Chainsaw Man Chapter 129, Save Me, Chainsaw Man Review. A Long Awaited Team Up.

Ever since the Falling Devil showed up, I have been waiting for Denji and Asa to team up to survive.
Well, Chapter 129, “Save Me, Chainsaw Man” finally delivered this.
Picking up from the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, Denji and Asa are still staring at the imposter Chainsaw Man, when they are struck from behind by the slug-like Devil, knocking them out of hell, while the imposter disappears.
Asa gets up, only to see that Denji has been mortally wounded again.
Yoru then appears and tells Asa to take the oppurtunity to kill Chainsaw Man so Yoru can give her body back.
Asa, however, has no intention of doing so and Yoru knows this just by reading her thoughts.
Frustrated, Yoru tries to convince Asa to kill Chainsaw Man, saying that she always does the opposite of what Yoru tells her and that she is crossing the line by saving Chainsaw Man.
It is a line Asa is willing to cross, as she explains that Chainsaw Man has saved her twice now.
Most importantly, though, Asa states that, “If a piece of trash like him is allowed to keep living then maybe it’s okay for me to live too!”
This shows that, despite Denji’s comedic mishandling of his talk with her, he has gotten through to Asa in some way.
Now wanting to live, Asa cuts her palm with a rock and uses the blood to revive Denji, begging him to save her.
Denji revives and leaps away from the attacking Devil with Asa in his arms but they are relentlessly pursued.
Realizing they can’t get away on foot, Asa points to a motorcycle and tells Denji to steal it.
Living up to his reputation, however, Denji refuses to because a woman is riding it so Asa tells him to steal a man’s instead.
Denji does so, kicking the man off the bike, as he and Asa take off.
It is then that we get the first big team up between Asa and Denji, which I have been wanting to see for a while.
As the two take off on the motorcycle, one of the slug-like Devil’s clawed appendages lunges at them.
Asa then yells out “Super Chainsaw Man Motorcycle!” using the War Devil’s power to transform the motorcycle into a weapon, working with Denji to cut right through the Devil, as the man behind them screams that they stole his bike.
With that, Chapter 129 of Chainsaw Man comes to an end.
“Save Me, Chainsaw Man” is a solid chapter, delivering on the team up between Denji and Asa that I and many others had wanted to see for so long.
There are still lingering questions about the imposter Chainsaw Man but it seems that Fujimoto is going to hold the answers to those questions close to his chest for a while.
As for me, I’m just excited to see Denji and Asa continuing to work togethor in the following chapters.

Attack on Titan Chapter 129: Retrospective Review. From Isayama, Two Months Ago.

After two, agonizing months of delay because of Covid-19, Chapter 129 of Attack on Titan, “Retrospective” has finally been released.
Thankfully, it was more than worth the wait.
In my opinion, “Retrospective” is the best chapter since Chapter 123, “Island Devils”, delivering intense action, a new Titan form, and emotional deaths.
Let’s start with those deaths first; Theo Magath and Keith Shadis.
After temporarily defeating the Yeagerists and helping the alliance escape on the ship with the plane, Magath goes to take out a Marleyan ship to stop the Yeagerists from following them.
It is here that he is saved by Shadis, who earlier blew up a train with enemy reinforcements to save the alliance, and was the mysterious man seen in the window in Chapter 126, as predicted.
The two enter the ship, planning to blow it up to stop the Yeagerists, exchanging names before they sacrifice themselves.
These two deaths are very emotional and incredibly fitting for both characters.
Shadis spent his entire life being a bystander, yet in his last days he took a stand, saving both his recruits’ lives and the alliance’s.
He went out a hero and the world may never know it.
As for Magath, his realization that he would have been happy if had just let the warriors have normal lives is tragic.
Not only this, but his death came as a huge surprise to me.
I was honestly expecting Magath to make it to the end because I thought he would be the one to vouch for the Eldians to the rest of the world if they stopped Eren.
But, nope, that is not what Hajime Isayama is going for here.
This makes me excited because it probably means Isayama isn’t going down the predictable route of just having the alliance defeat Eren and suddenly be accepted by the rest of the world.
Isayama has some trick up his sleeve and I cannot wait to see what it is.
As for the rest of the chapter, it was likewise great.
The action was incredibly intense, with Reiner and Annie taking a beating from the Thunder Spears, the scouts going ballistic on the Yeagerists, and Falco finally transforming into the Jaw Titan and, boy, does he look awesome.
The Jaw Titan has a track record of really great designs; first Porco looked fantastic and now Falco.
It is also kind of funny because Falco’s Titan resembles a Griffin and he has often been linked with birds, like during his introduction in Chapter 91.
I also liked how Isayama stayed consistent with how Titan Shifters don’t have a lot of control when they first control as, like Eren did, Falco attacks his allies after the Yeagerists are fought back.
Thankfully, Magath was there to cut him out or Pieck probably would have been done for.
However, this is where my few criticisms of the chapter come in.
The part where Magath cuts Falco out of his Titan felt like it was missing a few panels and therefore came across as bit jumpy in structure.
Another criticism I have, although this one could easily turn out not be a criticism, is Gabi shooting Floch.
He is shot by her when he goes to destroy the ship with his Thunder Spear, however, if he is dead here then it is a really terrible way for him to go out.
Floch had absolutely no build up with Gabi, so him being killed by her does not fit into his character arc at all.
Sure, his last lines being that he would save Eldia is very fitting but who kills him is not.
This said, I really doubt Floch is dead because Gabi hit him in the shoulder and he fell in the ocean, and if Isayama was really going to kill Floch he would probably have him get shot in the head.
Although, this does make me scared that Floch is going to sneak onto the ship and kill one of the alliance, probably Jean, Hange or Connie.
Until we know for sure if Floch is dead or not though, I will not be holding his potential death against the chapter.
If Floch is dead then it significantly lowers my opinion of “Retrospective” but if he isn’t then I think Gabi shooting him is fine.
If anything, I am interested in how Isayama will end the final chapter for this volume.
He could do something with Floch, Kyomi, Eren, the possibilities are endless here.
In a recent interview, Isayama said he projects the story only have about 5% left before it is completed and this lines up nicely with my prediction that it will end at Chapter 138.
However Isayama ends the story though, if Chapter 129 is any indicator, I’m sure he can do it right.

