Title: Chainsaw Man Vol. 4
Author: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
The Story
The fourth volume of Chainsaw Man continues the battle between Denji and those who tried to eliminate all of Special Division 4. Makima is revealed to be alive and she uses her power to remotely dispense of anyone standing in their way, thus saving Denji after he had to “split” (ok, bad pun.) Unfortunately, the coordinated assassination attempts on Special Division 4 were mostly successful. I’ll leave it to you guys to read who lived and who died; however, this meant that Special Division 4 is now being placed under Makima’s supervision and will be merged with the remaining survivors of Special Divisions 1, 2, and 3.
Makima then places Denji and Power under the care of Kishibe… the self-proclaimed greatest Devil Hunter. His job is to train them and make them stronger and he does so… by killing Denji and Power over and over and over and over again. It forces the two of them to come up with ways to defeat him and, thus, they do grow stronger in the process. Their training is interrupted when Kishibe announces that they are ready for combat and that the brand-new Special Division 4’s debut is about to take place.
The mission is quite simple… to head out and capture all of those responsible for the assassination attempts. This includes an eventual rematch with Samurai Sword and Snake Girl. Kishibe adds extra pressure by saying that if the mission fails, the division is done for and both Denji and Power will be killed in a real battle against himself as punishment for their failure. In the meantime, in preparation for the mission, Makima goes to the yakuza for information. While she is able to get some, her contact is less-than-thrilled about giving out information about rival or partner organizations. Makima has to persuade him to give up that information. I guess you could say that her power of persuasion lies within her eyes.
The volume concludes with the battle beginning. Aki runs into Sawatari who commands the snake to spit “it” out. I’ll let you find out what “it” is; however, it’s not something Aki was hoping to see!
Characters
Aside from the “I’m alive” swerve with Makima, the volume focused mainly on Aki and Kishibe.
Aki contacted his curse devil to find out just how long he has left. The answer surprises him and even causes him to break down. Everyone thinks that it’s because of a certain event that was confirmed this volume; though. Aki is then visited by Kurose and Tendo… two agents hand-picked by Makima to train Aki. They suggest Aki makes a contract with a stronger devil so they bring him to The Future Devil. He can, as you can imagine, see the future. After he sees Aki’s, he’s so interested in him, his own stipulation for a contract is to live inside of his right eye so he can see Aki’s future himself.
Kishibe is best described as a “gentle monster.” I say that because he seems laid-back and carefree… probably because he loves to drink and is, most likely, drunk all of the time. But is very calm in battle and when training Denji and Power. However, just because he’s calm, doesn’t mean he is lenient. He enjoys killing the two of them over and over and is very harsh and strict with them. He’s constantly keeping them on their toes, giving them misdirection, and taunting them all for the sake of making them stronger. He’s a pretty interesting character but even he is cautious around Division 4. He knows that they are all devils and/or fiends. He even instructs his squad to prepare to engage in battle with them in the event that they try and flee into the city and abandon the mission!
For someone as calm and laid back as him, he’s pretty cold and ruthless. It’s the perfect combination and I’m liking him as a character already!
Final Thoughts
Even when there is a bit of a transition/lull in the series, Chainsaw Man keeps things interesting! The mini-training arc with Denji, Power, and Kishibe was pretty fun, learning a bit more about Aki and seeing an ominous premonition about his future made me invest in him as a character even more. Makima surviving was expected but I thought they would do a better job of explaining it other than “oh, I was never hit.” I mean… I guess it’s a good enough explanation but it seems a bit like a copout if you ask me.
Outside of that one little minor gripe, this was another highly enjoyable volume of Chainsaw Man. Next volume looks to be all action as the battle begins to heat up! With the way this series has handled its action scenes thus far, I’m expecting a glorious fight on our hands! Just don’t be like Sui Ishida and bounce all over the place and confuse the heck out of us. One battle at the time from beginning to end then move to the next one, please!
I have a feeling we’ll be fine, though! Looking forward to Snake Girl (Sawatari) and Samurai Man get what’s coming to them!
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This item was provided for review by Viz Media
