In a show like Chainsaw Man, where one is getting dismembered left and right, the integrity of your body stops mattering after a while. Especially if you have the very convenient ability to be to regenerate or reincarnate. I mean, it makes sense that most of the Devils are practically reckless adrenaline junkies. There aren’t any stakes too high for them. After all, it’s not like they are going to permanently die or cease to exist if they lose an organ or two. But then there is the matter of Denji’s heart.
So, we already know why Denji’s heart is so important to him. I mean, besides keeping him alive at the moment, it also happens to be the source of his powers as Chainsaw Man. After all, he lost his actual heart by being mutilated by the Yakuza at the beginning of the story. This new one happens to be a Devil named Pochita, who took the original organ’s place so that Denji could have a second chance at life. It also helps that this specific demon happens to be one of the deadliest beings out there.
But that’s just how it goes in Chainsaw Man. The series is known for being more than just a little bit gory and bloody. You don’t always have happy endings and characters are expected to lose a limb here and there. And absolutely no one is loyal to another person, even if they are on the same team. But that is exactly why the relationship between Denji and Pochita is so central to the main story of the manga.
It isn’t just the fact that an all-powerful Devil willingly helped a human, it’s about how the two got kindness from the most unexpected places when they had none from anywhere else. At its core, this is a story about how bonds can be found when you least expect them. So, in today’s segment of Lore Analysis, let’s discuss why the Pochita and Denji dynamic is important to the plot going forward.
Pochita And Denji: The Literal Heart Of The Story.
You already know how the story goes. Pochita was the Chainsaw Devil, who was known for being the only one of his kind that could eradicate Devils. As in, they would never get a chance to revive or be reincarnated, because Pochita can consume them entirely, leaving nothing to exhume.
This was viewed as a threat by the other dwellers in the realm of Hell. Because with the way it had been, Devils could come and go as they please without having to worry about a consequence as insignificant as dying. Now, there was an actual threat to the hierarchy and its very existence. This is why they attacked Pochita, who barely escaped from the other Weapon Devils and the Four Horsemen alive.
But when he did, he came across a grieving Denji, who was kind enough to share his blood with a battered Pochita and aid him back to health. And that kindness didn’t go unrewarded because when the Yakuza had Denji running errands, Pochita kept a watchful eye. They even became friends. Until, of course, the Yakuza sacrificed Denji in the name of the Zombie Devil.
Determined to save the person that came to him in his time of need, Pochita drove into action as soon as Denji’s heart was ripped out, replacing it and imbuing Denji with all the powers of the Chainsaw Devil. And since then, the two have been literally inseparable.
Why Platonic Relationships Are So Important In Chainsaw Man:
There is a lot of character growth in Chainsaw Man that you wouldn’t expect. Because, on the surface, it plays with a lot of tropes we have already seen before.
One of them was your typical ‘protagonist has never talked to a woman before’ type of scenario and so, Denji’s pervy nature got old, really fast. This is why when the plot went from Denji finding happiness in a sexual relationship with Makima, to him finding salvation in his friendships instead, it was a complete surprise.
Not only with Power, with whom he experimented and realized they were better off as chaotic siblings but with Pochita as well. Denji is a hybrid, so now he is a bridge between the Devils and humanity, and that was all possible due to Pochita’s interference.
