Yoru sacrifices Gun and Tank Devils in Chainsaw Man chapter 176, and it fits her War Devil title perfectly

Heading into Chainsaw Man chapter 176, fans were expecting a very different chapter than what they ultimately got but reached an endpoint that was similar nonetheless. Significant lore, respectable worldbuilding, and incredible characterization still pervaded the latest official release of mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s series, as fans predicted.

Much of this was done on the back of the reveal that War Devil Yoru considers the Gun and Tank Devils her children, beckoning them by instructing that they “come to mother.” However, the reunion wasn’t exactly a sentimental one, as Yoru turned them into weapons, which she used to replace her arms in the final moments of Chainsaw Man chapter 176.

While still incredibly impactful with respect to lore and worldbuilding, it can be argued that this moment in Chainsaw Man chapter 176 most greatly contributes to Yoru’s characterization. More specifically, it cements her ideals in a way that highlights who and what the War Devil should be as a person and mother, in turn highlighting incredible narrative foresight from Fujimoto.

Yoru's sacrifice of her children Gun and Tank in Chainsaw Man chapter 176 is heightened by it perfectly fitting her character

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It’s worth first establishing that from a philosophical sense, war can be considered the epitome of sacrifice. On the homefront, citizens may make many sacrifices to contribute to a war effort, but none greater than sending their own children to war and likely not seeing them return. In this way, Chainsaw Man chapter 176’s moment of Yoru sacrificing the Tank and Gun Devils, calling them her children and herself their mother, perfectly fits and highlights her character.

From the start, Yoru has shown she will do anything to achieve her goals, no matter what it takes. Controlling Asa Mitaka’s life, actions, and body, sacrificing her friends or loved ones, and even going against Asa’s wishes at the moment to further her own agenda are all a part of her early characterization. It shows her ruthlessness and the fact that she’s willing to sacrifice almost anything to achieve victory, except something that requires a major sacrifice on her part.

In this way, Chainsaw Man chapter 176’s execution of Yoru choosing to sacrifice her two children, the Gun and Tank Devils, by turning them into weapons is an absolute masterclass. It shows that she is not only willing to make sacrifices herself, but is willing to sacrifice what are presumably the two Devils she is most emotionally attached to. This presumption is heavily supported by the flashback that precedes this sacrifice and establishes Yoru’s true goals.

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This sacrifice and the character development it offers Yoru are further heightened by the fact that “child sacrifices” have been a recurring aspect of the manga’s narrative. Part 1 emphasized this with the introduction of Control Devil Nayuta and the reveal of Makima’s origins through the Japanese government at its end. Part 2’s most recent example of this comes in chapter 174 with the Japanese government’s choice to sacrifice 10,000 children to eliminate aging.

This commonality between the Japanese government’s highest officials and Yoru also serves to highlight that humanity and Devils can be just as evil as one another. While Yoru clearly regrets the sacrifice of her children Gun and Tank given the preceding flashback, she makes this sacrifice nonetheless because it’s a price worth paying. This parallels Tadashi Hasegawa in chapter 174, who calls the 10,000 children’s lives a small price to pay for Japan’s safety.

This parallel also serves to further humanize Yoru at this moment, especially as a mother to the Tank and Gun Devils. In chapter 174, Miki Takanashi hesitates to go along with Hasegawa’s orders due to having children of his own but eventually chooses to sacrifice the other children rather than his own. Yoru, having already forced others to sacrifice so much for her, is forced to make the choice that Takanashi couldn’t by sacrificing her own children to achieve her goals.

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This humanization hinges on the aforementioned flashback that precedes Yoru’s sacrificial choice in Chainsaw Man chapter 176. By nature of Yoru’s goals being to save her comrades and her not wanting to sacrifice her children likewise, it establishes that she isn’t sacrificing them as anything but a last resort.

This helps to portray Yoru as a truly human mother by showing that she is willing to sacrifice the entire world and almost anything before her own kids. Yet this humanization is also expertly done where it draws the line, as unlike a human mother, she’s willing to sacrifice her own children before abandoning her own life and goals. Without a doubt, Yoru’s actions in chapter 176 are incredibly fitting for her character and help to develop and grow her further as a Devil and mother.