Chainsaw Man Episode 3

Chainsaw Man Episode 3

Denji and Power: Paw Patrol

Chainsaw Man Episode 3 was very good. It was my favorite episode of the series so far. But, I’m expecting (and hoping) it won’t still be my favorite by the end of the season. This also may have been the first episode to feature the series’ ED.

Before getting into the content of this week’s episode, let’s talk about the OP and ED briefly. For the ED, I don’t have too much to say other than I like it. It’s one of the better EDs of the season, and might actually be the best.

The OP is probably the best OP of the season. But, what I want to point out here is something I noticed about it. At the 1-minute mark, you can see “CSM” spelled out on buildings and the pavement as Denji hits them. I thought that was a neat detail.

Denji and Power riding the train from the anime series Chainsaw Man Episode 3
Denji and Power riding the train

Anyway, onto this week’s episode. Right at the start, Denji agreed with me about Power. He said the way she speaks is annoying, and I said the exact same thing in my Episode 2 review. Who knew Denji would be the most relatable protagonist in anime?

We also learned that Power used to have a pet cat named Meowy before she worked for Makima. Another Devil took Meowy hostage. And as Power was working to save Meowy, Makima wrangled her into service. She says that the reason she works for Makima is so she can save her pet.

Denji, amazingly, admits to Power that his goal is to fondle some boobs. Good for him. So, Power decides that she’ll help Denji accomplish his goal if he first helps her accomplish hers. If he can help her save Meowy, Power’s chest is his to fondle. What a deal!

How to Train Your Devil

In Episode 3, we got a bit of Power’s backstory. Unfortunately, it’s neither part of her backstory that I actually wanted to know about. We got to see how Power met Meowy and how Meowy was subsequently taken away from her.

This content was fine. But, I’d have much rather seen how Power became a Fiend. Why did she choose to become one? Or was she forced to become one in order to survive? And how did she select her human body? Was this the body of someone she knew? Someone she killed?

The other part of Power’s backstory I want to see is how Makima got Power under her thumb. We know Power ran into Makima while searching for Meowy. But, how did Makima convince Power to become a Devil Hunter? Did she defeat Power in battle? Or was it casual like when Makima recruited Denji?

Feral Power from the anime series Chainsaw Man Episode 3
Feral Power

Before Makima scooped her up, Power was what I’ll call a feral Devil. She didn’t wear clothes, she was dirty, and she was surviving on her own. She ate animals (and presumably humans) she killed. And she took in Meowy because she wanted to fatten Meowy up before eating her.

Now, although I say Power presumably ate humans, that might not be the case. As we see from the Bat Devil, he’s only interested in eating humans. He doesn’t have much interest in eating Meowy. So, could the reason Power was eating animals while feral be because she didn’t want to eat humans? If so, I wonder why that was.

During her time nursing the malnourished Meowy back to health, she started to like cats. In the present, Power tells Denji that she doesn’t get along with either humans or Devils. Instead, cats are her only friends.

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Devil Power (not Power the Devil) Rankings

Early on in the episode, Makima refers to Power as promising and Denji as interesting. Part of her interest in Denji undoubtedly comes from the fact that he’s a human-Devil hybrid. But, she says the reason she’s interested in him is because of his Chainsaw Devil.

Every Devil is the Devil of something. Pochita (now Denji) is the Chainsaw Devil. Power is the Blood Devil. And the big bad of this episode was the Bat Devil. So, why would Makima have a particular interest in the Chainsaw Devil?

She claims it’s because the Chainsaw Devil has the potential to be very strong. According to Makima, the strength of a Devil has to do with how much they’re feared. But, she’s not referring to people being afraid of the Devil itself. Rather, it’s the fear of what the Devil represents.

Denji fighting the Bat Demon from the anime series Chainsaw Man Episode 3
Denji fighting the Bat Devil

In Makima’s example, she makes up the Coffee and Car Devils. People aren’t afraid of coffee, so a Coffee Devil would be weak. However, since people are afraid of being run over and killed by a car, a Car Devil would be strong. The implication here is that people are afraid of chainsaws, so the Chainsaw Devil must be strong.

Now, I don’t really agree with Makima’s reasoning here. It sounds more like a Devil’s strength depends on how dangerous the object it represents is. Not how much people fear it. Yes, chainsaws and cars can be dangerous. But, do people fear them all that much?

If a Devil’s strength is really based on fear, then I’d expect the Bat Devil to be far stronger than the Chainsaw Devil. A lot of people have an irrational fear of bats and other animals. The Spider Devil would be one of the strongest.

Conclusion

What do you think of Chainsaw Man Episode 3? Did you expect Power to betray Denji as she did? I didn’t. Do you think Power killed and ate humans as a Fiend? And what would be the strongest Devil based on your own fears? Mine would be the Commitment Devil.

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My review of Episode 4 is available now.

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