Asa: Chainsaw Man finally sees Asa accepting her role in Yoru's actions

Chainsaw Man finally sees Asa accepting her role in Yoru's actions

Modified Sep 28, 2024 07:30 GMT

Asa accepts her role in Yoru's actions (Image via Tatsuki Fujimoto, Viz Media)

Chainsaw Man chapter 178 is yet another masterpiece by creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Following a very brief lull in the story, the mangaka decided to deliver something special, and to say that it blew away the fandom would be a grave understatement.

The chapter itself combines a number of elements and showcases lots of clever points and references. However, this article will focus on one thing in particular: Asa Mitaka accepting her part in War Devil Yoru's actions. At present, the pair are battling a fully fleshed-out Hero of Hell, and just when things seemed grim, Yoru flipped the script by resorting to something she never thought she would.

She had to use her friends, or rather children, turning them into weapons for her use, i.e., the Gun Devil and the Tank Devil.

Chainsaw Man: Asa accepts her role in Yoru's actions

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Chainsaw Man chapter 178 continued the battle between Pochita and Yoru. The former initially had the upper hand when he sliced off Yoru/Asa's arms and was about to deliver the final blow. However, the War Devil had contingent measures—the Gun Gauntlet and the Tank Gauntlet, forged from the Gun and Tank Devils, products of War and "her children."

This completely flipped the tide of battle in Yoru's favor, blowing back Chainsaw Man and dealing considerable damage to him. Further, Yoru summoned the Gun Goddess to serve up more destruction. Finally, using her Gun Gauntlet, she began firing indescriminately, causing destruction to nearby structures and blowing massive holes through surrounding buildings.

This is the point during which the switch happens, and we see a petrified Asa standing still. Behind her, Yoru laughs at the havoc caused, Asa yet frozen in place. This is a piece of expert writing by Fujimoto, showcasing Asa witness Yoru's actions before swapping places and being the one committing them. They share a body after all, but most of the fighting was done by the War Devil.

Yoru aka War Devil (Image via Tatsuki Fujimoto, Viz Media)

Now, the pair were in each other's shoes, Yoru hysterical as she watched on while Asa began to accept her role in it all. Her expressions depict her disassociation from Yoru's actions break and her coming to her senses, realizing that she was equally responsible for the mayhem that was being dished out. It hits Asa that she is the one who is committing these atrocities, and while it was necessary for their survival, she couldn't stop now.

Further, the panel depicting the massive hole blown into the buildings is similar to the cover inside Chainsaw Man volume 12. In that instance, it was Asa standing in front of the buildings, and it was her arm/gauntlet blowing a hole through them. This is likely symbolic of the same thing—Asa finally giving in to Yoru's Devil nature, for that was what she was after all.

The pair needed to survive, and for that, they needed to do whatever was necessary. So, with the panel from chapter 178, Yoru "shot down" Asa's reluctance to truly join her, and now they have actually melded into one being. Such a moment in the manga also shows the clear distinction between Humans and Devils. Despite the conflict between Humans, there is still an element of sympathy. But in the Devils' case, a goal was a goal, and it didn't seem to matter what needed to be done to achieve it.