Spoiler warning: This ranking reveals major deaths and apparent deaths across Chainsaw Man Parts 1 and 2. Aki Hayakawa’s fate is the series’ most devastating loss: it turns his role as Denji’s protector into the source of Denji’s deepest trauma. The order below is editorial, not official. It weighs emotional bonds, sacrifice and lost possibility, the shock of the loss, and its consequences for those left behind.
How this ranking treats death in Chainsaw Man
This list includes humans, devils and fiends when their losses carry significant emotional or plot weight. It includes apparent deaths when the moment itself matters, even if survival, revival or reincarnation complicates what “dead” means in the series. That means an apparent loss and a later, more definitive loss can both count when they serve different emotional purposes. The roster is a considered selection, not an exhaustive index or a claim of universal fan consensus.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Dark Souls: The Complete Collection (Graphic Novel) | $19.66 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Fellspyre Chronicles Book I | $29.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Sandman Book One | $13.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black | $11.21 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Dark One, Book 1 | $18.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The manga is the authority for each scene. Official summaries offer helpful context: Shueisha’s volume 6 synopsis sets up Denji’s invitation to run away with Reze; volumes 9 and 10 frame Aki’s looming fate and Denji’s despair; volume 11 covers the culmination of the Makima conflict. The official Shueisha/JUMP volume catalog does not itself provide a complete death list.
What is the saddest death in Chainsaw Man?
1. Aki Hayakawa
Aki’s death is devastating because the person who spent so much of the story trying to protect Denji and Power becomes the danger Denji has to face. His fate is bound up with the Gun Devil and the violence that has consumed his life, but the emotional center is the bond built inside their unlikely household. Official volume 10 copy explicitly frames Denji’s response as profound despair; volume 9 signals Aki’s fateful future. The tragedy is not only that Aki dies, but that Denji is forced into a cruelly intimate confrontation with the person he loves as family. (Shueisha/JUMP volume summaries)
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match#1 Best Overall
2. Power’s final sacrifice
Power’s arc makes her loss hit twice: an earlier apparent death leaves Denji broken, and her later return gives her a chance to act for him. The sacrifice matters because it reverses the selfish, combative image she first presented. By then, their chaotic companionship has become a genuine bond, and Power’s choice gives Denji a reason to keep going. Her fiend nature makes the question of permanence more complicated than an ordinary human death, but it does not erase the emotional force of what she gives up.
3. Himeno
Himeno’s death is painful both as a sudden sacrifice and as the loss of Aki’s closest partner. She gives everything she can to protect him during the fight with the Eternity Devil, leaving Aki to reckon with the cost of their work and the feelings neither had resolved. The official anime character guide identifies her as Aki’s partner, which is essential context for understanding why her absence shapes him so strongly. (Official anime character guide)
4. Nayuta
Nayuta’s death strikes at the fragile domestic life Denji had tried to build after Part 1. Her place in his life is not simply that of a dependent: she is the person he is trying to keep safe while also learning how to care for someone. Shueisha’s volume 20 synopsis directly connects her death to Black Chainsaw Man’s rampage, making the loss a major Part 2 turning point rather than incidental tragedy. (Shueisha volume 20)
Rank #2
5. Reze’s lost chance at an ordinary life
Reze’s story is built around a possibility Denji can barely believe: someone might choose him, and the two of them might run away together. That hope collides with the violence and manipulation surrounding them. Her loss hurts because the romance is not just a brief flirtation; it offers Denji a glimpse of a different future, then leaves him waiting for a meeting that never comes. Shueisha’s volume 6 synopsis foregrounds the invitation to run away, the hinge on which that possibility turns. (Shueisha/JUMP volume summaries)
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
6. Angel Devil
Angel’s quiet resignation makes his fate especially bleak. He has little desire to keep living, yet his memories and relationship with Aki reveal a tenderness beneath that detachment. His loss matters because it leaves Aki with one more painful reminder that the people around him are being consumed by the same system and conflict he cannot escape.
7. Beam
Beam’s devotion to Chainsaw Man is exuberant and strange, but it becomes moving because it is so wholehearted. He fights beside Denji with an enthusiasm that makes their partnership feel unexpectedly warm. When Beam is gone, the loss is not only of a capable ally; it is the disappearance of one of the few people who meets Denji with uncomplicated admiration.
