Kishibe from Chainsaw Man is inarguably one of its most famous and respected characters, having made appearances in both the manga and anime. While his role in the anime has remained as Denji and Power's mentor, he has had a more active role in Part 1 of the manga.
Kishibe has survived into his fifties as a devil hunter, a profession with a very high mortality rate. Also, his overall demeanor and status are one of an older generation devil hunter, leading many to wonder: Who is Kishibe in love with? While Kishibe has tried to confess before, his potential relationship with Quanxi was shut down, and since then, no other love interest for him has been confirmed.
Disclaimer - This article contains spoilers for the Chainsaw Man series.
Kishibe's canon love interest in Chainsaw Man
Kishibe was introduced as one of the most mysterious and secretive characters in the series and has remained that way throughout Part 1 and Part 2. Although Kishibe was last seen at the end of Part 1 and mentioned by Quanxi during dialogues in Part 2 of the manga, he has yet to make an appearance in Part 2.
Kishibe’s early life and his current life have not been revealed. The only glimpse into his early life, including his only confirmed love interest, was shown in extra panels published in Volume 8 of the manga. These extra pages depicted a young Kishibe joining the Public Safety Department and being paired with Quanxi.
Throughout his early life, Kishibe was described as extraordinarily strong and, as a result, was very overconfident, arrogant, and a womanizer. He promptly asked Quanxi to enter into a relationship with him soon after they were paired up. Quanxi is the only confirmed love interest Kishibe has in the entire series.
Kishibe and Quanxi's history, explained
Kishibe and Quanxi’s history can be traced back to the earliest days of the devil hunters. While Quanxi herself is called the first devil hunter, she and a young Kishibe were paired as a duo, as revealed in the manga.
Although Kishibe made advances on her numerous times throughout their tenure as devil hunters, Quanxi simply disregarded them, neither outright rejecting nor accepting them.
Kishibe’s advances culminated in him outright confessing to Quanxi after nine years of joining the Public Safety Department while being drunk. Quanxi simply replied that she had recently realized her liking for women.
While many might think Kishibe was heartbroken by this rejection, he actually welcomed it, having already realized Quanxi’s orientation and merely confessing to receiving a proper rejection as a send-off.
Kishibe and Quanxi have a deep mutual respect, exemplified throughout Part 1 and Part 2, where Quanxi refuses to harm Denji because an "old friend" had warned her not to make an enemy of Denji.
Although fans might believe that this "old friend" could be a different devil, Kishibe was directly addressed as "old friend" in Part 1. While Quanxi has made numerous appearances throughout Part 2, Kishibe has not made a single one.
Given that Quanxi has mentioned Kishibe once but has not referred to him as if he were dead, it is entirely possible that Kishibe is currently alive and conducting some secret operation of his own.
Chainsaw Man Chapter 173 recently revealed that the Public Safety Department was testing the Hero of Hell’s abilities and limits. It is entirely possible that Kishibe will make his appearance during this battle against the Hero of Hell.
Related links-
- Chainsaw Man manga: Why the perfect time for Reze's return is now
- Denji and Asa's relationship is not a fairytale but an epic disaster
- Chainsaw Man fans have found their next most "hated" character after Makima (and it's not Yoshida)