What is the plot?

The film opens in the Cabrini–Green public housing development, where a rundown stairwell and a locked-off room conceal the remains of a neighborhood legend. A young mother dies there; the apartment houses an altar of candy left as an offering. Helen Lyle, an anthropology graduate student at the University of Illinois Chicago, arrives at the scene to investigate. She is compiling a thesis with her friend Bernadette Walsh on how residents of Cabrini–Green use folklore to cope with social and racial pressures. Helen, methodical and skeptical, studies urban legends as cultural practices rather than supernatural realities. Bernadette joins her in repeating the ghost's name five times before Helen's bathroom mirror as an experiment; nothing occurs, and Helen files the episode away as trivial.

Helen and Bernadette interview people in the projects, and at a later visit they meet Anne-Marie McCoy, a single mother who cares for an infant named Anthony and keeps a Rottweiler called Annie. On site, a boy named Jake tells Helen about a rumor: a developmentally disabled boy was mutilated in a public restroom, an act the neighborhood attributes to Candyman. Helen tours the public bathroom and later confronts a man who claims to be Candyman; he attacks her with a hooked weapon, battering her in the restroom. Police identify this man as a local gang leader; based on Helen's identification, the police arrest him and charge him with murders that residents had credited to the urban legend.

Helen presents her findings at a dinner with her husband Trevor and Professor Phillip Purcell, an academic who specializes in the Candyman myth. Purcell narrates the story associated with the name: an African-American artist, born in the post-Reconstruction era as the son of a slave, attains renown as a painter. He falls in love with a white woman and impregnates her, and her father retaliates by assembling a mob that severs his right hand, rubs honey over him from a nearby apiary, and leaves him to be stung to death by the attracted bees. The mob burns his corpse on a pyre erected on the land where Cabrini–Green will later stand. Purcell's retelling frames the creature called Candyman as both a vengeful spirit and a story that circulates to frighten and control.

Days after Purcell's dinner, Helen spots a clue in a photograph she took at Cabrini–Green: a barely visible figure that could be Candyman. Her skepticism falters when she encounters an apparition in a parking garage. There, a man with a dark presence approaches; Helen experiences a trance as he speaks to her. The man--registering to her like a hypnotist--tells her that, because she has tried to discredit the legend, she must now witness its reinforcement by fresh violence. Helen blacks out in the garage and wakes up later in Anne-Marie's apartment covered in blood. Annie, the Rottweiler, lies decapitated on the floor; Anne-Marie's infant Anthony is gone. Anne-Marie herself attacks Helen in panic and grief; during the struggle Helen stabs Anne-Marie, wounding her. Police arrive at the scene and arrest Helen for the bloody assault and the disappearance of Anthony.

Trevor posts bail for Helen. After she leaves the jail, she notices that a photograph she took at Cabrini–Green contains an image of the man who attacked her in the public bathroom; in other words, the arrested gang leader appears in her photo, complicating the policing of the incidents. That night, an intruder breaks into Helen's apartment. The intruder slices Helen's neck, severing tissue and opening a graveening wound that causes her to lose consciousness. Bernadette, who has come to check on Helen, arrives minutes later; when Helen regains awareness, she discovers that Bernadette has been killed. Blood stains the room and the evidence points to a violent homicide committed in Helen's space. The police return and, on the basis of the bloody scene and Helen's earlier arrest, they charge her with the murders attributed to the name and with Bernadette's death. Helen is judged unstable and, after legal proceedings that follow her arrest, she is committed to a psychiatric hospital.

While institutionalized and interviewed to prepare for a trial, Helen attempts a demonstration to validate her account. She calls the name of the spectral killer in the interview room, and the figure materializes. Candyman appears in the visiting room and slays Helen's psychiatrist in front of staff; the killer's arrival is sudden and violent, and he frees Helen from her restraints during the chaos, allowing her to escape confinement. That night she returns to her apartment to find Trevor living with one of his students, Stacey. Helen confronts Trevor about his indifference and the betrayal she perceives; Trevor defends his need to move on. Distraught, Helen flees back to Cabrini–Green with a single goal: recover Anthony and prove the supernatural accountability for the murders that have consumed her life.

