Chainsaw Man fans missed the truth about Asa's current state of mind

Modified Oct 20, 2024 02:46 GMT

Chainsaw Man fans missed the truth about Asa's current state of mind (Image via Shueisha)

While the latest installment in mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man series wasn’t quite what fans expected, it was nonetheless well received by the community. This is largely due to how shocking the events within were, as well as the upcoming character-centric focus they seemingly set up on protagonists Denji and Asa Mitaka.

However, Chainsaw Man fans seemingly ignored one detail of chapter 180 that could speak to what the upcoming focus on Asa will look like. This comes via her repeated dream playing out yet again as the Aging Devil sends her and Denji into this new world, with the dream missing a key feature it typically has— the dead chickens.

Chainsaw Man chapter 180’s twist on Asa’s dream teases her not actually wanting to leave the Aging Devil’s world

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Prior to release, fans were expecting Chainsaw Man chapter 180 to see a fight go down involving War Devil Yoru, Pochita, and the Aging Devil. The issue instead forfeited any possibility of combat by seeing the Aging Devil send Denji and Asa into a Garden of Eden-like world.

Asa quickly learns that this world is one where she cannot be hurt, nor can she hurt others. This also applies to War Devil Yoru, which is significant given their relationship’s recent deterioration, and Denji, who she can now guarantee is safe. Considering her goal was to save Denji, and that she’s expressed disdain for Yoru sacrificing and endangering others for her own goals, Asa may actually want to stay in this world.

Chainsaw Man chapter 180 seemingly even teased this in its opening pages, which see Asa’s consciousness take over her and Yoru’s shared body as they’re sent to this new world. This shift to Asa’s consciousness sees her recurring dream play out once more, starting with her walking down an alley. She then confirms that “it’s that same dream again” on the next page, before questioning why she’s dreaming and when she fell asleep.

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However, there’s a very noticeable difference in her recurring dream as it is portrayed in chapter 180. This is the absence of the dead chickens, which seems to symbolize the death and suffering she feels her actions have caused. The dream’s previous appearances in the series further support this, such as when she promises to kill someone, and when she learns how many people the Falling Devil killed.

Likewise, Asa has been involved with a significant amount of death recently. She collaborated with Famine Devil Fami and Barem Bridge, who were responsible for Control Devil Nayuta’s death. Yoru then used their shared body, which was originally Asa’s alone, to fight Pochita and resultantly slaughter many innocent civilians as collateral damage in the fight.

Yet despite this, the alley in her dream is missing this symbol of the deaths she’s responsible for, or at least feels she’s responsible for, as previously seen. Coincidentally, this takes place as she’s sent to a world where death and change don’t exist. This allows Asa to free herself of the fear she feels regarding the consequences of her actions, shown via the lack of chicken corpses in the dream.

Final thoughts

Asa's desire to keep Denji safe may lead her to trap them in the Aging Devil's world forever (Image via MAPPA Studios)

In this new world, Asa Mitaka can find a unique form of salvation that saves her from the burdens she is forced, arguably by herself, to carry in reality. This is teased via the changes in her recurring dream sequence as seen at the start of chapter 180.

Asa will likely end up wanting to stay in this world, viewing it as somewhere she can keep Denji safe, stop War Devil Yoru from hurting others, and escape the trauma that has haunted her.