Warning: Contains spoilers to Chapter 98 of the Man with the Chainsaw.
The mascot characters are an iconic part of Shonen Jump, but the return of the “Chainsaw Man” just introduced one of them only to kill him in a heartbreaking and funny scene. With the return of “Chainsaw Man” reminding fans why this is the best R-rated Shonen Jump series, it only makes sense that it will start by blowing up the big senen trail. Apparently, the world of a Man with a chainsaw is big enough for only one mascot, so fans of the Honor should not be afraid of replacing the charming decile.
Although this is far from necessary, many of the most iconic Shonen Jump manga have prominent characters who often have the appearance of animals and often serve as a silly comedic character. Characters like Chopper from One Piece, Con from Bleach, and Panda from Jujutsu Kaisen all create moments of levity between each of the more serious moments of their series. Even the Man with the Chainsaw himself has a talisman in a distorted version of Kurama Naruto, the devil with the chainsaw Pochita, which is not only an important element of the series, but also marks the beginning of each volume.
Now in the 98th chapter of “The Man with the Chainsaw” there is a new character-a mascot. Largely unrelated to the plight of the series’ protagonist, Dangi, the new chapter introduces readers to a class that has just met its new cool pet, a chicken devil named Bucky. Headless and wearing a bow tie, the devil is glad to meet the class. Unfortunately for Bucky, the class teacher informs his students that after three months of taking care of Bucky, they are going to kill and eat him, much to Bucky’s shock. Despite Bucky’s terrible situation and demonic nature, the class instantly falls in love with him. The only dissenter is a girl named Asa, whose family was killed by devils. After three weeks of Bucky, the whole class votes to spare Bucky, which was the teacher’s original plan all along. Bucky even convinces Asa to come out of his shell and play soccer with the rest of the class. Unfortunately, when Asa is carrying Bucky to go play, she stumbles and crushes the poor guy, killing him.
Once the “Man with a Chainsaw” on the first page proved that this is a masterpiece of senen, and all these advantages are present here. One thing that makes “The Man with the Chainsaw” so wonderful is how well it combines comedy and tragedy. Bucky is a perfect example of this. His puns with eggs are so unconvincing that they turn into funny, and because of his general friendliness, it’s hard not to cheer for him. It’s a real moment of relief when the class votes to spare him from execution. However, it all falls apart in perfect comedic timing, courtesy of Asa. This is the perfect embodiment of what makes “The Man with the Chainsaw” so special.
Part 1 of the series proved that the Chainsaw Man is an R—rated manga deconstruction like Naruto, so it makes sense to introduce and then quickly kill a character like Bucky. Although fans of “The Man with the Chainsaw” still use Pochita as a traditional Shonen Jump mascot, Bucky will always leave a void.
