Pochita's actions in Chainsaw Man chapter 174 prove he's thinking of Denji even now

Modified Aug 14, 2024 01:30 GMT

With the release of Chainsaw Man chapter 174 earlier today, fans saw mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto make a major shift in perspective away from Pochita for most of the issue. However, the installment ended with a final panel showing what Pochita was up to during this time, which was revealed to be the erasure of four different Devils.

Chainsaw Man chapter 174 claimed these devils to be the Mouth Devil, the Snow Devil, the Octopus Devil, and the Bitterness Devil, with Pochita having eaten the Mouth Devil last. This is implied by nature of the fact that, once eating the Mouth Devil, Pochita and others lost their mouths, meaning he couldn’t possibly eat the other Devils.

While these may seem like random choices for Pochita’s victims in Chainsaw Man chapter 174, each of these is actually significant and can relate to key traumatic events in Denji’s life during the series. Likewise, it proves that Pochita is still thinking of Denji even in this moment, wanting to both protect him and make the world a better place for him.

Chainsaw Man chapter 174 sees Pochita go out of his way to make the world a better place for Denj

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As mentioned above, each of the four Devils whom Pochita erases in Chainsaw Man chapter 174 represent a concept which is somehow related to trauma in Denji’s life. The most obvious of this, which is also what the chapter’s events circle around, is the Mouth Devil. By the nature of Denji being Pochita’s host, it means people are always looking to use Denji in order to access Pochita’s erasure powers.

By erasing the Mouth Devil, Pochita is able to ensure that Denji isn’t pursued by those who would abuse him for their own gain, as Public Safety and the Japanese government are now. While there are consequences which Pochita clearly isn’t considering, the sentiment and intent behind his actions is nonetheless obvious.

There’s also the Snow Devil, with this connection relating to Denji and Aki Hayakawa’s final fight with one another long before Chainsaw Man chapter 174. While Aki was the one who viewed their battle as a snowball fight and not Denji, the connection is clear to readers, which was likely Fujimoto’s intention. It’s also quite possible that Pochita was aware of this imagery Aki had in his mind, and likewise is erasing the Snow Devil due to associating it with a moment of trauma for Denji.

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The Bitterness Devil is also less obvious than the Mouth Devil, but still has a clear connection. One of the biggest original motivations for Denji was his desire to taste varying flavors, specifically sweet and umami flavors which were budgetarily beyond his reach. By nature of sweet widely being considered the opposite of sweet, Pochita is trying to create a world in which Denji can only have sweet things.

Chapter 174’s inclusion of the Bitterness Devil here may also be a callback to Denji’s distaste for coffee when Reze made him try some during the Bomb Girl arc. While he didn’t explicitly call it bitter, it was clear that he disliked the bitter drink. It also clearly references his kiss with Himeno, in which he tasted bitter vomit from her puking in his mouth. In turn, Makima “fixed” this by giving him a sweet lollipop, further emphasizing the connection.

Lastly, the Octopus Devil can be interpreted in many ways, but the most likely and obvious is the role Hirofumi Yoshida has played in Denji’s life recently. Yoshida was essentially Public Safety’s presence in Denji’s life, and constantly was at odds with him and his desires likewise. With all of this in mind, it’s clear that Pochita is recognizing the Devils whose concepts traumatized Denji, and trying to rid them from the world in an attempt to make his life better.