped off. While trying to catch his breath, Katana man swiftly slices off his other arm as well.

Assuming Denji can no longer fight, Katana Man requests an apology before killing him. Denji refuses, charging at Katana Man with the one remaining chainsaw on his head. The situation seems dire when Denji’s chainsaw breaks after one attack, but a Katana Man does not realize Denji was able to produce a chainsaw from his leg, allowing him to slice the man in half.

Katana Man wakes up tied to train tracks, where Denji berates him for killing Himeno while they wait for the cops. As Aki walks up, Denji asks if he would like to make a contest of torturing Katana Man while they wait. Aki refuses, saying that is not something they do, which surprises Denji, but after pulling out Himeno’s cigarette again, Aki seems to change his mind, asking what he gets if he wins.

Chainsaw Man season 1 ending explained

With Katana Man apprehended, the cops arrive on the scene to arrest everyone involved. In a room with the higher-ups, Makima briefs them on precisely what happened and who was involved. She says that Akane and her accomplices were after Chainsaw Man’s heart, but before they could ask why she used the Snake Devil to commit suicide. One good thing that came from this, however, was that Public Safety has finally gathered enough small chunks of the Gun Devil to use them as a way to locate him finally.

Chainsaw Man Season 1 Episode 12 Post-Credits Scenes explained

After the credits roll, there are a few more final scenes. Viewers watch Aki as he finally smokes the cigarettes Himeno left for him. Power and Denji are fast asleep on the floor. Suddenly, we are in Denji’s dream, where he is a child, standing in front of a door. He assumes it will lead to Pochita, but instead, Pochita’s voice warns him never to open it.

The episode ends with a voice asking Denji, if given the choice between a city mouse and a country mouse, which he would rather be.

Just like every other episode of Chainsaw Man, this one was a wild ride filled with plenty of action but also plenty of emotion. It was nice to see that despite her early demise, Himeno continued to play a major part in this season and Aki’s storyline. It’s clear by the ending that Denji’s story is only just beginning, but this season was the perfect introduction to his journey as Chainsaw Man. Studio MAPPA impressed yet again with their visuals and animation, really taking this anime adaptation to the next level and making it a must-see series for all anime fans.

What did you think of Chainsaw Man Season 1 Episode 12, the ending and post-credit scenes? Comment below.

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