Following a dimension-hopping battle with one of the Primal Devils, it’s time for Denji and Asa to pick up the pieces and regroup in Chainsaw Man chapter 191. There are plenty of jokes along the way too, but the real question is where things are headed next.
Given the length of time since we last checked in with Tatsuki Fujimoto’s series, it's worth mentioning that the Aging Devil arc wrapped up just fine. The key to defeating this fearsome enemy came in the form of Denji’s connection with Pochita in the real world through his stomach, meaning that he could provide him with blood for fuel and even regurgitate things he had previously eaten. Reentering the story through this latter method, Yoshida eventually went on to make a contract with the powerful devil to get out of his deathless world in exchange for never attacking each other again.
As far as conclusions go, it was pretty standard, so it’s a relief that more interesting things are happening in Chainsaw Man chapter 191. First of all, the War Devil reveals to Denji that she has been inhabiting Asa’s body as a separate personality known as Yoru: the fact that Denji even needs this spelled out for him is pretty hilarious and of itself, but don’t forget that being dumb is his main character trait. Furthermore, Yoshida tries to make the case for Yoru to make Chainsaw Man into a weapon to help in the coming fight against the Death Devil, but she refuses.
While the reasons why are not made clear, they can be inferred: Yoru’s growing affection towards Denji has been obvious ever since she started kissing and even, erm, jerking him off in a back alley completely unprompted. This dynamic is only underscored in Chainsaw Man chapter 191 when she remarks that Denji is her “dog” and that he’s “cute.” Whether or not she ever realizes her feelings remains to be seen, but it puts her on a collision course with the Public Safety Division as a result.
In typical Chainsaw Man fashion, all of the plot points and character conflicts are mediated almost entirely through jokes here, making it somewhat difficult to tell what is and isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Denji’s subservience to Yoru is demonstrated by her order to “eat his hand,” while the growing conflict between the War Devil and Public Safety reaches a climax when Yoru throws a cake at Yoshida at the end of the chapter. Who knows if Yoru’s “attack” at the end is real, either.
One thing that’s 100% real is the fact that Chainsaw Man is rapidly burning through the remainder of its narrative framework. With the Aging Devil now defeated, only the Death Devil remains out of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, meaning that a climactic battle is surely on the horizon. The question is what Tatsuki Fujimoto will do after that: will he introduce more plot elements to keep the story going, or draw this whole series to a close in Part 2?
With so many plot threads left hanging, I hope it’s not the latter, but we should all know to expect the unexpected at this point.
You can read Chainsaw Man chapter 191 in English for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.