Rank #3
8. Violence Fiend (Galgali)
Galgali’s gentleness contrasts with the fearsome name and mask associated with him. His restraint and concern for others make him feel like a rare, decent presence in a world that turns nearly everyone into a weapon. His death adds to the sense that kindness offers no reliable protection in Public Safety’s battles.
9. Makima
Makima’s death is not conventionally tragic: she is the architect of immense suffering, and defeating her is necessary for Denji’s freedom. What makes the ending emotionally complicated is the gulf between Denji’s desire to be loved by her and the reality of her control. The culmination of their conflict closes a relationship that shaped his hopes, even as it ends the immediate threat. Shueisha’s volume 11 synopsis places that confrontation at the heart of the volume. (Shueisha/JUMP volume summaries)
10. Yuko
Yuko’s friendship with Asa begins with a sincere desire to help, but her attempt to protect Asa takes a disastrous turn. The tragedy is in the gap between intention and consequence: she wants to be a good friend, yet becomes entangled in the violence and fear that define Asa’s world. Her loss makes the possibility of an ordinary friendship feel precarious.
Rank #4
11. Pochita’s apparent death
Denji’s first loss is the event that makes the rest of his life possible. Pochita appears to die after Denji is attacked, but the devil becomes Denji’s heart and saves him. It belongs here as an apparent death rather than a permanent one: the moment is heartbreaking because Denji believes he has lost his only friend, while its reversal establishes the bond at the center of the series.
12. Nomo
Nomo’s death in the Reze conflict underscores the human cost of a battle between extraordinary forces. The character is a less intimate loss for Denji than Aki, Himeno or Power, so the impact comes less from a developed personal bond and more from the sudden exposure of ordinary hunters to catastrophic violence. A 2025 GamesRadar+ recap of the Reze Arc adaptation identifies Nomo among the casualties; the manga remains the source for the scene itself.
13. Division 2’s vice captain
The vice captain’s death is another reminder that the hunters facing Reze are not abstract reinforcements. They are people caught in a fight they cannot control. The loss has less personal buildup than the central cast’s deaths, but its suddenness helps make the arc’s violence feel indiscriminate. The 2025 GamesRadar+ adaptation recap names the vice captain among the casualties.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Best Value
14. Typhoon Devil
Typhoon Devil’s defeat is less emotionally intimate than the human losses around it, but it contributes to the arc’s escalating sense of danger. It also illustrates how the series treats devils as combatants whose presence can alter the fate of everyone nearby. A 2025 GamesRadar+ recap of the film adaptation lists Typhoon Devil among the casualties; that adaptation account should not be mistaken for a full manga death index.
15. Other unnamed hunters in the Reze conflict
The unnamed hunters lost in the Reze arc are difficult to rank above characters whose relationships with Denji or Aki are developed across the story. Their deaths still matter as part of the toll of the conflict: the story does not make every casualty a major character, and that impersonal scale is part of the horror. The adaptation recap cited above reports additional unnamed hunter casualties, but does not establish a comprehensive manga count.
16. The comrades lost before Aki’s fate
The deaths of Aki’s fellow hunters matter cumulatively. They help explain his grimness, his attachment to the few people left beside him, and the sense that his pursuit of vengeance has already taken too much. Shueisha’s volume 9 synopsis signals that many comrades have died and points toward Aki’s own fate. This entry represents that accumulated loss rather than one single, fully characterized death.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Chainsaw Man deaths hit Denji hardest?
Aki, Power and Nayuta are the losses most directly tied to Denji’s experience of family. Aki and Power are the people with whom he shares a home and a daily life; Nayuta becomes the person he tries to protect as he attempts to make a more stable life. Reze hurts for a different reason: she represents a possible romantic future. Pochita’s apparent death is the foundational loss, even though it is reversed through their bond.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor readers revisiting these arcs, VIZ lists the Chainsaw Man manga and related releases, including the Public Safety Arc box set. Availability can change. See VIZ’s official Chainsaw Man series page.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
