Chainsaw Man is a smash-hit shonen manga series by author Tatsuki Fujimoto, and anime fans are about to get a taste of this series' bloody mayhem for themselves in the Fall 2022 anime season. The star of the show is Denji, a 16-year-old boy who gained devil powers to become Chainsaw Man himself.
Denji is best described as a lovable rogue of an antihero who likes to break or deconstruct some shonen protagonist norms. He's not an idealist like Tanjiro Kamado or Izuku Midoriya; Denji is all about the pleasures of everyday life, living freely and tearing up his enemies for sheer survival. He's a good-natured punk, in short, and that means he should remind Chainsaw Man fans of may other lovable rogues out there.
10 Ichigo Kurosaki Is A Homemade Hero
Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki isn't a shonen deconstruction character, but then again, he's a total tsundere punk who likes to make his own rules, which Denji fans can respect. Both shonen heroes were once ordinary teenagers, but overnight, they gained supernatural powers and started fighting monsters on the streets, devils and Hollows.
Ichigo often learned on the job, just like Denji, and he had to figure out a lot of things for himself. He also has a tough and cool female friend, Rukia Kuchiki, who is like a much tamer Power. Ichigo also has a cool rival, Uryu Ishida the Quincy. Uryu is Bleach's Aki Hayakawa.
9 Naruto Uzumaki Goes By Instinct
Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki always had supernatural powers, unlike Denji and Ichigo, but he still has plenty in common with them as a legendary shonen hero. Like Denji, Naruto started as a nobody, an outcast who had nothing but his own dreams to cling to. He aimed to become Hokage, and no one is going to stop him.
Naruto is a clever, unpredictable punk with a good heart, just like Denji, and these characters aren't so good at following orders or planning ahead. But Naruto and Denji both make up for it with their hands-on creativity and good instincts in battle, from chainsaws to the Rasengan technique.
8 Josuke Higashikata Is A Streetwise Hero
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
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The wild, carefree Josuke has little in common with idealistic Joestar heroes like Giorno Giovanna and Jonathan Joestar, but he and Josuke Higashikata would definitely see eye to eye if they ever met. Both of them are tough-talking teenage boys with special powers, and they're not afraid to get in someone's face, either.
Neither Denji nor Josuke have any noble aspirations or plans for the future. They live in the here and now, pursuing more immediate goals such as protecting their friends, getting cash, or trying to hook up with girls. They also have unique powers, with Denji being Chainsaw man and Josuke being the sole wielder of Crazy Diamond.
7 Natsu Dragneel Will Act Now, Think Later
Fairy Tail
The fire dragon wizard Natsu Dragneel subscribes more heavily to the power of friendship than Denji the antihero does, but aside from that, they have plenty of overlap as shonen leads. Both Natsu and Denji tend to recklessly dive right into things and figure out a strategy as they go, and they often get away with it.
Natsu and Denji are good-hearted but obnoxious boys who are very down-to-earth and enjoy life's little pleasures without worrying too much about the future or philosophy at all. They'd rather let their friends do all the serious thinking, then impatiently wait for the "go" signal to dive into the fray.
6 Ken Kaneki Became A Hybrid Monster
Tokyo Ghoul
It's true that the bookish Ken Kaneki is more of a dandere than the brash Denji is, but they do have similar character arcs as rogue antiheroes. Denji and Ken were once perfectly ordinary, but then they nearly died and had a monstrous new power placed in them.
Now Denji and Ken are hybrid warriors who no longer fit into mainstream society, and they must fight even nastier monsters on the streets for sheer survival. They also have a tough lady friend with an attitude, with Ken's good friend Touka being a pureblood ghoul with an ukaku kagune.
5 Yuji Itadori Makes It Up As He Goes
Jujutsu Kaisen
The kind protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen is roughly modeled after Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki, but Yuji has plenty in common with Denji as well. They started off as ordinary teenage boys just living their lives, but overnight, they gained incredible but terrifying powers that made them a "half-other" sort of character.
Yuji is the living vessel of Ryomen Sukuna, who's scarier than any devil in Chainsaw Man. Now it's Yuji's job to figure out this whole combat thing and save the day while making it all up as he goes. He's also got his own Power, the tough but fair Nobara Kugisaki, a good friend of his.
4 Killua Zoldyck Lives His Own Way
Hunter X Hunter
The rogue assassin Killua Zoldyck might loosely remind anime fans of Naruto's Sasuke Uchiha, since they are both lightning-using assassins who come from a whole family of trained killers. But attitude-wise, Killua might actually feel more similar to lovable rogues like Denji instead.
Killua and Denji may have different powers, but they both steal the show as cool antiheroes with a snarky attitude who don't tolerate anyone's nonsense. They're unpredictable, down-to-earth, and bluntly honest rogues who aren't afraid to tangle with foes many times their own size.
3 Soma Yukihira Makes Up His Own Rules
Food Wars!
A major part of Denji's character is not just his sudden transformation into Chainsaw Man or his aggressive combat style, but also his down-to-earth, unpretentious lifestyle. Denji has modest ambitions and takes life as it comes, and that also describes Soma Yukihira.
True, Soma hopes to become a great chef someday, but aside from that, Denji and Soma have similar attitudes. They're fun-loving troublemakers who like to get creative in hands-on ways, and they are not at all pretentious, nor do they plan too far ahead or come up with schemes. They'll make something of themselves, one practical step at a time.
2 Mikey Is Wild & Free
Tokyo Revengers
Manjiro Sano, better known by his nickname Mikey, is a classic tough guy punk who is truly free on Tokyo's streets as a respected youth gang leader. Just like Denji, Mikey lives in the here and now, and these characters keep their dreams modest and practical. They don't exactly plan to rule the world.
Mikey and Denji are total punks with a good heart, or at least, a kind-of-good heart. They will fight hard for a friend's sake, but they also like to go wild in combat as reckless antiheroes, and everyone else had better stay out of the way. They're fun to watch and cheer on, but they're not exactly role models.
1 Inosuke Hashibira Fights With Total Savagery
Demon Slayer
The wild Inosuke Hashibira also has some common ground with Power, since they are both brash, reckless sidekicks who act rough and uncouth in most scenes. In other ways, though, Inosuke is more like Yuji, since Inosuke is at least a bit friendlier and nobler than Power is.
Inosuke and Denji both like to live off the grid, and they have a practical, hands-on attitudes while fighting by instinct. They are humble and honest about their goals and intentions, and that makes them refreshing and likable in their own way.