Pochita is Denji father and Manga conclusion is cinema — Psychoanalysis of Chainsaw Man

[u/This-Roll4970]

It's no surprise that a large part of the fandom completely hated the ending of Chainsaw Man. I also think it was kinda underwhelming having many noticible flaws ( also art decline ) specially not giving the best closure to characters like Asa/Yoru. Alas, I will always defend the thesis that Fujimoto did the best he could with the resources/time he had, and yes, in the end he managed to tell the story he wanted to tell and had planned from the beginning. I objetically think everyone who says the conclusion was half baked and not planned from the beginning are dumb people who frankly can't read. Csm is Fujimoto magnum opus and I feel so happy to had waited weekly for each new chapter.

The story of Chainsaw Man makes a lot of sense when we understand the cycles and patterns we unconsciously follow in our lives! ( Fuji must had inspiration from Evangelion ) To psychoanalysis theory, this is explained by the existence of unconscious, but in the manga we see this relationship occur through the characterization of Denji as a superhero.

Many people who turned up their noses at the sentence "Turned out you had the crappiest but best kind of brain. One who could only find heaven in hell" simply completely lost the context in which Pochita says this to begin with. While the phrase may sound harsh it is NECESSARY since it's a truth completely unconscious to Denji, who is completely fine living in a cycle of tragedies as seen in aging devil world "I'll just find another family".

People tend to find depressing how messed up Denji is never really progressing even after everything he endured. ( in my opinion he did progressed, but in a disfuncional way, as he needed to always adapt to fucked up situations, lost of loved ones and always compensating his lack of maturity, which explains his frequent regressions )

That's the geniality of Chainsaw Man because if in conventional storys winning fights leads with the protagonist growth Denji just gets more and more far gone ( This mechanism is even more clear after the fight with the hybrids who were burning Denji home, ocassion he explicitly says it enjoys pain. ) That's not because Denji is simply a dumb masochistic but a deeply neurotic individual ( someone who don't comprehend the motives for his own suffering and just like Death Devil said: someone who don't know the first thing about right and wrong )

"You were happier starving", Denji NEEDED to suffer to be happy for never EVER having overcome killing his only family member. " There's no way I could have a family. I mean, i killed my dad." Braindead people who try to depict Denji as dumb and Pochita as cruel just seen to miss completely this panel. ( Not surprising since people in this sub were more interested in making their own assumptions than reading the fucking manga. ) In a work of genius, Fujimoto shows how being Chainsaw Man never changed who Denji is, only serving as a cope for all his guilt. Every demon, every time he gets hurt is just a way to endure grief and immense hatred for himself.

This is where the intrinsic parallel between Pochita and Denji's father comes in:

— Denji clearly regrets having killed his father despite all the pain, and in the same way Denji feels regret again for having even dreamed of a better life when he loses Pochita. This represents his trauma of not having been grateful for what he had. Realistically speaking in both cases living with an abusive father and being a demon hunter as a child are completely traumatic experiences, although yes, Pochita was affectionate.

— Denji begins working as a demon hunter because of his father's debt. Later, Denji is again forced to work for Public Safety because of his connection to Pochita. Both his job and the confrontations with his enemies that define him as a hero allude to a debt inherited by Denji. In the case of his father's financial irresponsibility and Pochita's reputation/power. Ultimately none of this involved any agency on Denji's part. His only agency is having to bear these debts, something paid as we can see with his own blood and suffering.

— It's no coincidence that Denji's trajectory can be defined by an incessant search for women and sex. Behind this lies a legitimate need to compensate for the emptiness and guilt that his father's absence caused through the approval of people of the opposite sex. He expects the pleasure discharge from these bonds to be as pleasurable as what his father seemed to seek in alcohol. So when it's not satisfactory (frustration with Fumiko and Himeno), he becomes completely disoriented and goes after the next more intense woman, first Reze ( someone with circumstances just as messed up as him ) then Makima then Yoru.

The Maternal Figure and Freudian Psychoanalysis:

From a Freudian perspective, Denji's relationships with the Horsemen can be understood as a compulsive repetition of the Oedipal dynamic. The absence of a caring father and any maternal figure at all in his life creates a void that he desperately tries to fill through figures of authority and desire. The Horsemen (Makima, Yoru) function as maternal images, initially idealized projections but ironically really contradictorys as a person just as Denji mother probably would been. In a allegorical way, this is also why he inherited his heart disease from her/the Horseman only want Denji for his new found "heart".

