Chainsaw Man may have just indirectly paid Homage to Jujutsu Kaisen and Sukuna in chapter 178

Modified Sep 25, 2024 09:30 GMT

Chainsaw Man may have just indirectly paid Homage to Jujutsu Kaisen (Images via Shueisha and MAPPA)

Chainsaw Man has been one of the shonen series that continued the trend of featuring a supernatural devil sealed or merged with the main character. Along with Jujutsu Kaisen, it is one of the few recent series to capitalize on the Inner Demon trope.

While Denji's inner demon, much like Kurama from Naruto, eventually became benevolent, Sukuna emerged as the most memorable evil character to embody the Inner Demon trope. Recently, in Chainsaw Man chapter 178, Asa came to terms with the fact that Yoru was a demon with no concern for human life.

Although it has not been directly mentioned, many fans have noticed how this single epiphany for Asa mirrors Yuji's realization of just how evil Sukuna and curses truly are.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the Chainsaw Man series.

Chainsaw Man chapter 178: Asa goes through her own Shibuya Incident

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Chainsaw Man chapter 178 was arguably one of the most anticipated chapters to be released in recent times, with the War Devil Yoru finally initiating an actual war against Pochita.

In earlier chapters, she sacrificed her children to defeat Pochita, but in chapter 178, she escalates by launching a projectile from America at Pochita, causing many innocent casualties. Asa then realizes the horrific truth about Yoru being a demon, which fans compare to Yuji’s encounters with Sukuna and his pure evil nature.

Fan reaction to chapter 178

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Many fans pointed out how Yoru eradicating countless lives in her attempt to take out Pochita, then laughing in the face of this tragedy, mirrors Sukuna's actions and reactions during the Shibuya Incident arc, where he atomized an entire town.

Asa coming to terms with Yoru being a literal devil with no regard for others also closely resembles Yuji’s realization of Sukuna’s pure evil nature, particularly after Yuji begged Sukuna to heal Junpei, only for Sukuna to hysterically laugh at his desperation.

Many fans suggested that this moment in Chainsaw Man chapter 178 could be Asa's equivalent of Yuji’s Shibuya moment, potentially leading her character into a downward spiral similar to what Yuji experienced after Shibuya in Jujutsu Kaisen.

"This is Asa's Shibuya Moment and Junpei moment combined." One fan mentioned.

"You are my special ahh scene 😭😭😂," One fan said.

A few others mentioned that the chapter finally solidified Asa and Yoru's dynamic, with Asa realizing that Yoru will always be a devil with no regard for others, no matter how close or understanding they become towards each other.

"Asa after realizing she got two comfortable with a bloodthirsty revenge seeking devil inhabiting her body and thinking she could “tame” it." One fan wrote.

"Finding it appropriate that when we finally get Asa's internality back, it's her coming to an utterly horrific realization. Her denial, her dissociation, her borderline stupor, all shattered in a single impossibly violent instant." Another fan said.

"this panel of asa remembering that she’s sharing her body with the war devil while aforementioned devil loses her shit is fucking peak," Another fan wrote.

Chainsaw Man chapter 179 will be released on October 1, 2024, and will reveal the consequences of Asa's realization and how she processes the entire situation. Chapter 178 also revealed that the Aging Devil was attempting to heal Pochita, and chapter 179 will show the outcome of that as well.