(Spoilers ahead)

The most difficult part of every story, for both the writer and the reader, is when and how it ends. Certain expectations and opinions built up over the story’s lifespan can be met or destroyed depending on how the author leaves the audience feeling. For many, the end of the 2018 manga “Chainsaw Man” was a flop, something that left fans screaming across the internet, calling it the worst ending in modern shonen history. And they’re all wrong.

Many fans expected some sort of cathartic closing to this epic tale, but I remained wary. The author of “Chainsaw Man,” Tatsuki Fujimoto, is known for his eccentric and unexpected writing style, oftentimes crafting beautiful, heartfelt tales with the most bizarre, confounding endings. While I don’t think the end of “Chainsaw Man” is confusing, I do think it was quite unexpected, as the final two chapters were released after the characters found themselves in what seemed like the final fight scene. Despite this, the penultimate chapter still left me emotional and retrospective, and the final installment in the series left me curiously hopeful. 

Many of the major complaints were in regards to the fact that the ending seemingly resets everything, characters, their memory, and events, back to the very beginning of the story, with only a few key differences that prevent the death and destruction we got earlier in the series. This ending, although controversial, was very well thought out, but still manages to leave the audience questioning a few small details, bread crumbs that might hint at something larger hidden in this quiet series climax.

Many others complained that the main character, Denji, is denied his dream of happiness by this sudden reset, but I beg to differ. Denji’s dream, at the end of the day, was to be happy, and although this ending left most of us wanting more, it saves Denji from all the suffering he endured throughout the series. It saves Denji from succumbing to his selfish desire to be “Chainsaw Man,” and even hints that Pochita could still be alive and well.

Though, it is hard to say with full confidence that I enjoy an ending that the writer may not. It’s no secret that creating “Chainsaw Man” for over eight years took a significant toll on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s physical and mental health, and as many speculated, this abrupt ending may have just been a quick excuse to finish out his career in a memorable way before taking a much-needed break. That said, I still believe there is value in drawing your own conclusions and meaning from literature, which is why I wrote this article in the first place.

All in all, I don’t consider “Chainsaw Man” a flop. Whether you loved this ending or hated it, “Chainsaw Man” still gave us one of the greatest manga arcs of all time with its first, the Public Safety Arc, and we can only hope it is done justice when its finale gets animated. And who knows? Maybe the various fan theories are correct, and Part 3 is in the works. But if not, I’m not too bothered. Thank you, “Chainsaw Man!”