The clash between Chainsaw Man and Katana Man stands as one of the most epic moments in Chainsaw Man Season 1. The duel was fierce and evenly matched, but ultimately, Katana Man emerged victorious.

As an amateur Devil Hunter still honing his combat skills, Chainsaw Man was forced to concede to Katana Man’s superior experience.

However, a lack of experience isn’t the only reason Chainsaw Man lost. The story behind their battle is shrouded in other factors that engineered his defeat.

We will explore the journeys of Chainsaw Man and Katana Man, uncover their backgrounds, and reveal the true reasons behind Chainsaw Man’s crushing loss in his first major battle.

Here are the 4 reasons Chainsaw Man lost to Katana Man!

1. Katana Man Had Planned His Revenge Against Denji

Denji’s story begins when his father took his own life, leaving the young boy saddled with a massive debt to a Yakuza Boss. To pay it off, Denji was forced to work as an illegal Devil Hunter under the boss’s thumb.

His job was to hand over the corpses of the devils he defeated to the Yakuza Boss. In exchange, Denji received a meager wage to chip away at his debt and survive, while the boss raked in massive profits by selling the devil corpses on the black market.

However, the Yakuza Boss was secretly the Zombie Devil, a creature harboring a deep hatred for devil hunters. One day, the boss lured Denji into a hideout swarming with zombies and ordered his horde to slaughter him.

Though Denji was killed, he was saved by the Chainsaw Devil, Pochita, who gave Denji his heart. This transformed Denji into Chainsaw Man, a devil hybrid capable of turning his body into roaring chainsaws.

In this new form, Denji immediately exacted his revenge, obliterating the entire zombie horde and the Yakuza Boss who had betrayed him.

Once the Gun Devil learned that the Chainsaw Devil had given its heart to Denji, he ordered Akane Sawatari to retrieve it. Akane recruited Katana Man to help hunt Denji down.

Katana Man agreed, driven by a personal vendetta: the Yakuza Boss Denji had slaughtered was actually Katana Man’s beloved grandfather.

Reason #1: The first reason Chainsaw Man lost was that Denji had no idea he was the target of Katana Man’s revenge. While Denji remained oblivious, Katana Man and Akane Sawatari had meticulously prepared their plan to assassinate him.

2. Makima Had Not Yet Trained Denji as a Public Safety Devil Hunter

After receiving reports that Special Division 4 had been trapped in a hotel for days by a devil demanding Denji’s heart, Makima began to recognize the looming danger surrounding him. The devil had even offered a contract to free Division 4, provided they killed Denji.

In response, Makima took a business trip by train from Tokyo to Kyoto, intending to request the higher-ups’ assistance in protecting Denji.

However, the journey was marred by tragedy. A group of Yakuza launched a coordinated shooting spree targeting all Public Safety Devil Hunter divisions in Tokyo. The ambush killed numerous members, prompting several survivors to resign.

Even Makima, while en route to Kyoto, was targeted in a train shootout. Undeterred, she effortlessly dispatched the Yakuza with her extraordinary abilities. Following the incident, Makima was appointed as the new leader of Special Division 4.

Makima soon discovered that Katana Man and Akane Sawatari were the masterminds behind the shootings, tasked by the Gun Devil to steal Denji’s heart. To counter this threat, Makima decided to have Denji and Power train under Kishibe, a mentor notorious for his brutal methods. Her primary goal was to strengthen Division 4’s newest members, especially since Denji was now the Gun Devil’s prime target.

Reason #2: Chainsaw Man lost due to Denji’s lack of experience and training. When first recruited as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, Makima didn’t immediately send Denji to train under Kishibe. Instead, the amateur Denji was immediately dispatched on devil-hunting missions with Division 4, leaving him entirely unprepared for a serious threat like Katana Man.

3. Denji Was Caught Off Guard by Katana Man

While Denji was enjoying a bowl of ramen with Power, Aki, and Himeno, Katana Man happened to be sitting at a nearby table. Between bites, Katana Man grumbled about the ramen tasting awful, to which Power and Denji retorted that their food was delicious.

Although Katana Man spoke as if talking to himself, every word felt like a pointed jab directed at Denji. He began recounting stories of his grandfather, the Yakuza Boss. He described him as a kindhearted man who often took him to fine dining restaurants and bought him whatever he desired, funded by illegal business profits.

Tensions peaked when Katana Man showed Denji a childhood photo of him and his grandfather. Without warning, Katana Man drew a pistol and fired. The bullet lodged straight in Denji’s forehead, dropping him instantly. Katana Man then began firing blindly at Power, Aki, and Himeno.

Reason #3: Denji was completely unprepared for a fight. He had gone to the restaurant simply to relax and joke around with his Division 4 teammates, whereas Katana Man had arrived with the explicit intent of revenge. Armed and meticulously prepared, Katana Man held a massive tactical advantage.

4. The Fight Itself: Denji Was Outmatched in Combat

With Denji unconscious from the gunshot to his head, Himeno made her ultimate sacrifice. Even as she died fighting Akane Sawatari, the power of her Ghost Devil’s hand managed to pull the cord on Denji’s chest. This revived him, triggering his transformation into Chainsaw Man.

In his Chainsaw Man form, Denji admitted how much he enjoyed fighting bad guys. It meant he didn’t have to feel guilty or fear judgment when unleashing brutal violence to destroy Katana Man.

The battle ignited, with Chainsaw Man and Katana Man violently clashing. Chainsaws and blades met in a flurry of sparks and grinding steel. Chainsaw Man managed to land a crushing blow on his opponent’s body, but Katana Man swiftly retaliated, landing a sword strike that sent Chainsaw Man flying.

The situation escalated when two of Katana Man’s henchmen opened fire on Chainsaw Man. Denji dispatched them in seconds. The main showdown resumed, chainsaws and katana clashing once more. This time, Chainsaw Man sustained severe injuries from his opponent’s relentless sword strikes.

In a surge of overconfidence, Chainsaw Man took one of the henchmen hostage, threatening to tear him to shreds if Katana Man moved. Seeing this, Katana Man crouched down, appearing to surrender. Chainsaw Man mistakenly assumed Katana Man couldn’t bear to see his subordinate killed.

In reality, Katana Man was merely winding up for his ultimate sword draw. In one blindingly fast motion, Katana Man sliced cleanly through both the hostage and Chainsaw Man. Completely defeated and unconscious, Chainsaw Man fell, leaving Katana Man to order his surviving men to load up Denji’s severed body.

Reason #4: Denji was simply too naive as a Devil Hunter. He genuinely thought Katana Man cared about his subordinate’s safety, failing to realize that Katana Man was a ruthless villain willing to do absolutely anything to secure victory.