Why are Devils afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man? Explained

Modified Aug 27, 2024 06:35 GMT

Why are Devils afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man? Explained

In author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s flagship Chainsaw Man manga series, one of its most important characters in Pochita is also one with the smallest active role in the story. Most of the time, fans see Pochita lying dormant within Denji, making infrequent appearances which largely boil down to communicating with Denji via his psyche. On rare occasions, fans will see Pochita burst forth in his horrifying Hero of Hell form, which is his true appearance.

It’s this form which answers the question of “why are Devils afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man,” and highlights just how dangerous and violent the Chainsaw Devil truly is. It also demonstrates one of his most chaotic abilities, and a way to potentially undo it as seen in recent chapters of the Academy Saga of Fujimoto’s manga.

Why are Devils afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man?

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Devils are afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man because he is a ferocious and powerful fighter who kills all in his sight, and can erase Devils and their concepts from existence. Since Devils can perpetually reincarnate into Hell as they’re killed on Earth and vice versa, they fear Pochita both for giving them reincarnation and possibly removing them from this cycle.

This process has been confirmed via the words of several central characters to the series, such as the Angel Devil and Power, the Blood Fiend. Taking their words and those of others in combination, Pochita is not only confirmed to have this power, but plays a large role in this cycle of reincarnation likewise.

Makima’s words emphasize this best, explaining that Chainsaw Man, or Pochita, will come to “save” anyone who asks for it, but kill them after ensuring their safety. While death is no problem for Devils, it’s the risk of falling prey to Pochita’s erasure ability as a result of their encounter with him which is what they truly fear.

Pochita’s Erasure ability, explained

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Due to Pochita’s Erasure ability and other factors as mentioned above, Pochita is considered one of the most powerful characters in the series. His Erasure ability allows him to erase both Devils and the concepts they represent from existence by eating them. This has also been shown to affect the memories of humans on Earth, causing them to forget these concepts.

The best example of this is the Ear Devil, one of the most recent Devils Pochita has consumed in the Chainsaw Man manga. When the Ear Devil was erased, life and society on Earth immediately adjusted to compensate for their absence. Those affected by the change also showed no signs of recognizing that anything had changed.

This Erasure process can also be partial given War Devil Yoru’s words in chapter 104. She claims Pochita consumed a portion of her body when they last fought, resulting in her power being weakened. Accordingly, the concept of war was also “weakened,” with its existence remaining on Earth, but no wars having broken out since Pochita ate part of Yoru.

How Pochita’s Erasure ability can be reversed

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Some of Yoru’s earliest words in Chainsaw Man’s Academy Saga also suggested that this erasure process can be reversed. This was confirmed in recent weeks via the aforementioned Ear Devil, whom fans saw Pochita consume and later throw up thanks to interference from the Aging Devil and Public Safety’s Hirofumi Yoshida. While the Ear Devil’s head was severely damaged and clearly gnawed at, it leaving Pochita’s mouth was enough to bring ears back.

It’s unclear what the exact parameters are on this reversal, as the Ear Devil was only in Pochita’s stomach for a brief period of time. Given this, it’s logical to assume that there’s a certain point at which Pochita fully “digests” a Devil and is unable to throw them back up. However, if this is the case, it seems to be a very long process, since Denji and Pochita met after the latter’s battle with Yoru when the former was a child, and is now a full-grown teenager.

Final thoughts

Without a doubt, Pochita’s Devil Erasure ability is the single biggest factor in answering the question of “why are Devils afraid of Pochita in Chainsaw Man.” This will permanently remove any Devil he consumes from the reincarnation cycle, unless he throws them up at some point. However, he is also an extremely powerful Devil and fighter even without this ability, and is likewise a fearsome enemy for almost any Devil to go up against.