Fear Factor: What Makes Devils Dangerous in Chainsaw Man?

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Which came first: the belief or the believer? This is a concept used throughout literature, film, theater, and television. Storytellers can’t get enough of this age-old quandary, which is similar to the “chicken or the egg?” riddle. While this concept is prevalent, it’s not always exercised to its full potential. The manga-turned-anime Chainsaw Man, however, executes it beautifully with the ideas surrounding Devils.

What gives Devils power in Chainsaw Man? How are they created, and why? Below, let’s look at the fear factor and fascinating lore behind Devils in Chainsaw Man. (Note: This blog will only cover information revealed in season 1 of the Chainsaw Man anime. There’s no need to concern yourself with Spoiler Devils!).

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Chainsaw Man

In Chainsaw Man, all Devils are born in Hell. Their names correlate to their concepts — or the fear they embody. The stronger people fear that title/name/concept, the stronger the Devil.

Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, a downtrodden teen who willingly merges with a Devil. In order to spare his own life, he agrees to become a Devil Hunter with the Public Safety Division. These Devil Hunters eradicate Devils from human society. Denji’s division, however, uses unconventional means to do so — including working alongside Devils, fiends, and hybrids.

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Devil Contracts

Devil Hunters both kill and capture Devils. Many Devil Hunters use the captured Devils to create pacts or contracts. In doing so, they are able to access the Devils’ powers and abilities to aid in fights against other Devils. Of course, this does not come without a cost. The more powerful the Devil, the higher the price that must be paid. Sometimes it is a single payment, and sometimes the transaction occurs every single time the Devil is called upon. It is up to each individual hunter to decide if it’s worth it or not.

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Types of Devils

Let’s review some of the main Devils in Chainsaw Man (so far).

Blood and Chainsaw

 

The Blood and Chainsaw Devils are technically a hybrid and a fiend, respectively. Power the Blood Fiend is a Devil who possessed the corpse of a human woman. Because of this, Power’s supernatural abilities are significantly reduced. Considering how many people are scared by blood, though, that means Power is still pretty strong. She can also temporarily transform into her Devil form.

Meanwhile, as a hybrid Devil, Denji did not quite create a contract with Pochita the Chainsaw Devil. Instead, Pochita brought Denji back to life after the human was ripped apart. By sacrificing himself, Pochita lives on within Denji — and Denji can thus access all of the abilities of the Chainsaw Devil yet also retain his humanity and personality. Denji can switch back and forth between his human self and Chainsaw Devil form by pulling a cord inside his chest.

Gun

Overall, the Gun Devil is the most feared. That makes it one of the absolute strongest. The Gun Devil is a major overarching antagonist in Chainsaw Man, and its existence and continued bloodshed is a catalyst for many characters to become Devil Hunters. Additionally, Denji’s main mission in the series is to seek out scraps of the Gun Devil. It is the Public Safety Division’s hope that once they collect enough pieces, those pieces will help them locate the Gun Devil so that they can defeat it.

Angel and Zombie

Angels scare humans because they signify both judgement and death. Well, that fear manifested the Angel Devil’s birth. Also known as Angel, the Angel Devil is a Public Safety Devil Hunter. He can absorb lifespans with a single touch, a unique ability added to his already impressive strength and speed. Angel is well-liked by fans and characters within Chainsaw Man alike, but the general fear surrounding his existence is what gives him such power.

Admittedly, the Zombie Devil is pretty spooky. Its strength comes from its ability to create hordes of infected and contracted humans. Using them as mindless servants, the Zombie Devil can increase the range of its attack while remaining farther away. It takes all of Denji’s effort as the newly created Chainsaw Man to destroy the Zombie Devil.

Ghost and Curse

The horror genre obviously plays heavily into people’s phasmophobia. But even without scary movies and haunted houses, ghosts are a seriously real fear among humankind. Whether you believe in them or not, you’re probably wary of negative energy and graveyards. Well, there you have it. That became the Ghost Devil. The Ghost Devil is contracted to the Devil Hunter Himeno. Himeno’s price for using the Ghost Devil’s powers is exchanging body parts. When Himeno uses it at full capacity, her body vanishes.

Similarly, the Curse Devil embodies the fear of curses/being cursed. Aki has a contract with the Curse Devil. The Curse Devil is extremely deadly and can deal fatal damage to enemies in a short amount of time. However, the price is years taken from its contract user’s lifespan. Aki’s last use of the Curse Devil gave him only two years left to live.

Eternity and Future

These more abstract fears/Devils are similar, yet very distinct. The Eternity Devil is able to trap people in a loop or infinite space. Combining existential crisis with claustrophobia, it is an extremely formidable foe. It takes the Devil Hunters an entire deranged and spectacular bottle episode to defeat it.

Meanwhile, the Future Devil is extremely playful and silly. Yet its power is nearly unmatched. The cost of creating a contract with it should be very high. However, it is so enamored with Aki’s terrible and awful fate that all it requests is to reside inside Aki’s eye to witness said future occur.

Additional Devils

There are as many Devils as there are fears. Some of the more innocuous ones include the Sea Cucumber Devil. Yes — sea cucumber. This Devil is easily subdued, and causes minimal damage to humans and property in the process. The Bat and Leech Devils, however, certainly give Denji and the other Devil Hunters a good fight. Both are intelligent and ruthless.

Aki actually has to utilize his contract with the Fox Devil to defeat the Leech. And while the Fox is particularly powerful, it doesn’t really compare to many of the Devils listed above. After all, a lot of us view foxes as cute, cuddly friends. There are even domestic ones. There’s enough fear surrounding those animals to make the Fox a strong Devil, but not the strongest. Not by far.

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What’s your greatest fear? How do you think it would manifest as a Devil in Chainsaw Man? Share your scariest creations and imaginings at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

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Join us from October 26 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!