Chainsaw Man's use of fear makes its antagonists manga's most effective

Without a doubt, one of the most unique power systems in shonen manga both of all time and contemporarily is Chainsaw Man’s, centering around Devils and fear. Essentially, the series’ Devils (who are its main antagonists) are born out of humanity’s fear for frankly anything that is feared enough. The stronger and older the fear of a concept, the stronger the concept’s corresponding Devil is.

While shallow on the surface, mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto leverages this freedom in deep and inventive ways, creating Devils who represent both the abstract and the actual. It’s this unique trait that helps to distinguish Chainsaw Man’s power system and antagonists from similar concepts in other series.

However, it’s also an incredibly effective means of getting readers invested in the many antagonists to grace Chainsaw Man’s volumes and chapters. Using these fears that humanity is already familiar with, it allows Fujimoto to both expeditiously introduce powerful, new antagonists, and maximize their impact on the reader.

Fujimoto’s genius in character writing shines through with Chainsaw Man’s fear-based Devil antagonists

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In the process of writing a story, building up a character is one of the most important tasks whether they’re an antagonist, a protagonist, or anything in between. It’s what allows the reader to get invested in the character’s hopes, actions, failures, and more. One could argue this is especially true for antagonists, even more so in a medium like manga where multiple will exist throughout a single story.

This is where the series particularly excels in its use of fears as the basis of its villains. Control Devil Makima serves as a perfect example, embodying the fear of control or conquest. This is something every human shares; no one wants to be ruled over and have their freedom taken away from them forcefully, whether on a large or small scale.

When readers first discover Makima’s true identity, she instantly makes a lasting impact on them likewise because of this familiarity with the fear she represents. It also completely recontextualizes her prior actions, dialogue, and motivations, forcing readers to view her as something to be fearful of. Her true identity and being also invest readers further into her fate and story by means of wanting to see her defeated.

Chainsaw Man's antagonists benefit greatly from Fujimoto's established power system (Image via MAPPA Studios)

This also helps to further invest readers into Control Devil Nayuta’s character by preestablishing her inherent motivations. While Nayuta still represents the fear of and expresses control over Denji, she does so as a loving sister, not an antagonist. Nayuta also serves as the conclusion of Makima’s fate, seeing her getting the chance to live the dream that Makima never could. This distinction serves to further maximize the impact both have on readers.

As mentioned above, this approach also lets Fujimoto get away with suddenly introducing powerful antagonists to Chainsaw Man. Makima serves as an inverse to this initially, with the reveal justifying the powers she had displayed until then. However, in the chapters that follow, it stays true to the original rule by nature of the ridiculous abilities she debuts.

Despite how truly incredibly powerful she is, it doesn’t jar readers because of the series’ power system and how significant a fear Makima embodies. It also allows her to use certain abilities that other series may get critiqued for implementing without any major negativity from the fandom. The best example of this is her ability to control any number of people she deems to be weaker than herself.

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Other Devils’ abilities in Chainsaw Man are just as easily explained and leave readers equally unfazed as a result of the series’ power system. For example, the Darkness Devil makes sense as one of the series’ oldest and most powerful Devils given how inherently humanity fears it. At some point in their life, every human is afraid of the dark, whether it’s for a single moment or many months and years.

It likewise makes sense that the Eternity Devil can confine its targets to a never-ending space that stretches on infinitely. The very definition of eternity is “infinite or unending time” according to Oxford Languages dictionaries. Upon hearing its name, fans immediately understand what its abilities are and understand why it’s so powerful; to be stuck somewhere for eternity is a horrifying concept indeed.

Final thoughts

Chainsaw Man antagonists like the Darkness Devil are so impactful because of the power system's simplistic nature at its core (Image via Shueisha)

While most Devils don’t get as much screen time or focus as Makima, this rising tide lifts the boats of all Devil antagonists in-series. Each immediately communicates their power to readers and why fans should also be fearful of them.

In rare cases like Makima, it can also serve to establish their motivations and goals. Without a doubt, it’s this unique trait that sets Fujimoto’s antagonists apart from their contemporaries.