Chainsaw Man has been using the weaponization of children as a theme all along, and chapter 176 proves it

While there were many shocking aspects of the latest chapter in author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s flagship Chainsaw Man manga series, the revelations on War Devil Yoru were most so. Not only did chapter 176 reveal that Yoru is the mother of the Tank and Gun Devils, but it also saw her literally weaponize her children by using her ability to turn them into weapon gauntlets.

It’s a harrowing moment that truly defines Yoru as the War Devil, spurring her character growth in a way that is consistent with and totally reinforces her identity thus far. However, the moment also speaks to a larger theme that Fujimoto has used throughout all of Chainsaw Man, especially in Part 2, also known as the Academy Saga.

Chainsaw Man drives home the weaponization of children as a core theme in both literal and figurative sense

Chainsaw Man quickly uses Aki and Denji as the foundation for this theme (Image via MAPPA Studios)

From the start of Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto has implemented the weaponization of children as a core theme and narrative point of the series. Denji was only 16 years old when he was introduced, yet was viewed by and being used as a weapon by Control Devil Makima and Public Safety. The legal age of adulthood in Japan was 20 years old as of the manga’s setting, so Denji was effectively a child at this point in the series and still is currently, albeit a teenage one.

This is intensified with Aki Hayakawa, who is heavily suggested to also be a teenager when he joins Public Safety. Aki’s implicit inclusion in this context also suggests Fujimoto is specifically highlighting that the weaponization of children is not limited to just those with special abilities. In other words, all children are seemingly viewed as tools to be weaponized within the manga’s world and setting.

Denji’s origins in Chainsaw Man even support this via him being forced to pay his father’s debt to “Debt Collector,” the yakuza gang boss whose real name is unknown. While Denji did have Pochita with him as he started actually working for them, the Debt Collector demands this of Denji before he meets Pochita. This further suggests that even normal children are susceptible to being literally weaponized for a specific purpose, even if that responsibility isn’t theirs to bear.

Famine Devil Fami and the Chainsaw Man Church serve as key examples of the weaponization of children as a theme (Image via Shueisha)

Part 2 also shows examples of literal weaponization by nature of how Denji is viewed by the Chainsaw Man Church and Public Safety. Each organization simply sees him as a tool through which they can use Pochita for whatever purposes they see fit. The Church’s attempt to literally weaponize Denji also highlights how children can be figuratively weaponized via Control Devil Nayuta, Denji’s adopted little sister.

Barem Bridge and the Church held Nayuta hostage after the events of chapter 155, which left her status in doubt. This led to Denji going to Famine Devil Fami, who is the true leader of the Church, and Yoru/Asa Mitaka for help in finding Nayuta after the pair broke him out of the Tokyo Devil Detention Center. Holding her hostage shows the figurative weaponization of her as a means of controlling Denji.

This also transitions into a literal weaponization of Nayuta via her being killed and this shock being used to trigger Denji’s latest transformation into the Hero of Hell in chapter 171. Nayuta’s origins are also steeped in this theme, with Kishibe saying in chapter 97 that if the Japanese government raises her, “she’ll turn into another Makima.”

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There’s also Miri Sugo in Part 2, who is suggested to be of high school age (his official age is unknown as of this article’s writing). Miri definitively says “I am a weapon” in chapter 143 while also trying to assure himself of the control he has over his body and life. This is also as he prepares to massacre several dozen innocent people alongside other Hybrid Devils, further highlighting how children are weaponized in-universe.

In addition to further highlighting the literal weaponization of children, the Chainsaw Man Church serves as a great example of how children are figuratively weaponized via their conscription of Japanese teenagers to boost the Fire Devil’s powers. This transitions into literal weaponization later on, via both Special Division 7’s raid on the Church in chapter 144 and the Fakesaw Men transformations which begin in chapter 146.

War Devil Yoru’s sacrifice of Gun and Tank is intensified by this repeated core theme

Fujimoto builds War Devil Yoru up as the ultimate representation of this core Chainsaw Man theme (Image via Shueisha)

All of this, especially the focus on the weaponization of children in Part 2, culminates in War Devil Yoru’s journey through the series thus far. First, she attempted to use her allies to fight Chainsaw Devil Pochita before the start of the Chainsaw Man series. It can be assumed that the Gun and Tank Devils, whom she refers to as her children, were also a part of this force, serving as literal weaponization.

Yoru then came to Earth after losing this fight to Pochita and met Asa Mitaka, weaponizing Asa’s body for her own goals by taking over it and fighting with it. She then weaponized Asa further by cornering her and forcing her cooperation under threat of death, despite Yoru’s grudge against Pochita being none of Asa’s business or responsibility.

There are also the events of chapter 167 that see Yoru weaponize Asa’s body in a new offensive and traumatizing way in an act of intimacy with Denji. This was done to lift Denji’s spirits about Nayuta to the point where he could transform and fight her as Chainsaw Man. This serves to further highlight how Yoru weaponizes not just Asa, but Denji too in her grudge against Pochita. It also speaks to how Yoru is always willing to sacrifice others before herself or her own goals.

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This characterization makes her weaponization of the Tank and Gun Devils, calling herself their mother as she does so in chapter 176, even more significant for her character. Not only does it fit with her characterization as the War Devil, mirroring how war has weaponized children many times before, but it also shows a mother weaponizing her own children. It also marks the first time she personally sacrifices anything to achieve her goal of defeating Pochita.

There’s also the fact that she only sacrifices Tank and Gun Devila and turns them into replacement arms after getting Asa’s lone remaining arm cut off, thus no longer being able to fight. In other words, Yoru quite literally weaponized Asa’s body until there was nothing left before sacrificing her own children. As is fitting for the War Devil, she’ll stop at nothing and use anyone to achieve her goal of victory, even if it means sacrificing those she claims to be seeking victory for.

Final thoughts

Chainsaw Man's world is one in which children are viewed by some as a means to an end, and nothing more (Image via MAPPA Studios)

Chainsaw Man chapter 176 sees War Devil Yoru, true to her name, become the ultimate representation of the manga’s core theme of the literal and figurative weaponization of children. Fujimoto masterfully does so by interweaving it with the plot of Part 2 in both an immediate sense with chapter 176 and in a long-term sense in the Academy Saga’s overarching narrative.

The Japanese government's deal with the Aging Devil serves as one very obvious and apparent example of how Fujimoto reestablishes and builds upon this theme via Part 2's narrative. Without a doubt, this latest installment in the Academy Saga is one that will define its legacy both as a story arc and as a literary triumph.