Chainsaw Man hints at Nayuta's survival in chapter 164

Tuesday, April 30, 2024, saw the latest release in author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s flagship Chainsaw Man manga series, bringing with it the exciting continuation of Denji’s return. Fans were excited to see what Denji’s next moves would be following his reawakening, suspecting that he would likely reunite with Kishibe and separate from Asa Mitaka and co.

However, chapter 164 instead saw Denji begin his search for Nayuta with Asa and co’s help. Although they were initially unsuccessful, which led Asa’s group to conclude that Nayuta is dead, the efforts did at least establish Denji’s current mental state, as well as what his goals are.

However, Denji may be worrying for nothing, with eagle-eyed Chainsaw Man fans realizing that a specific bit of War Devil Yoru dialogue from chapter 164 hints at Nayuta being alive. While nothing is confirmed, it is a fairly concrete piece of evidence that is likely the start of Nayuta’s reintroduction into the series over the coming weeks and months.

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Chainsaw Man manga teases Nayuta’s survival via the perseverance of powers in chapter 164's dialogue

In the opening scenes of Chainsaw Man’s latest chapter, fans saw Denji immediately cry out for Nayuta and ask where she is. War Devil Yoru responded to this by questioning who Nayuta is, and also asserting that if he’s still dreaming, she will wake him up, reaching for his starter cord as she says this. In other words, the name “Nayuta” is completely foreign to Yoru, with her even thinking that it’s someone Denji met in a dream.

Fans may remember that during the date Asa and Denji had at the latter’s house, Nayuta used her Control Devil powers to alter Asa and Yoru’s memories, making them forget about that day’s events. In other words, Yoru and Asa both completely forgot being told about Nayuta and meeting her, which the series confirmed in the immediate aftermath of these events.

Likewise, Yoru’s dialogue in the latest chapter of the series confirms that she still doesn’t remember Nayuta, suggesting that her powers as the Control Devil are still active. This would, in turn, suggest that Nayuta herself is still alive, which can be concluded via previously implicitly established parameters for the Control Devil’s powers specifically.

At the end of part 1, fans saw that the previous Control Devil Makima had brought the Weapons Hybrids under her control with her powers. This includes those of their ranks who have appeared in part 2, clearly not under her control, such as Quanxi, Barem Bridge, and Katana Man. In other words, Makima’s control over them via her powers went away once she was killed by Denji and subsequently reincarnated as Nayuta.

Likewise, Nayuta’s powers still maintaining their effects on Yoru and Asa, suggests that she is still alive and has not died. If she had died, the aforementioned implicit rules of the Control Devil’s powers should’ve released Yoru and Asa from Nayuta’s “grasp.”

While this is all speculative, it’s based on rules and abilities that have been described and showcased over the course of the series’ history. However, Fujimoto could be creating a sort of Red Herring for fans with respect to Nayuta’s status. Fans now hope that the series’ return in mid-May and chapters beyond will reveal the truth about Nayuta’s status.

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Related links:

Chainsaw Man chapter 164 highlights

Chainsaw Man chapter 163 highlights

Chainsaw Man chapter 162 highlights