Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto draws an alternate ending for Denji and Reze

After watching the latest Chainsaw Man: The Reze movie, fans left the theaters feeling emotional because Reze and Denji did not get their happily ever after. Both of them had romantic feelings for each other, and after all they had been through in their life, the end goal for them to settle down was what they deserved. Tasuki Fujimoto has heard these comments and released a few illustrations to celebrate the success of this movie.

In this, he has drawn an alternate reality where Denji and Reze end up together. Both of them are alive and free from manipulation and fights. This new take has caused the fandom of Chainsaw Man to be in emotional shambles because this what-if scenario will never happen in the canon story. The movie ends in heartbreak, where, after an emotional confrontation between the duo on the beach after their fight, Reze seems to walk away.

But then Denji asks her to meet her at the cafe, as he would be waiting for her as a symbol of a fresh start. Despite knowing that it was a bad idea because she was an assassin sent to kill him, she chose to be a normal girl and pursue her love interest. Chainsaw Man movie was about to deliver a bitter-sweet ending as Reze ran towards the cafe to meet him, but she was just a few feet away when Makima crossed her path and brutally killed her.

This ensures that Denji’s first real love story ends before it ever begins. As devastating as this ending was, this new illustration shows Denji carrying Reze in his arms while she holds a bouquet, and it is the same bouquet Denji once bought to give her at that café. Both wear soft, genuine smiles, as if the horrors of the past never happened. For fans who still mourn Reze’s death in Chainsaw Man, this art is a form of healing.

Reze’s redemption in Chainsaw Man through art

Fujimoto’s decision to revisit Reze isn’t random. In his own statement, he admitted that after watching the Reze Arc movie adaptation, he “couldn’t stop thinking about Reze-chan.” The movie’s success seems to have reignited his affection for one of Chainsaw Man’s most complex and beloved characters. Over the past few weeks, Fujimoto has released several pieces of Reze-themed artwork, each one showcasing her in a different light.

One depicts her flashing a peace sign in a school uniform reminiscent of Asa Mitaka’s, blending the emotional tone of Chainsaw Man Part 2 with nostalgia from Part 1. Another illustration shows Denji and Reze in motion, as if caught between battle and affection, the eternal tension that defined their relationship.

This final “what-if” artwork, though, feels like closure. By using his newer Chainsaw Man Part 2 art style, Fujimoto captures something raw and human in Reze. She’s no longer the weaponized Bomb Devil, nor the girl manipulated by the Soviet Union. She’s just Reze, smiling beside the boy who once taught her what it means to live freely.

The power of a “Non-canon” ending

It is important to state again that this happy ending illustration is not canon and will unlikely ever happen in the main story. It was promotional material, but for many fans it was a symbol of closure. The creator, with the help of Reze, wanted to show character development in Denji. Many anime-only fans of Chainsaw Man came to watch the movie expecting similar gore, dynamic fights, and beautiful women manipulating Denji. But with Reze being introduced, he finally understood what it means to love and understand that he is more than just a toy.

Till now, the story has not allowed Denji to have a deeper connection with anyone. But with Reze Arc, Fujimoto gave his protagonist and his fans a universe where Reze is dead, but Denji would never know that. This is a gentler ending because his heart feels like she had decided to run away; if he knew the truth, no force in the world could have consoled him. Even if his first love was not successful, he did not watch her die, and as fans who know how ruthless the creator is, maybe this conclusion was for the best.

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Final thoughts

Reze has long been seen as Denji’s best match. Both characters share similar pasts: childhoods marked by violence, control, and loss of innocence. When Reze tells Denji he deserves a simple life, she isn’t mocking him; she’s projecting her own lost dream. Their connection was always built on mutual pain and fleeting joy. That’s why Fujimoto’s new art resonates so deeply. It’s not just fan service, it’s emotional repair. In the world of Chainsaw Man, where love often ends in blood, this single image feels revolutionary. It reminds fans that even within tragedy,

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