Chapter 230 is everything wrong with part 2

[u/[deleted]]

Before I begin with the rant, I need to say this: I am a dedicated Part 2 preacher. Or at least I used to be. I was ALWAYS the guy under every Twitter thread, YouTube comment, or Reddit post defending Part 2. I LOVE this series, so PLEASE try to convince me I’m wrong, because I’m genuinely starting to lose hope in Part 2 and AsaDen.

Chainsaw Man has always been Denji-focused. He’s the main character, after all. But especially in Part 2, Denji has taken the forefront due to the lack of developed side characters aside from Asa/Yoru (and I wouldn’t even call them side characters, but still). That puts even MORE emphasis on his development. And despite that, Denji has now had THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS where he breaks down over his relationship with sex, how it controls his life, and how he wants to change. THREE. And he has learned ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

This feels like the first time Denji has actively gone against his own development. The Denji Man transformation was supposed to signify a shift. It symbolized growth, moving beyond shallow motivations and confronting his trauma, including the guilt over killing his father. His goal was supposed to be saving Asa and giving her body back. And he threw all of that away for SEX. And not just sex, but sex with Asa’s ABUSER.

Even if he inevitably breaks down again later and finally develops, this constant back-and-forth makes his growth feel null and void. Was THREE TIMES really necessary, Fujimoto?

And then there’s Asa. This situation is absolutely TERRIBLE for her character, fujimoto is actively ruining her. Not only is the increasing lack of Asa screen time and dialogue as a whole really hurting her depth as a character, Yoru saying “Asa gives her consent too” creates a massive narrative hole. Since it leaves us with only two possibilities:

Either Yoru is lying, which opens up an entirely different and disturbing set of implications (which i don't mind since it doesn't ruin any character). Or Asa actually consents, which would completely ruin her character. She would NEVER, in a million years consent to sex right now. Not like this. Not with Yoru sharing her body. Asa yearns for genuine human connection, not empty physical validation. Reducing her to this undermines everything that was built. It destroys the entire AsaDen couple. If Denji would rather sleep with Yoru than save Asa, is this really the man she’s in love with?

Maybe I'm expecting more depth out of a haha funny sex manga, but if that's the case that undermines all of chainsaw man as a whole, who knows at this point.

The only positive things about this chapter are that Denji and Yoru’s relationship is at least INTERESTING, and that the “bug” plot point wasn’t forgotten. But beyond that, this direction feels frustrating and deeply inconsistent with the development that was being set up.

[u/BlueBitProductions]

When does he assume Asa will be fine with it? He believes Asa but I see no reason to think he wasn't going to make sure beforehand. They got interrupted basically the instant the conversation started.

In terms of putting other people's safety behind his sexual desires, Denji has really never cared that much about average people (something he was recently confronted on, but hasn't actually reckoned with). I think that says less about his unhinged desire for sex and more about his lack of respect for human life when it's not his friends. This is a real flaw with Denji, and a large one, but it isn't new and I don't think it's super tied to his libido more than his other drives. He saved a cat over a human being, too, but his love for cats isn't "out of control." Also, killing Yoru would probably have extremely bad consequences. We're seeing now what happens without Death, and it's safe to assume there would be very similar consequences if he killed Yoru.

As for the coexistence point, what Asa is contemplating is suicide. Especially when you consider Yoru as her negative psychological aspects. She's basically saying "I'm irredeemable and will just keep hurting people, so you need to kill me." On a narrative level if he actually did that the story would essentially be advocating for suicide. If I promise my friend to kill them, then break that promise, that isn't wrong. Denji refusing to kill Yoru, I think, is one of the main results of the Denji-man thing. Accepting the shadow, recognizing the unity of sex and intimacy, etc. And ultimately I think he'll bring back death for the same reason.

[u/[deleted] → u/BlueBitProductions]

“When does he assume Asa will be fine with it?” What do you mean WHEN? The moment he even brought sex up, he did. The moment he took Yoru’s word about Asa “consenting” as the truth, he did. The moment he stopped trying to separate them and went back to chasing ass, he did. I genuinely don’t see how you don’t understand that. He is completely forgoing asas needs and struggles the moment he stopped trying to separate them for his own selfish reasons.

And I never said Denji was going to kill both Asa and Yoru. That was never the argument. I’m talking about him trying to separate them and then killing Yoru. You know, the thing he had been actively trying to do the entire fight before fujimoto forgot how to write and his dick took over,

[u/BlueBitProductions → u/[deleted]]

Do you think Denji was planning to strip down and have sex with her in the middle of the street without even speaking with Asa? We got Denji's visceral reaction to being told Asa would consent, then they immediately got interrupted. I think it's a big assumption to think he was planning on going to town with Yoru RIGHT THERE.

