A new anime season brings with it a variety of different things to look forward to. You have countless new soundtracks from some banging openings to the return of old favorite anime thanks to a renewed season. But one thing we can all agree on is that every season brings with it a plethora of waifus and husbandos for the weeb in us hyper fixate on. And no anime this fall has been hyped more for this exact reason, than Chainsaw Man.
You have something out there for everyone. For the lovers of the classic Shonen protagonist with a twist, Denji fits the bill. For those looking for the perfect domestic husband, look no further than Aki Hayakawa. You want a girl so despicably a mess and yet endearing? Look no further than Power. We even have a flavor for those into the more toxic side of things, thanks to the most ‘Love To Hate’ character we’ve seen in a while, in the form of Makima. But I want to talk about the Girl Next Door turned Soviet Agent(?), Reze!
“I’ll teach you! The things you don’t know or can’t do. I’ll teach you everything.“
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Reze (レゼ) Is The Girl You’d Wife Up, And Then She’d Kill You
I have never hidden how much I love the femme fatale trope in anime. Like, give me a woman that is clearly a villain, but playing the long con by acting sweet and demure to get her way. And I swear to God, she will be my favorite character in the show. Though with Chainsaw Man, choosing favorites is hard, but Reze does come close.
Reze is not only one of the very first antagonists we meet in the series, but also one of the few that you genuinely end up feeling for when everything is said and done. She is the illustrious Bomb Devil (爆弾の悪魔 Bomu no Akuma), experimented on by the Soviet Union and raised to be a sleeper agent. But it’s how she goes by doing her work, that really caught people’s attention. I mean, at first? She was the perfect waifu. Gentle and shy, working at a coffee shop and showing an active interest in Denji.
But just like she fooled all the Chainsaw Man fans watching her, she duped Denji as well. Turns out, she knew exactly what she was doing, and her coy act was a ploy to break Denji’s walls down and attack him at his weakest. Everything about her is meant to attract because she’s a Honeypot.
But hey, weebs are nothing if not extremely forgiving. And we aren’t exactly spoiled here. When the choice is between a gremlin-like Power or dubious-at-best Makima, well. Safe to say, Reze comes across as a Saint. Combine that with her soft girl features (and later redemption?), it’s no wonder she’s become as popular as she is. So, let’s discuss the girl of the hour, Lady Reze!
Reze: A Blushing Beauty Built To Pull You In With Her Looks!
What is a stem of thorns without its rose? Reze is one of the prettiest people in all of Chainsaw Man, and that’s according to the actual characters in it. She’s got this semi-pixie cut, with glossy raven locks and bright jewel-green eyes. Couple that up with her pale skin and slender body, and she ends up looking very elegant while still having this casual and approachable air to her. However, she’s prettiest when she blushes, which is almost all the time.
Even her styling turns heads! With her chic but casual café girl style, she stands out amongst the suits and bland aesthetics of the Devil Hunters. Favoring cute shorts and tops, she looks like your school crush, the girl you met in a busy coffee house, someone so pretty but surely nothing devious.
But it is her choker that always remains her trademark, made to look like a stylistic choice but is imperative to her hiding her true nature. The choker keeps her trigger out of sight, the one she uses to transform into her Hybrid form as the Bomb Devil. And like every Devil, it’s a vision you can’t look away from.
Being the host to the Bomb Devil means that Reze sheds her humanoid look for one that is downright horrifying. Her head gets replaced with an Honest-to-God atomic bomb, similar to the one dropped on Nagasaki during World War 2. And if that wasn’t ominous enough, somehow her sharpened teeth are always visible, with arms covered in bomb fuses and joint to an apron made of freaking dynamite. Because they want to drive home that she is the embodiment of explosive.
In this form, she also sheds her ‘good girl’ act for good, often varying from just shorts to being near nude, with only the apron to cover her. So, how’s that for bombastic?
Reze’s Personality Whiplash!
Here’s everything revealed regarding Reze’s personality:
From Demure Barista To Stone-Cold Military Agent:
I feel like this is a misnomer because, technically, while Ree did end up trying to attack Denji, she also decided to let him go and attempted to be an ally. I mean, it didn’t work out great but it’s the thought that counts! When we meet her, she puts up the whole calm and sweet demeanor to throw Denji off. With her gentle nature and soft voice, she stood out from the other women in Chainsaw Man. So, she worked that to her full advantage.
And Lord, did she play that girlfriend act up. Like, pulling up all the stops she possibly could, including laughing at all of Denji’s jokes, showing extra care in listening when he talked, taking interest in what he had to say, and blushing every time he was around. I mean, the guy was only a teen. No wonder he didn’t suspect a thing. To him, as obsessed as he was with getting laid, this was the best thing that could’ve ever happened! But turns out, that’s precisely what Reze was trained in from the very start.
Reze went through vigorous military training at the hands of the Soviet Union, who experimented on her throughout her childhood. It was intensive and cruel, but it gave her full control over her body. Hell, the girl could blush on a whim! It’s this rigorous regime that landed her as someone the Soviets thought could compete with someone like Makima, who was the Control Devil. In the quest to get Denji’s heart, she wasn’t going to leave any leaf unturned.
But Was All Of Reze An Act?
