Look, I need to talk about something that's been bugging me since Part 2 started. We all loved Denji in Part 1, right? The guy was a mess but he was OUR mess. Now suddenly Asa Mitaka shows up and she's getting like 80% of the screen time. What's happening here?
Let's Talk About Denji First
Remember how Denji started? Dude was literally eating bread with cigarette butts in it. His dad left him with yakuza debt, he had nothing except Pochita. Then boom—merges with his dog devil, becomes Chainsaw Man, and suddenly he's in this whole new world.
Part 1 was basically Denji learning that life is more complicated than just wanting to grab some boobs and eat jam on toast. He got close to Aki and Power, fell for Makima (big mistake), and by the end he'd lost pretty much everyone. The guy went through it.
Enter Asa Mitaka
So Part 2 starts and we meet Asa. She's this high school girl who's terrible at fitting in. She accidentally got the class chicken killed and now everyone hates her. Classic teenage nightmare stuff.
Then she dies. Like actually dies. The Class President (who was possessed) kills her, and the War Devil named Yoru brings her back. Now they're stuck sharing one body and they HATE each other. Yoru can just take over whenever she wants and turn stuff into weapons.
The thing about Asa is she's not like Denji at all. Denji rolled with the punches. Asa is constantly anxious and second-guessing everything. She just wants friends and to feel normal, which honestly makes sense because her life is insane.
Part 2 Feels Different
Here's where it gets weird. In Part 2, we barely see Denji. When he does show up, he's depressed and kinda lost. All that trauma finally caught up with him. He's not pushing the story forward anymore—he's just... there sometimes.
Meanwhile Asa is everywhere. Most chapters follow her around school, dealing with Yoru, trying to have a normal life while also being involved in devil stuff. She's basically the protagonist now if we're being honest.
Why Asa Might Actually Be The Main Character Now
Different Setting = Different Stories
High school drama plus devils is something we haven't seen before. Fujimoto can tell totally new kinds of stories here. It's not just devil hunters doing devil hunter things anymore.
People Really Connect With Her
Not gonna lie, Asa hits different for a lot of readers. The social anxiety, feeling like an outcast, desperately wanting to be liked—that's real stuff people deal with. Denji's struggles were harsh but Asa's feel more... personal? If that makes sense.
She's Connected to Big Stuff
War Devil is one of the Four Horsemen. That's endgame level importance. If the story's building to something huge with the Horsemen, Asa's gonna be right in the middle of it.
But Denji's Not Done Yet
The manga is called CHAINSAW Man. That's Denji. You can't just sideline him forever.
Plus his whole depression arc in Part 2 isn't boring—it's actually pretty realistic. What happens after you save the day and lose everything? That's what he's going through. It's character development, just not the exciting kind.
And honestly? Maybe having two main characters is the point. Denji and Asa can both matter without one replacing the other.
My Take
Right now? Yeah, Asa's definitely more important to what's happening in Part 2. She's driving the plot, we're seeing everything through her eyes, and her connection to Yoru is clearly going somewhere big.
But saying she's "surpassed" Denji feels wrong. He built this whole thing. His story isn't over, it's just on a different track right now.
I think Fujimoto's doing something here where both of them matter but in different ways. Asa's the fresh perspective, Denji's the foundation. Eventually their stories are gonna crash together and it's probably gonna be crazy.
The real question isn't who's more important. It's what happens when these two storylines finally merge for real.
Quick Answers
Is Asa the main character now? Pretty much in Part 2, yeah. She gets way more focus than Denji currently.
What's the deal with her and Yoru? Asa died, Yoru revived her, now they share a body. Yoru's a total jerk to her most of the time.
Where's Denji? Still around but dealing with depression and identity issues. He pops up but isn't center stage anymore.
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