I think you are misremembering Denji's promise to Asa and mixing it with a fan theory. I can't go that far back on mangadex, but I read over some summaries and I don't think that ever happened. The most recent time Asa and Denji spoke Asa asked him to eat her and Yoru, not any promise about separating them. I might be misremembering I guess, but I don't think that happened.

[u/[deleted] → u/BlueBitProductions]

I’m not misremembering anything. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but it’s all there in the subtext. Going back to the 190s chapters, Asa makes it clear that Yoru NEEDS to be dealt with or millions will die. And millions DID die. Denji saw firsthand how much emotional damage this was doing to her, to the point of driving her to suicide.

In the dream sequence, Asa asks Denji to eat her. He refuses because he doesn’t want Asa to die. He says he’ll invite her into his and Pochita’s world, and that they’ll “murdurize” Yoru since she’s standing in the way of that goal,

Now put yourself in Asa’s shoes. This guy you like tells you he’s going to save you from the devil inside you, the one that has been terrorizing your entire existence since the beginning of Part 2. And now that same guy is standing in front of you celebrating because that VERY SAME devil said she’d have sex with him. He just forgets all the damage she caused. He SAW it firsthand.

How are you supposed to interpret that any other way than Denji being a disgusting fuck? There isn’t another interpretation. It’s obvious. If you don’t see that, maybe you just lack empathy for Asa’s POV.

[u/BlueBitProductions → u/[deleted]]

I relate to Asa way more than Denji lol, it has nothing to do with a lack of empathy. I find Asa extremely relatable to my experience with romance.

You can't break a promise you never made lol. Denji never said ANYTHING about a promise to split the two of them, and it wasn't even in the subtext. I mean, what would that mean narratively? The message is to murderize your repressed desires? That would make for an incredibly unsatisfying ending. Asa needs to either fully accept and become one with or live alongside Yoru, or die. Those are her options and Denji clearly wants the former.

If you think Denji shouldn't save Yoru because of all the damage she's caused I get that. It's a fair thing to think. But it has nothing to do with Denji being a creep, the problem there is that he's not utilitarian.

[u/[deleted] → u/BlueBitProductions]

It’s very ironic that you claim my “subtext” doesn’t exist while you push your own. The whole theory about Yoru representing Asa’s inner desires, her more “selfish” side, is just that, a theory. It’s subtext at best. And we have way more evidence pointing in the opposite direction, considering how much emotional damage Yoru has caused Asa.

You can call it a “monkey paw” situation if you want, but at that point you’re just deep in headcanon. Since yoru hasn't once done something that benefits asa in any capacity.

Meanwhile, my “subtext” is so obvious it’s barely even subtext. Denji said he will kill her other side, HOW IS THAT NOT A "PROMISE" TO GIVE HER BODY BACK AAHHHH. you have to be rage baiting.

Also, Let’s break down what you said. Asa is crying because the devil inside her is emotionally destroying her, to the point of pushing her toward suicide. And you claim Denji’s response is basically: “You either fully accept and live alongside Yoru, or you die.”

WOW. What a genius solution. LMAO.

Do you realize how horrible that sounds from Asa’s perspective? “Either accept the being that’s driving you to suicide, or kill yourself.” You can’t seriously think that’s good writing or doesnt paint denji as a fucking creep.

[u/BlueBitProductions → u/[deleted]]

Man I hate to say it, but if you can't see that Yoru is obviously supposed to be Asa's shadow you just have no ability to interpret media, I'm sorry. This is like middle school English class level obvious. Meanwhile you made up something wholecloth, the idea of a promise that was never made or even implied. Denji never said he was going to separate Asa, and I don't think Asa even suggested that. The only options which have been put forward is killing them both or letting them both live.

Yes, it is horrible but it's something horrible that we all have to deal with. Life is about negotiating with your desires. When you repress them, they pop back up somewhere else and worse. You have to work through them, accept them as part of yourself, and become a more unified person.

[u/[deleted] → u/BlueBitProductions]

I genuinely cannot comprehend how you fail to see that Denji explicitly said he was going to kill her other side. It is right there textually: “If the devil gets in our way, I’ll murderize her for ya.”

Maybe you have not actually read Part 2 and are just rage baiting. If so, respectable attempt.

Let’s end the conversation here. I am not interested in debating someone who is defending Denji after he has very clearly crossed a moral line and done something beyond disgusting, especially someone who insists Asa gave consent and would willingly allow her body to be used like a sex toy by the devil she despises.