Fujimoto foreshadowed Nayuta's fate long before Chainsaw Man chapter 170

Modified Jul 05, 2024 00:59 GMT

Chainsaw Man chapter 170 was released on July 2, 2024, and unveiled Nayuta's death, much to the fandom's dismay. Although many fans expected Nayuta's fate due to Fujimoto suddenly focusing on her story, her death on a sushi conveyor belt came as a surprise to almost the entirety of the fandom.

Given the sudden reveal, many fans have gone back to the previous chapters, only to realize that Fujimoto had actually teased this sequence in chapter 169 itself. A few have also discovered that Nayuta's death might have been foreshadowed in even earlier chapters.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man chapter 170.

Chainsaw Man chapter 170: Nayuta's fate was sealed long ago

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Fujimoto has been notorious for his sneaky way of foreshadowing important plot developments in the background panels or simply in chapters before the actual reveal of a major character's death. Chainsaw Man chapter 169 saw Barem in the same sushi bar as Denji.

Although Denji tried to attack Barem, he soon diffused the situation by mentioning how he would lead Denji to Nayuta. Nayuta was last seen during the riots caused by the Chainsaw Man church. Given the increased characterization of Nayuta and her actually becoming really close and an emotional pillar for Denji, many fans already expected Nayuta to die sooner or later.

Ever since the reveal of Nayuta's fate in Chainsaw Man chapter 170, people have started scouring all chapters. Some have found out that the very previous chapter (169) had a single panel focusing solely on the sushi bar named "Death by Sushi."

This name was tied with the fact that Makima, Nayuta's previous incarnation, was cut into thin slices and consumed in a similar fashion by Denji. The sequence made it all the more clear that this name was Fujimoto's "subtle" way of teasing Nayuta's death.

Nayuta as shown in Chainsaw Man chapter 170 (Image via Shueisha)

The imagery and the overall tone of Denji and Nayuta's nurturing relationship have always been filled with cryptic imagery of loss. Chapter 141 was inarguably one of Chainsaw Man manga's most important chapters because it gave a deeper insight into Denji's mind and was nearly dialogue-less. It depicted the daily life of Nayuta and Denji and made it clear that Denji actually somewhat enjoyed this new life.

However, it also had a few background elements like the potted plants of Denji and Nayuta, which had shockingly contrasting conditions. While Denji's plant was healthy, Nayuta's plants were in bad shape. Although this could be a simple commentary on Denji's character growth and Nayuta's immaturity and carelessness, this could have also been Fujimoto's earliest foreshadowing of Nayuta's demise.

Final Thoughts

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The actual state of Nayuta still hasn't been confirmed, and her detached head cannot be fully acknowledged as the indicator of her death, especially since Denji recovered from being completely dismembered a few chapters ago. However, given her characterization and her place as a beloved character, many fans are expecting this death to be permanent.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 171 will be out on July 16, 2024, and might fully reveal Nayuta's actual status.