Warning: There might be spoilers for the Chainsaw Man manga below.
What Is the Difference Between Fiends and Hybrids?
In the world of Chainsaw Man, a Fiend refers to a Devil who has taken over the corpse of a human. As such, Fiends tend to look zombie-like, though there are exceptions. Fiends who are made out of corpses whose bodies and brains were intact might look a lot like humans, though they have some distinctive quality to mark the part of them that is a Devil. The most popular example is Power, an unusual Fiend with high intelligence. Power was a result of the Blood Devil taking over a corpse, which explains how bloodthirsty she occasionally was. Hybrids in Chainsaw Man reflect the rare cases in which a human and a Devil merge without either being completely eliminated. In that case, the human appears to be the dominant one in the relationship. Denji is a Hybrid, as Pochita, the original Chainsaw Devil, merged with him, allowing him to become the titular Chainsaw Man.
So, Is Asa Mitaka a Hybrid?
One’s first instinct might be to classify Asa Mitaka as a Hybrid, since she and the War Devil, with whom she shares her body, often converse and interchange control of their shared vessel. However, Asa is not a Hybrid. Hybrids, like Denji, are able to take the form of the Devil they’re in contract with. On the other hand, we’ve never seen the War Devil’s true form and, as far as we know, it is not a form that Asa can take. Before merging with Asa, the War Devil was much diminished as she had been consumed by Pochita, a fact that greatly reduced others’ fear of her. Her powers are still not at their peak, though she intends to change that by taking down Chainsaw Man. YOU MIGHT LIKE: Chainsaw Man’s Strongest Devils Ranked: Who Is the Strongest?
Therefore, Is Asa Mitaka a Fiend?
Asa Mitaka is, indeed, a Fiend. When a classmate attempts to kill Asa using the power of the Justice Devil, Asa is offered a contract with the War Devil who takes over her body. Normally, this would have meant the death of Asa, given that a Fiend is created when a (typically weakened) Devil takes over the body of someone who is already dead. The only cases in which parts of the human personality might still shine through are when the brain is intact. The War Devil aka Yoru knows little about human society, so she decides to keep half of Asa’s brain intact. This means that Asa can live normally as if she had not been mortally wounded, but Yoru is able to take over her body whenever she wants to. When this happens, Asa’s face appears scarred, showing that Yoru is in charge. Officially speaking, Asa is the War Fiend, as the original War Devil’s form is never shown. Discover more of our insights and the latest anime news by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime. READ NEXT: When Will the Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories Light Novel Be Available in English?
