Is the Death Devil the Biggest FRAUD? Chainsaw Man Chapter 197 Review!

In the previous Chainsaw Man chapter, we finally get confirmation that the Death Devil has arrived and is now facing off against the Fake Chainsaw Man.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 197 is titled, “3 Seconds”

This chapter has 15 pages.

The boy with the Death Devil tells the Fake Chainsaw Man that the girl was just joking but the Death Devil strikes a fighting pose and gets chopped up very easily.

It seems the Fake Chainsaw Man is talking to himself after being surprised by how easily this devil was taken down but is assured that the “Justice Devil” never led him astray once.

While the boy insists that the monster just killed an innocent weirdo, the Fake insists that he did his job as a devil slayer.

Then we see the Death Devil’s arm latch onto the boy, causing him to wither and die while regenerating the girl from earlier.

After a lengthy analysis of Chainsaw Man’s combat style, his limits on physical attacks, she declares that she will “save” the Fake Chainsaw Man in 3 seconds.

We see them charge towards each other and…

Once again, she dies.

What Exactly Can The Death Devil Do?

Let us not be deceived because there are some clever patterns at work here.

We have seen all Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Academy Saga (Part 2 of the manga) and there is something about them that feels

As devils by nature, it seems like they are actually weak by default.

Almost like devils are humans in their own way but more on that idea later.

What we are seeing might just be the “rebirth” of the Death Devil, a being programmed with the basic Death Devil instincts and motivations but without being raised by humans.

This would fit some theories that Pochita actually ate the Death Devil or some parts of her.

Fami and Yoru are also not as malevolent as they appear, with Yoru being more of a tsundere and Fami being more interested in eating the next meal than fulfilling her objective with “boring people” like Yoshida.

The Death Devil’s first human contact, at least in this incarnation, might be the students, who happen to desire to escape death. Does this affect her powers in some way too, if she does not kill anyone that is.

However, there are also hints that there is something terrifying at work with this fakeout chapter.

Notice how detailed the clouds are behind the Death Devil.

This imagery could intentionally evoke back to Gustave Doré’s painting, “The Fall of Lucifer”, which we saw in Makima’s apartment in Chapter 81: “Give Paw”.

This is exactly what is happening with the arrival of the Death Devil.

However, there is a deeper meaning to the painting that ties to Makima’s “humanity”, that is in becoming human and more “sinful” than divine.

The Death Devil Shows the Humanity and Weakness of All Devils

The greatest weakness of any devil is the loss of the fear in their name and quite ironically, it is the ultimate fear of humanity, death itself, that is slowly being forgotten about in some fashion

While Chainsaw Man erases names and is thus the ultimate existential threat of all devils, there is a much deeper threat revealed through the Death Devil’s presence, the possibility that a threat can be forgotten or, in this case, ignored.

Of course, death is inevitable and the Death Devil is in a school full of devil survivors, so their fear is fresh and perhaps she is here to “save” not just the humans who suffer death, acting like a hero, but also, by instinct, herself from being forever lost.

So in some ways, becoming the hero that ends suffering is her only way to maintain her existence, even if it means requiring that the fear of death rule over humanity.

But there is so much irony to the Death Devil’s presence.

In this chapter, Death’s only power seems to be…dying.

She can kill someone to be restored but other than that, she seems to do nothing to actually stop the fake Chainsaw Man, not even touch him for that instant death effect.

Unless of course the point is the war of attrition. Even if the Fake Chainsaw Man can kill her forever, she will “save” more lives, which, for his “justice” means more lives are being sacrificed.

Devils need humans to exist and humans cannot overcome their limits without Devils.

Yet the Reign of Terror, where fear will bring more power to the Devils, ends on the extinction of humanity, who are the source of their existence

While devils can still exist after humans are gone, what purpose will devils have, outside of losing their meal source and people to fight against them?

Perhaps the peace the Death Devil seeks is in eliminating all life, especially as it seems that she is utterly powerless in the present day.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ANIME EXPLAINED WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!