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Chainsaw Man fans have many questions after watching the first season of the anime, but a few stand out. One question involves the identity of the mysterious girl who appears at the end of Episode 12, seemingly setting up the series’ next arc. Another question from the first cour’s final episode is why the Ghost Devil didn’t kill Aki.
As Chainsaw Man fans saw, the Ghost Devil stopped choking Aki when it had him in its clutches. Instead, it put him down and offered him a cigarette. “Easy revenge!” was written on the cigarette as if it was a message from Himeno herself.
While certainly a welcome turn of events, fans seem confused about exactly why the Ghost Devil didn’t kill Aki. Follow along as this article explains the potential reasons behind the decision, as seen in Chainsaw Man Episode 12.
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Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer
Character relationships and Aki’s known fate play major roles in why Ghost Devil spares him in Chainsaw Man
The Ghost Devil’s decision to spare Aki was one of the most confusing sequences in Chainsaw Man’s first cour.
Fans saw the Ghost Devil choking Aki before suddenly stopping and offering him the aforementioned cigarette. The Devil Hunter then casually walked up to the Ghost Devil and sliced its neck, killing it instantly.
Unfortunately, there is no official, canon explanation as to why the Ghost Devil decided to spare Aki. This is to be expected, as there’s likely no real practical reason it decided to do so. This is obviously irrelevant in the anime's world, as human logic likely cannot be applied to the actions of Devil-kind.
As far as why Chainsaw Man’s creator, author, and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto chose to have the Ghost Devil spare Aki, there are a few plausible (albeit speculative) guesses.
Without a doubt, the first thought that comes to mind is Himeno’s feelings for Aki getting in the way. Perhaps the Ghost Devil was touched enough by Himeno’s personal feelings that it decided to spare the love of its former boss. This would somewhat explain where the cigarette came from, possibly hinting that, in death, Himeno asked the Ghost Devil for a favor and used it to talk to Aki.
It’s unknown if Devil contracts can function beyond death. However, if that is the case, this is likely what happened, both in terms of the Ghost Devil’s sparing Aki and the cigarette’s appearance.
There are other explanations for why the Ghost Devil spares Aki. This is thanks to some commentary by Aki during the fight.
When he faced the Ghost Devil, Aki alerted Chainsaw Man viewers to the fact that it used fear to see things since it doesn’t have eyes (per what he heard from Himeno).
Days before this deadly encounter with the Ghost Devil, Aki was forced to confront the reality of only having two years to live. Furthermore, just minutes before the encounter, he was forced to confront losing another two months of his lifespan for touching the Angel Devil very briefly.
At the beginning of his fight with the Ghost Devil, Aki seemed frantic and afraid of death. However, this could just be the adrenaline of fighting to avenge someone he cared for.
Similarly, by the time Aki was actually confronted with the reality that the Ghost Devil might kill him, he likely stopped caring about dying and embraced it.
Chainsaw Man fans even heard Aki himself arrive at this mindset, telling Himeno that he’ll “be with her soon” as he killed the Ghost Devil.
Thus, it’s possible that because Aki no longer feared death and the Ghost Devil, it became unable to see him, allowing him to kill it and complete his revenge for Himeno.
In summation
Aki’s survival is likely a result of either Himeno’s feelings for him persisting past her demise or his overcoming the fear of death.
Whether this lack of fear was due to seeing Himeno again, an acceptance of his time left, or both, it allowed him to overcome the fear of death at that moment and avenge his former partner.
Be sure to keep up with all Chainsaw Man anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
