I wish I could’ve worded this better, but here it goes: I am in love with the tall, dark and handsome best friend/rival character stereotype in Shonen, and I don’t think I’m ever getting out of it. You know what I’m talking about, right?

Like, growing up, you didn’t crush on the plucky protagonist. Nope, you were hopelessly devoted to their mature ‘darker’ counterpart. Think Vegeta from Dragon Ball, or Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto Shippuden. And now, we have a new member of the club: Aki Hayakawa.

Aki Hayakawa is the third member of the Chainsaw Man trio, alongside Denji and Power. Just like them, he also happens to have the powers of a Devil, specifically the Fox Devil. But unlike them, he makes use of more than a single braincell and has caught everyone’s eye by his gorgeously drawn hands, handsome features, and basic hygiene skills. Okay, I kid, but it’s true! In a group of Fiends that seem like they are going a 100 miles per second, Aki is a really grounding character.

And it’s his maturity and calmness that has all the girls (and guys!) hooked. Everyone’s out here asking about more info on the devilishly handsome malewife that has all of Anime Twitter following his every move. And I, as a connoisseur of cute anime husbandos, is here to deliver that knowledge on to the masses. Settle down, because this is a brief look into the man that is Aki Hayakawa!

But it’s when you add a few piercings, have his messy long hair down, and framing his face, with a monotone color palette, that you start to see his somber but smoking-hot visuals come out. His aesthetic is usually so clean cut, especially when he’s out hunting Devils. But it’s this version of him that seems most honest to his state of mind.

But then again, just like the others in his teams, he has two forms. The one we were describing is his human form, but his Devil form is no joke either. He’s menacing in the way only devils can be, with haunting veins taking over his body and his face being replaced by that of a gun barrel, specifically the M1911, alongside one of his arms taking the shape of an M16A1. That’s just kind of part and parcel of playing host to the Gun Devil.

Aki is apathetic when we first meet him. As part of the Public Safety Devil Hunters, he takes his job very seriously and doesn’t exactly spend his time trying to make friends. He’s cool, mature and even a little rough when it comes to assessing the situation. Safe to say, he doesn’t mince words and tells it like it is. But a lot of this demeanor of his is a façade, because he has shown to be more than a little caring about those he has grown close too.

And he does get attached, maybe a little too fast even. When at first he was at odds with Denji, and only barely tolerant of Power, he quickly grows to look after them wholeheartedly. Despite how he might appear, he is very focused on his job as a Devil Hunter and isn’t in it for the money or other rewards, like Denji. No, Aki fights to protect and take revenge for his family. And because of this, he is ruthless, to the point where he made a contract with Fox Devil to achieve his goals.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have self-preservation skills. Part of why Aki is so refreshing is because he doesn’t go the self-sacrificial route, even for his own gains. He stops pursuing the Gun devil after his entanglement with the Future Devil shows him a vision of Power and Denji dying painfully. And he seems to be genuinely scared of dying himself.

Which is a radical change for him to make, considering how much he hated the Devils, Fiends and Hybrids alike. He never differentiated between them before becoming a team with Power and Denji, but since then, he has grown. A really good example of his changing mindset was his relationship with the Angel Devil.

 But just like Megumi, Aki is taking on a different direction, one where he isn’t mortal enemies with Denji, who is the protagonist. There isn’t unnecessary tension between them, and whatever conflict does exist gets resolved with actual communication. It’s clear that the two are not meant to be opposites, and it’s how the focus is more on teamwork and found family between them, which makes their individual traits shine through. Aki isn’t your typical cool character; he has layers.

Professional Affiliations

Aki Hayakawa is currently affiliated with the following organizations:

• Public Safety Devil Hunters (Formerly)
• Tokyo Division 2 (Formerly)
• Tokyo Special Division 4 (Formerly)

Aki And Denji: From Enemies To Bros

Look, I don’t blame uptight Aki for not being immediately buddy-buddy with Denji. On the surface, Denji was everything Aki abhorred. He became a part of the Devil Hunters for less-than-noble reasons, and their personalities just clashed way too much. Their first mission together was a disaster, where they ended up in a physical fight.

To Aki, Denji was uncivilized, too vulgar to be in his company. And then Aki was forced to take both him and Power into his home, so he was likely miffed about that too. But they quickly got past their egos and reached a true understanding. Spending more time together during missions and then living together made them grow closer to each other, becoming true friends.

