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WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from Chainsaw Man Manga Part 2. Read ahead at your own discretion!
The first chapter of Chainsaw Man Part 2 hit Japanese fans like a storm as it (Chapter 98) has crossed over 2.5 million views since its release on Shonen Jump+.
In it, Fujimoto introduces Asa Mitaka, a character who is “interesting to observe,” in the words of Denji. Denji normally doesn’t find women attractive unless they have large breasts. However, Asa is flat, at least in comparison to Power and Makima. So Asa’s persona must have struck a chord with Denji, if not being attached to her like Reze.
So what makes Asa an interesting addition to the Chainsaw Man universe? Let’s find out!
Who is Asa Mitaka in Chainsaw Man?
Asa Mitaka is a complicated high school girl but having a simple desire in mind – to make decent friends.
She is a student studying in the same school which Denji attends and in her hopes of making friends joins the Devil Hunter club.
Even though she’s clumsy, Asa Mitaka is a good hearted person who just wants to enjoy life and want people to accept her as she is. However, this kind heart also has a dark side to it. I mean who doesn’t?
Unfortunately, envy sets in motion a chain of events that she did not want to be a part of, such as killing Bucky, becoming enemies with the class president, dying at her hands, and finally having her body taken over by the War Devil.
However, she didn’t die completely as the War Devil left half of her brain intact. She’s been leading a kind of double life since then (one as a student and the other as the War Devil). Asa Mitaka is now at the mercy of the Devil to complete her aim or else she will be gone forever (unless she becomes frightened beforehand).
So who is this War Devil and what is her goal?
Who is the War Devil in Chainsaw Man?
The War Devil, is the physical manifestation of fear of war amongst human. It is a strong devil and is also one of the 4 horsemen devils.
When Asa Mitaka is killed by the Justice devil, War devil offers to save her life in order to form a contract between it and her in which the war devil can use Asa’s body at will.
However, the war devil does not clear all the memories of Asa when the former takes over the latter and plans to capture Chainsaw Man.
It is named Yoru in the Chainsaw Man manga [which is an antonym of Asa’s name – Day (Asa) and Night (Yoru)].
The war devil is one of the 4 horsemen who fought the Chainsaw Man/Pochita long ago, is revealed by Makima, in page 2 of Chapter 87, that he disappeared during their conflict.
Manga readers would definitely be familiar with Chainsaw Man’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (as stated by Makima in Chapter 84, page 16), namely Death, Hunger, War & the Control Devil. The 5th ending of the Chainsaw Man anime foreshadows them in a hidden manner.
The Control Devil, at that time, mentions how the 4 horsemen, along with some of the weapons devils, were present to take down the Chainsaw Man once again, however, none of the 3 horsemen (apart from the Control Devil), appeared on screen. That means, they probably worked incognito with Makima to defeat Pochita once and for all, in case the weapons devils fail.
But why does the war devil want Chainsaw Man?
What Is The War Devil’s Goal In Chainsaw Man?
The War Devil’s goal is to capture the Chainsaw Man & cough up the devil representing nuclear weapons he consumed long ago. To facilitate that, she plans to use her key ability and go to war with him.
Why? Because both she and Chainsaw Man fought (presumably along with the other 3 horsemen) long ago and she lost, ending in Pochita eating away part of her body, thereby weakening her. Since then, there hadn’t been any war so the people slowly began to forget the devastating effect war had on people’s lives, weakening her even further.
Yoru fears that if she doesn’t take out the Chainsaw Man soon, everyone will forget her. And that is the fear of most comic book supervillains, including the Joker…
So, what sort of arsenal she possess to achieve her goal?
What are the War Devil’s Powers & Abilities?
The most formidable power the War Devil have in her disposal is her ability to turn anything and anyone which or who belongs to it into a weapon. However, it has certain conditions.
Either Asa Mitaka or Yoru can turn someone into a weapon only if that someone has feelings for either of them. For example, the person in front of them must think of Asa/Yoru as a friend or any other relation. They must touch what belongs to them and call out its weapon name.
The weapon’s power depends on Yoru and Asa’s guilt. Asa can use this power while she is in charge by grasping an object she owns and saying the weapon’s name.
Asa’s weapons tend to be stronger since she’s more prone to being guilty than Yoru.
Apart from that, she’s fast enough to dodge attacks from Yuko’s Devil form, mighty enough to slash the Devil’s body with a small knife and rip off Tanaka’s head cum spinal cord & durable enough to survive Justice Devil’s hard hitting blows.
Asa/Yoru seems to be pretty strong. And strong beings (if not evil) tend to be the main characters. Does it hold true in this case?
Is Asa Mitaka the main protagonist?
Asa Mitaka is the main protagonist in Chainsaw Man Part 2 manga. This is hinted at by the character bios in volume 13 of the manga.
Normally in manga volumes, the bio of the main character of the series/arc will be prominently displayed first and then the secondary characters. In volumes covering part 1 of Chainsaw Man, Denji’s bio occupied the first page and the 2nd page featured Makima, Power, Aki & other cast in smaller sizes.
However, this doesn’t mean Denji has now become a supporting character of his own story. Some fans have been spreading this rumor on social media but as we can see from the above picture, Denji is not described as a “supporting character” anywhere in his character bio synopsis.
Nevertheless, there’s one thing Asa Mitaka might share with Denji other than being his schoolmate.
Is Asa Mitaka a hybrid or a fiend?
There’s no official confirmation but I think Asa Mitaka is a hybrid due to the “reliable” method of elimination. While there is still a lot we need to know about Hybrids, there is enough circumstantial evidence which indicates that Mitaka is a War Devil Hybrid
For instance, if you notice carefully, the way the War Devil forms a contract with Asa (not the contract details itself) is similar to Pochita’s contract with Denji. Plus, the depiction of Pochita & Yoru taking over their hosts matches each other.
Second, the War Devil hasn’t fully taken over Asa’s body, like how Blood & Violence Devil possessed their hosts bodies. Half of her brain remains intact to facilitate the War Devil to move around the human society.
And finally, the host’s personality doesn’t come out in the case of a Fiend, whereas, Asa’s & Denji’s personalities remain intact due to the contracts.
For an elaborate explanation, check out this post delving into the topic even further.
Final thoughts
Asa Mitaka isn’t an ordinary high school girl but she is relatable on a lot of grounds. She is a loner, hates everyone around her, acts boastful even though she gets bullied by others, and is a total nerd.
Did I mention she trips a lot? And especially during the worst of times.
Even so, she’s pretty useful, even from the War Devil’s eyes (at least someone finds her useful) and the fact that she (Yoru) agrees to share her name to Asa Mitaka shows they might be even more attached to each other than they are aware of. What’s more, even Denji thinks she’s interesting.
Asa (day/light) has the potential to shed off the darkness (Yoru) that consumes Denji, resulting in the punk having a relationship with someone, just like he had with Power.
What do you think of Asa Mitaka? Let me know in the comments below!
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Is Asa Mitaka A Fiend Or Hybrid In Chainsaw Man?