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The following article contains spoilers for the Chainsaw Man manga, reader discretion is advised.
The upcoming Chainsaw Man anime is full of both human and non-human supporting characters, however, none of them are quite as close to the protagonist as Pochita is. Literally. Pochita sacrificed his body to become Denji's heart to save him within the first chapter, both saving Denji's life and granting him new powers.
Chainsaw Man tells the story of Denji, who is forced into a life of killing devils to pay off his debts to the yakuza. To do this, he utilizes a pet devil of his own named Pochita. However, after a deal is struck between the devils and the yakuza Denji is murdered by a devil. His faithful pet Pochita fuses into Denji to save him, subsequently granting him Denji's chainsaw-themed abilities. After seeing his abilities, he is offered a job at the Public Safety Bureau to take down the very devils he has fought for so long. However, there is more to Pochita than his small, pug-like appearance at the beginning of the series. He serves more of a purpose than Denji's heart, and is one of the more unique devils within the series. The following is an examination of Pochita, and what role he plays in the series.
What Is A Devil in the Chainsaw Man Universe?
Devils are supernatural beings from Hell. All devils who die in Hell end up in the human world, and devils that die in the human world are revived in Hell. They feed on the blood of humans and often have powerful and often strange abilities. Pochita, for example, used to be the Chainsaw Devil, having powers that granted him chainsaws as body parts to shred through enemies with. Devils can make contracts with humans, granting them powers in exchange for something.
Devils can also take over a human corpse, as with the character Power. When a devil does this, they are considered a fiend. Although Denji's circumstances are a little more unique, he is considered a hybrid or fiend in most cases. If the brain of the corpse is still intact, the fiend will keep some or most of the personality of the human before their death, and typically aren't as strong as the devil they formed a contract with.
How Denji Saved Pochita, and How Pochita Saved Denji
After a battle with devils, he was wounded to the point that his form was reduced to the small dog-like form the audience first meets Pochita in. While Denji was crying at his father's grave, Pochita found him, and initially reacted with his usual aggression towards humans. However, Pochita is physically weak and falls over, unable to stay upright anymore. Denji offers Pochita his blood, knowing that devils can be healed by a human's blood, and saves Pochita. Now Pochita feels indebted to Denji, and this is his motivation for the events of the first chapter.
In the first chapter of the manga, Denji is sent out by the yakuza for what he assumes is his usual spiel of killing devils in exchange for paying off his dead father's yakuza debt, but instead falls into a trap the yakuza has set for him once he is no longer needed. Just as Denji is about to die, Pochita offers himself to Denji, and becomes his heart to keep Denji alive. This also grants Denji the powers Pochita once had as a chainsaw devil, giving Denji what he needs to escape the Yakuza's trap.
Pochita's Violent and Infamous Past
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Pochita's story didn't start there, however. Although it is explained much later in the manga, Pochita used to be feared in the devil world, often referred to as the Devil That Devils Fear The Most. He was able to slay hundreds of devils at a time unscathed, seen as the most powerful devil behind the Primordial Devils.
However, it was during a battle between the Four Horsemen and the Weapon Devils, and was left badly injured and barely alive. This is when he became the small dog form we first see Pochita as. However, as Denji has taken his power and even his signature chainsaw sticking out of his head and replacing his lower arms, those who fear the Chainsaw Devil's wrath before recognize and are afraid of Denji as a result. Even Makima, who is incredibly powerful within the universe, sees herself as lower than Pochita's devil form.