Yoru's plan for Denji may backfire thanks to his true feelings in Chainsaw Man

Modified Feb 18, 2025 15:30 GMT

Chainsaw Man has once more swept the carpet from underneath readers' feet with the latest installment. Yoru's offer to Denji was all too familiar and yet another attempt at manipulating the boy's feelings. Revealing that both herself and her host, Asa, have developed a liking for him, Yoru looks to be establishing a foothold in fulfilling her plan, i.e., turning Denji into a weapon.

With all the focus on Yoru, Denji's feelings are being left unexplored. But beneath the desperation he exhibits in chapter 193, his true feelings might just derail the War Devil's schemes entirely. This is what a recent Chainsaw Man theory talks about, switching sides to look into how the orange-haired teen's emotions might just play a vital role in his ultimate fate.

Disclaimer: This article is speculative in nature.

Chainsaw Man: Denji's true feelings could ruin Yoru's plan for him

Diving right in, a recent Chainsaw Man theory speculates that Denji's true feelings may throw a spanner in the works with regards to Yoru's plans. By this point, the War Devil has made it clear that she intends to turn Denji into a weapon. For that, she would need to "own" him or in other words, his heart will need to be hers. But given the story's developments, Denji's heart might belong to someone else.

That is exactly what this theory speculates - Denji actually likes Asa Mitaka, not Yoru and it is Yoru who is trying to convert him. After all, it was Denji and Asa who bonded in a normal way (sort of), rather than him and Yoru. This is what the War Devil might not know of. But this is also where the theory falls short, i.e., Yoru should be aware of this given Asa and Yoru share feelings.

Again, a possible explanation for this is that Yoru isn't aware because she doesn't know how Human emotions work. In other words, she might be of the opinion that her target is required to fall in love with the body (which she has possessed) for her to gain "ownership" of it. But in this case, it wouldn't wrong to say that Denji might've fallen for Asa as a person, not just for her appearance. If this turns out to be true, then only Asa holds the ability to turn Denji into a weapon.

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There is another part to this theory that backs its claims. Fans will remember that when Tatsuki Fujimoto teased Chainsaw Man Part II, the mangaka released artwork featuring Asa holding a Chainsaw, with a headless Bucky behind her. Given Fujimoto's style of storytelling, the theory hypothesizes that this could've been a foreshadowing of Asa's ability to weaponize Denji, not Yoru's.

It goes a step further to postulate that for Yoru to turn Denji into a weapon, she might have to romance both him and Pochita. Though they share one body, it has been seen that Pochita can take over when needed and act on his own. Hence, this would lead to the conclusion that they are separate entities sharing a common body, i.e., different but the same.

For instance, when Denji loses the will to live or experiences great trauma/pain, Pochita makes an appearance. In the two times that he has done so, he has rampaged for a while before an external influence brings Denji back out. So, considering this fact, Yoru may have (in the slightest) inclined Denji towards her with the offer she made, but she might need to woo Pochita as well for her power to work to its full capacity.

Final Thoughts

This is yet another intriguing addition to the tons of already floating Chainsaw Man speculation. The sheer number of "what ifs" and theories in the fandom are a testament to Fujimoto's skillful writing which, even after 193 chapters, continues to amaze. As explored above, this theory does seem plausible, since Yoru's power has been heavily discussed while Denji's feelings have taken a backseat.

It does feel like the actual working of Yoru's ability is complicated. She needs to "own" someone or something for her to weaponize it. According to this logic, she should be able to turn Denji into a weapon at the current moment, given his vulnerable state and his submission to her. However, there looks to be something preventing this from happening and it could very well be his true emotions.

It would make sense that Denji likes Asa, as it would be a Human connection. Denji liking Yoru may be a debatable topic, especially after her antics in chapter 192 where she tried to teach Denji "how Devils play". According to that, Yoru might like Denji in a Devillish sense, but he is still Human and deep down, likely craves a calmer bond than a chaotic one like this, which is why Asa is possibly the key and not Yoru.