The following contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man Chapter 103, "Denji Dream," by Tatasuki Fujimoto, Amanda Haley and Sabrina Heep, available now in English from Viz Media.

Chapter 102 of Chainsaw Man saw the return of the titular character in all his full violent glory and penchant for dark humor after he chose to save a cat over six human beings. When Denji appears in his human form in Chapter 103, it felt as if everything that's happened between the manga's first few chapters and now was a mirage. Denji appeared to be the same unintelligent and shallow teenager obsessed with women as he was before.

In some ways, it was great seeing Denji remain the same to his core. After enduring everything he has, many people would have been more solemn or, at the very least, see a change in their worldview. They wouldn't be in a restaurant scarfing down an entire cake with their hands like Denji. However, even though it looks like he hasn't changed from Chainsaw Man's first arc, there is something off about him -- and it suggests Denji's experiences have affected him a lot more than he's showing.

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chainsaw man denji eating cake with yoshida

Chapter 103 starts ordinarily enough, with Denji reuniting with Yoshida while the former watches the people fawn over Chainsaw Man. Yoshida treats Denji to some food and warns him that he can't let his identity as Chainsaw Man ever be revealed -- to which Denji ignores him and stuffs his face. He claims he wants people to find out that he's Chainsaw Man because then "the ladies will be all over [him]!" It's very in-character, but also seems heavily contrived.

When Denji reunites with Yoshida, he doesn't remember him at all -- even though the latter had been part of the group tasked to protect Denji during the "International Assassins" arc. It's possible there have been so many people that Denji has met in his life that he simply forgot, but it's just as likely that he blocked the memory in his mind as his life went straight to hell shortly afterward. After losing Aki, Power and Pochita, it looks as though Denji regressed to the state of mind that was the simplest and safest for him to occupy: the basic need to sleep with women. Both of which are common responses to trauma.

The angle in which the readers view Denji is quite peculiar; it's at Yoshida's right elbow and readers are looking up at Denji from there rather than directly. It's so obviously disconcerting that it looks like he's putting up a front -- like Denji is trying to be an exaggerated version of his old self in order to hide something.

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chainsaw man birdcage denji and yoshida

There are some rather unsettling similarities between Chapter 103 and Part 1 of Chainsaw Man. It's hard not to see the parallel between Yoshida and Aki, with the latter once being a brother to Denji. Although, perhaps the more accurate comparison is between Yoshida and Makima. Denji's meetings with Makima had always been conditional: she would grant him any wish if he kills the Gun Devil, and she'd go on a trip with him after the fight with the Darkness Devil. Yoshida does something similar -- he withholds the eating utensils and says Denji isn't allowed to eat the cake if he reveals his secret identity. The difference here is that Denji isn't under Yoshida's control like he was with Makima. Instead of doing what he's told, Denji ignores him and eats with his hands.

In Chapter 103's last panel, Denji is stuffing his face as Yoshida regards him with a slightly nonplused expression. Above them is a picture of an empty birdcage, save for a single feather. Denji still feels trapped but it isn't as tangible as Makima's control over him in Part 1. It's more psychological: he's trapped by his traumatic memories, and the only outlet for him to escape that pain is through being Chainsaw Man.

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Denji has always made an effort to keep the two identities separate in Part 1, but it's possible that aside from getting more girls, a full immersion into Chainsaw Man will provide him the temporary respite. What's rather strange is a notable disconnect between Part 1 and Part 2. The end of Part 1 saw Denji making a contract with Power, promising he would find the Blood Devil. In Part 2, it's like Denji had completely forgotten the contract -- but he hasn't.

The appearance of the birdcage combined with the cake looks shockingly similar to the birdcage Power had been holding when they rescued Meowy and the cake. It's hard not to see that the cake he's devouring is the cake he never had the chance to eat on his birthday -- and this may be a possible hint that Part 2 will focus on Denji tracking down the Blood Devil.

There is a certain level of comfort in seeing that Denji is still the same in Chainsaw Man. At the same time, through Chapter 103's subtle hints in the artwork and writing, this is a Denji who has been thoroughly shaken by everything he has gone through and is trying to hold himself together.