It's funny to see how CSMs story clashes with the powerscaling community. The current discourse I'm seeing there is that Yoru is fraudulent for not earning her powerup and getting her strength from world events she didn't cause. Guys... I have some unfortunate news about every devil in the series

Man Yoru's perception-based powers are so ridicuolously powerful, especially now that she's learn to weaponize subjectivity like Asa. Since she views Pochita as her ultimate foe, she can just declare that the fight is for the entire world, and it works.

Excited to see what Fujimoto is planning to do with Death's friends. He went to the trouble of introducing hoodie girl in the first arc of Part 2, I believe they will be more important than most people think

This sequence and panel in particular becomes hilarious from this perspective because I see now— Yoshida is smug. He’s smug because this is literally the most the /war devil/ can “harm” him.

i think fandom would do well to bring back the concept of "a reading" which is different from "a headcanon". a headcanon can be anything and is total fun. a reading works with the text to come up with particular interpretations of the work, its characters, etc.

Yoshida is confused when Denji asks if he’s here to offer him a manipulative favor as an individual, because he assumed Denji would’ve been filled in on the plan and his role within it. But then he realizes that somehow, Denji has been left in the dark.

I can't even put into words how perfect it is that Yoshida's goodbye to Denji is a handshake. It's so bleak in a way that's hard to even describe.

The only version of this theory that I think actually works is this one, the idea of Public Safety ripping Reze's devil out to make Yoshida the new Bomb Hybrid (because he's somebody they can control) works really well.

I just noticed the soccer ball. Weren’t Asa’s classmates playing soccer in 98?

He couldn’t say that he had a good life, because it never belonged to him. It was always owned by the abusive people in power above him. He could only say that he was assigned to a good role. Reaaallllly close to crying at work right now.

Before Asmongold became the least informed talking head in US history, he was on a long arc of getting depressed about how shit WoW became once it became pay2win. But the origin of this depression was his central role as a community organizer in a struggle against monetization.

probably a fairly lukewarm observation given… everything but it stands out to me that the girls denji sees as “good girls” are ones who provide him sexual enticement or appeal

The next time we cut to Yoru she'll most likely be at the Tokyo Devil Detention Center right? Feels like the most natural way to group up the cast.

a sexual abuse victim screaming out a song about the gleeful acceptance of rape while the boy she’s with reconciles this as “normal” it’s just so goddamn on the nose man

Oh fuck oh shit oh fuck oh shit

"... " "Yes, I am alive. " #csm212

what did fuji mean by this

it’s why she calls denji and yoshida- teenagers four years younger than her- “senpai” even outside of the context of pretending to be a highschooler. she still sees them as more mature than her.

the other thing about fumiko’s character that has fallen into place with this chapter is her juvenile and childish behavior. she’s still emotionally fourteen, frozen and unable to truly grow ever since her mind was fractured by the contract

This made me think that this also goes the other way around. Denji doesn’t care much about the fate of the world but he does care about girls being into him. Early on we see Miri being showered with attention by a group of girls, which Miri hated and Denji was clearly envious of lol

Miri resents Denji for being placed into such a hallowed position wrt the fate of the world & humanity out of envy but also b/c he sees him not recognizing where he’s been placed. for his seemingly misplaced priorities. for not recognizing the designated worth that miri so desperately wants.

thoughts from DMs on what I think the ultimate anticlimactic conclusion is that we’re heading for with part 2

the other panels that shatter me

I’ve seen people worried about Yoshida here but I’m actually rotating this particular contract in my head. I think the wording here is important and this wasn’t just a simple deus ex machina to escape the realm. “We will never fight each other again” means no one present can fight each other.

fujimoto i kneel.

I’ve said for multiple years now the structure of part 2 is putting *everything* off until the very end and then watching moot after moot tap out like “nah it’s not happening.” It is what it is but damn folks really don’t think ahead in any regards these days.

COPYRIGHT IS NOT LABOR PROTECTION COPYRIGHT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTE DOGSHIT AS LABOR PROTECTION FOR THE LAST 400 YEARS PASS LABOR LAWS STOP ASKING COPYRIGHT TO FIX THE WORLD

If the "Two options" Denji needs to choose between are indeed Yoru and Asa, then I honestly can't see Denji choosing Asa from a story perspective. I think both choices could be in character for him, but it feels like so much of his story this Part is setting up for him choosing Devils over Humans.

#csm207 thank you tatsuki fujimoto this fucks

#csm205 Fujimoto isn't even being subtle with the Prometheus references now. Having a character whose narrative importance is only realized retroactively be Epimetheus is genius.

Early Denji garnered a lot of attention for not following the rules of how to write a protagonist but that’s only surface level When people say a good protagonist needs a goal what they mean is the they need some inner conflict that’ll drive them towards action

kumbaya is a spiritual folk song commonly sung around campfires in america, one that is asking god to come to aid those in need and bring salvation. barem sang it as a calling to the fire devil as the mass simultaneous contracts were activated and the devil itself has a campfire as its head.

i actually really disagree with the idea that fujimoto trolls his readers or otherwise writes in a maliciously deceitful way he misleads us and subverts expectations that he lead us to have in the first place, but never are details truly red herrings nor is any character entirely purposeless

Fujimoto, what are you up to?

myster322 on twitter brought up a great point about this guy that Denji killed, he was a part of Fakesaw's body *before* Fakesaw turned the 6 people into arms, likely providing an explanation for Fakesaw's more monstrous appearance this time around.

csm 203 yoru has chosen exactly the right manipulation tactic because this is, at its core, what denji wants- to be /seen/ as a hero, for the public to keep him in their consciousness and “love”. Being forgotten, having that love disappear, is just the same to him as being hated.

this shows the underlying issue—denji is into his quippy superhero persona, almost callous, and performative: “we are not minions!” is a call to not dehumanize them.

Love how Yoru tries to appeal to Denji's hero identity by projecting her own fear of being forgotten onto him, its some really solid character writing

The way Asa n Denji bounce back n forth similar advice but are internalizing it differently is so fascinating

"Every time i read a Chainsaw Man chapter it flies by in about 30 seconds, which means that Part 2 is too slow-paced" <- a common opinion in the CSM fandom for some reason

The phrase here is クマ出没 meaning "frequent bear sightings."

exit (出) and danger 危: bear(!!)

I've seen people describe the Death Devil as "suicidal" which is accurate in a literal sense, but honestly I think its the exact opposite. I think Death IS enjoying herself, and she doesn't want to die. But she thinks that she *needs* to die to stop the prophecy.

#csm199 Bringing this theory back, Bucky being a pawn of Death feels more likely now.

#csm199 this chapter lines up perfectly with the theory that Nayuta will come back working for Death

#csm198 Saw someone on reddit point out that if "Fami's" scale earrings are meant to be the egyptian scales of Anubis, then her ability to make devils into mini minions is likely a reference to Ushabti. Also her removing her organs is like how mummies have their organs removed

#csm196 Ok so this is definitely not the same Fakesaw that killed Yuko and attacked Falling (The personality and design is completely different). This is absolutely Yuko. Why else would Fujimoto reintroduce Fakesaw and the school bully in the same chapter.

#csm195. I love being right.

#csm195 Probly a good time to bring back this thread, I think it's going to be important when figuring out this new Horseman's identity.