After the success of the anime adaptation, Chainsaw Man quickly became one of the most popular manga series in the world. In 2018, Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump began serialising the series, written and drawn by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man is notorious for its graphic violence and depiction of disturbing subject matter.
The series succeeds in spite of this by combining comedy with a gripping story, subtly nuanced themes, well-developed characters and relationships, and wild action scenes. It’s safe to conclude that the sum total of these factors is what ultimately led to the popularity of Chainsaw Man.
In this tale, a young man named Denji makes a deal with a Chainsaw Devil and is transformed into a monster called the Chainsaw Man. In this series’ world, Devils are manifestations of humanity’s fears, and they feast on those emotions, gaining power from them. Devils may have their beginnings in Hades, but they are not confined there.
Many devils visit Earth, creating devastation and terrifying the human population. Some are savvier than others, and can hide their true identities among humans while mingling freely with them. The Four Horsemen are one such group. Keep reading if you’re interested in learning more about the Horsemen from Chainsaw Man.
Chapter 87 of Public Safety Saga is where Makima first mentions the Four Horsemen to a gathering of hybrids, providing some background on their origins and purpose. It should come as no surprise that the Horsemen dislike Denji, as do the vast majority of Devils. However, the Four Horsemen remain a mystery.
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Who Are the Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man?
Even Makima’s backstory is mostly unknown, with very little information revealed by Makima herself, and the Four Horsemen are shrouded in mystery as a group of four powerful Devils. Pochita and the Four Horsemen and Gun Devil once fought a bloody war in Hell, but at the height of the conflict, Pochita vanished and was transformed into a pathetic, nearly lifeless version of herself before eventually winding up on Earth.
This prevents the Four Horsemen from locating him. Makima confirms the presence of the Four Horsemen by recounting the time she, the Horsemen, and the Weapon Devils battled Pochita before the fight abruptly ended when Pochita vanished. Now that the Hybrids have arrived, she declares that the combat may resume and gives the go-ahead for an assault on Chainsaw Man.
Makima appears to have defeated and taken control of Chainsaw Man, only to be fatally hacked to pieces by Denji’s chainsaw. Denji murders Makima by consuming her entire body after finding a way out of the Devil’s bargain he made with the Prime Minister of Japan that granted him near-immortality. The Control Demon will shortly reappear as Nayuta, a Chinese girl.
Kishibe finds out and arranges for her to be sent to Japan, where he trusts Denji to look after Nayuta since he thinks Denji is the ideal person for the job. The world’s only people that know the names of the Devils like “Nuclear Weapon” that were eaten by Chainsaw Man are the Four Horsemen.
However, as evidenced by Makima and Nayuta, this might hold true only until the point at which they die and are reincarnated, at which point their memories are likewise reset. Now that we know what the Four Horsemen are and how they work, we can examine them individually.
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Control Devil
In the Control Devil arc, readers learn Makima is the Control Devil and a Four Horseman. This Devil’s abilities stem from humanity’s fear of dominance. Makima can control every living being by convincing them they are inferior. The victim forgets everything before and during Makima’s influence. Makima can wield her abilities without suspicion.
Makima dominates beyond acts. She can summon her victims and use their powers as if they were her own, such as using animals’ hearing to listen in on conversations or using a victim to command a contracted Devil. This power affects Devils, Fiends, hybrids, people, and animals, alive or dead.
This character has Force Manipulation. It lets Makima manipulate an unseen force to crush her target by staring at them or projecting the force with her index finger. Using a human sacrifice and a temple to boost her strength, she can even kill targets far away.
After Makima is killed by Denji, the Control Devil reincarnates as Nayuta, a young Chinese girl. Nayuta appears to have no memory of her prior incarnation yet possesses the same talents.
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The War Devil
The War Devil debuts in Chainsaw Man’s second saga’s opening chapter, starting the War Devil arc. This creature first appears as an owl and offers a contract to Asa Mitaka, a high school student in a terrible condition who was attacked by a classmate. After resurrecting Asa and converting her into a Fiend, the War Devil takes over her body and becomes Yoru. After this, the Devil has yellow eyes and scars like the girl.
The facial scars show when the War Devil controls Asa’s body, as the two might sometimes switch over.
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Yoru, the War Devil, can convert anything into a deadly weapon. She must touch and name the weapon to activate this power. The weapon becomes stronger as she feels terrible about developing it. Asa’s sorrow shows when she turns human pieces into flesh weapons.
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Famine/Hunger Devil
War Devil introduces the Famine Devil to the manga. Fami, a high school girl, appears. She offers to restore Yoru’s classmate at the end of their fight. She identifies herself as the Famine Devil, the War Devil’s older sister.
Fami appears rarely in the manga, therefore little is known about her. She appears to want to turn Denji into a weapon using Yoru’s ability, but it’s unknown why. Fami can cure humans and Devils and give them superpowers. She can converse telepathically and imprison Denji and Asa in an aquarium to starve them.
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Death Devil
Unfortunately, Chainsaw Man has yet to feature the Death Devil. This Horseman’s appearance and goals are unknown. Given its dread, this may be the strongest of the Four Horsemen. The Devil’s powers should mirror humanity’s greatest fear: death.