You know, whenever I read a manga that gives a relatively average person sudden supernatural capabilities like I’m a little envious of that. Life is boring and if I could, oh I don’t know, get a perfect memory or have the power to turn back time, it’d make things so much more interesting. Even if those powers come with the side effect of being targeted by everyone and their mum, or something of that sort. But people trying to kill me wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t die at all, like in the case of Denji being supposedly immortal now.
Let’s discuss this for a second. Is Denji immortal? Well, the answer is a little bit of yes and no. It’s complicated to describe what Denji even is. After his amalgamation with the Chainsaw Devil, he isn’t human anymore. But he isn’t exactly a full-fledged Devil either. He’s an in-between, a being called a ‘Hybrid’, a host to a Devil that allows him to utilize said Devil’s powers while keeping his humane appearance. This also allows Hybrids a fair amount of invincibility, which is dialed up to near immortality, in the case of Denji.
Then again, with how powerful the Chainsaw Devil is, that fact isn’t as surprising. The Chainsaw Devil, or Pochita, as Denji knows him, is the most feared Devil in Hell. Thanks to its powers, it’s functionally the only thing that can disrupt another Devil’s reincarnation cycle, ceasing them from existing altogether. In simpler words, Pochita is the only Devil that can truly kill other Devils. But, like other Hybrids, Denji himself is near immune from being killed. As long as there is a supply of blood nearby, Denji can come back.
But how far does this little immortality thing stretch? I mean, we’ve seen him being dismembered before and coming back so he’s more resilient than most. But could there be a point where Denji is in real danger of being killed off? Let’s discuss that in today’s segment of Lore Analysis – where we take a close look at the mythos of popular anime to see what the plot can unveil to us. Today, it’s the Devil’s immortality!
Denji: Can He Really Not Die?
So, Denji’s first appearance in Chainsaw Man is relatively human. He’s down on his luck, just lost his only family, and is now saddled with debt from said family that he owes to the Yakuza. Suffice it to say, it’s been a rough time and he could only handle so much. And then comes Pochita.
A very weakened and injured Pochita who Denji ends up helping by feeding him his blood. And so, he sticks by Denji as he becomes the yakuza’s errand dog. That is until said Yakuza is revealed to be a weird cult dedicated to the Zombie Devil, who dismembers and kills Denji. And that should’ve been the end, if Pochita hadn’t stepped up and taken the place of his heart, granting him not only a new life but strength too.
With Pochita being strong enough to survive not only all the Weapon Devils rallying up against him, but the Four Horsemen too, it’s clear that his invincibility is stronger than the other Devils. So perhaps that’s why Denji is virtually immortal when compared.
How Does Immortality Work For Devils In Chainsaw Man?
But, hey, how does this whole immortality thing even work for Devils in the first place? The first thing about Devils is that they are born from the fears of men. So, say you’re afraid of Katanas. Well, the Katana Devil exists. Even the act of war has its embodiment in the form of the War Devil.
The more people that fear it, the stronger it is. And the Devils can’t really die. If they possess a human, the host they are in can be eradicated. But they just go back down to Hell where they are reincarnated once more. And there they grow back to their full glory. But just in case they get killed in Hell again, well, they can just go back to the surface world in their weakened form, recuperate and try again.
And so, the cycle continues ad nauseum. Unless, of course, you are the Chainsaw Devil, who has the power to consume a Devil entirely. Therefore, stopping the cycle of reincarnation from continuing. Pretty neat power for Denji to have is all I’ll say!
