Chainsaw Man Hunters

Climbing up from his clash with the Weapon Hybrids, Denji steadies himself enough to ask the crowd whether they saw the fight, only to drop from his injuries as the bystanders close in. Nayuta presses him on whether his words meant he wanted nothing to do with her, while the onlookers grab spears and stab the downed Hybrid. A man in a suit calls for the civilians to clear out, prompting Denji to ask if he can come too. The crowd flings a net over him, certain he is just another Fire Devil contractor, which earns them a scolding from Fumiko. The woman who had sheltered Nayuta voices her doubt about the whole scene as Denji insists he stands with humanity.

A man in a beanie takes charge and stabs Denji, screaming that the other Chainsaw Men devoured his grandfather, then tells the others to set him ablaze. Nayuta pleads with the man to stop and swears Denji is the genuine article, but that only sharpens his resolve to kill: by his reasoning, his wife would never have become a Devil if not for Chainsaw Man, hinting she had secretly joined the Chainsaw Man Church. When Nayuta tries to reason with him further, he shoves her away, and Denji slashes at him in return.

The mob treats the cut as license and moves to burn Denji, who retaliates again by severing the hand of a man holding a lighter. As they scramble for another flame, Denji suggests they simply use the fire already consuming his home, while the older woman drags Nayuta off once more. She tells the girl that Chainsaw Man is her family, and the woman flatly denies it, which makes Nayuta understand at last that Denji urges her to flee only because he loves her. Resolved, she commands the woman to strike the beanie-wearing man, using the opening to give Denji a chance to escape.

The bystanders mistake Denji for a Fire Devil contractor and net him despite his claims of being on humanity's side. A beanie-wearing man stabs Denji and incites the mob to burn him, blaming Chainsaw Man for his wife becoming a Devil through the Church. Denji fights back, cutting off a man's hand. Nayuta realizes Denji wants her to flee because he loves her, then hijacks the older woman to attack the mob and let Denji run.

This Volume 17 chapter of the Chainsaw Man Church arc went out on January 24, 2024. The featured roster covers Denji, Miri Sugo, the Spear Hybrid, the Whip Hybrid, Nayuta, and Fumiko Mifune. The chapter centers on public hysteria turning ordinary citizens into would-be Chainsaw Man hunters.