I mean, yeah, Aki still finds Denji to be a little obnoxious, but it’s not like they’re exchanging blows every two seconds. They have reached a point in their relationship where they are very much in sync with one another, almost like bros. And with Power added to the mix, they have become so much more domestic like a family would be.

Power: Aki’s Adopted Bratty Little Sister

This is, by far, my favorite development in the series. But that just might be because I’m heavily biased toward Power being my favorite character. Nevertheless, it’s been interesting seeing the dynamic between Denji, Power, and Aki grow. And with Power and Aki, the relationship is much more sibling-like.

Just like with Denji, Aki was honestly pretty disgusted with Power and her behavior. To him, Power was also the opposite of everything he stood for. Like, the girl is a slob who refuses to pick up after herself and generally acts in a less-than-favorable manner. She’s unhygienic, picky with her food, and often too hyper for anyone’s good, just like the world’s most annoying little sister. And, well, that’s what their relationship becomes Power moves in.

While he’s still annoyed y her antics, the two share an inseparable bond. He even goes as far as to pull Fourth Division from going after the Gun Devil, just so he could protect Power.

Makima: A Dubious Complicity

Any relationship that involves Makima is suspicious, at best. And sadly, that remains the case for Aki as well. Just like most that meet Makima, Aki seems to be haplessly in love with her. Though how much of that is coercion through Makima’s powers as the Control Devil, and how much of it is independent, is up for debate.

All we know is that Aki answers her every bid and call, going as far as to open his home to Power and Denji at her command, despite not liking them. And apparently, he also used to dislike Makima, but can’t recall what the actual reason was. She manipulates him into shouldering more responsibility that isn’t his domain and makes unnecessary requests of him.

Angel Devil: An Unlikely Bond

By far, the most left-field development in Aki’s relationships was when he was partnered up with the Angel Devil and grew to have a connection with him. They started out on a rough patch, with either being indifferent or downright hostile. But slowly, they came to an understanding of each other’s perspectives.

Their relationship morphed to the point where Aki would go out of his way to protect the Angel Devil, grabbing his hand knowing that it would shorten his own lifespan. Likewise, the Angel Devil grew more comfortable around him, revealing factoids about how the Devils worked and warning him from staying in this job too long. He was also the first person to really put Aki’s feelings towards Makima into perspective by asking him what he even liked about her, throwing suspicion over the entire scenario.

Enhanced Human Abilities With A Sword For Flair?

Listen, clearly, Aki isn’t just your average Joe. He might be human and not a Hybrid, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t exactly above the rest when it comes to his durability and strength.

Aki is one of the strongest humans you’ll meet, with reflexes that veer into superhuman territory, considering how he’s able to keep up with the likes of Katana Man and the rest. But by far, his resilience is the most astonishing. The man has survived almost everything, from being knocked into walls to almost being sliced open in the chest and even being choked by the Ghost Devil. He was almost crushed to death by the Darkness Devil, yet survived.

And as stated before, he’s just got a knack for swordsmanship. Couple his quick thinking up with a Future Devil alliance, and his precognition ups his reflexes majorly.

Aki: The Man With The Four Devils:

And speaking of the Devils, Aki is probably the person with the most Devil contracts in the entire franchise. Unlike Denji and Power, who are Hybrids thanks to a part of the Devil residing in them, Aki is in contracts with them based on mutual agreement. That means that he retains most of his humanity.

His first contract is with the Curse Devil, which allows him to use a sword that almost looks like a nail. If he manages to stab his enemy three times, Aki can summon the spirit of the Curse Devil and inflict so much damage that it could kill them on the spot.

Then there is the Fox Devil, who he can summon using the command ‘Kon’. This brings the head of the Fox Devil out, who is a massive creature, and he bites down on the foe, essentially swallowing them whole or at least maiming them to a huge dress. However, Aki loses the ability to summon the Fox Devil after his fight with Katana Man.

But by far, his most beneficial and haunting ability comes from an alliance with the Future Devil. This allows him to have short visions of the future and enhances the precognitive senses that aid him greatly during battle. Being able to predict what his enemies might be pulling is a huge advantage.

---

However, it is the Control Devil that truly makes or breaks it for him. When he willingly gave his allegiance to the Control Devil to gain access to her powers, he made a mistake. Because despite his contract, he is too influenced by her powers to ever fully make use of them.