Kobeni: Is Kobeni important in Chainsaw Man? Her role in the series, explained

Is Kobeni important in Chainsaw Man? Her role in the series, explained

Modified Sep 25, 2024 20:00 GMT

Chainsaw Man's Kobeni Higashiyama stands out as an ordinary girl in a world of chaos and horror. Her charm lies in her normalcy among the extraordinary. She became a Devil Hunter out of necessity, not choice, and faces constant dangers and life-threatening situations as a result.

Initially, she might have come off as annoying and weak and even tried to hand over protagonist Denji to the Eternity Devil. But when looking back on it, although a bit much, Kobeni brings a human side to Tatsuki Fujimoto's work, which is known to be quite over the top. There is a lot more to Kobeni's personality and it is her humanity and judgment that make her an important character in the series.

Kobeni's role in part 1, explained

Kobeni Higashiyama in Chainsaw Man (Image via MAPPA)

Kobeni's role in part I was the human side she brought to the story amongst the utter mayhem. Following the Eternity Devil Arc, she was misunderstood as paranoid, weak, and annoying. However, that quickly changed in the Katana Man Arc when she teased viewers with her impressive physical prowess and weapon handling. Throughout part I, she proved to be an important ally for Denji, despite it not being her intention.

She was also able to forge valuable relationships with other characters, especially Power and the Violence Devil. As mentioned, she was just attempting to make it through life. Moreover, she has no reason to hunt Devils, rather they terrify her. The Devil Hunting job is her sustenance and she desires no more. She had to choose this job out of compulsion and was juggling supporting herself and her brother's education.

With all the misfortune that befalls, she might come off as comic relief in the way she reacts. However, Kobeni is one of the few characters who has made it through the story, alive. Her simplicity is her selling point, the only one in the story with a human reaction to all the bloodshed and violence. Kobeni serves as a reminder that amidst the epic battles, there are very real repercussions.

With other characters having supernatural abilities, Kobeni embodies humanity with a more grounded view of situations. After all, when faced with horrifying entities like the Devils Kobeni had to face, it is but natural to be filled with fear and panic. Further, one cannot help but think that some of Kobeni's over-the-top reactions might be connected to her contracted Devil somehow.

How Kobeni could return to Chainsaw Man in part 2 and beyond

With the manga seemingly edging closer to its conclusion, it feels unlikely that Kobeni will return to the story considering that she has been absent so far. Tatsuki Fujimoto's next moves remains a mystery and he could or could not reintroduce her into the story, something only time will tell.

But, if Kobeni does return, she will be new in a way - her character will receive closure and a proper send off, we might get to finally see the Devil she contracted with (which has been one of Chainsaw Man's biggest mysteries) and lastly, she will be ending the series with a fortunte fate, i.e., alive with severed familial ties and with no relation to Devil Hunting.