Several ongoing shonen anime fit the "monster hunter" trend, starring trained heroes who use special weapons and techniques to protect society from supernatural monsters. Popular examples include Demon Slayer -- which is set to return in the Spring 2023 season for more monster-slaying fun -- and Chainsaw Man, a wacky but effective subversion of shonen anime and monster hunting.
Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man each star a strong, brave young man who recently gained the necessary power to fight supernatural monsters. They each have personal stakes in their monster hunter careers, too. Denji and Tanjiro Kamado can be compared not just with their skills, but also by who's got the tougher job. One of these monster hunters is making pretty good progress, while the other is a true underdog in multiple ways.
Tanjiro Kamado's Rise as a Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer protagonist Tanjiro Kamado grew up in a loving family in Japan's peaceful mountains, but his life was turned upside down when the demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji, slaughtered the family and turned Tanjiro's sister Nezuko into a demon. That, and a clash with another demon at a local temple, exposed Tanjiro to his world's harsh reality. Tanjiro then met Sakonji Urokodaki and trained for two hard years to control his breathing, wield a katana, and even split a boulder. After completing the official training exam and defeating the hand demon, he began his quest to find Muzan and restore Nezuko's humanity somehow.
Aside from his rookie status, Tanjiro's biggest flaw is his fragile and weak human body compared to most demons, especially the Moons. This is a problem most demon slayers face, being mere mortals who must fight superhuman creatures with blood arts and rapid regeneration. Still, Tanjiro has a lot going for him, such as his remarkable water breathing swordsmanship, the blistering power of Hinokami Kagura, and mentors such as the late Kyojuro Rengoku and the ninja Tengen Uzui.
Tanjiro also has three powerful, reliable allies by his side: Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, and his demon sister Nezuko. They are a tightly-knit team that fights seamlessly together against the Moons, such as Tanjiro's and Inosuke's combo strikes against Enmu and the team's flawless maneuvering while battling Daki in the Entertainment District.
Denji's New Career as a Devil Hunter in Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man's antihero punk protagonist Denji was presented as a deeply impoverished and lonely boy whose idea of luxury was putting jam on bread for each meal. Then, after he fused with his devil dog Pochita to become Chainsaw Man, Denji found work in the public safety commission under the sinister kuudere Makima. Denji was a rare human-devil hybrid that wasn't a fiend, like Power, and he could heal himself just by consuming blood. He is powerful and resilient, but he has many factors working against him.
Denji's goals involve short-term gratification in a pervy way, which inspires him to fight that much harder against foes like the Leech Devil, but it's not a good way to keep his spirits up in the long term. His motivations are shallow and ridiculous by design, but that's more for the audience's benefit. He also lacks proper training and must learn on the fly in mortal combat. That's a tall order for almost anyone, and Denji's battles involve painful -- and often disastrous -- trial-and-error to find a route to victory.
Denji's allies make things even worse. He and Power now have a foster brother-sister bond of sorts, though the latter is also impulsive, brash, and unreliable at times. Denji's other major ally, the tsundere Aki Hayakawa, is rather unfriendly and is absorbed in his own problems, so he and Denji are hardly a Naruto-Sasuke oddball pair of rival heroes. Then there's Makima herself, who often comforts Denji with her charms but may also prove to be his worst enemy one of these days. She has no training or earthly wisdom to offer, setting her apart from most other shonen mentors.
Tanjiro or Denji - Who Has the Tougher Monster Hunter Career?
Demon Slayer's Tanjiro and Chainsaw Man's Denji both face serious challenges as mortal boys fighting supernatural monsters for a living, but overall, Denji has a much rougher time of it. He may have devil-style regeneration and durability compared to Tanjiro and possesses three weapons rather than one, but otherwise, Tanjiro has most of the advantages as a shonen action hero.
To begin with, Tanjiro is much more growth-oriented and is making remarkable progress. He's already facing demon Moons and winning despite being a total rookie who passed his final exam just weeks earlier, and he's learning moves like the Hinokami Kagura to take his skill to the next level. Tanjiro keeps getting stronger, while Denji got all his power up front and has been coasting on it ever since. The main exception was when Denji formed chainsaws on his legs to take Katana Man by surprise.
Tanjiro is also more motivated, being fiercely determined to protect his sister Nezuko and cure her demon condition, which is a better long-term goal than "I want a girlfriend." Denji fights mostly to escape poverty and find happiness in life, but he'll need more than that to take on the Gun Devil and save the world. Finally, Tanjiro has far better allies than Denji does; the former's three main comrades are highly skilled and relatable slayers, not to mention Tanjiro's mentors and senior demon slayers like Rengoku and Uzui. Chainsaw Man's Kishibe is a far cry from either of those Hashira.