Chainsaw Man – Season 1 Episode 11 “Mission Start” Recap & Review

Mission Start

Chainsaw Man episode 11 begins with Hayakawa meeting the Future Devil and asking him what he’d like to trade in exchange for his abilities. The Future Devil tells Hayakawa if he lets him reside in his right eye, he’ll let him use his powers.

The Future Devil asks Hayakawa if he would like to know how he’ll die in the future. Hayakawa tells him he doesn’t care to know how he’ll die. He only cares about eliminating his targets. Meanwhile, Master defeats Power and Denji during training but feels they’ve improved. He announces he’ll be training them once a week from now on. Master informs them they’ll go after the Snake Devil and the gentleman who murdered Himeno and the others.

Later, Master meets with Makima, and she thanks him for training Denji and Power. Master admits he’s growing tired of them but feels he’s growing attached to them. Master brings up the Public Safety incident with the Snake Devil woman and Katana Man. He’s irritated that Makima didn’t do anything to stop it. Makima refutes his bold claims by reminding him that she got attacked. Master’s not buying it. He tells Makima he doesn’t care about what sickening scheme she has brewing.

He’ll give her a pass as long as she’s serving humanity’s interests. Makima informs him that she wants to protect humans from devils. He’s not buying into her lies. In Tokyo, the Snake Devil user and Katana Man discuss their failures and plans for Denji. She tells the mundane Yakuza that they must watch their backs as she and Katana Man need not worry about Public Safety. She is worried about Makima being alive. Katana Man reveals they have an army of zombies who were once deadbeats who couldn’t pay their debts.

The Snake Devil user reveals they’ll use the zombies to attack our heroes in Division 4. Kurose and Tendo drive Hayakawa somewhere. Kurose asks Hayakawa about his pursuit of the Gun Devil. He doesn’t think Hayakawa has what it takes to defeat him and reveals that the Gun Devil’s responsible for him and Tendo getting involved in Public Safety. Hayakawa admits that he doesn’t care what he has to say. They drop him off at Public Safety Headquarters.

Kurose tells Hayakawa that he’ll be rooting for him despite Hayakawa’s presence bothering him. Meanwhile, Makima meets with a yakuza boss and asks for answers about the Public Safety ambush. The yakuza boss shows Makima a picture of the Snake Devil user Sawatari, who linked these yakuza children into making deals with the Gun Devil. If they give the Gun Devil 20,000 yen, he’ll grant them access to guns and ammo.

Makima asks the yakuza boss to give her the names of everyone in his organization, alongside other families. This doesn’t sit well with the yakuza boss because it could lead to a massive war between factions. Makima hands the man a bag of eyes ripped out of each one of their family members’ sockets. Makima promises to get someone to restore their eyes to normal if they cooperate. This angers one of the yakuza boss’s men, but glaring into her eyes causes the man to go unconscious.

Meanwhile, Public Safety locates Sawatari and Katana Man’s hideout and surrounds it. Sawatari plans to murder everyone around the building while securing Denji’s heart. Then she’ll summon the Snake Devil to help them escape. Denji, Power, Hayakawa, and Kobeni enter the building. An officer and member from Division 2 approach Master, and we learn his real name is Kishibe. Kishibe informs them of their task to keep the first-floor and basement areas sealed off.

The Special Division will deal with the terrorists inside. He warns them that this division consists of non-humans who’ll have no issues causing issues if they get outside. He warns them of the Shark Fiend, Violence Fiend, Spider Devil, and Angel Devil and gives a brief overview of their abilities. Hayakawa tells Denji, Power, and Kobeni to follow him and leave the zombies to the other fiends and devils. They’ll be heading for Sawatari and Katana Man but will split up.

Hayakawa reaches Sawatari thanks to Makima murdering some henchmen with her mysterious abilities from afar. Hayakawa and Sawatari engage in combat. Sawatari reveals to have received some abilities from the Ghost Devil, Himeno’s former ally. Sawatari’s impressed by Hayakawa’s growth. However, Hayakawa uses the Future Devil’s powers to peer into the future to dodge her attacks. The episode concludes with the Ghost Devil choking Hayakawa into submission.

The Episode Review

This episode of Chainsaw Man leaves on an interesting cliffhanger. It’s crazy to think that Sawatari used Hayakawa’s former comrade’s devil’s powers to squeeze the life out of him. While it feels obvious that Hayakawa will be saved by Denji or Power, it was a frightening sight to see. Fans may have thought Hayakawa would enter the fight outperforming Sawatari because of his new power-up.

Having him in a tight spot not only shows how strong Sawatari is, but it helps subvert fans’ expectations for the series moving forward. Let’s hope Hayakawa can be saved before it’s too late. Cliffhanger aside, this episode continues building upon Makima’s mysterious presence. Kishibe’s conversation with her will make viewers wonder if she’s an ally or a hidden villain.

The way she speaks and reacts matters to the terrifying power she holds, many fans may feel curious if she harbors ill intent. Although the Gun Devil is supposed to be our series’s main antagonist, Makima gives off a stronger villainous vibe. Speaking of Kishibe, it’s nice knowing that he’s not entirely heartless. He shows some attachment to Power and Denji in his own way.

While it’s not in vain as people expect, it’s great seeing another side of him this early on. The new fiends and devils introduced this week have exciting abilities too. I’m certain many fans can’t wait to see them intermingle with our cast in future seasons if they survive.

Overall, this was a fun chapter of Chainsaw Man that’s leading to an exciting climax. Hopefully, this season’s final episode can leave fans with a satisfying conclusion to get them pumped for the next story bits ahead.