Chainsaw Man may be a “random bullshit go” chaotic but fun series to go through but it makes sure to leave a fare share of mysteries hanging around for fans to ponder on.

Out of all the mysteries surrounding the series, anime-only watchers of Chainsaw Man have wondered why do the Devils like the Eternity Devil and Gun Devil wanted to claim Denji’s heart? Does it have to do with Pochita occupying the space where his heart used to be?

A lot of them seem to not know Denji but hate him enough to take his heart and kill him. What did the Chainsaw Devil aka Pochita do to get on their bad side? Is there a backstory describing his shenanigans?

The Chainsaw Man manga gives an answer to this question. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers from Chainsaw Man manga, so read at your own discretion.

First, let me give a brief rundown on the circumstances Denji met Pochita for the first time.

How did Denji meet Pochita? Why was he injured?

Pochita is actually the name given to the Chainsaw Devil by Denji. When Denji first stumbles upon Pochita as a kid, he was injured and bleeding.

Why? Because prior to this, Pochita was fighting the four horsemen & the weapon Devils. This is revealed by Makima, in page 2 of Chapter 87, that he disappeared during the conflict. They couldn’t find Pochita since he was in a “completely changed near death” form (the dog form Denji found him in).

When they first met, both Denji and a bleeding Pochita were in desperate need of survival and continue to live according to that principle – “survival first, everything else is secondary”. That’s why they agreed to form a contract and became fond of each other, and the adorable devil even sacrificed himself in order to become Denji’s heart and save him.

The whole exchange only proves that Pochita or the Chainsaw Devil always had a target on its back. But why? Why did these Devils attack the Chainsaw Devil?

Much of the Chainsaw Devil’s history is still shrouded in mystery as of writing this article. Bits and pieces of his nature are mentioned by Makima in the Control Devil arc.

Why do other Devils fear the Chainsaw Man? Why did they attack him?

Well that is because the Chainsaw Man is built different. They fear of being the target of his unique ability and his immense physical capabilities.

According to Makima, the Chainsaw Devil is called the “Hero of Hell” because of its unique ability – the Devils that he eats are completely erased from existence.

We see a replica of that battle in Chapter 84 where the Chainsaw Man is cast into Hell by the Hell Devil. However this time, he slaughters everyone with ease and comes out unscathed.

Sometime in the past, some Devils would have picked fights with him and were erased from existence. So more and more Devils began ganging up on him and try defeating him. But they couldn’t succeed due to the Chainsaw Devil’s unparalleled might.

For starters, Chainsaw Man’s physique is extremely resilient, as seen by his capacity to endure full-on bomb explosions and the Bat Devil’s sonic attacks at point blank range, as well as his survival after being hurled into space and reentering Earth with barely any severe injuries. He was also able to survive Makima’s Thousand Year Spear attack, despite being weakened by popular admiration, albeit he was in serious condition afterwards.

Beam observed that the Chainsaw Devil was famous for his lightning quickness, allowing him to outmaneuver even the likes of Makima and the Hell Devil. Because of how quickly he can change direction, it often appears as if he is teleporting to his adversaries.

His immense strength was so great that that he was unable to engage in even the most fundamental of social relationships, such as giving or receiving a hug. The incident at the Burger Shop, when he killed numerous locals in what appeared to have been unintentional attacks, emphasizes this point.

He had to use the scarf made from his intestines to carry Kobeni so that he wouldn’t accidentally hurt her. His later strike against Quanxi and the Broadsword hybrid during the hybrid conflict was so devastating that it levelled multiple buildings and easily severed both of their heads.

Because of what he does, he is marked and killed by many Devils but he revs his engine and revives again and again & retains its memories, unlike other Devils, through a required amount of blood.

Through these abilities, the Chainsaw Devil is on top of the food chain (speculated to be the 3rd strongest Devil revealed so far).

Some run away while being fearful of his chaotic exploits whereas others stuck their ground and continued to channelize their anger (arising from jealousy) to try overthrowing him.

There were also some who worshiped him as well (like the Beam Devil/Shark Fiend). Devils of that sort evolved when they realized they couldn’t stop him. Therefore, if you can’t beat them, join them.

In the end, a bunch of Devils like the Bat Devil, Eternity Devil, Katana Man, the 4 horsemen and so forth, reincarnated on Earth and carried their vengeance to kill Chainsaw Devil once and for all while he’s in a weakened state.

CHAINSAW MAN © 2018 by Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA Inc.