Helen tracks rumors to a subterranean lair beneath the housing complex. She finds a room of votive candles and murals; a wall painting depicts the Candyman and a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Helen. In the lair she meets the figure in person. Candyman--tall, with a hook where a right hand should be--stands before her and speaks directly: he offers her a bargain. He says that her surrender will ensure Anthony's safety and that she can gain a kind of immortality by becoming enmeshed in his legend. To demonstrate his otherworldly nature he opens his coat, revealing a ribcage clothed in a swarm of bees. He leans forward and presses his lips to hers, and thousands of bees surge from beneath his skin and pour like a living tide into her mouth and down her throat. Helen convulses under the invasion of insects; when the kiss ends and she regains her senses, Candyman has taken Anthony with him and disappeared. Helen wakes later to find that a new mural has been painted in the lair: it shows Candyman with a female lover who looks exactly like Helen.

Candyman returns to the world of the living with specific demands. He tells Helen that if she will help him reinforce the terror his name inspires among Cabrini–Green's residents, he will release Anthony. He instructs her to allow the story of his deeds to spread. For a time, Helen plays along: she tells some residents what she has experienced and the legend grows; the name circulates at parties and in stairwells. But Candyman is untrustworthy. At a planned ritual designed to culminate his power, he reveals that he will not keep his promise. He straps a pyre together in a courtyard and prepares to immolate both Helen and Anthony on the same pyre that once burned his body. He means to perform a sacrificial conflagration that will feed the legend and consume the witnesses.

As the flames begin to lick the wooden scaffolding, Helen seizes a flaming plank from the pyre and plunges it into Candyman's torso. The burning timber pierces the space where his flesh and unearthly anatomy meet; the pyre catches and a fierce fire erupts. Flames climb his coat and his face, and the conflagration consumes him. Candyman does not simply collapse; the fire seems to unmake him, his body burning fiercely. Helen moves through the blaze to reach Anthony, clutching the infant and shielding him with her body. The heat overwhelms her; while she pulls Anthony away from the flames, Helen succumbs to the smoke and heat, and she dies as she saves the child.

Residents of Cabrini–Green gather in the aftermath. Anne-Marie, who survived her earlier wound, and Jake, the boy who first told Helen about the public bathroom mutilation, help organize a funeral for Helen. They carry her casket to a modest gravesite and mourn the woman they saw as a martyr to a story that turned lethal. Photographs and flowers pile on the casket; neighbors pay their respects and some shout the name that linked the tragedies. At home, Trevor sits alone, grief and guilt sitting on his chest. He walks to a mirror and stares at his reflection. In a moment of breaking under remorse and superstition, he utters Helen's name five times into the glass. The air in the apartment shifts; the mirror fogs and a presence emerges. Helen's vengeful spirit steps from behind the reflected pane, eyes fixed and expression stony. She uses a hook--Candyman's weapon of choice and the implement associated with the murders--to impale Trevor. Blood sprays in the cramped bathroom; Trevor slumps into the tub as Stacey, hysterical and bewildered, opens the door and finds his body.

The film closes with a new image in Candyman's lair: a mural portraying Helen in a white dress, her hair aflame. The painting occupies the same wall that earlier displayed Candyman with his lover; it registers as both a memorial and an extension of the legend. The final frame lingers on the mural's flames as the credits prepare to roll, and the story ends on the street where the name continues to be whispered among residents, an echo of the chain of events that began with Helen's investigation and culminated in fire, death, and the perpetuation of the tale.

What is the ending?

The ending of Chainsaw Man – The Compilation Part II concludes with Denji confronting and defeating the Eternity Devil, a pivotal moment that solidifies his role as Chainsaw Man. The film wraps up the major conflicts from Season 1, showing the fates of key characters like Denji, Makima, and Power, while also including lighter moments from the "Chainsaw Days" shorts to balance the intense narrative.


