Bruised & Battered
Episode 10 of Chainsaw Man begins with Denji and Power sitting in a hospital waiting for Hayakawa to awaken from his bed. As they fight over an apple, Hayakawa asks who from Division 4 survived. Denji informs him that everyone but Himeno survived the excursion. He leaves Hayakawa an apple before departing with Power to visit Makima. Hayakawa unsheaths his sword and asks the Curse Devil how many years he has left to live. The devil tells him he has two years left. Hayakawa tries lighting a cigarette but bursts into ties because of the news. Meanwhile, Denji overhears Hayakawa’s crying behind the door and wonders why he isn’t crying over Himeno’s death. Denji admits that he wouldn’t feel sad if Makima, Hayakawa, or Power died. He’d feel terrible about Makima but can move forward with his life. Denji and Power leave the hospital as Kurose and Tendo enter Hayakawa’s room. They inform Hayakawa that Makima has assigned them to be his advisors and introduce themselves to him. Meanwhile, Denji and Power meet up with Makima at a graveyard. Makima introduces Denji and Power to someone that will train them. The person asks Denji and Power if they felt terrible when their teammates died, do they seek revenge, and if they were on the humans or devils’ side. Power and Denji give the man honest yet cruel responses. The man says they passed and asks Makima to leave as he wants to start their training at the graveyard. Makima leaves. The man reveals that he’s a Devil Hunter from division one, wants to be called master, and adores alcohol, women, and murdering devils. Master grabs Denji and Power and squeezes them before dropping them to the ground. Master informs them that their bone structure is similar to humans. He knows that Power and Denji can recover by drinking blood. He pours blood into their mouths. Denji and Power recover and ask why he’d act harshly toward them. Master says Makima informed him that the Gun Devil is after Denji’s heart. Since she wants him to train Denji and Power, he feels Makima’s worried for Denji’s safety. He also says that this is his first time training devils and admits he’s the strongest Devil Hunter. He plans to hunt Denji and Power down until they are able to defeat him. Master uses his Devil Hunter skills to make quick work of Power and Denji. Based on his exchange, he confirms Denji’s immortal and Power’s semi-immortal. As Denji and Power lay in a pool of blood, Master promises to make them the best Devil Hunters. At the hospital–Hayakawa tries summoning the Fox Devil, but she doesn’t respond to his call. Kurose tells Hayakawa that the Fox Devil may not listen to him anymore since he abused her powers. Tendo informs Hayakawa that they’re here to do career coaching for humans like Hayakawa, who work in the special division. Tendo says if Hayakawa plans to continue working as a Devil Hunter for the agency, he needs to form a contract with a stronger devil who can contribute to the special division. Hayakawa informs Tendo and Kurose that he doesn’t plan on quitting. Tendo and Kurose depart and promise to stop by tomorrow to hand Hayakawa some paperwork. A mysterious woman arrives to greet Hayakawa, who finds himself stunned by her appearance. Back at the graveyard, Master tells Power and Denji that he’ll be stopping his hunt for the night. He promises to visit them at their place tomorrow for more training. Master leaves. Power notices Denji’s completely lost his mind. She knocks some sense into him as he asks her how many times he died today. Power informs him that he perished 20 times and that she went unconscious when he died. Denji and Power head home and aren’t fans of Master’s training regime. Power suggests they try fighting him while using their brains since Master is an alcohol-obsessed drunk. The next day, Master gets ambushed by Power and Denji, who have concocted a brilliant plan to defeat him. Power distracts him with blood, giving Denji a chance to attack him from behind with his axe. Unfortunately, Master catches wind of this strategy. He roundhouse kicks Denji to the floor. Master explains the reasons they lost to him. He says Power uses too much blood while fighting, and Denji fails to predict his attacks. Master departs to get more drinks. Denji informs Power that they’re off the hook for today as Master throws a knife at his head from out of nowhere. Denji’s baffled as Master says prey shouldn’t trust the hunter. Meanwhile, Tendo and Kurose lead Hayakawa to a disclosed prison location so he can form a contract with a stronger devil. As they walk past the cells of locked-up devils, Kurose asks Hayakawa to choose his weapon. Hayakawa reveals the girl who visited him was his teammate’s (Himeno’s) sister. He says she came to his room to deliver letters. In a flashback, the girl hands Hayakawa Himeno’s letters. He learns that Himeno’s father was ill and that she tried getting Hayakawa to quit. In the present, they reach cell 108 as Kurose tells Hayakawa they want him to form a contract with the devil inside. Its name is the Future Devil. It has formed contracts with two other public safety officials, as Kurose explains what those officials sacrificed to attain its help. Hayakawa enters the room as Kurose locks him inside. The episode concludes with the Future Devil glaring at him menacingly with its visible eye.
The Episode Review
This chapter focuses on preparing our heroes for the fight against The Gun Devil and his cronies. It also dabbles into themes of grief and sorrow with Himeno’s demise lingering in Hayakawa’s mind. Sadness aside, this episode introduces us to Denji and Power’s teacher who goes by the moniker Master. Master’s character evokes a similar sense of mystery and strength as Makima does. He declares himself to be the strongest Devil Hunter in public safety and demonstrates his strength in front of our heroes. Although Power and Denji devise a scheme to pull one over the drunken man, their efforts were futile. This episode shares some tidbits about Master’s younger years but doesn’t go fully in-depth with it. Hopefully, future episodes can shed light on this shady individual as fans may be wondering how he achieved this level of experience and ability. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Hayakawa’s character this week. Himeno and he had a tight bond from what we could tell in the prior chapters’ several flashbacks. With the Fox Devil abandoning him, it must be hard for him to move forward. Fans can only wish Hayakawa the best as he comes face to face with the Future Devil. I’m intrigued by its spooky demeanor and can’t wait to see the abilities this creature bestows upon Hayakawa. Overall, this was a fun episode of Chainsaw Man. It proves that our heroes aren’t ready to fight the Gun Devil, and I’m glad we get to see their training regimes. I’m excited to see how Chainsaw Man concludes this season, as I’m sure there will be another one down the pipeline.
