Chainsaw Man – Season 1 Episode 6 “Kill Denji” Recap & Review

Kill Denji

Episode 6 of Chainsaw Man begins with Himeno and Hayakawa double-checking to see if they’re in an endless loop at the hotel. The crew head inside a hotel room to discuss their situation.

Hayakawa confirms they’re stuck on the eighth floor because of their targeted devil’s ability. Denji argues if Power didn’t kill the head devil, they wouldn’t be in this situation, angering her. Arai suggests waiting it out since Public Safety could send allies into the hotel to save them. Kobeni is stressed. She reveals that her parents forced her to become a Devil Hunter or sex worker despite her wanting to attend college instead.

Power laughs at Kobeni’s misery while Himeno comforts her. Hayakawa informs the others that their targeted devil can freeze time on the eighth floor since it hasn’t moved past 8:18. He argues if that’s true, no one will rescue them. Denji takes a nap. Himeno wakes him up and informs him of their current situation. Arai and Kobeni are resting in the same room while Hayakawa is searching for the devil.

Power, Himeno, and Denji decide to monitor Arai and Kobeni from a different room. Denji notices Himeno smoking the same cigarette brand as Hayakawa. She confirms she’s the one who influenced him to smoke. In a flashback, Himeno urges a young Hayakawa to smoke since it would help him boost his social skills. He refuses. Himeno tells Hayakawa that she knows he became a Devil Hunter to get revenge on the Gun Devil.

The following day, Hayakawa spots Himeno getting slapped by her former partner’s girlfriend. Hayakawa rushes to her aid, but Himeno says it’s okay. She says lashing out at certain Devil Hunters is the family and friends’ way of getting back at the devils that kill their loved ones. Hayakawa flees for a moment to put gum on the woman’s outfit.

He informs Himeno of his actions. He says she shouldn’t feel guilty or tolerate their rude behavior. At an eatery, Himeno tells Hayakawa that she believes he’ll last longer than her former partners because of his spirit. Himeno hands Hayakawa a cigarette and persuades him to smoke it despite his stance against the product.

In the present, Hayakawa returns to their meeting room and asks Himeno for a cigarette. She sensually gives Hayakawa her cigarette, angering Denji. Once the banter concludes, Hayakawa tells the crew that the devil Power slew earlier has returned and is bigger than before. The gang rush outside after hearing a loud noise.

They encounter the head devil, which no longer looks like a minor threat. He looks like a blob with numerous faces embedded into his body. It speaks and demands they surrender Denji to it, so they can feast on his flesh. It promises to let everyone go if they comply. Kobeni exits the room with a knife in her hand. She tries to attack Denji, but Himeno and Hayakawa subdue her.

Hayakawa tries to summon his Fox Devil but realizes she won’t come out because they’re cut off from the rest of the world. Himeno confirms the Fox Devil’s body is in Kyoto. Himeno summons her ghost to fight the Head Devil and does some damage, but it only makes the head devil’s body larger. The head devil confirms many suspicions. Himeno and her friends are in the being’s stomach, it has no weaknesses on the eighth floor, and the gang must slaughter its heart to take it out.

Denji mocks the Head Devil, saying it’ll just kill everyone anyway. Himeno refutes his claim because the head devil uses the term “contract” in its demands. When a deal is made, both sides must comply. If one person defies the contract, they will die. Arai exits the room and tells Himeno they should accept the head devil’s wishes. He confirms that Devil Hunters are legally allowed to make contracts with devils.

Hayakawa argues against Arai’s wishes. He said forking over Denji would benefit the head devil. Power suggests killing him to fulfill her Nobel Prize dream, but Hayakawa confirms Fiends can’t make pacts with devils. They settle on keeping Denji alive and wait it out to strategize. Hayakawa wants to use his sword, but Himeno argues against it, puzzling Denji. Arai, Power, and Kobeni get into a squabble in the other room.

Crazed, Kobeni plans to murder Power, but Arai tells her to stop. Kobeni is angry that Arai would take her side despite them being Devil Hunters. Kobeni gives out a loud scream, enticing the head devil to act. It chases Denji, Himeno, and Hayakawa down the hallway. The head devil confirms that it will continue to grow adjacent to their fear as it attempts to grab Denji. It reveals its name to be the Eternity Devil.

The Eternity Devil causes the floor to turn vertically. Hayakawa, Denji, and Himeno enter a room before it completely shifts. On the other side, Kobeni urges them to make the contract with the Eternity Devil. Before Hayakawa uses his sword, Himeno uses her Ghost Devil to entangle Hayakawa, infuriating Denji. Himeno tells Denji that Hayakawa will lose years of his life if he uses his sword.

Kobeni, Arai, and Power utilize the floor’s twisted nature to reach the others. Before Kobeni strikes Denji with a knife, Hayakawa protects him. Everyone’s shocked by Hayakawa’s actions. He confirms that though Denji deserves to be stabbed a million times over, he needs Denji to survive, so he can help him murder the Gun Devil.

Denji urges Power to help Hayakawa out since he’s losing immense blood. While Power can only control her own blood, she accepts. Himeno has a mental breakdown after seeing Hayakawa in this poor condition. Kobeni yells at Denji. Denji decides to fight the Eternity Devil but tells Himeno that she better fulfill their deal when he’s finished.

Denji plans to transform into Chainsaw Man. He tells the others that the Eternity Devil must be afraid of his chainsaws because it asked for the others to kill Denji themselves. Denji plans to tear it to shreds until it can’t take any more pain. He hopes it’ll want to end its suffering by taking its own life in response. Denji tells Hayakawa that he hopes this makes them even.

The episode concludes with Denji leaping out of the room and into the Eternity Devil’s mouth.

The Episode Review

This episode of Chainsaw Man shows that no matter how formidable a person may seem, they all have weakness dwelling inside them. From Hayakawa protecting Denji from Kobeni’s attack to Himeno undergoing a mental breakdown, there were many twists and turns this week to satisfy fans. This episode sheds light on Hayakawa, Himeno, and Kobeni’s backgrounds.

Fans will be delighted to hear more information about Hayakawa’s sword. Knowing that it’ll take years of his life away from him makes the dilemma with the leech devil make more sense. However, it’ll make fans question why he’d make such a deal since he formed a contract with the Fox Devil. Some may wonder how strong he is with the sword. As one can tell, there’s a lot to speculate about Hayakawa’s character.

Although she’s the wimpiest out of the crew, Kobeni’s character feels the most grounded. Her voice actress fabulously captures her anxiety and stress of the situation. Her family forced her into this role, and it hurts seeing her shed tears. However, like Hayakawa, there must be more to Kobeni than her sheer athleticism since Himeno and her family find her a capable Devil Hunter.

On that note, we receive more intel about Himeno and Hayakawa’s partnership, which is excellent. Himeno may act tough, but she’s battling the mental trauma left by her deceased comrades. It adds more depth to her character and gives fans reasons to appreciate her existence in the narrative. Seeing Himeno crack from seeing Hayakawa’s wound–sent more chills down my spine than seeing Kobeni’s consistent misery.

Otherwise, this chapter gave fans more insight into our secondary characters’ past and present issues. While some bits were slow, repetitive, and questionable, episode six leaves off on an exciting cliffhanger. Let’s hope Denji’s chainsaw abilities can tear the Eternity Devil a new one next week!