In a detailed, scene-by-scene narration of the ending:

The film's climax centers on Denji's battle against the Eternity Devil, a seemingly invincible enemy that traps Denji and his allies in an endless, looping space. The scene opens with Denji and his comrades caught in the Eternity Devil's domain, a surreal and disorienting environment where time and space fold upon themselves. Denji, fueled by desperation and determination, taps into his Chainsaw Devil powers with renewed ferocity. His chainsaws roar to life, cutting through the distorted reality as he fights to break free from the devil's grasp.

As the battle intensifies, Denji's resolve is tested. The Eternity Devil's power seems overwhelming, but Denji's unyielding spirit and his bond with his friends push him forward. The animation highlights the brutal and chaotic nature of the fight, with vivid visuals of chainsaws tearing through the devil's form and the environment warping around them. Denji's physical and emotional exhaustion is palpable, yet he refuses to give in.

Meanwhile, Makima's presence looms in the background of the narrative, her complex relationship with Denji underscored by flashbacks and tense interactions. Though not directly involved in the final battle, her influence on Denji's motivations and the story's direction is clear. Power, another main character, supports Denji with her own devil powers, contributing to the fight's turning point.

The turning moment arrives when Denji, combining his human will and devil powers, lands a decisive blow that shatters the Eternity Devil's hold. The endless loop breaks, and the characters find themselves back in the real world, exhausted but victorious. The film then shifts to quieter scenes showing the aftermath: Denji reflecting on his journey, the bonds he has formed, and the uncertain future ahead.

The final moments of the film include the "Chainsaw Days" shorts, which provide a lighter, slice-of-life contrast to the intense main story. These scenes show Denji and his friends in more mundane, humorous situations, highlighting their humanity beyond the battles and devils.

Regarding the fates of the main characters at the end:

  • Denji emerges as the definitive Chainsaw Man, having overcome the Eternity Devil and solidified his role as a devil hunter. He remains physically and emotionally scarred but determined to continue fighting.
  • Makima's fate is left somewhat ambiguous in this compilation, as her arc continues into the upcoming Reze Arc movie, but her influence remains a critical undercurrent.
  • Power survives the battle and remains a close ally to Denji, her character retaining her brash and lively personality.
  • Other supporting characters who participated in the final conflict are shown recovering or moving forward, their futures open but hopeful.

This ending encapsulates the core themes of struggle, resilience, and the blurred lines between humanity and devilhood, presented through intense action and character-driven moments.

Is there a post-credit scene?

Yes, the movie Chainsaw Man – The Compilation Part II (also known as the Reze Arc movie) does have a post-credit scene. In this scene, Denji is shown waiting at a café, coming to the conclusion that Reze has left without him, unaware of her true fate. Shortly after, Power appears, having returned to her original state after some blood was drained. The scene ends with a humorous fight between Denji and Power over a bouquet of flowers that Denji had originally brought as a gift for Reze. This post-credit scene provides a lighter moment following the intense climax and poignant ending of the film.

The film deliberately avoids a traditional post-credit teaser for future arcs, instead embedding subtle world-building clues throughout the movie to hint at the larger devil society and upcoming dangers Denji will face. This approach respects the tone and pacing of the original manga and maintains narrative focus rather than spectacle.

Is this family friendly?

Chainsaw Man – The Compilation Part II (2025) is not family friendly and is rated R-17+ due to its mature content, including graphic violence, gore, and strong language.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include:

  • Intense and graphic violence featuring brutal fights with blood, rupturing organs, and entrails shown in vivid detail.
  • Dark and disturbing themes involving supernatural devils and emotional trauma that may be unsettling.
  • Strong language and mature dialogue consistent with the original manga and anime tone.
  • Emotional intensity with complex character relationships and moments of psychological distress.

The film's visual style is striking and often violent, with scenes that are designed to be impactful and sometimes shocking, making it unsuitable for younger audiences or those sensitive to graphic content. It is primarily targeted at mature anime fans familiar with the series.