Warning! Spoilers for Chainsaw Man's Manga

Summary

• Denji has always been unlucky in love, but Asa Mitaka offers his first real chance at romance.
• Asa's dynamic with Denji showcases a healthier relationship than his past love interests like Makima, Reze, and Power.
• Asa's development as the co-protagonist in Part 2 positions her as a potential true love for Denji.

Denji has had multiple potential love interests throughout Chainsaw Man, but his latest combines all the best qualities of previous characters like Power and Makima into one. This is a good sign for Denji, as his love life has been filled with manipulation and tragedy. And while Denji's newest love interest Asa Mitaka also has ulterior motives for dating him, she seems less cold-hearted in her manipulation than his previous potential romantic partners.

In Chapter 112 of Chainsaw Man, Asa approaches Denji asking for a date so she can potentially turn him into a weapon to use against Chainsaw Man, but it isn’t until Chapter 116 that they both actually see each other’s good qualities. After the two become trapped by Chainsaw Man's mysteriously revived Eternity Devil, they start to open up a bit more around each other.

Denji reveals to Asa why he is so desperate for money, and Asa shows that she can be fun to be around when she isn’t lecturing. In fact, Denji even says that she reminds him of an old friend after she makes a dramatic exclamation about how fun she can be. This friend is clearly Power, who used to behave similarly. Though Denji and Asa's brief romance was cut short by Nayuta's interference, Asa is clearly being setup as Denji's true love as her resemblance to other women in Denji’s life isn’t just limited to the Blood fiend.

Chainsaw Man's Asa Combines Power, Makima, and Reze's Best Qualities

Denji's Had a Tortured Love Life, But Asa Could be the Solution

Denji’s main love interests in Part 1 of Chainsaw Man were Makima, Reze, and briefly Power. Though Denji always loved Makima, it's clear by the end of Part 1 that she had no feelings for him. Power also represented a potential early relationship for Denji, but they became more like siblings. Reze was Denji's first genuine love interest in Chainsaw Man as the two had a somewhat genuine relationship until it was revealed that Reze was actually the Bomb Devil hybrid and initially got closer to Denji to steal his heart. Still, there are hints that her feelings were genuine.

A movie adaptation of Chainsaw Man's Reze arc is in production from studio Mappa.

While Asa does share some of these love interests' negative qualities, she takes much more positive aspects. She is fun and dramatic like Power, around Denji’s age and organically developing feelings for him like Reze, and assertive like Makima. Although this last trait can be a bad thing, it also allows her to convince Denji to cooperate with her plan to escape the aquarium. And Denji has already shown that he has grown enough to speak out when she is trying to control him too much, like when he defied her date plan to see the penguins.

Asa is Denji's Only Love Interest That Would Allow Him to Grow

He'll Have to Assert Himself if He Wants a Relationship With Asa to Blossom

If Denji wants to pursue a relationship with Asa in the future, either he'll have to stand up to Nayuta or Nayuta will have to give her blessing

Though Asa's status as the co-protagonist of Part 2 is obviously positioning her as Denji's primary love interest, any potential romance between the two would be complicated by Nayuta. The young Control Devil made Denji promise he wouldn't date Asa before wiping her mind in chapter #120. If Denji wants to pursue a relationship with Asa in the future, either he'll have to stand up to Nayuta or Nayuta will have to give her blessing. Given Denji's character arc of claiming agency over his life, it's more likely that he'll be forced to make a choice.

If Denji does overcome his own anxieties, his time with Asa in the aquarium proves they would make a good match. Of course, given Yoru doesn't share Asa's affections for Denji, it's possible the groundwork for an even more tragic betrayal is being laid, as Chainsaw Man author Tatsuki Fujimoto is known for doing. But hopefully, it is all setting up Asa to be Denji’s perfect love interest and giving the two of them a happy ending together when Chainsaw Man ends.

All chapters of Chainsaw Man are available on Manga Plus

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