Whether or not you've read Chainsaw Man, you've likely heard about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which are known figures in the Christian religion. They've also made several appearances in speculative fiction in various forms, but just who or what are the Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man in particular?
Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers from the Chainsaw Man manga.
About the Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen first appear in the Old Testament in the Books of Zachariah and Ezekiel. Later, in the New Testament, they appear in the Apocalypse as punishment from God.
The Horsemen are mostly depicted and described as men who ride horses of different colors, hence their name.
In the book of the Apocalypse, they are described as "sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague".
It would take more than an article to describe the full significance of the Four Horsemen, but it suffices to say that the concept has, on different occasions, been used in popular cultural productions, including Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Chainsaw Man is a manga that essentially explores some of the worst things that could happen to humanity, so it's fitting that these figures would be used in the story as well.
Who Are the Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man?
In the Chainsaw Man shonen manga, the Four Horsemen are four powerful devils representing the Four Horsemen from Christianity.
Namely, these are the Control Devil (aka Makima), the War Devil (now the War Fiend, hosted by Asa Mitaka and manifesting as "Yoru"), the Hunger Devil, and the Death Devil.
The distinct feature of these devils is that they still remember the names of the devils that Chainsaw Man has devoured.
Not very much else is known about these Four Horsemen other than the fact that Makima -- who turns out to be the Control Devil -- used to be one of them.
What we do know is that they don't generally function as a cohesive unit, given that Makima planned to annihilate the other three.
For a bit of backstory, the Horsemen once fought Pochita in Hell, but he mysteriously vanished and changed forms so that they could not find him.
The Control Devil, incarnated as Makima, went to Earth and sought out the Chainsaw Man that had been created by Denji merging with Pochita.
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What Can We Expect From the Four Horsemen in Part 2?
Chainsaw Man Part 2 introduces a character named Asa Mitaka, who is badly mutilated by a classmate who was jealous of her.
The War Devil offers to save Asa's life in exchange for control over her body, and she accepts.
After seeing a Chainsaw Man poster, the War Devil vows to make Chainsaw Man vomit nuclear weapons back up. This suggests that Asa/the War Devil is one of the Four Horsemen, as they remember the nuclear weapons devil whom Chainsaw Man devoured.
Later chapters of Chainsaw Man Part 2 introduce the Hunger Devil, also known as Famine Devil.
While the Famine Devil has only appeared in a few scenes, many fans had already suspected her identity because her eyes are drawn in a similar way to Makima and Asa/Yoru's.
Not much is known about the Hunger Devil's powers yet. However, it appears that she's able to resurrect the dead (with a twist) as she manages to make Asa's friend, Yuko, live again for a while, albeit in a devilish form.
Moreover, she's able to trap people in space and time, putting an aquarium under lockdown so that Asa grows desperate from hunger.
In doing so, the Hunger Devil and Yoru hope to persuade Asa to use the War Devil's powers and turn Denji into a weapon.
At this point, we're only waiting for one remaining Horseman -- the Death Devil -- to show up.
What do you think it'll look like? Tag us on Twitter with your speculations!
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