Episode 10

Bruised & Battered (もっとボロボロ) is the tenth episode of the Chainsaw Man anime series.

Synopsis
Katana Man's vicious attack resulted in many lost personnel for Public Safety Devil Extermination Division 4. Aki Hayakawa wakes up in a hospital bed, unable to accept the reality of losing Himeno. Kurose and Tendo then appear in front of Hayakawa, letting him know that they are now in charge of coaching him. Meanwhile, Makima introduces Denji and Power to a member of Public Safety who will act as their mentor in order to strengthen Division 4.

Summary
Aki wakes up in a hospital bed and sees Denji and Power sitting next to him and reading manga. Power sees Denji eating an apple and orders him to hand it over, but Denji refuses to, retorting that she ran away and doesn't deserve the apple. Power lies, saying that she left because she was hungry, but Denji doesn't believe her and they continue arguing. Aki asks them who else survived from Division 4, and Denji reveals that Kobeni survived and the guy with glasses, but he quit. Denji explains that Makima called for him and Power, and they will be splitting up with Aki. Before leaving, Denji takes the basket of apples, but decides to leave one for Aki. After that, Aki takes his sword and asks Curse Devil how many years he has left, and Curse Devil tells him that he has 2 years left. Aki takes a cigarette and as he uses the lighter, he remembers Himeno and starts crying.

Denji had forgotten his manga and returns to get it, but finds Aki crying. He understands why, as Aki had lost many friends in the past, including Himeno. Remembering Himeno, Denji wonders why he doesn't cry for her. He was sad when Pochita died. Himeno was the first to offer being friends with him, but he doesn't feel sad for her. Denji wonders if he would cry if Power died, but guesses no, neither for her or for Aki. He then thinks of Makima, but guesses if she dies, he will feel down for few days, but then continue with his happy life. Denji then wonders if he had lost his human heart, but moments later decides to not think about serious stuff. After Denji and Power leave, Michiko and Yutaro visit Aki and introduce themselves as advisors who came per Makima's request.

Denji and Power meet up with Makima at the cemetery. She tells them that the hotel incident and the recent attack proved that they are after Denji. Denji wonders if Makima will train them, however, Makima explains that she is quite busy and will be introducing them to someone perfect for the job. She takes them to Himeno's master, Kishibe, but before revealing his name, he wants to ask them a few questions first. Kishibe then asks Denji and Power how they felt when their teammates died and if they want revenge. Denji and Power state they didn't think much of it and are not interested in revenge. Kishibe asks them which side they are on: the humans' or devils' side. Denji says he is on the side that takes care of him, while Power says she is on the side of whoever is winning. Kishibe reveals that they scored perfectly and that there are not many like their type. He tells Makima to leave as their training is starting. Kishibe tells them that he is a Devil Hunter from Division 1 and they can call him master. He likes booze, women and killing devils. He hugs them and snaps their necks, leaving them unable to move. He explains that they have the same bodies as humans, but that they can recover by drinking blood. After he gives them blood and they recover, Denji wonders why he did that. Kishibe explains that Makima asked him to train. For some reason, the Gun Devil wants Denji's heart and Makima was worried that Denji would be too weak. He had been training humans in the past, but had been forced by Makima to train a bunch of devils. His then-drunk self then came up with an idea: since he is the strongest devil hunter, the devil that defeats him had to be the strongest of devils too, deciding to keep hunting Denji and Power until they defeat him. Denji and Power believe he is crazy, but as Kishibe comes at them, Power creates a blood hammer and gives it to Denji. However, in a split second, Kishibe stabs Denji several times and cuts Power's throat. He notes that Denji is immortal, while Power is semi-immortal, and all they think about is bashing someone's head. He always wanted a toy he can't break and intends to turn them into the best.

At the hospital, Aki tries to call the Fox Devil, but it won't show up. The two men in his ward, Michiko and Yutaro, tell him that it's because he abused the devil's power and got on its bad side. Yutaro also reveals that he can only summon the Curse Devil a few more times too. Aki then realizes why they are there and the two explain that they specialize in ‘career coaching’, and wonder if Aki is considering the idea of quitting after the incident. They tell him that it's fine if he wishes to continue, but needs to be more prepared and make a contract with a stronger devil. Aki states firmly that the devil who killed his family and his friends is still alive, so he can't quit. The two then leave, stating that they will be back tomorrow with some paperwork. A woman then enters, surprising Aki.

At dark, Kishibe tells a beat-up Denji and Power that he is leaving and will meet them tomorrow at their place. Denji falls to the ground and starts making noises while drooling. Power realizes that his brain has broken again and starts hitting him repeatedly in the head, yelling at him to come back. Denji comes to his senses and asks Power how many times has he been killed today. Power guesses at least 20 times, but she was also killed after him, so she isn’t entirely sure. While going home, Denji mutters to her that he doesn't feel happy if he has to live like that. Power suggests that they run away, but Denji knows Public Safety will hunt them if they do. Denji is annoyed at how strong Kishibe is. Power then announces that she has an idea, saying that Kishibe’s brain is rotten because of the alcohol he always had with him, and they should use their brains to fight him. Denji likes the idea, wanting to be like the smart characters in a manga. The two then decide to kill him with their intellect, feeling smarter already.

The next day, Power and Denji wear glasses to look smarter and wait for Kishibe. As he comes, right before opening the door, Power and Denji start their super smart operation and Power throws a blood spear through the door, but Kishibe evades. Having prepared bottles of blood above Kishibe, Power turns them to spears coming for Kishibe from above, but he dodges them again. Kishibe breaks all the spears and Denji comes from the above floor, attempting to hit him with an axe, however, in an instant Kishibe turns and kicks Denji, knocking his glasses and Denji. Kishibe notes this was their best attempt and they should use more their brain. They failed for two reasons. Power used too much blood and made herself anemic. And two, Denji failed to predict Kishibe's attack. Kishibe then congratulates them for the try and adds that they are done for today. Denji tells Power about it, and she feels lucky. As Denji attempts to stand, Kishibe throws a knife at his head, stating that prey shouldn't trust the hunter.

Michiko and Yutaro take Aki to a special facility, explaining that making a contract with a strong devil will mean the contract should be brutal too. They walk through some cells, and Yutaro explains that this is where Public Safety locks up devils they capture. Yutaro then recalls seeing the woman that entered Aki's hospital ward after them and wonders if he is his girlfriend. Aki explains that she’s his teammate's (namely Himeno’s) sister. Yutaro asks in concern if she hit Aki. Aki reassures him that she didn’t, and explains she gave him letters, which her sister had sent him and she believes Aki should read them too. Reading them, Aki sees that Himeno wondered how to make Aki quit. They take him to cell 108, noting that they want Aki to make a contract with the devil inside, the Future Devil. He reveals that two people have made contracts with him. One gave half of their life span, while the other gave it their eyes, and their senses of taste and smell. Aki then enters the cell and faces the Future Devil.

Characters

 * Aki Hayakawa
 * Power
 * Denji
 * Curse Devil
 * Himeno
 * Pochita
 * Michiko Tendo
 * Yutaro Kurose
 * Makima
 * Kishibe
 * Future Devil

Video Preview
Épisode 10