Chainsaw Man chapter 170: Barem's true plan for Denji seemingly leads to Nayuta's gruesome death

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 was expected to continue Barem Bridge’s pitch to Denji regarding his being able to see Control Devil Nayuta, albeit in a confusing manner. Officially released on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the issue also revealed what Barem’s true goal here is, clearly still working with the Chainsaw Man Church in mind given his alleged ideals.

However, Chainsaw Man chapter 170 also brought with it a very shocking and upsetting reveal in the process of Barem executing his plan for Denji’s true transformation. Unfortunately, this reveal also confirmed the status of Control Devil Nayuta, with the truth being less than ideal with respect to what fans wanted out of her return.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 sets up Denji for his biggest downfall yet

Chainsaw Man chapter 170: Impatience

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 sees Barem continue setting Denji up for his plan (Images via Shueisha)

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 begins immediately where the previous issue ended, showing Barem offering some sushi to a confused Denji. He elaborates that it’s important to do things in the proper order, and he should likewise start eating the light topping sushi first. Denji tells Barem to go to hell, to which he cheerfully responds that if Denji disobeys, he’ll lose his chance to see Control Devil Nayuta.

Denji angrily grabs the sushi, smushing it in the process, and shoving the food into his mouth. Barem is seemingly satisfied with this, telling Denji that’s more like it while handing him more food. Denji does the same thing again, but Barem now takes issue with it, telling Denji he can’t savor sushi like that and needs to let it rest on his tongue for a while.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 sees Denji swipe at the many plates and cups in front of him and Barem, prompting the latter to tell the former not to be mad. Asa Mitaka notices the commotion from further down the bar, asking what’s going on. However, she seemingly notices Famine Devil Fami’s lack of reaction and grows suspicious based on her expression.

Famine Devil Fami seems unusually focused in Chainsaw Man chapter 170's opening pages (Image via Shueisha)

Denji then asks Barem if his condition for seeing Nayuta is killing the Public Safety personnel outside. Barem tells him to cool off despite how tempting that sounds, emphasizing that they don’t want to kill him either. Barem adds that Public Safety, and presumably the Church, based on his use of “us” here, want to use a portion of Chainsaw Man’s power.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 sees Denji assert that all he needs to do is become Chainsaw Man, but Barem asserts there’s a proper order to things and that Denji’s transformation is still incomplete. He adds that they don’t want just any Chainsaw Man, but the version with the power to erase Devil names from existence.

Denji becomes confused by this, asserting that chainsaws don’t have that power and are just for cutting down trees, which Barem doesn’t deny. However, he theorizes that chainsaws may have originally had many uses, but Chainsaw Man erased those extra uses until only cutting down trees remained.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170: Deadly dessert

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Chainsaw Man chapter 170 sees Barem hand Denji some lean tuna sushi before continuing with his explanation. He claims Denji needs two things to fully become Chainsaw Man, those being everyone’s fear and Denji’s own unhappiness. Barem explains how the superhero status Denji accrued made that impossible, but he’s since become an everyday object of fear on par with aging and sickness.

Barem then says it’s time for Denji to eat some “deluxe fatty tuna” as he smiles at Denji cheekily. Denji looks at him with a confused expression as Barem turns and yells at the sushi chef to “send it down the belt.” The chef acknowledges this, seemingly with a disgusted look on his face.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 then focuses on other patrons in the restaurant, seeing them appalled at something on the conveyor belt to the point of screaming in disbelief. The focus then shifts to Haruka Iseumi who is craning his neck to see what it is as these initial reactions and more are heard.

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The reactions of Katana Man and Asa Mitaka are then both seen, each being confused and disgusted by whatever’s on the conveyor belt. A double spread shows everyone in their group but Famine Devil Fami looking at what is clearly a severed head on a plate being carried by the conveyor belt.

It’s also worth mentioning that the reactions of everyone but Famine Devil Fami are seen, with everyone but Barem horrified while Barem himself is smiling while looking at Denji. Chainsaw Man chapter 170 ends with a closeup of the head officially confirming it to be that of Control Devil Nayuta, in turn implicitly confirming her death based on what fans currently know.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170: In summation

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Without a doubt, Chainsaw Man chapter 170 is one of the most saddening issues in recent memory, still maintaining the shock value that the latest issues have also offered. The apparent confirmation of Control Devil Nayuta’s death is worsened by recent debates regarding War Devil Yoru remembering her and Denji kissed, and whether or not this was a Nayuta death flag.

The presentation of Nayuta’s death is also incredibly harrowing for fans to read and Denji to experience, clearly calling back to Denji’s consumption of Makima at part 1’s end. Likewise, with Barem’s plan seemingly executed and the Hero of Hell Chainsaw Man set to return, fans will likely see Denji truly go off the deep end in the coming weeks.