Do we like Denji?
A character from Chainsaw Man (2018–present)
Our score: 7 out of 10. A scrappy kid with tiny dreams and a big heart. He's crude and impulsive, but he's loyal and he protects people. We'd back him, and we'd also buy him dinner.
Denji is a teenager crushed by his dead father's debt to the yakuza. He scrapes by hunting devils with his pet devil Pochita, a small chainsaw-dog. His dreams are very modest: jam on toast, a bed, and a bit of human connection.
When his situation turns desperate, he gets a second chance. He joins a government devil-hunting squad and meets colleagues who are well-meaning, dangerous, or both. His hunger for the ordinary things he never had drives almost every choice he makes.
Our score reflects a character who is crude, naive and easy to manipulate, but who is also loyal and surprisingly tender. His wants are small, and that makes him easy to root for. He loses some points for impulsiveness and the mess he leaves behind. We're still firmly on his side.