Chainsaw Man chapter 196's Fakesaw Man may have been Yuko's killer

Modified Mar 13, 2025 16:00 GMT

One of two major highlights in Chainsaw Man chapter 196, and the more predominantly discussed one, was the confirmation of the newest character being about the Death Devil. Shortly after this confirmation, fans saw what they first initially believed to be the series’ titular hero, but was instead a grotesque Fakesaw Man.

While there was nothing in Chainsaw Man chapter 196 to indicate this Fakesaw Man’s true identity, some hidden details suggested that fans may have met this individual before. More specifically, it seems extremely likely that the Fakesaw Man, which appears in chapter 196’s final panels, is the same one who killed Yuko early in Part 2.

Fakesaw Man’s dialogue and manner of debut in Chainsaw Man chapter 196 teases connection to Yuko

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Arguably the single biggest detail connecting Chainsaw Man chapter 196’s Fakesaw Man to the one that killed Yuko is its dialogue as it’s introducing itself. The Fakesaw Man claims to be “delivering justice with the power of justice.” This is clearly a reference to the Fire Devil, who was thought to be the Justice Devil early on in the manga’s second part. The Fire Devil’s powers triggering Chainsaw Man-like transformations in its contractees further supports this idea.

However, the fact that the Fakesaw Man refers to the Fire Devil as the Justice Devil here is significant in and of itself. It suggests that this person made their contract early on in Part 2’s events, at least before Chainsaw Man Church’s actual execution of the Fire Devil contracts it facilitated. In other words, it’s extremely likely that this character has had these powers for quite some time and could likewise plausibly be Yuko’s murderer.

Similarly, Yuko’s own powers were also given to her by the Fire Devil, marketed to her as the Justice Devil. She likewise also spoke about how she was delivering justice during her assault on Asa Mitaka’s bullies at their school. Such a callback so late into the series must be significant in some way, especially as Asa finds herself searching for value in her life. Confronting this Fakesaw Man and avenging Yuko may give her the strength to live similar in nature to Denji’s.

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There’s also an interesting callback to Yuko’s character and specifically her death, via Fakesaw Man’s introduction in Chainsaw Man chapter 196. Mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto very deliberately chooses to have this Fakesaw Man enter by announcing himself and jumping down from a roof. Coincidentally, or rather likely not so, Yuko was killed on the roof of an extremely tall building, which the Fakesaw Man presumably would’ve had to jump down from.

One argument against the idea that chapter 196’s Fakesaw Man is the same as the one that killed Yuko is what’s seen of Yuko’s killer in chapter 111. When Yuko’s headless body is held upside down, the arm doing so is shown to be very different from the skeletal appearance of chapter 196’s Fakesaw Man. However, this could be easily fixed in a retcon flashback by Fujimoto, which is likely his plan if the two are one and the same.

Final thoughts

Asa may soon get the chance to avenge Yuko (Image via Shueisha)

While this theory is speculative, one of the biggest reasons why it deserves credibility is that Fujimoto does very little without purpose. In turn, something as big as the appearance of a seemingly new Fakesaw Man likely has some deeper meaning to it. With this in mind, fans can expect elaboration on who this character truly is when the series returns from break on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Japan.