Summary
The following contains spoilers for Chapter 171 of Chainsaw Man,“Special Division 5”, written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, translated by Amanda Haley, with lettering by Sabrina Heep, available to read viaMANGA PLUS by SHUEISHA.
Heralding a drastic change of pace in the ongoing Academy Saga,Chainsaw ManChapter 171 marked another low point in Denji’s story, as he had to confront the devastating loss of one more person he had come to regard as family. As his world crumbled down around him for a second time after the events of the Control Devil Arc in Part 1,Denji gave up his agency, unleashing somethingthat had been dormant within him for quite some time.
For a long time, there were many concerns about Tatsuki Fujimoto’s vision for Part 2, after the heart-wrenching conclusion of the Public Safety Saga. No stranger to rolling out several chapters and story arcs of pure setup to build tension before bringing everything crashing down in a gloriously chaotic mess, Fujimoto’s strengths as a writer were on full display in Chapter 171 ofChainsaw Man,which featured the exact kind of catharsis that was needed for the narrative — albeitat the cost of Denji’s mental well-being.
Denji Hits Rock Bottom Once Again
Considering the kind of life he was leading at the very start ofChainsaw Man, it is hard to fathom things ever getting worse for Denji. Upon being taken in by Public Safety and given the kind of domestic bliss that he always dreamed of, Denji had to contend with the loss of hissurrogate family in Aki and Power, which triggered his first transformation into Pochita’s true form — the Chainsaw Devil.
Despite finding a way back to revert to his original self with the help of Power, the events preceding it established the conditions required for the Chainsaw Devil to re-emerge from within Denji. Fami (the Famine Devil), along with the members of the Chainsaw Man Church who were allied with her, elected to take advantage of thiswhile also empowering Denji as Chainsaw Man, to prepare him for the descent of the Death Devil.
Essentially, Denji’s transformation into the Chainsaw Devil is only possible when he loses his will to live and gives up all hope of leading a normal life. Throughout Part 2, there have been several characters who have desired the return of the Chainsaw Devil’s true form, due to their own personal vendettas. However, the task of meeting this condition is far from easy, since it involvesforcing Denji to experience intense emotional turmoilthrough the loss of his loved ones.
In the Chainsaw Man Church Arc of Part 2, Denji’s body was dismembered and placed in storage by Public Safety after he turned into Chainsaw Man against orders upon witnessing the destruction of his home and the death of his pets. Amid this chaos, Nayuta’s fate was left unknown, as she was surrounded by an angry mob that identified her as an ally of Chainsaw Man. All this was due to the actions of the Weapon Hybrids acting on Fami’s orders, as they isolatedDenji and sought to empower the Chainsaw Devilthrough fear.
What Actually Happened To Nayuta?
Fortunately, Denji was rescued from Public Safety’s clutches and revived by a rag-tag group of former enemies and allies, including Asa Mitaka, Katana Man, Nobana Higashiyama, and Haruka Iseumi. Even after regaining consciousness,Denji was left at a loss for what to donext, as he was desperate to ascertain Nayuta’s whereabouts but could not overcome his baser impulses, culminating in his ill-fated intimate encounter with Yoru in Asa’s body.
While the awkwardness wore off, the group went to a sushi restaurant, where the arrival of Barem Bridge gave Denji some hope of finding Nayuta, as the latter promised to divulge her location. Sadly, this too turned out to be part of Fami’s plan, and the question of Nayuta’s whereabouts was finally answered when her severed head appeared on the sushi conveyor belt. This final, horrifying sight, eroded away the little will tolive that remained in Denji’s mind. With this, he turned into the Chainsaw Devil and brutally attacked Barem, fulfilling the goal of the Weapon Hybrids.
Presently, Nayuta’s fate is still hanging in the air, since her predecessor as the Control Devil, Makima, could have easily survived such injuries due to her contract with Japan’s Prime Minister. Unfortunately, Nayuta does not possess any such power, but Fujimoto has previously killed off a character for a shocking twist and temporarily brought them back to stop Denji’s rampage as the Chainsaw Devil — as he did with Power in Part 1. Much like how he consumed Power’s blood,Denji also ate the Control Devil’s fleshat the end of Part 1, which means that there may be a way to bring Nayuta back, even if it might only be for a short time.
The Hero Of Hell Returns
Just as he began to comprehend what he saw before him, Barem apologized for resorting to such drastic measures, noting that it was the only means to bring back the Chainsaw Devil in the interest of saving the world from the coming apocalypse. Without so much as a moment’s delay,Denji lashed out at Barem and decapitatedhim with his bare hands, just as his intestines burst out of his abdomen and curled around his neck like a scarf.
Pulling the cord on his chest,Denji fully assumed the true formof the Chainsaw Devil — known as the “Hero of Hell” — and appeared all set to embark on another rampage like in Part 1. It has been around 80 chapters since the Chainsaw Devil’s true form last appeared in the manga, and one cannot help but notice the similarities between its design and that of the Berserker Armor worn by Guts in Kentaro Miura’sBerserk— which are even more pronounced this time around. This second resurgence does not bode well for Denji or the rest of the world, given how much the public now fears Chainsaw Man. At present, it is hard to ascertain how difficult it will be to bring Denji back from the brink, and the only person who could have gotten through to him was Nayuta.
Witnessing the state of pandemonium around her,Yoru took over Asa’s body and lookedon in horror at the sheer brutality of the Chainsaw Devil’s actions. Although the War Devil desperately wanted to fight Chainsaw Man at full strength, this turn of events seems to have made her reconsider her initial objective, since she likely stands no chance against the true Chainsaw Devil at full power.
Moreover, after her conversation with Quanxi where she remarked that the Chainsaw Devil was far more fearsome than even her, it is likely that Yoru might finally abandon her hopes ofdefeating the Chainsaw Devil in combat. Ultimately, everyone within the sushi restaurant will now have to confront the prospect of death waiting at their door, as a new collection of Public Safety Devil Hunters lie in wait to eliminate them.
Where Will Chainsaw Man Go From Here?
The closing pages ofChainsaw ManChapter 171 saw the revival of Public Safety’s Special Division 5, which had earlier consisted ofthe Weapon Devil Hybrids that wereunder Makima’s control. Led by an unnamed Public Safety Devil Hunter, the five Devils/Fiends introduced as the next generation of Special Division 5 have been theorized to have ties to the five senses, but this may not actually be the case.
Simultaneously, the Chainsaw Devil seems to be poised to wreak havoc once again, as Chapter 171’s closing panel depicts him standing in the ruins of a building. Next to him, a sign displaying the word “Paradise” adds a cruel sense of irony to the events at hand, where theutter collapse of Denji’s idyllic lifehas now led him to this turning point. All in all,Chainsaw ManChapter 171 is a jolt of adrenaline in a story that was gradually reaching a fever pitch, and there is no telling where things will go from here.