Attack on Titan Chapter 129 (and maybe 130) Predictions.

With the worldwide threat of Covid-19, it was understandable that many products would be delayed for the safety of those working on them.
One of these was Attack on Titan, which had its first ever delay, with Chapter 129 being held back a month.
Had the chapter not been delayed, it would probably be out by now.
It is unfortunate but necessary to keep people safe.
And, despite the delay, we might get a treat next month because there is speculation that not only will Chapter 129 be released next month but Chapter 130 as well.
However, I must put a huge emphasis on the “might” because this is just speculation and there is no official confirmation that we will get a double chapter release.
Still, even if we only get Chapter 129 next month, it will be exciting to see how it picks up on what appears to be the final battle with the Yeagerists.
All that said, let’s get into the predictions segment.

Will Armin go Colossal?

In “Traitor” Armin was not having a good day, being shot by his own former comrade, Samuel.
If Armin wasn’t a Titan Shifter then he’d be dead for sure.
But he is, and not just any Titan Shifter but the Colossal Titan.
With Armin’s extensive injuries, he might just have to go Colossal in Chapter 129 to fully heal.
This could deal huge damage to the Yeagerists, giving the alliance the chance they need to win,
However, there are some things that suggest this will not happen.
For one, Armin is right next to the plane they need to reach Eren.
If he transforms now then he will destroy the plane, ruining all chances of the alliance reaching Eren and pretty much ending the manga on a massive anticlimactic note.
Not to mention Connie is right beside him and I highly doubt Armin would risk killing his friend by transforming so close.
That’s not to say Armin couldn’t find a way to transform without harming Connie or destroying the boat, he is one of the smartest characters, after all.
Personally, I hope we do see Armin transform at least one more time before the manga ends.
He hasn’t transformed since Chapter 106 and, while I understand why he hasn’t transformed in subsequent battles, because he would have killed his friends if he had, I really want to see him use it effectively.
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if his Colossal Titan will show up next chapter.

Will Keith show up to save the day, no longer a bystander?

Along with the Colossal Titan, Keith Shadis is another contender for appearing in the next chapter.
He looks practically identical to the mysterious person watching the alliance escape in Chapter 126, and in Chapter 125 he did tells the recruits that were now loyal to him to wait for the right moment to overthrow the Yeagerists.
Maybe he saw the potential for that right moment in the alliance and intends to help them during this battle.
The recruits following him had been recruited into the Yeagerists, so it would make sense if they were brought to the harbor to fight with them, only to secretly smuggle in Keith who appears during the alliance’s darkest moment to save the day.
Given his prior interaction with Floch, next to Jean I think he is the most likely candidate to kill him.
Maybe he will shoot Floch and sprout some cool line like, “I don’t miss”, reflecting on how Floch missed shooting him.
Or maybe he could find another way to help that doesn’t involve him attacking the Yeagerists here, who knows?
Perhaps the mysterious silhouette watching the alliance was someone else, although, given how much it looks like Keith, I find that hard to believe.

How can Titans still transform?

