Warning: Contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man chapter #190On the surface, Chainsaw Man is a story about a teenage boy who turns into a hybrid devil in order to fight other devils with his chainsaw limbs. On its pages, it is something else entirely. Brimming with painfully human themes that inspire hope, and social commentary that tackles the best and worst parts of being alive, Tatsuki Fujimoto's modern manga masterpiece continues to both shock and inspire an audience ever-increasing in size. Sometimes, though, it can get a little weird.

After nearly 200 chapters of a story defined by its unpredictability, it would only be expected that the shock factor of sudden twists and turns might fade. But Chainsaw Man doesn't care whether its audience thinks they know where the story is going, and continues to defy readers' expectations. Part Two's most recent arc is a prime example of that, grabbing the reader and pulling them close, like the story has a secret to share, only for it to slap them across the face, give them a kiss, and send them on their way.

The Aging Devil arc is one that begins in the depths of Denji's despair, before suddenly transitioning into beautifully illustrated devil showdowns on double-page spreads. Then, when its audience begins to feel even slightly comfortable, it just as suddenly closes with self-reflection, determination, and characters jumping into the protagonist's mouth. While a strange section of chapters even for the likes of Tatsuki Fujimoto, the arc might also be Part Two's strongest.

Chainsaw Man's Latest Arc Was Fantastically Weird

The Aging Arc Made Use of All Its Author's Tricks

Chainsaw Man has never shied away from getting weird. The concept itself reads like something that played out for Fujimoto in a fever dream, and somehow, an outside vision of a boy with a chainsaw on his head is much more normal than a few of the actual events of the story. Part Two's most recent arc hits on all the author's usual notes, featuring a heartbreaking and cruel death, energetic and raw action sequences, a touch of cannibalism, and a regained will to live. The Aging Devil arc reads a bit like a compacted Fujimoto story on its own.

Chapter #190, titled "To Their Respective Worlds", finally sees the arc to its finish line with perhaps the most outlandish, yet only truly fitting conclusion to the section. After the newest residents of Aging's world take turns shoving their arms and even their entire bodies into Denji's mouth, some last minute maneuvering from the Octopus Devil traps the arc's main antagonist in darkness. There, the least likely unnamed party member, tentatively called Cicada Man, makes the most effective leap down Denji's throat, grabbing the devil and pulling him inside.

Appalled at the very thought of having to spend an eternity alone with Denji, Aging Devil makes a contract that oversees his surrender, returning the main cast to the real world. An ending that no one but the author himself could have predicted, this victory might have been the only possible one, given Aging's status as a Primal Devil even the fearsome Black Chainsaw Man couldn't handle.

The final pages, like the ending to a Dandadan arc, place the characters in a restaurant, sitting together and ordering food, with little explanation for anything that just occurred. The Aging Devil arc was structured in a way that felt to many readers like it might have been the climax to Part Two, yet with an ending like the one written in Chapter #190, it seems there is quite a ways left to go in Chainsaw Man's story.

Chainsaw Man's Second Part Is Shaping Up to Be Longer Than Its First

There Are Still Several Loose Ends that Chainsaw Man Must Address

Despite its popularity, Chainsaw Man Part Two is somewhat divisive. Following a structure that is far more free flowing than what is typical of a shōnen manga, its constant build-ups into quiet resolutions, followed by an immediate headfirst charge into the next conflict has left a sizable section of the fanbase scratching their heads. If Part One was like a multifaceted, carefully crafted rock opera with a gradual build and climax, Part Two is like a punk band blowing out the amps in a musty garage. Full steam ahead with no clear destination in sight.

Nearing 100 chapters in length, and currently leaving the Aging Devil arc with several loose ends still waiting to be tied, it is all but confirmed that the series' second part will be much longer than its first. Pseudo-Chainsaw Men are still wreaking havoc on Tokyo, Fumiko can apparently clone herself, the Death Devil has yet to appear, and Yoru still exists. Pivotal plot points are hanging around despite the story's recent events.

Unlike Part One, which relied on the Gun as its final destination, Part Two's ultimate villain, the Death Devil, has yet to be seen or even make her presence felt throughout the narrative. This phantom main antagonist has caused the series to wander somewhat, for better or worse. Though if Part Two is planned to be double the length of Part One, then Fujimoto's hesitance in establishing the series' endpoint makes a bit more sense.

Where Do Chainsaw Man's Dual Protagonists Go Now?

Recent Events Have Permanently Changed Asa and Denji

Asa and Denji have never really had a conventional relationship, and following the Aging arc, both characters are in peculiar positions, to say the least. Denji's family was killed and his home burned down, while Asa lost both her arms and was forced to watch her parasite commit acts of unfathomable destruction. Around those events, they also finally had the chance to truly communicate with one another. Neither have a home to return to, and it remains to be seen what the series has in store for them.

Despite the otherworldly horrors the cast has experienced, and the rampaging war on the streets, the chapter's final pages eerily emphasize the characters returning to their 'normal' lives. Nothing is normal about the world Chainsaw Man at the moment, but perhaps Part Two has been about the apathy people have in the face of ongoing tragedy all along. Predicting the events of the series somehow only grows more difficult as time es, but fans won't want to miss where Fujimoto takes his story next. It really can go anywhere.