Warning: SPOILERS for episode #5 of Chainsaw Man
The Chainsaw Man anime just introduced the most controversial villain in the entire series: the Gun Devil. Serving as the major antagonist for the majority of the story, the Gun Devil's power and abilities are rooted in real-life dramatic events. More than any other villain in the series, the Gun Devil shows just how unique Chainsaw Man is.
In the Chainsaw Man world, Devils are entities from another dimension that manifest in the human world. Their names, shapes, and powers are all connected to humankind's fears. The more humans fear something, the more the corresponding Devil will be powerful. This incredibly clever plot device is used by author Tatsuki Fujimoto to transform his manga from a gory, dark-humor action shonen into a deep reflection of the darkest aspects of human society, and in no other character this is so evident as in the case of the Gun Devil.
In episode #5 of Chainsaw Man, titled 'Gun Devil', viewers are introduced to what will be the main antagonist of the majority of the series, the Gun Devil. Makima, the high-ranking Devil Hunter in the Public Safety division, asks - or rather manipulates - Denji to do his best to defeat the Gun Devil, an incredibly powerful monster that appeared thirteen years before. Due to the danger caused by Devils, humans started relying more and more on firearms, whose widespread diffusion caused violence to erupt all over the world. When a terrorist attack struck the United States, the fear of guns became so strong that the Gun Devil manifested, with disastrous results. In only five minutes of activities, it killed 1.2 million people around the world, including the family of Aki Hayakawa. After that, pieces of the Gun Devil's body were scattered around the world, most being eaten by Devils who thus gain an increase in their powers.
The Gun Devil Embodies The Most Interesting Themes In Chainsaw Man
Denji's mission is to track down the Gun Devil using the fragments of its body, and then kill it. It is clear that author Tatsuki Fujimoto considers gun violence a particularly important issue, as he made the Gun Devil incredibly dangerous and central to his story. When the character appears in full later, as seen in the manga, the widespread destruction caused by the Gun Devil creates one of the most tragic sequences in Chainsaw Man. Furthermore, the Gun Devil's peculiar abilities, which will be revealed later in the series, are all references to real-life shootings, making the character even more controversial, especially considering that it manifests for the first time in the United States, a country known for its issues of weapons control.
The introduction of the Gun Devil in episode #5 of Chainsaw Man signals that the series is getting into high gear, and from this point onward it will get more exciting, disturbing, and shocking with every new episode. The Gun Devil is one of the most important characters in Chainsaw Man, and it perfectly embodies many of the unique and interesting themes that this incredible series lays bare, forcing readers to confront and engage with them in a way that no other shonen does.
The latest episode of Chainsaw Man is available now on Crunchyroll.