Surprisingly enough, some people also found it hard to believe in the build up to Chapter 129 that the other Titan Shifters could still transform.
Their reasoning for this is that, since Ymir is now free, she should have no reason to build the Titans for the Shifters when they wish to transform.
Also, Eren seems to have complete control over the Founding Titan so speculation was that he should be able to stop the other Shifters from transforming.
However, Pieck constantly being in her Titan form disproved this theory way before Chapter 129 saw Annie and Reiner transform.
Nevertheless, how they can still transform despite Eren’s powers and Ymir’s supposed freedom is a good question.
Maybe Eren does not have complete control, which appeared to be the case when Zeke’s Titans were still rampaging in Chapter 124.
There could be some kind of twist about the limits to his powers later.
However, there is another theory that I think is much more interesting.
This is the theory that it is actually Zeke building these Titans because, even though he is probably trapped within Eren’s massive Titan form, his consciousness is still in the Paths dimension.
Grisha did ask his son to stop Eren and with his plans to sterilize the Eldian race now caput, it would make sense for Zeke to find new purpose in stopping his brother from destroying the world.
I don’t know why Ymir or Eren wouldn’t try to stop him from building these Titans but maybe they have some kind of ulterior motive.
Or maybe Hajime Isayama doesn’t have an explanation for how they can transform and is just hoping we accept it, but I hope not.
I hope that it is Zeke who is helping the alliance by giving their Shifters the means to transform because it would be an interesting way to bring him back into the story.
However, he is not the only important character missing from the story right now.

Will Historia appear?

Unlikely.
I want Historia to come back as much as the next guy but, with each chapter, I have less and less faith that Isayama will bring her back before the end.
Honestly, I think the only time that Historia could show up before the reveal of Eren’s P.O.V is after the fight with the Yeagerists, so probably Chapter 130.
If she does not appear after the battle is over though, make no mistake, she will almost certainly not show up until the very end of the story, when Eren’s plan is finally shown and her role in that plan is revealed.
This would be disappointing, since she is easily in the top ten best characters of the entire story but she is being so underutilized.
I just hope that when Isayama brings her back he gives her an important role, like he is currently doing with Annie, and does not just push her to the side and kill her off, like he did with freckled Ymir.
I really don’t want Historia to just die from childbirth when she returns to the story after such a long absence.

Death Predictions.

Speaking of character deaths though, “Traitor” shook up a couple of the death predictions I made in my Chapter 128 predictions post.
In that, I speculated that either Jean and Hange would die in the next few chapters because both had massive death flags.
However, Chapter 128 changed my opinion on this because, although Hange still got a lot to do and say, it does not feel like it is building to her death just yet.
As for Jean, he only got two lines of dialogue in that chapter, and one of those was in his head.
With him being given so little to do there, I now highly doubt it is building toward his death either.
Again, like Hange, he could still die but I doubt it will be in this fight.
No, the character who I found most likely to die after Chapter 128 was none other than Connie.
He was probably the most prominent character in “Traitor”, with that title most likely referring to him having to kill his former comrades, Samuel and Daz, at the end of the chapter.
This blood on Connie’s hands will obviously leave a heavy weight on his shoulders and this makes it seem like his story is building up to something.
Ever since Chapter 126, I have wondered why Isayama included the subplot of Connie trying to feed Falco to his mother and then him deciding not to do so because he wants to make his mother proud.
This subplot felt like a giant waste of time when it was over but maybe it was Isayama building up to Connie’s death.
Maybe Floch will end up killing him in the next few chapters, only for him to be killed by either Jean or Keith.
Or, like with Jean and Hange, maybe I’m reading too much into this and Connie will be safe.
We’ll just have to wait for the next few chapters to find out.

Will there be a reveal after the Yeagerists are defeated?

In Chapter 128, Onyankopon seemed to suggest that it would take a while for the mechanics to get the plane ready so they can reach Eren.
And something tells me that this is not just Isayama being accurate to a plane’s design.
I think it is much more likely that he is planning to reveal something in the space between the Yeagerists’ defeat and the mechanics getting the plane ready.
But what could this reveal be?
Well, I did say that after the Yeagerists defeat would be the last opportunity for Historia to appear before Eren’s P.O.V is revealed.
Maybe she will show up and reveal the truth behind her pregnancy.
That said, I can’t really think of a reason why Historia would go to the harbor just to tell the alliance this.
Not to mention that she probably doesn’t know that the alliance and Yeagerists were even fighting, unless Eren told her this because he saw it in future memories that is.
Rather, I think that whatever this reveal is, if there is one, it will come from Kyomi.
Before Chapter 128, I honestly did not care for Kyomi.
I found her to be a boring character who just wanted money and to protect Mikasa for some reason.
“Traitor” changed my opinion of her because she took Floch by surprise when he tried to kill the mechanics and absolutely demolished him.
Along with her skills, I think there has to be something more to her character, which she will most likely reveal in Chapter 130.
Maybe it will be something about the Ackermans.
It could be something about the Tybers, since she had that odd interaction with Willy before his death.
Or it could even be a reveal about Eren Kruger since there is a fan theory out there that she knew him.
Whatever this reveal is, if it comes from Kyomi, I hope it continues to make her character more interesting.
Either way, I cannot wait to read Attack on Titan again.
Fingers crossed that we get a double chapter release in June but, even if we don’t, I’ll just be happy to have my favourite story back.