One Devil deserves to be Chainsaw Man's strongest (& it's not the Death Devil)

Modified Mar 12, 2025 23:30 GMT

Chainsaw Man should have added a stronger Devil than the Death Devil one (Image via Shueisha)

Chainsaw Man has established a reality where Devils are real and every single one of them represents a fear of a certain element or concept, with the Death Devil being regarded as the strongest since most people fear dying. However, there is one concept that deserves to be even stronger, and that is the Pain Devil.

While death itself is something that a lot of people fear, especially in a world like Chainsaw Man where so many bad things happen, there is also an element where dying could be a merciful end to some people or at least that's what some believe. On the other hand, pain is something that most people want to avoid and would even go as far as dying to stop suffering.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime and reflects the opinions of the writer. It is also a speculative theory.

Explaining why the Pain Devil should be stronger than the Death Devil in Chainsaw Man

The other three Horsemen (Image via Shueisha)

It makes a lot of sense that author Tatsuki Fujimoto has established the Death Devil as a massive threat in the series since it is natural that a lot of people are scared of the concept of dying. However, there is also the fact that some men and women can view death as a release from suffering and others come to terms with the fact that everyone will die, so fearing the end makes no sense to them.

On the other hand, the Pain Devil is an even stronger concept to fear than the Death Devil because no one resorts to pain to escape from anything, and a lot of people actively try to avoid it. Furthermore, there is also the fact that pain is not only physical but can be reflected in emotional and traumatic events, which is even harder to overcome than a wound or an injury.

This last part fits with something that Fujimoto would add to this series, especially considering the nature of the Control Devil with Makima in this story and how that was executed. The idea of pain is something that cannot be avoided in life, much like death, but a lot of people will actively avoid it, especially if it has an emotional or mental connotation.

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It is also worth pointing out that this idea does fit with the fact that Devils and Hybrids in Chainsaw Man, for the most part, can be reborn, meaning that they cannot fear death because they know they will return. However, that goes out of the window when considering the role of the Pain Devil since they can still suffer a lot, as evidenced in the series.

There is an argument to be made that there are humans willing to go through the pain and some who even enjoy it but to any concept in reality. But when it comes to the Primal Fears in the series, there is no denying that the Pain Devil would be the strongest since suffering is universal across all forms of life.

Final thoughts

The idea of a Pain Devil in Chainsaw Man would make a lot of sense given the context of the series and how suffering is such a universal element in the lives of the entire cast. Furthermore, from a more general perspective, pain is something that a lot of people try to escape, much more often than death.

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Edited by Meenakshi Ajith