Denji and Eren—"Two Sides of a Coin with Frozen Emotions"

Polygon's feature portrays Denji (from 'Chainsaw Man') and Eren (from 'Attack on Titan') as "examples of young people with the same deficiencies taking different exits," and it organizes the divide between them as "how they face exploitation" and "where they place self-determination." Essentially, both protagonists "sell off their humanity to maintain their human form," but the counterpart and method of this selling off are decisively different. polygon.com

1. Commonalities and Divergence Points in Initial Conditions

Both start from "loss"—the absence of family, poverty, and unreasonable violence. They both rise again by acquiring "monstrous power" (Denji = demon, Eren = titan). However, Denji lives based on concrete desires to "satisfy his hunger" (bread, bath, embrace), while Eren burns himself for the abstraction of "the history beyond the walls." The former turns his blade to protect micro happiness, while the latter aims to turn the world for macro optimization. polygon.com

2. Exploitation and Protection—"Whose Power Is It For?"

In the early stages, Denji is doubly exploited by the system (Public Safety) and individuals (Makima). Yet, he neutralizes the bitterness of exploitation with "immediate pleasures" and clings to life. On the other hand, Eren uses the system (military) as a stepping stone and eventually transcends it, transitioning to the side of exploitation in the name of "homeland/history/ethnicity"—borrowing the name of "great cause." Polygon's analysis emphasizes this "direction of exploitation" as the decisive divergence between the two. polygon.com

3. Temperature Difference in Presentation: MAPPA's "Heat" and "Expressionlessness"

Denji's battles have a high "temperature of flesh." The splattering blood, immediacy of gags, and fleeting pleasure are all packed into the animation and camera work. Conversely, Eren's later stages are dominated by "coldness." Overhead compositions, rigid ensemble editing, and silent spaces. Both are MAPPA's aesthetics, but the emotions they reach are the opposite. The 2025 'Chainsaw Man -The Movie: Reze Arc-' established high praise with its direction that drives love and violence at the same speed, fueling the resurgence of comparative discussions. Rotten Tomatoes

4. 2023→2025: Residual Heat of Completion and Movie Boost

'Attack on Titan' reached its culmination as a TV broadcast on November 5, 2023 (JST), leaving a comprehensive conclusion to long-standing debates. In contrast, 'Chainsaw Man' saw its Reze arc movie debut at the top of the North American box office in fall 2025, significantly boosting fandom enthusiasm. This temperature difference between the "ended myth" and the "continuing myth" accelerates comparisons on social media. ウィキペディア

5. What Is Social Media Saying? (Organized by Trends)

• Empathy Axis (Denji as a Living Person)
  Voices saying, "He saves me by choosing small happiness even when exploited." There is also strong support for Denji from the perspective of him being a victim of "abuse and manipulation." Reddit

• Ethics Axis (Eren Bearing History)
  Debates on how to evaluate him for choosing "the turning of history over individual happiness." The "good/bad" debate continues even after the conclusion. The Business Standard

• Battle Axis (What If They Fought?)
  On Reddit and forums, threads frequently examine "who would win in a fight between Denji and Eren," with discussions becoming more detailed, including conditions like regeneration, mobility, wide-area attacks, and resource depletion. Reddit

• Meta Axis (Comparison of Direction and Animation)
  The rapid rise in evaluation of the Reze arc, along with favorable reviews on MAL scores and critique sites, fuels the atmosphere of "wanting to compare now." GamesRadar+

• Culture Axis (Easter Egg Discussions)
  The AoT homage (Survey Corps "Wings of Freedom" style design) in the Reze arc became a hot topic, with fans of both works crossing paths and getting excited. GamesRadar+

6. Reading by "Preference" Rather Than "Good or Evil": Two Hero Images

Eren embodies a hero image that throws himself into "historical inevitability," while Denji is an anti-hero image faithful to "the demands of life." It's not about which is superior, but which "temperature of life" resonates with you—social media debates are closer to a preference test for viewers. Polygon also lines up the two not by "victory or defeat" but by "the direction of emotions." polygon.com

7. Core Comparison of Story Design

• Scale of Purpose
  Denji = "Keep himself and his companions alive today." Eren = "Ensure the community survives tomorrow."

• Ethical Base
  Denji = Relational ethics (someone right in front of him now). Eren = Historical ethics (someone from the past and future).

• Management of Monstrosity
  Denji = Cooled by consumption and pleasure. Eren = Heated by ideology and guilt.
  These three differences settle as the temperature difference of their "cold gazes" on screen.

8. Current State of Production and Reception

'Attack on Titan' completed its 10-year marathon, solidifying the foundation for debates. Meanwhile, 'Chainsaw Man' continues with the second part of the original work (Asa arc), with a wide range of fluctuations. Reception sometimes becomes radical, with sharp clashes of pros and cons, but this friction creates the impulse to "want to compare." The positive reception of the Reze arc movie's box office and critiques ignited this impulse. chainsaw-man.fandom.com

9. Common Q&A and Provisional Answers

• Q: Which is "more human"?
  A: The way they handle suffering differs. Denji "divides and lives for today," while Eren "integrates and bets on tomorrow."

• Q: Who is stronger if they fought?
  A: It depends on the conditions. Eren is often seen as advantageous for wide-area suppression and resource management, while Denji is advantageous for regeneration and endurance. VS Battles Wiki Forum

• Q: Why has the comparison reignited?
  A: The residual heat of 'Attack on Titan's conclusion × the new heat of the 'Chainsaw Man' movie × the diffusion structure of SNS (easily cut-out contrast axes) overlapped. ウィキペディア

10. Conclusion—To the Pain of "Choosing"

Denji turns his blade to "live fully in the here and now," while Eren swings his fist to "distort the future." Both choices involve pain, and someone cries. Therefore, viewers overlay their own pain points on the two and layer words on social media. The "emotional freezing" pointed out by Polygon is actually a defense mechanism for our emotions. The comparison of the two is not about the victory or defeat of the works, but about what kind of world's temperature we want to live in—it's a reexamination of that. polygon.com

References and Annotations (Sources of Major Points)

• Polygon's Feature (Main Points of Denji×Eren Comparison) polygon.com

• 'Attack on Titan' Anime Final Reach (Aired in November 2023) ウィキペディア

• Evaluation and Box Office Trends of 'Chainsaw Man -Reze Arc-' (Rotten Tomatoes/Box Office Reports) Rotten Tomatoes

• Discussions on Social Media (Battle Strength, Denji Evaluation Threads, etc.) Reddit

• AoT Homage in Reze Arc Becoming a Topic (Fan Discovery Articles) GamesRadar+