Chainsaw Man: Fiends, Devils, and Hybrids Explained
Chainsaw Man is an extremely popular anime and manga that, like many action animes, has an interesting power system. Of course, these power systems are often explained over the course of many episodes or chapters, and it can be easy to forget how things work. Fortunately, we’ve put together a quick explainer for you to understand the differences between Devils, Fiends, and Hybrids in the violent world of Chainsaw Man.
The Devils of Chainsaw Man
First, let’s go over Devils since neither Fiends nor Hybrids would exist without a Devil being involved. In Chainsaw Man, Devils are supernatural entities that are born in Hell from humanity’s fears. If a Devil dies in Hell, then they are incarnated into the human world, and it also works the other way as Devils killed in the human world are sent back to Hell.
While Devils are technically immortal and can become more powerful from consuming blood, their power levels are still relatively tied to how much humanity fears the concept of that particular devil. For instance, the world of Chainsaw Man has strict gun control laws because of how powerful the Gun Devil is and the danger it poses to humanity. Similarly, if the world suddenly stopped fearing a certain concept, that Devil would then cease to exist.
Fiends In The World Of Chainsaw Man
Devils that are greatly feared by humanity tend to be the most powerful beings in the universe of Chainsaw Man, but a Devil who is desperate to survive can possess the corpse of a human to become a Fiend. A Devil who has become a Fiend loses quite a bit of their power and no longer has the ability to make contracts, which we’ll touch on later. The Fiend we know best in the series is Power, who is the Fiend formed by the Blood Devil.
The Blood Devil is undoubtedly powerful due to people’s fear of blood and the violence that typically comes with blood, so Power is still a pretty powerful character despite being a Fiend. A Fiend in Chainsaw Man will typically have identifying markings, like Power’s horns, that indicate that they aren’t human. Unlike Hybrids, the human that the Fiend possesses is no longer present, and the Devil is fully in control of the mind and body.
While Fiends will typically have the personality of their Devil completely, it is possible for the brain of the person to intermingle with the Devil and for the Fiend’s personality to be affected by this. In Chainsaw Man, Fiends retain the ability to heal from consuming blood, and they can also use their supernatural abilities to a degree, though not to the same degree as they were Devils. For instance, Power has the ability to manipulate blood and fight with it.
Chainsaw Man Is A Hybrid
Finally, we have Hybrids, which are formed when a human merges with a Devil, either through surgery or via a contract that the Devil makes with the human. The example we’re most familiar with is the Chainsaw Man himself, Denji, who is the protagonist and one of the most powerful Hybrids we’ve seen. The Devil, in this case, Pochita the Chainsaw Devil, replaced Denji’s heart after he was severely injured and turned him into a Hybrid.
The Devil being the heart of a Hybrid makes their heart their primary weakness, as removing the Devil components of a Hybrid takes their powers away and kills them. But, unlike Fiends, a human retains their human appearance and personality when they become a Hybrid in Chainsaw Man. They also gain the ability to turn into the Devil they merged with, typically via a transformation trigger such as Denji pulling the ripcord on his chest.
So there you have it! These are the broad strokes of the differences between Devils, Humans, and Hybrids in Chainsaw Man. Make sure to check out the anime on Hulu or Crunchyroll if you haven’t already.
