In various anime, especially in Shо̄nen anime and manga, it has become something akin to tradition for a title to feature one non-human character in their roster who serves as more than just an individual character. Enter the series mascot, a concept that is definitely less popular now than it was in decades past; however, Fall 2022's break-out title, CHAINSAW MAN has created a great mascot in Pochita, the protagonist Denji's pet dog devil. Where Pokémon has Pikachu, One Piece has Chopper, Eden's Zero and Fairy Tail have some variation of the blue flying cat, Happy, and Spy x Family has recently debuted the lovable psychic dog Bond. Tatsuki Fujimoto's hit manga-come-anime has Pochita.
Pochita's adorableness and characterization in the first episode of CHAINSAW MAN has seen the mascot character's popularity spike, at least when it comes to the social media space. Pochita's immense popularity is a prime example of the Shо̄nen mascot character trope perfected – but what is it that makes Pochita so special in the first place?
The Mascot Role
First, to explain why Pochita is a good mascot, the actual idea of mascot characters in media needs to be broken down somewhat. According to TV Tropes, a series mascot is a character that is usually an animal or inanimate object (often anthropomorphized) that is the embodiment of all that is good and attractive about their native series as a product. These mascots are often the anthropomorphization of a concept itself, or even just an element that is integral to the product in some way.
A series mascot is often so greatly associated with their native fictional universe that they are, whether officially or unofficially, recognized as a representative of that series. The word "mascot" is dervied from the French mascotte, which translates to "lucky charm", which is representative of the concept's sporting origin, where mascots were considered to bring luck to a sporting outfit, bring entertainment value and even to pose as a certain level of psychological warfare against opponents.
Sporting bodies would make use of predatory animals as their mascots, probably due to the association of such animals with power, victory and other strong traits; however, this trend began to change over time. Be that as it may, mascots being largely animal-types is largely due to the association with good-luck animals created by the development of mascots as a concept in sports. There is also the widespread concept of animal totems in various traditional spiritual circles and cultures across time periods and geographical areas that, while not being directly invoked, are still somewhat reflected in the mascot's embodiment and association with a particular group.
The success of a mascot character is dependent on various factors, which are inclusive of its design and how well its appearance is factored into its representation of its universe of origin. In anime, it is also very important that the mascot remains relevant to the series and not merely a passenger in their respective series. This is overwhelmingly true for Pikachu; but also for Happy, Chopper, and even mascots in titles that aren't shonen like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, where Kyubey is also an agent in the story that helps drive it forward in significant ways.
A Character Nonetheless
The thing that makes a decent mascot a great one is how interwoven they are in the story. In BLEACH, for example, Kon was introduced as early on as the 5th episode; however, his inclusion and relevance to some major plotlines in the BLEACH series are lacking, and as such, the character is yet to make a cameo despite the return of the series after a ten-year absence.
Kon's direct influence over the BLEACH story leaves much to be desired; however, the character's existence serves as the first introduction to Soul Society as an organization not without its fair share of skeletons in the closet. Pochita, despite dying in the very first episode and chapter of CHAINSAW MAN, has an extremely profound effect on the whole series. Denji meeting Pochita as a child meant that he had a true companion for the first and only time in his life prior to the events of the series.
Their mutually beneficial relationship results in trust shared between them, and this culminates in the eventual fulfillment of the promise that sets the series on its path in the first place. Despite being appearing to be simple, cute, and loyal in the simple ways that dogs are, it is after Pochita's assimilation with Denji's body that the pup reveals that he stayed together with him of his own volition – Pochita consciously makes the decision to see the journey with Denji all the way through because he loved hearing him talk about his dreams.
What is also very interesting about Pochita is how CHAINSAW MAN sets him up to be an extremely powerful Devil using contextual clues such as the fact that only select Devils; strong ones at that, are capable of possessing, thereby assimilating with a human corpse.
Good Dog
The truth is, Pochita is already a strong series mascot based on his design alone. Fujimoto was able to design a dog-like mascot character with something as fearsome as a chainsaw head appendage, and even took the design as far as having other features from actual chainsaws. Pochita being a living, breathing chainsaw is ridiculous in the kinds of ways that we've come to expect from Fujimoto as an author; however, there is always a method to the madness, and Pochita's adorable, pug-like design with big, expressive eyes, a little smile, tiny little paws, and excitable dog-like mannerisms make him very easy to understand and adore as a "dog"; however, he is also still a literal chainsaw.
Pochita's centrality in the CHAINSAW MAN story and Denji's survival throughout his life add various practical layers to his design that also affect lore, not to mention the eventual reveal of Pochita's true identity as the Chainsaw Man – a legend in Hell known as "the Devil that Devils fear the most".
In the series, a Devil is the manifestation of human fear – the stronger the fear, the stronger the Devil. Pochita was once known as the Chainsaw Devil – the embodiment of the fear of chainsaws; however, what made Pochita stronger was the fact that he is feared by Devils and humans alike.
Pochita's love for Denji, as well as his violent background, make him a complex character in his own right; however, even those who are unaware of the Chainsaw Devil's true identity still find themselves charmed by Pochita, and perhaps that comes down to the fact that he is a brilliant example of a mascot that fulfills the conditions of having a good design that is also simple and adorable, a relevance to the plot to the point where his removal from the narrative would leave us with no narrative to speak of; as well as an interesting and complex relationship with the main character.