#and it creates this brilliant tension between Denji's power to defeat devils and his quest to develop emotionally.

[temp-propaganda]

I haven't been properly keeping up on Chainsaw Man, but I think this is a class thing. devils gain power in correlation to how much they're feared. so if a devil isn't feared very much at all, they're vulnerable (tomato devil). and if they want to increase their power so as to become more secure, they'll go out and cause fear to artificially inflate their power (bat devil). but this method also puts a target on them, because humans also want to protect themselves from fear, and they'll go after the biggest problems first. and especially when it comes to organizations that provide monetary incentives for better fighters... the nail that sticks up gets the hammer (eternity devil). but when a devil is privileged enough to be born of an inherently scary concept that needs no maintenance, they can relax and actually decide on their own likes and dislikes. they don't have to earn their power... they passively have enough that they can just chill and I guess get really invested in eating junk food or going to school. fear is an economy for devils, just like money is for humans... it can result in vulnerability or security in the exact same way.

Chainsaw Man is so ridiculous. Some of the most powerful devils are working to prevent an age of devils because junk food won't exist any more if the human age ends. One of said devils can't actually work to protect junk food, though, because she has school. The more powerful a character is, the pettier their motivations are. I love it so much.

[greatwyrmgold]

#literally this is the point of starting with Denji as the main character... an impoverished child who has no advantages #he starts out with so many things to be afraid of that it completely desensitizes him #and a fearless human kind of breaks the devil economy #but it also breaks people. fear is an essential emotion that you shouldn't lose. #you literally can't know that you love something if you aren't afraid of losing it. Himeno is a case study for that in relation to Aki. #and it creates this brilliant tension between Denji's power to defeat devils and his quest to develop emotionally. #making progress in one area will decrease his effectiveness in the other... there's an inverse relationship there. #and it all started with Denji getting away from his oppressors and feeling secure enough to want things. #it used to be pointless... he expected anything of value to him to be forfeit immediately. #now that he has the chance to keep things... he has the chance to get hurt by it if he's robbed. #Chainsaw Man is a story about learning what you value and finding a way to keep it #even in a world that constantly wants to take away every piece of you that it can #Denji was literally selling body parts early in the series #and later... devils demand things like an arm or an eye or part of a person's lifespan in their contracts #the value of these things might not even be the thing itself #it's your knowledge that they're capable of taking it from you... it isn't yours #they can lessen your quality of life and even steal the skin off your back #and you don't even have the power to put up a boundary #Chainsaw Man is about economic inequality

Good analysis.

Chainsaw Man is so ridiculous. Some of the most powerful devils are working to prevent an age of devils because junk food won't exist any more if the human age ends. One of said devils can't actually work to protect junk food, though, because she has school. The more powerful a character is, the pettier their motivations are. I love it so much.