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The anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man was one of the most anticipated anime titles of 2022. With Ryuu Nakayama at the helm and other excellent staff members, the anime captured the essence of the manga.
From breathtaking background visuals to apt OSTs for the scenes, the anime had everything one could hope for, including dynamic characters such as Himeno and Aki Hayakawa.
Whether there was romantic interest between them was also subtly hinted at in the manga. Despite their age difference, Himeno had feelings for Aki; otherwise, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself to save him from the jaws of death. This article explores how Himeno developed feelings for Aki and whether they were reciprocated or not.
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Himeno's feelings for Aki weren't reciprocated in Chainsaw Man manga
While Chainsaw Man doesn't explore the theme of romance, given the dark and dreary plot, Aki and Himeno's dynamics had the perfect recipe for potential romance. The taciturn Devil Hunter Aki and an exuberant Himeno have one thing in common- a dream to end Gun Devil's chaos. When Aki Hayakawa met Himeno, his senior, for the first time, he was a new member of the Public Safety Devil Hunter.
A devil hunter's job is an unforgiving one, as one could see death's door at any given time. Himeno's life as a Devil Hunter was nothing but chaos. Having to see her partners die one after another at the hands of the devils, she lost her 'happy' self. Aki was the next partner she was paired up with.
Despite their polar opposite personalities, Aki and Himeno strike up a rather interesting relationship. It wasn't romantic at first, but slowly and surely, Himeno began to care for her partner. She could see how much Aki wanted to find and obliterate the Gun Devil.
Having experienced the rampage of the Gun Devil firsthand, Aki, more than anything, wanted to end the Devil's chaos and seek vengeance. Knowing that it was a suicide mission, she could still see a certain flair in Aki's eyes. Perhaps that's what ignited feelings inside her heart in the first place. She began to realize that Aki wasn't like the other partners in her life.
The dark and brooding type Aki was Himeno's sixth partner in Public Safety. In Chainsaw Man chapter 16, Himeno was seen saying to Aki that the Devil Hunters that the Devils fear the most aren't the strong ones, but the ones with a few loose screws. By then, Himeno seemed to care for her partner more than she realized.
Offering a cigarette to Aki, Himeno wished that it would be a long relationship between them as Devil Hunters. However, in Chainsaw Man chapter 18, when Himeno saw Kobeni accidentally stabbing Aki, she couldn't help but panic. Imagining six graves, with Aki being the sixth one, made her lose her rational self.
Furthermore, the fact that Himeno had a crush on Aki was explicitly mentioned in Chainsaw Man chapter 22.
Himeno strikes up an allegiance with Denji, promising him to get with Makima, and in return, Denji would have to help her get with Aki. Himeno said that Aki's looks were what she liked most about him when Denji questioned this. However, fans of Chainsaw Man would know that it was more than looks.
Aki's will to live, his passion, his vengeance, everything made him attractive to Himeno. She also prevented Aki from using his Sword because she knew that using that power would shorten Aki's life.
More than anything, Himeno wanted Aki to live long. That's why she sacrificed everything when Aki was seen in peril against the Katana Devil. Himeno had a contract with the Ghost Devil. In exchange for her right eye, she could summon the right hand of the Ghost Devil anytime she wanted to.
However, having seen that Aki was at death's door, she exchanged her entire self to summon the full potential of the Ghost Devil to save Aki. That's how she died, saving the person she cared for the most. Previously, it was seen in the Chainsaw Man manga and in the anime that Himeno offered Aki an alternative job where his life wouldn't have been put in danger.
For Aki, however, seeking vengeance meant more than anything. He didn't reciprocate Himeno's feelings. In the end, it was a rather platonic relationship between the duo. Overall, it has to be said that Himeno cared for Aki more than anything, and she wished that he would cry for her at her death, which Aki did.
Final thoughts
Himeno and Aki's relationship didn't exactly soar as one would have expected at the beginning of the manga and the anime of Chainsaw Man. Provided they had intimacy between them, their relationship was cut short due to the ravaging nature of the world that they were put in.