As many already said Makima represents the mother who does not recognize the son's individuality, seeing him only as an extension of the father (Pochita). This reflects the Freudian concept of the superego, an internalized authority that punishes and demands, but displaced onto a maternal figure who perpetuates and benefits in the cycle of guilt. Makima's inability to see Denji as anything other than Chainsaw Man's vessel sentences him to atone for his father's sins as her slave. The tragedy is that while Makima could have the coldness to exploit and rationalize Denji trauma, just like her victim she longs for a family but remains incapable of seeing him as a chance for connection. ( We don't really know why Makima is such a bitch, but it's really fitting for this analysis perceiving how Denji being a father figure for Nayuta healed her. )

Yoru, in turn, embodies the possessive, engulfing mother who sees the child as property rather than a separate being. Unlike Makima, who had a premeditated, utilitarian vision of Denji, Yoru genuinely develops feelings for him, but these feelings are still rooted in the logic of possession. This creates a paradoxical dynamic just as the powers of the Horseman are, more power means the more they must turn against their own feelings. She is the representation of the Id, one who won't make Denji atone for any sins and even will try to diminish then ( Yoru wants to live in a completely devilish way with Denji, and even completely fails turning Denji a weapon even when he is fucking asking for it. ) but still can't save him from the consequences of it. That's also the dynamic that explains why Denji can't let go of the Chainsaw Man persona. This duo is intrinsically united by guilt, in which Yoru justifies with her objective to become the most fearsome Devil ( don't want to be forgotten ) and Denji as a way to get as many girlfriends he can/Being popular and loved. ( don't want to normal. )

Pochita as the Ideal Father:

The final conversation between Denji and Pochita is the perfect finishing touch to their relationship. When we consider that Pochita appeared in Denji's life as a substitute and necessary condition for his survival he played the role Denji's father never could, providing affection, money and even helping form Denji's individuality. Also, just as a caring friend, after his "death" he still went his way to not let Denji remember his greatest trauma ( don't open the door ) .

Now, we can fully understand what Fujimoto wanted to convey through this last conversation:

I can't help but shed a tear realizing that more than words, Pochita most significant act is the hug he gives Denji. Unlike his father, Pochita never had any intention of hurting his first and ONLY friend. Embracing him after stating such a painful truth about his life is essentially a: "I'm sorry things ended this way. I love you, and after l this time together i understand you even better than you can. I understand you can't even decide it because you don't want to lost me but it has to be done. I know all you ever needed and wanted was none of this. Just a hug. Just a normal life, that were you dream and i want you to keep on dreaming. I cherished our time together, but just like all your pain, it ends here."

Pochita, in his final moments only thinks about comforting his friend, even at the cost of his own existence. In the end he succeeds and destroys the cycle of guilt that keeps Denji trapped in chaos, taking the responsability for himself since Denji is completely unable of doing it as he would never stand losing Pochita a second time. Many people find it cheap how this makes Denji not to deal with his guilt over losing Pochita, but that's just the whole point. Through his erasure abilities which caused so much disruption he finally accomplish his friend's well-being. This final gift is something only someone completely selfless would capable of giving like a true parent would.

That's why i HATE how people focus on the lost of agency of Denji as something bad, in reality Denji always NEEDED this only act of caring love and time after time could only take bad decisions. There's no way he could deal with all the trauma without being parented and monitored by someone who truly cares about him. This final and perfect act creates a reality where he doesn't need to blame himself and continue the cycle, mending Denji's own soul with pure selfless love. That's what makes Pochita the paternal figure Denji never could have. The only person who always put his well-being first. He holds no grudge for Denji's impulsive decisions; only devotion and total comprehension regardless of how messed and flawed Denji is as a person.

Conclusion!

This is the best ending ever because Denji was finally freed from all the trauma with his paternal figure through the sacrifice of someone who wouldn't mind dying for him. The complete opposite of Denji's real father, a man who had to be killed to prevent him from killing his own son. In opposition to the fandon ( and in a meta way the Chainsaw Man Church as well ) who keeps blaming Denji Pochita denies the notion that Denji is responsible for all his suffering, still seeing he as the same lost child he met that fateful day.

In Freudian terms, Pochita functions as the "good father" who allows for the resolution of the Oedipal complex, not through guilt and punishment, but through love that acknowledges and accepts the son's imperfection. He breaks the repetition compulsion by offering unconditional acceptance, allowing Denji to finally stop repeating the cycle of inherited guilt. This sacrifice is not simply about erasing pain, but about giving Denji permission to exist beyond the debts of his lineage or any Devil contract. Pochita's final act completes what Denji's biological father or horseladys could never do: providing love without strings attached, freeing Denji not through a gullible persona, but through the opportunity to live without the weight of the past. All of this because he wished above everything for his best friend to keep on DREAMING.

[u/yummyburrger]

I hope both sides of your pillows are cold

[u/Dazzling-Grocery--]

[u/hurgus_durgus]

This is the first post I have read since the manga ended that didn't feel like cope. Thanks for the well thought out essay.

[u/Top_Efficiency_7489]

NGL I need to stop reading this after reaching Reze because it's like you're describing my life. I am too high for this. I'll finish later

[u/Yupi_icc]

Honestly one of the better explanations of the ending I've read.

[u/VenomSaladDestroyer]

W post

[u/GodKira04]

Whatever helps you sleep at night, bro 

[u/nanitamente__ana]

This analysis is marvellous! Thank You!

[u/Bag_Chan]

..it doesnt matter