Author Tatsuki Fujimoto put himself on the map with his iconic shonen series Chainsaw Man, which has gone on to become part of the "dark trio" alongside Jujutsu Kaisen and Hell's Paradise. All three are excellent shonen manga/anime franchises with brutal plots, twisted characters, and many shocking moments that keep fans engaged the entire time.
The most shocking moments in Chainsaw Man vary somewhat, with some being sudden, horrific reveals or plot twists that throw fans for a loop. Other shocking moments in Chainsaw Man aren't so surprising, but still took fans aback with their unexpected brutality and other bizarre forms of execution. All of these shocking moments are what make Chainsaw Man such a wild ride of thrills, chills, and outrageous violence.
10 Akane Sawatari Took Her Own Life
Akane Sawatari was the supporting antagonist of the Katana Man story arc, serving as Katana Man's ally in various fight scenes. Akane was once a devil hunter, but then she teamed up with the fearsome gun devil before becoming Katana Man's ally. She also had a contract with the snake devil, and used its powers to fight Himeno's ghost devil.
In the end, Akane was defeated, and she was captured soon after. However, Chainsaw Man's heroes didn't get a chance to question her, because Akane made a gesture to have the snake devil kill her, most likely an involuntary self-destruct clause in her contract. That, or Akane was determined to make sure she couldn't spill Katana Man's secrets.
9 Denji Set Himself On Fire
During the international assassins/Hell story arc, protagonist Denji and his friends faced a variety of brutal foes, including the mysterious villain known only as Santa Claus. Fighting Santa Claus involved plenty of bizarre twists and shocking moments, including the scene where Denji sets himself on fire.
It may be on-brand for Denji to use reckless, resourceful tactics to fight his enemies, but even so, no one expected Denji to self-immolate to negate Santa's use of the darkness devil's powers. Fortunately, no lasting damage was done from this destructive technique, but fans may still have been worried that if Santa didn't kill Denji, the fire might.
8 The Eternity Devil Springs Its Trap
In the Chainsaw Man anime, fans watched Denji, Power, Himeno, and a few others visit a hotel for their next big mission together, and no one was prepared for what came next. They were up against the eternity devil, which trapped Denji's team on the 8th floor with no escape. It was the horror of infinity, a hotel floor that seemingly went on forever.
That was unlike anything Denji had faced until that point in Chainsaw Man, and even now, the eternity devil's trap remains one of the story's most unique and shocking moments. Seeing Denji fight the eternity devil in a bloody fight to the finish felt downright mundane and predictable by comparison.
7 Power's Betrayal of Denji
It was evident right away that the horned fiend Power was a rough antihero who'd do anything to win. But even so, Chainsaw Man fans probably didn't expect Power, Denji's new devil hunter ally, to betray him so abruptly and so soon in the story. Power did it not to get revenge or claim great power, but merely to get her pet cat back.
Power asked Denji to confront the bat devil on her behalf, and then Power sold him out to the winged devil without a second thought. This shocking betrayal became even more bizarre when the bat devil turned on Power too, leading Denji and Power to teaming back up to save the day - and save Meowy the cat in the process.
6 Reze Turning On Denji
By a certain point in Chainsaw Man, fans started to expect every character to have their shady side. Even so, fans thought Denji would finally get a break when he met Reze, a lovely young woman who seemed like the ideal girlfriend.
For a few chapters, it seemed Reze would finally give Denji some overdue happiness as a friend and potential romantic partner, but it wasn't meant to be. Reze was secretly an assassin from the Soviet Union and had the powers of the bomb devil. She went all-out to kill Denji, shattering their would-be relationship and leading to another fight.
5 Denji's Death at the Hands of the Zombie Devil
The very first episode of Chainsaw Man introduced Denji as a miserable but still vaguely hopeful kid with a chainsaw devil, setting him up as a shonen underdog. Characters like him tend to narrowly win their first fights and stave off certain death, but Denji actually died at the zombie devil's hands, and so did Pochita.
It was bizarre to see the hero properly die up front. Even Attack on Titan waited a few episodes to create a fake-out death with Eren Yeager, but in Chainsaw Man's case, the hero's very first fight was fatal. Fortunately, Pochita was revived with Denji's blood, and they fused to become Chainsaw Man.
4 Denji and Power Are Sent to Hell
Partway through the international assassins story arc, a giant hand emerged from thin air and slammed its palm down, a move no manga reader was ready for. Denji and his friends and enemies alike ended up in Hell, an eerie place with countless doors for a ceiling and a grassy field.
It was shocking enough to see Hell itself, but it was even stranger to see the feuding parties call a ceasefire so they could figure out what to do. Then the nightmarish darkness devil arrived, heralded by praying astronauts buried waist-deep in the ground, before the arrival of Santa Claus.
3 Aki Becomes A Gun Fiend
Denji's tsundere teammate Aki Hayakawa had a contract with the fox devil and had particular hatred for the gun devil, the massive devil that killed his family. For a time, Denji thought he'd get a chance to fight that horrific devil, but the gun devil made its move first.
One day, Denji answered the door, and there stood Aki, who had become a gun fiend, with an oversized pistol emerging from his head. It was a tragic twist of fate that helped Chainsaw Man fans realize that anytime Denji opens a door, something horrible will soon happen.
2 Himeno Vomits Into Denji's Mouth
Himeno was introduced as a fun-loving deredere who got along well with Denji, and after the eternity devil battle, the whole team celebrated at a restaurant, complete with drinks. For a moment, it seemed Himeno would give Denji his first kiss, only for the intoxicated Himeno to vomit into his mouth instead.
That definitely ranked as one of the most outrageous and shocking moments in Chainsaw Man, a fine example of the anime's twisted sense of humor and its willingness to make viewers squirm by any means necessary. Despite that incident, Denji and Himeno remained close until the latter's death.
1 Makima Kills Power
After a point, it became clear that Makima, Denji's kuudere boss, was a dangerous and villainous person, but even so, fans didn't expect Makima to blast Power into gory bits. In one scene, Denji was already in Makima's apartment when Power came calling, offering a cake. Makima commented lightly on that, then casually made her murderous move.
Denji could only stare in numb shock, and he remained that way for quite some time. Neither he nor Makima commented on what happened, making that shocking betrayal all the more surreal and unnerving. It would take some time until Denji was ready to fight Makima and finally end her rampage.
