I've seen it asserted that before he met Makima, Denji only dreamed of sleeping in the same bed as a girl, and it was only Makima's influence that made him dream of "having tons and tons of sex". This is straight up incorrect. This page describes how the verb in question (抱く, daku) has a very strong double meaning meaning. "daku" is even frequently disambiguated as セックス/sekkusu/sex (a term frequently used in Chainsaw Man Part 1 and 2) or ハグ/hagu/hug (a plausible enough term considering that キス/kisu/kiss is used). 抱きしめる/dakishimeru, "hug tight", is a different word that more often just means a literal tight hug.
Chapter 1 - first instance
Denji says he wants to hug a girl before he dies. This is a phrase often used in contexts like wanting to "score" for the first time or "do it with her one more time before I die".
And I'll prolly never go out with a girl. [Whiiiiine - Pochita noise] Can't ask a girl over to my run-down shack, and I don't got money for a date either. If dreams do come true, I wanna hug a girl before I die... [Zsshhh - rain noise]
[There are then five pages of flashback to first meeting Pochita.]
Chapter 1 - second instance
Denji then gives a second more detailed description of his dream, which is often posted when claiming his dream only later evolved to include sex. He also says he wants to flirt and stuff with a girl. イチャイチャする (icha icha suru) is yet another ambiguous term (see here), but again, he's not making an unambiguous reference to purely verbal talking. It is interesting that Denji says he will fall asleep in the state of "being hugged" by the girl ("in her arms").
So hungry I can't sleep... When I can't sleep, I think about my debt, and then it's even harder for me to get to sleep. Oh, I know... This is what I'll dream of when I fall asleep tonight...
I'll spread jam on sliced bread and eat it with you. I'll flirt and stuff with a girl. We'll play video games in our room together... and I'll fall asleep in her arms...
Good dream, right? [Pochita: Woof!!]
Chapter 1 - third instance
You see, using "hug" to mean "sleep with" also has a somewhat transitive sense like in English, where a normatively dominant man is the one who "hugs" a woman. A dominant female may even "fuck/hug a man with her orifices". Denji congruently says to Makima "let me hug you".
キミがこれやったの? だ… 抱かせて…
Did you do this? Hug... Hug me...
Chapter 3
Denji says he wants to hug Makima again. Aki reacts like "what the fuck?" presumably because of the innuendo. On the one hand, the event Denji describes is a literal hug. On the other hand, he says he wants to be the one to hug her, even though the event was being hugged by Makima.
マキマさん…もう一度抱きてえなあ はあああああ⁉
I wanna hug her again. Say what?!
Chapter 91
Denji describes his dream to Power meticulously adapting "chapter 1 - second instance" to what actually happened. He refers to a lot of good grub rather than solely bread with jam. He says that he flirted with "a girl", not adding "and stuff". (This isn't "you", so it might be Reze? Himeno?) He played video games with "you guys". He slept with "you" (singular). He does not mention hugging in this instance.
I... I've lived enough, Power. I ate a lot of good grub. Flirted with a girl. Got to play video games with you guys... Slept next to you... (T/N: singular "you") From my point of view back when I was stuck in a debt trap... I really did get to live my dream life.
Chapter 97
Pochita uses that different word for hug that refers to a literal, innocent hug.
デンジ…私の夢はね 誰かに抱きしめてもらうことだったんだ
Denji... My dream was to have someone hug me.
たくさん抱きしめてあげて
Give her lots of hugs.
Further reading: Japanese analysis. Note that it's based solely on anime episodes 1 and 2, around the time of release, and doesn't really touch on "I want to hug a girl before I die" (chapter 1 - first instance), only focusing on the "chapter 1 - second instance". It acknowledges the greater breadth of Denji's dreams and ambitions within Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which I know are important, just, I must dispel the myth of "Hugs are 100% innocent and cute."
TRANSLATION COMMISSION INFO
Date: 2026-03-02 11:24 pm (UTC)New Chapter Reaction Archive
Date: 2026-03-02 11:25 pm (UTC)Interview with the big The Big Lebowski linebowski
- Follow-up on the big The Big Lebowski linebowski
Chapter 133:
She says "tell this guy 'fakkyuu'! (fuck you)". Help.
Chapter 231:
He says "when you and Asa understood each other" so he is likely talking about the exact moment of 217 with the laughter.
(frozen) Hug Facts
Date: 2026-03-02 11:29 pm (UTC)く~ん
こんなボロ小屋にゃ女よべねーしデートする金もねぇ
夢ェ叶うなら女だいてから死にてえな…
ザァァァ
[Whiiiiine - Pochita noise]
Can't ask a girl over to my run-down shack, and I don't got money for a date either.
If dreams do come true, I wanna hug a girl before I die...
[Zsshhh - rain noise]
寝れねえと借金のこと考えてもっと寝れねえ
…決めた
今日寝たら見る夢…
女とイチャイチャしたりして
一緒に部屋でゲームして…
抱かれながら眠るんだ
いいだろ?
ワンッ
I'll spread jam on sliced bread and eat it with you.
I'll flirt and stuff with a girl.
We'll play video games in our room together...
and I'll fall asleep in her arms...
Good dream, right?
[Pochita: Woof!!]
だ…
抱かせて…
Hug...
Hug me...
はあああああ⁉
Say what?!
ウマいモンたくさん食えたし
女とイチャイチャもしたし
一緒にみんなでゲームもできて
お前と一緒に寝て
借金地獄ん時の俺からしたらホントと夢みたいな生活ができたんだ
I ate a lot of good grub.
Flirted with a girl.
Got to play video games with you guys...
Slept next to you... (T/N: singular "you")
From my point of view back when I was stuck in a debt trap...
I really did get to live my dream life.
誰かに抱きしめてもらうことだったんだ
Further reading:
Japanese analysis. Note that it's based solely on anime episodes 1 and 2, around the time of release, and doesn't really touch on "I want to hug a girl before I die" (chapter 1 - first instance), only focusing on the "chapter 1 - second instance". It acknowledges the greater breadth of Denji's dreams and ambitions within Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which I know are important, just, I must dispel the myth of "Hugs are 100% innocent and cute."
Kishibe & Makima
Date: 2026-03-02 11:29 pm (UTC)