Okay, no. See that’s where she was different. I mean, she did entrap Denji, fully deceiving him. So, while keeping a generally innocent vibe, she did tease Denji just enough to keep him hooked. By calling him immature and then immediately showing concern for his upbringing, it ensured that Denji never dove too deep into her intentions.
But maybe the whole military thing didn’t leave her completely void of feelings. Because she did show some aversion to excessive violence, which is a downright miracle for something as gory as Chainsaw Man. And in the end, her fake crush became something more solid. Not only did she let Denji go by the end of the Bomb Girl arc, but also offered to run away with him. Which, I mean, I guess that’s character growth?
Professional Affiliations
Reze is currently affiliated with the following organizations:
- Gun Devil (ruse)
- Soviet Union (formerly)
- Makima (brainwashed)
- Tokyo Special Division 5
Reze And Her Relationships:
Here are all the major relationships Reze was involved in:
Denji: A Hunter And Her Target
So, the relationship between Denji and Reze is a complicated one to say. If we look at all the women in Denji’s life after becoming the infamous Chainsaw Man, we see two extremes. You have Power, who started as an enemy in the form of the Blood Devil and questionable love interest, only to go on and be one of the most loyal friends that Denji has left. With Makima, it was love (Read: Infatuation) at first sight, only to realize how she was manipulating him and leading to a terrible end.
Somehow, Reze lies in the middle of that range. Which, yeah it sounds iffy but hear me out. Reze starts the same way Makima does, as someone who is actively trying to ensnare Denji. But unlike Makima, she isn’t doing it out of her own motivations. Part of it is her being a literal weapon to a foreign military, being forced to go through so much trauma solely for this one mission. And for a while, she continues on this goal, until she has a genuine change of heart.
She and Denji grew closer, and that façade of hers became more of a reality. When they originally met, Reze feigned her concern over his well-being, but now she actually cared. I mean, they spent all this time together, going to festivals and hanging out. Denji would swing by her coffee shop just to keep her company while she did her work. So, when he rejects her advances initially, it was a shock.
When it is revealed, she was the Bomb Devil, everything falls further apart. But they talk about love, and how it betrayed them. Like even during a fight, the two had a poignant enough connection to converse. And when Denji revives her after she almost died, well, that was the tipping point. By the time she decides to go back to him, however, it was too late.
She could’ve been what made Denji leave Makima and the Hunters for good, if not for what happened after.
Reze And Makima: Birds Of A Feather?
As discussed before, Reze and Makima almost serve the same purpose in the series at first, until it all goes very, very wrong. But, while Reze was sent as a foil to Makima, we quickly learned she was no match for her.
Makima and Reze don’t really meet until the very end. For Reze, at the very least. When Makima realizes how Reze has had a change of heart and plans on taking Denji away, she intervenes. So, before Reze could reach him, Makima corners her in an alley and has her devoured by rats.
After that, much like everything else Makima encounters, Reze is a mere puppet in her control. She becomes yet another weapon in her arsenal. The next time we see her during the Control Devil arc, she is summoned as an attack at Denji and nothing more.
Reze’s Powers And Abilities
Based on her strength and abilities, Reze is capable of the following feats:
Heavily Trained Reflexes And Heightened Endurance?
Reze is someone who had been training for the majority of her life. So, even if you put her powers as a Devil aside, she’s more than deadly. Trained in the art of manipulation, she can turn any situation her way. But if she fails, she is more than durable to survive through whatever comes her way. (As long as it isn’t Makima, at least.)
She has the fighting skills to keep up with the likes of the Fox Devil, and even evade Quaxi, a Devil Hunter set after her. She is well-versed in hand-to-hand combat and shows it off frequently. She is often described as being just as fast as the Katana Devil, with her powers not even following the speed at which her reflexes respond.
I mean, just a kick from her is enough to damage property around her, so it’s safe to say she’s super strong. And when you add that to her arsenal of powers, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Literal Bomb Proof Armor And Explosives All Around!
Reze might be doing this her entire life, but her true power lies in her contract with the Bomb Devil. I mean, she was the Gun Devil as well, for a hot minute. But the Bomb Devil is the one that she truly integrated with. And with that comes abilities that are hard to comprehend.
When you think of bobs, you immediately imagine a heavy focus on the offense. This wouldn’t be wrong but there is also the matter of how bombs themselves are constructed to contain all of that explosion. Which is why Reze having some of the most astounding defense in all of Chainsaw Man, isn’t as surprising. She is, quite literally, explosion-proof.
But that doesn’t mean her offense is lacking. I mean, her powers deal extreme damage. She can transform any part of her body into a bomb, wreaking havoc all around her. And even when her head explodes, her body can function just fine.
She can even use her bombs for mobility, using the explosions to propel herself through the air. I mean, this gives her the power of straight-up flight. And once she’s up in the air, she can shoot herself down with explosive punches so hardcore, they raze the Earth around her. Not even heavy machinery like trucks survive!
However, her most incredible feat was using a single flare to take down not one, not two but three Devil Hunters in one go. Talk about maximum kills! Her explosive beams almost disintegrated Denji, so it’s not too surprising.
Reze Wallpapers
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All in all, Reze is a character trope done so well, it was honestly sad seeing her go. Though, that’s pretty on-brand for Chainsaw Man!
