Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending explained: who dies, who is Reze, and how the finale sets up the anime's future

As some may have anticipated, the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending signed off with a bang. With Denji's new admirer harboring an explosive secret, several characters meeting their end, and some surprise revelations that could shape the anime's future, there's plenty to take in after that third act.

Below, we're here to break down any of the burning questions you may have surrounding the Chainsaw Man movie ending. That includes, of all things, looking into Aesop's Fables, Reze's fate, a rundown of who dies in the Reze Arc finale, and a look ahead to what's next for Chainsaw Man. After all, the devil really is in the details.

First, we'll get everyone up to speed with a brief recap of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc's ending, and it should go without saying that spoilers follow. For more on Chainsaw Man, we have guides to the Reze Arc post-credits scene, what to read in the manga after Reze Arc, and when Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc could come to streaming.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending recap

Denji may have fallen hard for Reze but, halfway through the movie, the blue-haired newcomer proves not everything is fair in love and war.

After Denji refuses to run away with Reze, she reveals herself as the Bomb Devil – and her plan to literally take Denji's heart and the Chainsaw Man power for herself.

Thankfully, Beam (AKA Shark Fiend) swims in and saves the day, taking Denji to a Division 2 Training Facility.

After some playful back-and-forth, Reze attacks the facility and kills several trainers and trainees inside. A grievously wounded Denji is put in the back of a vehicle driven by Aki and a car chase ensues.

Denji/Chainsaw Man and Reze/Bomb Devil fight on top of cars, but the emergence of Reze's ally Typhoon Devil turns the tide. Reze further punishes Denji with a leg missile attack, then repeatedly explodes him by clicking her fingers. However, he is revived by drinking the blood of one of the victims of Reze's festival massacre.

In the chaos, Angel is thrown into Typhoon Devil's path and is only saved by Aki. However, the result of Aki touching Angel's hand means Aki's lifespan is decreased by two months.

A resurgent Chainsaw Man takes Beam's advice the wrong way and uses his new chain ability to use the Shark Fiend in full shark form as a vehicle. Together, they defeat Typhoon and, in one final showdown, Denji drags Reze into the sea with his chains.

Denji, Reze, and Beam wash up on the shore, where it is revealed that Denji revived Reze. She spits back, "Do you believe I still like you for real?" but a lovesick Denji still asks her to run away with him. But she just walks off.

It is then revealed that Reze was an experiment from a secret Soviet Union facility. Now living incognito, she initially heads to a train station to leave Tokyo, but decides to meet Denji at the Crossroads cafe. Just before she gets to the entrance, she is met by Denji's superior, Makima, who slays her with the help of Angel Devil.

The very final line belongs to the Angel Devil, who ponders the meaning of Aesop's fable about the city mouse and the country mouse. It seems he wants to be more like the city mouse and have a little more agency in his devil-hunting exploits with Public Safety…

In the post-credits scene, Denji is waiting for Reze – but Power arrives instead. The two fight over Denji not giving her any flowers.

Who dies in the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending?

As you might expect from an adaptation of an arc titled 'Bomb Girl', the body count stacks up fairly high in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.

Among the named casualties are Nomo, an old Devil Hunter friend of Aki's, and the Typhoon Devil. The former is killed, alongside the Division 2 Vice Captain and several other unnamed Devil Hunters, during Reze's attack on the training facility.

The final main death is that of Reze herself, who is killed thanks to the joint efforts of Makima and the Angel Devil, who strikes the killing blow.

Who is Reze?

As we discover partway through the movie, Reze is a human/devil hybrid who fused with the Bomb Devil. Utilizing the Bomb Devil's powers, she attacks the Devil Hunters with the aim of capturing Chainsaw Man's powers. She is also in league with Typhoon Devil and appears to also be working alongside series antagonist Gun Devil.

The final act also drops in some more tragic backstory. There, a report reveals that Reze was part of a twisted Soviet Union experiment to make super soldiers but, in her case, the program went out of control thanks to the involvement of devils.

What does the city mouse fable mean?

Aesop's Fable of the town mouse and the country mouse (translated as 'city mouse and the country mouse' in Reze Arc) is a recurring motif running through the Chainsaw Man movie. Unlike the spider capturing the butterfly in its tangled web during Reze and Denji's swimming scenes, however, this metaphor is a little less on the nose.

As the fable goes, the country mouse invites the city/town mouse for a meal, but the city-slicker is put off by the quaint food. In the city, the two share a larger feast but are chased by a cat. The country mouse then decides to return home, with it being safe in the knowledge that the country is a safer proposition despite the temptations of the city.

The city mouse vs. country mouse dichotomy, then, is the argument between whether one would rather have a riskier, more adventurous life – with the prospect of greater reward – or a safer, more peaceful one. The latter could be decidedly more dull, but those in Chainsaw Man are now gravitating towards being the city mouse in the scenario. That particularly extends to Angel, who looks out at the city in the film's final moments and decides to grab life by the horns, so to speak.

Did Reze have feelings for Denji?

This is a complicated one. At first, Reze merely used her affection as a tool to trick Denji and to manipulate him. The movie's ending leaves it a little more open-ended, however.

Consider the evidence: despite multiple attempts on his life, Reze ends up running back to the Crossroads cafe to meet him. She also questions herself, asking why she didn't kill him when they first met. The act of teaching him how to swim, too, is something that shows a great deal of love and care for someone who was apparently only a means to an end. There's a reason why she flashes back to that moment when she's seemingly dying underwater near Reze Arc's closing moments. Reze probably did love Denji. Tragically, they can never be together. Blame Deus Ex Makima for that.

What are Chainsaw Man's new powers?

In the first season, Chainsaw Man's powers slowly developed, and he eventually used one new ability – that of growing a chainsaw out of his leg – to get the upper hand in the fight.

While Denji's new powerset is a little less flashy this time around, he is able to spawn chains from his arms and hands, allowing him to wrap himself around people – as shown multiple times by its use on Beam and, later, Reze.

How long does Aki have left to live?

There's a ticking clock over fan favorite Aki's head. Early in the Reze Arc, a conversation about a promotion leads Angel to reflect on just how much time Aki has left before dying, thanks to his contract with the Curse Devil.

Despite that, some confusion is understandable. After all, that conversation makes reference to 'five years'. But Aki only has two years left as of the first season of Chainsaw Man. That fated death date draws even closer in Reze Arc thanks to touching Angel's hand and wiping two more months off his lifespan.

Why does Power show up at the cafe?

Power shows up at the cafe in the post-credits scene largely to remind audiences that there is a little more to Denji's relationships with women than outright love and lust. Whether she is the 'perfect' girl the owner speaks of remains to be seen. Maybe Denji needs to do a little more maturing before then?

Will there be a Chainsaw Man season 2?

Right now, that's still up in the air. We imagine there is a very good chance that Chainsaw Man season 2 will get an official announcement very shortly, though, instead of the upcoming International Assassins Arc being adapted into yet another movie. Watch this space.

For more, check out all the latest on Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle 2.