Chainsaw Man chapter 183’s cameos may have a darker truth behind them

Modified Nov 20, 2024 15:30 GMT

The story of Chainsaw Man continues to keep readers on their feet with each releasing chapter. At this point, it is safe to say that very little is predictable and what actually releases week by week is a curveball. With this in mind, chapter 183 teased fans with cameos of characters who had bowed out of the main story a long time ago.

These cameos occurred in the form of flashbacks, which showcased the likes of Aki Hayakawa, Power, Reze, and Nayuta. Many began to believe that this could be creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's way of hinting at their possible returns, at least Power and Reze's. But parallelly, they could also hold a darker meaning. Here's a closer look at what these cameos might actually mean.

Disclaimer: This article is speculative in nature.

The cameos in Chainsaw Man chapter 183 might be holding darker implications

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For a little context, Chainsaw Man chapter 183 picked up where the previous chapter left off, i.e., with cameos from Aki, Power, Reze, and Nayuta. This led to the fandom buzzing with excitement as lovers of the dark fantasy series speculated that one or more of these characters could be returning. But after these cameos, nothing else was shown of them in the chapter itself or the subsequent chapter.

This leads to another theory, which does seem plausible following Denji's vision with Pochita. As seen in the chapter, Denji realizes that Pochita didn't consume the Devils (Snow and Bitterness) to make him forget. Rather, Pochita chose to regurgitate them to remind of the good memories associated with those feelings—snow on the Hokkaido trip and the bitter coffee shared with Reze.

However, in these flashbacks, none of the characters' faces were shown. This is where the theory begins to turn dark. It is speculated that Pochita threw up those Devils associated with memories he deemed were good for Denji. Moreover, these are very specific memories (Hokkaido trip and coffee date). This is likely why he doesn't remember the characters' faces, only Denji's associated happiness.

Along the same line, Denji doesn't recall every single bit either. Again, this can be linked to the immense trauma he has suffered ever since he was thrust into this chaotic Devil-Devil Hunter world. Since becoming Chainsaw Man, Denji has experienced very little happiness, with the majority of the incidents scarring him considerably. This explanation backs why Aki and the others' faces are blurred.

Further, he might have been trying to fulfill Pochita's wish of him moving forward despite all his occurrences. To do this, he would have to suppress all the trauma he has faced so far. This is evident in chapter 184, where Denji retorts to the Aging Devil that he would keep moving forward and finding new families. Such is Pochita's effect on him, who pushed him to disallow his life from coming to a standstill despite the loss and anguish he has experienced.

Finally, the theory gets darker still when all these facts are linked by one probable concern: Pochita wants to be in the driver's seat. This means that Pochita is, in a way, controlling Denji and the trajectory of his actions, for the most part. With this instance itself as an example, he only reminded him of very select memories. So, Pochita possibly wants to influence Denji's life in the way he deems fit, without Denji himself being aware of it.

In Conclusion

The above-explored Chainsaw Man theory is an intriguing one considering the manga's current events. Following the teaser in chapter 183, many expected the next segment to possibly delve further into it. But from the looks of chapter 184, these were likely flashbacks orchestrated by Pochita to revitalize Denji as the boy was hitting another low.

Again, the true purpose behind why these specific characters were shown in the manner that they were will remain a mystery. For now, the spotlight is on Denji and his plan to escape Aging's world, which is supposedly "already in motion." But even so, it cannot be denied that the statements explained above likely point to Pochita wanting to influence Denji's life without the latter's knowledge.