Eternal Demon Chainsaw Man

[Gano Richardson]

Thechainsaw returns as a weapon in Doom Eternal, with much of its functions and appearance based on its previous counterpart from Doom (2016). It remains a limited-use "power weapon" which can be used to kill even powerful enemies quickly, so long as sufficient fuel is available. Kills made with the chainsaw reward the player with ammo drops; as ammo is much scarcer and ammo capacities are noticeably reduced compared to the previous game, it is vital to use the chainsaw regularly. It has a special key assigned to it to make it easier and quicker to use it against demons to get ammo drops. It is introduced near the start of Hell on Earth, as a mandatory pickup required for the game to continue.

The blade of the chainsaw refers to itself as the Mixom Bucktooth Dopesaw. This is a reference to Doom 3, where Mixom chainsaws had been delivered erroneously to Mars, and to the Dopefish, which is also seen as a secret in the polar Cultist Base level.

Like in Doom (2016), the chainsaw instantly kills enemies it is used against but requires fuel to be used. Because it forces slain monsters to drop large quantities of ammo, it is a key part of the basic combat loop in Doom Eternal alongside glory kills and the flame belch.

In some contexts killing a demon with the chainsaw counts as a glory kill, but in others it does not. For example, the chainsaw will activate the Blood Fueled rune but will not recharge the Sentinel Hammer.

Unlike Doom (2016), pressing the chainsaw key will not pull out the weapon like any other one, but rather immediately perform an attack, similar to grenades. The only exception to this is when there is no ammo remaining for any other weapon, then the chainsaw will automatically be equipped and will perform an attack by pressing the regular fire button.

The chainsaw now has a maximum of three fuel units, with one always recharging on its own. This makes it possible to regularly use the chainsaw against fodder-tier enemies without need for fuel pickups, greatly increasing its value as a way of obtaining ammo for other weapons.

The Night Sentinel weapon-masters had a saying: "it is the warrior that makes the weapon great". The Doom Slayer's unconventional choice of adding a chainsaw to his arsenal has proven this adage right time after time thanks to its capabilities for dismemberment.

Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, an impoverished teenager who makes a contract that fuses his body with that of a dog-like Devil named Pochita, granting him the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws. Denji eventually joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters, a government agency focused on fighting against Devils whenever they become a threat to Japan. The second arc of the story focuses on Asa Mitaka, a high school student who enters into a contract with Yoru, the War Devil, who forces her to hunt down Chainsaw Man in order to reclaim what he had stolen from her.

By May 2024, the manga had over 27 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2021, it won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category and won the Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category from 2021 to 2023. Chainsaw Man has been overall well received by critics, who have commended its storytelling, characters, dark humor, and have particularly highlighted its violent scenes within the context of the story.

The story is set in a world where Devils (悪魔, Akuma) are born from human fears. However, individuals called Devil Hunters (デビルハンター, Debiru Hantā) specialize in hunting and employing them. The events take place in 1997, in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union still exists, and many events such as the Holocaust, AIDS and nuclear weapons have been erased from history due to the consumption of their respective Devils by the Chainsaw Devil, with only four powerful Devils known as the Horsemen (Control, War, Famine, and Death) remembering the events. Humans can make contracts with Devils via a sacrifice, allowing them to use the Devil's power. Devils can also become Fiends by possessing a human's dead body. When a Devil is killed on Earth, it reappears in Hell, and if it is killed in Hell, it reincarnates in a new body on Earth.

Denji is a teenager trapped in poverty, working off his deceased father's debt to the yakuza by working as a Devil Hunter, aided by Pochita, his canine companion and Chainsaw Devil. Denji is betrayed by the yakuza, who kill him for a contract with the Zombie Devil. Pochita makes a contract with Denji, merging with him as a Devil-human hybrid, under the condition that Denji live out his modest dreams of living a basic life such as having bread with jam, or falling in love with a woman and being intimate with one. By pulling on a cord in his chest, Denji then becomes Chainsaw Man and massacres the yakuza.

In the aftermath, Denji joins a team of governmental Devil Hunters, the Public Safety Division, led by Makima, who assigns him to kill the Gun Devil. After being paired with a more experienced Devil Hunter named Aki Hayakawa, Denji begins training with his partner, Power the Blood Fiend, under the veteran Devil Hunter Kishibe. Together, they fight several enemies who seek Denji's power, including the yakuza, other Devils, and assassins sent by various countries.

