Chainsaw Man is a manga series that has taken the anime world by storm. One of the most beloved characters in the show is Aki Hayakawa, a devil hunter who lost his close friend Himeno in a tragic death. The bond between Aki and Himeno is explored in the show and is one of the key reasons why Aki is able to overcome his grief and process his friend’s passing.
One of the most significant events in Chainsaw Man is the death of Aki’s partner, Himeno. Himeno was Aki’s mentor and closest friend, and her death had a profound impact on him. However, in a strange turn of events, the Ghost Devil, a devil that Aki had been struggling to defeat, ended up saving his life. This moment raises the question: Why did the Ghost Devil save Aki, and how did Himeno play a role in this?
To answer this question, we need to understand the events leading up to this moment. The Ghost Devil was first introduced in earlier episodes of the series when the Public Safety Devil Hunters were fighting against the Gun Devil. The Gun Devil is one of the most powerful devils in the series, and its allies are equally formidable. During the fight, Himeno is gravely injured, and to save her life, she makes a contract with the Ghost Devil.
The Ghost Devil’s contract allows it to merge with the person it makes the agreement with, effectively turning them into one being. This merging has significant consequences, as we see later in the series. However, at the time, it allowed Himeno to survive the fight with the Gun Devil’s allies. Himeno’s body merges with the Ghost Devil, and as a result, there is no corpse left behind after the battle.
This merging of bodies has some interesting symbolic implications as well. Throughout the series, we see the Ghost Devil depicted with hundreds of arms instead of legs. These arms are implied to be the remnants of other people who have merged with the devil, and they serve as a reminder of the consequences of making a contract with a devil. Himeno’s arm also reaches out whenever she uses the Ghost Devil’s power, emphasizing her connection to the devil.
Fast forward to the penultimate episode of the first season, and we see Aki struggling to defeat the Ghost Devil. This devil had been giving him trouble for some time, and it looked like it might finally defeat him. However, just as the Ghost Devil was about to choke Aki to death, it suddenly puts him down. One of its arms reaches out toward him, holding something in its palm. When the hand unravels, it holds a cigarette labeled “easy revenge.”
This small gesture was from Himeno, with the arm reaching out being her own. Since she merged with the Ghost Devil, she became one of its many arms, and the one that reached out to Aki did so out of her resolve. This sign from his mentor reminded Aki of Himeno, and more importantly, the things she taught him about the Ghost Devil.
Himeno had previously taught Aki that the Ghost Devil’s eyes are sewn shut, which means it sees fear instead of movement. This knowledge was crucial in Aki’s defeat of the Ghost Devil. When he was reminded of this by Himeno’s gesture, his fear subsided, and the Ghost Devil could no longer track his movements. This allowed Aki to calmly maneuver onto the Ghost Devil and decapitate it with a blow from his sword, killing the devil.
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