Chainsaw Man Analysis! Why Did Aki Hayakawa Choose the "Worst Death"? His Way of Life and the Price of His Contracts

Hello, this is Osamu, the manga blogger.

For readers of Chainsaw Man, one of the most heart-wrenching episodes is undoubtedly the end of Aki Hayakawa.

Cool and serious, he initially found Denji and Power annoying. Watching him gradually deepen his bonds with them and form a "family" was one of the few comforting aspects of this series. However, the conclusion was an exceedingly cruel "worst possible death."

Why did he meet such an end? Let's unravel this through his contracts and his way of life.

The "Change" in a Man Who Lived Only for Revenge

At the beginning of the story, Aki had only one purpose in life: to exact revenge on the "Gun Devil" for killing his family (his parents and his brother, Taiyo).

For this sake, he did not mind making contracts that whittled away his own life. He offered his skin and hair to the "Fox Devil" and his very lifespan to the "Curse Devil," waiting for the moment of his revenge.

However, living with Denji and Power began to melt his frozen heart. Aki, who was supposed to be a revenge machine, eventually came to wish, "As long as they can be happy, that's enough."

The Despair Prophesied by the "Future Devil"

What determined Aki's fate was his contract with the "Future Devil." In exchange for living in Aki's right eye, the devil delivered a prophecy:

"You will die in the worst possible way."

Usually, the Future Devil demands a high price, but for Aki, it formed the contract simply because "I want to see that death." That is how certain it was that his death would be tragic.

The Price of Choosing "Family" Over Revenge

The decisive turning point that led Aki toward the "worst death" was the moment he chose to abandon "revenge" to "protect his current family (Denji and Power)."

He sought help from the higher-ups (Makima) to prevent Denji and the others from being hurt any further, even if it meant giving up on his own revenge. However, this was exactly what Makima had planned.

For Makima, Aki's existence was the perfect "tool" to isolate Denji (Chainsaw Man) and drive him into despair. The more Aki cared for Denji, the deeper the despair his death would cause Denji.

The Disconnect Between the Snowball Fight and Reality

The reason Aki's end is called the "worst" is that he became the Fiend of the "Gun Devil" he hated the most, and was killed by the hands of the "brother (Denji)" he wanted to protect the most.

What makes it even more cruel is that in Aki's consciousness, this was not depicted as a fight to the death, but as a "fun snowball fight" with his late brother, Taiyo.

While he was slaughtering Denji and innocent civilians in reality, Aki's mind was trapped in the innocent play of his childhood. And when that "game" was ended by Denji's hands, Aki's life also came to a close.

Conclusion: Was His Choice a Mistake?

If Aki had closed his heart until the end and never formed a bond with Denji and Power, he might not have suffered such a "worst death."

However, the fact that he died not just for revenge, but while being manipulated for trying to protect someone, is proof that he had regained his humanity.

It could be said that the "worst death" was the flip side of the fact that he genuinely loved Denji and Power.

How did you interpret Aki's final moments?

(Osamu)