Chainsaw Man chapter 173's new Primal Devil might be the Paralysis Devil, and the summoning proves why

Modified Aug 08, 2024 11:00 GMT

With the release of Chainsaw Man chapter 173 this week, fans saw Public Safety finally up the ante and get serious about facing Pochita in his true Hero of Hell form as the Chainsaw Devil. While fans had mocked Public Safety for seemingly handling Pochita’s return so foolishly, the latest installment in mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s flagship series made their competence clear.

Arguably the single biggest moment in Chainsaw Man chapter 173 which showed Public Safety came to play was their making a contract with a new unnamed Devil. While unconfirmed, the manner in which Public Safety made a contract with this Devil, as well as their character design, suggested them to be a new Primal Devil.

However, Chainsaw Man chapter 173 gives some clues as to this new Primal Devil’s identity via hidden details in their summoning ritual and physical appearance in the series. While this information is obviously unconfirmed, the only realistic answer is that Fujimoto just introduced the Paralysis Devil as the latest embodiment of Primal Fears in the series.

Chainsaw Man chapter 173’s new Primal Devil has to be the Paralysis Devil, and there are key reasons why

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One of the biggest pieces of evidence in Chainsaw Man chapter 173 which support the idea that the new Primal Devil is the Paralysis Devil stems from the summoning ritual, as mentioned above. Three Public Safety agents first cut off half of their left index fingers with a pair of scissors before picking it up with their right hand and beginning to write “HIT” on a mirror.

Each of the three Public Safety agents writes one letter while saying “cervical spine,” “neck,” and “vertebrae” as each respective letter is written. The cervical spine refers to the first seven vertebrae known as the C1-C7, which support the neck and head. Injuries to these vertebrae specifically are frequently known to cause paralysis in varying areas of the body based on the exact location and severity of the injury.

The other two references to spinal areas should likewise be obvious, with injuries to both the neck and vertebrae in general also potentially leading to paralysis depending on location and severity. Likewise, a “hit” to any of these areas would have the chance of causing some sort and severity of paralysis. Without a doubt, this clue in Chainsaw Man chapter 173 clearly points to the Primal Devil’s identity being that of the Paralysis Devil.

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The presumed Paralysis Devil’s character design also further supports this. Just like how the Public Safety agents cut off their index fingers, the Paralysis Devil sits on a throne that is seemingly lined with human index fingers, among other body parts. From what’s seen of the human body parts on the Paralysis Devil’s throne, a common thread is that they’re all parts that a paralyzed human would have difficulty moving or be unable to move.

Speaking of this throne, Chainsaw Man chapter 173 sees it supported not by traditional legs or a base, but rather by the backs of two humans on all fours with arms amputated just below the elbow. Limb amputation is a common complication for people with spinal cord injuries or paraplegia/quadriplegia, serving as further evidence in turn. Similarly to a wheelchair, this also suggests that the Paralysis Devil is unable to physically move their body without assistance.

While this is all speculative as of this article’s writing, there’s clearly a significant amount of information in the issue that teases this new Primal Devil as the Paralysis Devil. Fans will hopefully get confirmation of this in the next issue, with an update on Public Safety all but guaranteed as they react to successfully forcing Pochita to throw up the Ear Devil.