Asa Mitaka is an introverted high school student attending Fourth East High School, who has trouble finding her place in society following her mother's death to the Typhoon Devil. One day, after accidentally killing her class's pet Chicken Devil Bucky, she is confronted by the Class President who has made a contract with the Justice Devil. She attempts to kill Asa, but Yoru, the War Devil appears in the form of a bird and makes a contract with Asa, inhabiting her body and making her a living Fiend host, under the condition that she kill Chainsaw Man. After her quick vengeance, Asa seeks to find Chainsaw Man, though she and Yoru have differing goals: Asa wants Yoru to leave her body, while Yoru wants to reclaim the Nuclear Weapons Devil that was consumed by Pochita.

Meanwhile, Denji has adapted to his new life as a normal high school student, also attending Fourth East, while trying to raise Nayuta and use his newfound fame as Chainsaw Man to attract women. However, Hirofumi Yoshida, a classmate and Devil Hunter himself, keeps blocking Denji's attempts to reveal his alter-ego while keeping tabs on him for the government. Trying to prove a point, Yoshida introduces Asa to Denji, who outright admits to being Chainsaw Man, but Asa does not believe him. Even so, Yoru pushes Asa to become Denji's girlfriend, as Yoru thinks she can use him to create a weapon capable of killing Chainsaw Man. Meanwhile, a mysterious impostor Chainsaw Man stalks the streets, killing Asa's friend Yuko.

After surviving a trap set for them by the Famine Devil, Fami, at an aquarium, Yoru tries to transform Denji into a weapon through Asa's body, but fails. As Asa feels rejected by different boys she trusted, the Falling Devil appears, trying to cook her into a meal. Denji, as Chainsaw Man, along with the impostor, appears and helps her escape, with Fami and Nayuta manipulating events in the background. Asa becomes attracted to Chainsaw Man after realizing he has saved her life multiple times. Fami wants Yoru to survive for the sake of changing the Prophecy of Nostradamus and protecting humanity from the appearance of Death Devil, but Nayuta is more concerned with childish things like wanting to attend school and eat snacks. During the aftermath of Falling Devil's attack, Denji, Nayuta and their dogs are captured by Yoshida's organization, as the supporters of Chainsaw Man form the Chainsaw Man Society for World Peace led by Haruka Iseumi of the Devil Hunter Club. Yoshida threatens to kill Nayuta if Denji ever transforms into Chainsaw Man again, since the conflict between the supporters and critics of Chainsaw Man is escalating.

A conflicted Denji chooses to protect the normal life he has and decides to quit being Chainsaw Man. The Chainsaw Man Society for World Peace, who are revealed to be working for Fami, reveals a mysterious character as the Chainsaw Man, much to the dismay of Denji. Fami reveals that Yoru's goal of killing Chainsaw Man and Asa's desire to save him are both achievable, as there are two entities known as Chainsaw Man- the "red" one that is Denji and the object of Asa's affections, and the former form of Pochita, the "black" one, that has consumed the Nuclear Weapons Devil and is the object of Yoru's revenge. Meanwhile, Denji encounters Miri Sugo, the Longsword hybrid who had previously fought Denji while Pochita was controlling his body. Miri attempts to convince Denji to join the Chainsaw Man Church, but fails. Later, when the Church attempts an attack on the public, they are intercepted by Quanxi and Katana Man, the Bow and Katana hybrids whom Denji had also previously fought. However, Barem Bridge, the Flamethrower hybrid and another member of the Church, reveals that the members of the Chainsaw Man Church had been mass-contracted with the Fire Devil, allowing them to become devils in the likeness of Chainsaw Man; this would cause a war that would greatly increase public fear of both Chainsaw Man and Yoru, strengthening them enough to fight the Death Devil. Quanxi saves Denji, Nayuta, and fellow student Fumiko Mifune from the Church, taking them to Public Safety Officials who states that the devils can be killed via cremation. Asa and Yoru, meanwhile, are confronted by Yoshida who is leading a raid to kill the War Devil. Yoshida cuts off one of Asa's arms, but hesitates in killing her, allowing for Asa and Yoru to escape. At the same time, Asa and Yoru learn that due to the increasing fear of wars, their power has now increased and they can now make weapons without coming in physical contact with the object. Meanwhile, Denji attempts to return to his normal life, but Barem, who had escaped Public Safety, destroys his apartment, incinerating Nayuta's pet dogs and Power's cat in the process. Shattered, Denji transforms into Chainsaw Man, and attacks Barem and Miri. Nayuta apparently sacrifices herself to save Denji, who is taken by Yoshida and Fumiko.

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