When Asa and Yoru disagree about Chainsaw Man, Fami suggests that both can have their way due to the existence of a red and a black Chainsaw Man.
But who are these two Chainsaw Men, and what are their differences?
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for the Chainsaw Man manga!
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Red vs. Black Chainsaw Man: What Is the Difference?
With Yoru insisting on killing her nemesis, Chainsaw Man, and Asa insisting on saving him, Fami suggests a third route, which is only possible due to the existence of a red and a black Chainsaw Man.
Nowhere else in the manga has Chainsaw Man been referred to with a color. So, what does this all mean?
To paraphrase Fami's explanation, it means that Asa and Yoru's Chainsaw Men aren't the same people.
Yoru wants to kill the archetypal, pure form of Chainsaw Man, while Asa has developed a crush on the Hybrid Chainsaw Man (without knowing this is actually Denji).
According to Fami, Yoru wants to exterminate the black Chainsaw Man who isn't the same as the one Asa is trying to save.
When Fami demonstrates a photo of whom she calls "black" Chainsaw Man, Yoru agrees that this (rather than the so-called "red" Chainsaw Man) is her enemy.
Since the manga is black and white, we, as readers, can't see whatever nuance Fami is seeing, so we aren't sure if her differentiation refers to actual colors, but this is the most likely explanation.
So, Which Chainsaw Man Is Denji?
Based on current information, Denji is the red Chainsaw Man. While Asa doesn't know that her Chainsaw Man is Denji, Fami refers to the one Asa wants to save as "red."
The color most likely refers to Denji's chainsaws, which appear orange in the anime but could possibly be seen as an orangey red.
Since the Chainsaw Man impostor has only made limited appearances, we can't really tell if his own chainsaws look darker on the black-and-white page, especially since we never see his head clearly.
But we are now pretty sure that the impostor is not the Devil Yoru is looking for.
Who Is the Black Chainsaw Man?
Some fans theorize that Pochita in his full power could be the black Chainsaw Man.
Despite his reddish-orange color when in his cute form, he did have some body parts that were black.
Moreover, the end of the Public Safety manga arc featured Pochita's true Chainsaw Man form which was buffer, scarier, and bigger than Denji's transformation.
Once again, the black-and-white format prevents us from seeing if his own chainsaws were darker.
But Makima, one of the Four Horsemen, was obsessed with the archetypal Chainsaw Man, so we wouldn't be surprised if Yoru, another Horseman, was equally obsessed with the same person; hating rather than adoring him.
How Do the Two Chainsaw Men Work, Exactly?
Fami implies that it's currently impossible for Yoru to face her Chainsaw Man target (black Chainsaw Man) because the red Chainsaw Man's heart prevents him from being an ordinary human.
Her reference to Denji's heart could be read metaphorically to demonstrate Denji's dilemma because, in his heart, he still desires to fight.
Of course, given how everyone wants Denji's heart, Fami may be speaking literally here, hinting at the fact that Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil, is literally Denji's heart, so he can't escape his nature.
In any case, Fami seems to think that the Chainsaw Man church could save the boy Asa cares about.
If they keep slaying Devils to help him (essentially stealing his glory), people will eventually forget Chainsaw Man and stop fearing him, which would make him weaker.
Only then could Denji live an ordinary life, according to Fami. But the surprises don't stop there.
Fami also declares that Yoru will only be able to fight the black Chainsaw Man when the red Chainsaw Man becomes human again.
Therefore, "helping" Denji become an ordinary human seems to be in both Asa and Yoru's best interests.
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Is Fami Even Truthful?
Of course, all the above beg a question: is Fami even telling Asa the truth? It's too early to tell for sure, but her theory does sound a bit fishy. Could it all be an act to manipulate Asa?
First of all, while Chainsaw Man has made us wonder whether there could be two Chainsaw Devils, we still have no indication that this could be the case.
While a Devil in full power could theoretically have contracts with more than one human, we were under the impression that Pochita was the only Chainsaw Devil and that Denji is the only continuation of Pochita's physical life.
So far, no character has mentioned that if a Hybrid like Denji becomes weaker, the true form of the Devil he comes from will emerge in full power.
All that we know is that (if Power was correct), a Devil who dies on earth gets reborn in Hell and vice versa.
As such, the only way we can think for Pochita to reemerge would be Denji's death.
Previous chapters additionally tell us that Fami believes the War Devil (rather than Chainsaw Man) is the only person who can prevent the Nostradamus prophecy. So, what does Fami really want?
Well, fans can't seem to decide, but most agree that the Famine Devil can't be trusted.
Our theory is that Fami's red and black Chainsaw Men are merely Denji's current and Pochita's past forms, respectively.
Fami knows neither Asa nor Yoru will agree to save the world and is using their opposite obsessions with Chainsaw Man to get her desired result out of them both.
While Asa is smart and not unkind, she is a bit selfish and cynical and tends to consider things on a smaller scale; focusing on people and things she feels strongly about.
Meanwhile, Yoru is outright evil, power-hungry, and obsessive—definitely not hero material.
But right now, they would both do anything for Chainsaw Man: Asa to save him; Yoru to kill him.
Perhaps Fami is planning to have Denji killed or ensure he's out of the way so that he won't mess with the Nostradamus Prophecy.
At the same time, Chainsaw Man is currently the only thing that could motivate Asa to become a Devil Hunter.
If Fami hopes that Asa/Yoru will prevent the prophecy from happening, she will likely want Asa's body to be trained and strong, and perhaps this is the only way she could think of to force Asa into action.
For now, this is just a theory, but we'd love to know what you think, so make sure to join the conversation with us on Twitter!
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