Nayuta's death tease in Chainsaw Man chapter 167 may not be what fans are making it out to

Modified Jun 06, 2024 06:35 GMT

Nayuta's death tease in Chainsaw Man chapter 167 may not be what fans are making it out to (Image via MAPPA Studios)

Earlier this week, fans saw Chainsaw man chapter 167 officially released via various Shueisha platforms, bringing with it the continuation of author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s flagship series. While fans were initially excited for the issue’s release, this joy quickly turned to horror as fans began reading what Fujimoto had in store for them.

In the process of Chainsaw Man chapter 167 seeing War Devil Yoru somewhat deliver on her promise to Denji in a disturbing way, there was what some are calling a Control Devil Nayuta “death flag.” Colloquially used among anime fans, a death flag is a sign that a character in a series has or will soon be dying.

Likewise, this latest Nayuta death flag comes from a moment in Chainsaw Man chapter 167 which seemingly sees her prior use of her Control Devil powers on Yoru become undone. While fans aren’t wrong that this would normally signify a death flag for Nayuta, there’s important context and prior setup to the rules of the Control Devil’s power which fans aren’t considering.

Chainsaw Man chapter 167 calls back to a subtle Part 1 moment highlighting the Control Devil’s limits

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Long before Chainsaw Man chapter 167, fans saw the Angel Devil and Aki Hayakawa confront Control Devil Makima on a beach to search for a way to avoid Aki’s death. At this time, Makima began revealing herself, ordering Aki to make a contract with her following his request to make one which will save Denji and Power. The Angel Devil was confused at first, but began unlocking the memory of when he first met Nayuta on an unnamed beach.

Angel was able to resist Makima’s powers, which she acknowledges herself before bringing him under her control again, thanks to the intimacy and familiarity of the moment. While watching Aki be forced to give away his life for Makima as Angel once was forced to, the emotions he felt in that moment were enough to break through the Control Devil’s abilities. Likewise, this also obviously happened while Makima was still very much alive and well.

Chainsaw Man chapter 167 once again reaffirms this vulnerability in the Control Devil’s powers via War Devil Yoru remembering her kiss with Denji. Likewise, how much she remembered and the context of her remembering this further emphasize that this isn’t a Nayuta death flag, but another circumventing of the Control Devil’s powers.

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Prior to Yoru remembering that she and Denji have kissed, the two were very close together and touching each other in intimate ways with a very physically intimate closeness. Like Angel was able to remember memories Makima blocked due to the similar context, so was Yoru able to remember her kiss with Denji in this moment. Yoru's heightened emotions in this moment also undoubtedly played a role in breaking through this memory block, albeit briefly.

Further supporting the fact that this isn’t a Nayuta death flag is how much Yoru remembered of her and Denji’s kiss. Given how the panel is introduced, she doesn’t have the full context, seemingly only remembering the kiss itself rather than any additional details. Likewise, if Nayuta had happened to die in or prior to this moment, it’s assumed that Yoru would’ve remembered all of the memories rather than a flash of one particular event.

With all of this in mind, signs currently point to Control Devil Nayuta being alive and well, even if her status and location is technically unknown as of this article’s writing. However, Chainsaw Man chapter 167 is far from a death flag for the character based on the limits of the Control Devil’s abilities as demonstrated in the manga’s first part.