‘Chainsaw Man’ recently saw Himeno meeting a tragic end in a moment all too sombre and surreal, with the perilous enemies still lingering above those she sacrificed herself to protect. However, is her departure definite?
Himeno is a Public Safety Devil Hunter superior to Aki Hayakawa, Denji, and other new rookies.
In a span of a couple of episodes, ‘Chainsaw Man’ takes the character through a whiplash journey while she contends with perils and heartbreaks, and comes to terms with the greatest sacrifice she must make to protect those she loves.
Within moments in the latest episode of the anime, Himeno is met with a rapidly escalating series of events and when the loss of those she holds dear in her heart seems imminent, she’s compelled to make the ultimate sacrifice.
An Unrequited love
It’s revealed soon after Himeno’s introduction in the story that she has a great affinity for Aki. Later on, it becomes evident that while a woman of hedonistic drives and desires she might be, when it comes to Aki, she’s more than just attracted to the Devil Hunter.
Through flashbacks and her internal monologues, the viewers come to know that she has vied for Aki’s love for quite some time. However, she hasn’t had luck when it comes to the reciprocal part of the could-be love equation.
Aki doesn’t see Himeno with similarly romantic feelings since he’s too, like Denji, enraptured by the mysterious Makima. She even makes a deal with Denji to help set him up with Makima so he can set her up with Aki.
Years of her love and feelings mount up to an ultimate expression of love at the most precarious moment during Aki’s battle with the enemy, leading to a morose turn of events.
A deal with the devil
The Katana man is defeated by Aki as the enemy initially takes the Devil Hunter lightly. However, after being revived by his friend Akane Sawatari, the hybrid easily defeats Aki.
Before the Katana Man can finish the job and kill Aki for good, an injured Himeno conjures up all her energy and will. She summons Ghost Hand but even the Devil is scared of Akane and the Snake Devil she has made a deal with.
However, Himeno is determined to save Aki, so she decides, in the quickest and most courageous move, to give her all to save Aki’s life. She makes a deal with Ghost Hand, telling it that she’s putting all her body into the deal.
Himeno’s deal with Ghost Hand had previously entailed her giving away her left eye, which is why she wears an eye patch.
When the devil states it’s unable to compete against the enemies, Himeno gives not just another eye but all her body to the devil so the latter can materialise way more effectively than before and attack the enemy with much more power.
However, even with the maximum power in exchange for Himeno’s entire existence, it falls short to defeat the enemy. Akane gets the Snake Devil to bite the head of Ghost Hand’s material body.
With the vicious attack, Aki is once again open to the enemies’ attacks but that’s not what concerns Aki, as he beholds in terror at the sight of Himeno, or rather the lack thereof.
Himeno’s gone, disappeared entirely after her body gets subtracted limb by limb, as Ghost Hand uses more and more of their physical body.
By the end of it, all that’s left of the Devil Hunter are her clothes and her eyepatch, along with a sense of dread and despair that pervades the terrace where the remaining Devil Hunters are very vulnerable and helpless against the enemies.
The ultimate sacrifice
Himeno is dead and is truly gone for good. For those holding out a hope that the character might still live and perv on others in the manga, it might come as a letdown that Himeno would not be coming back from the dead.
While as a general rule in most shonen anime, no one’s ever really gone and characters often come back from the dead like it’s nobody’s business. And one can never close the doors on a character’s existential status in Chainsaw Man either, Himeno is most definitely dead.
While her death happening without any trademark gory display of guts and blood might be unremarkable to some, the impact of her death is anything but. Aki is devastated at the sight of losing his compassionate superior and friend.
The episodes of ‘Chainsaw Man’ that follow her death will see some profound impact hitting Aki and dwelling inside him for quite some time ahead.
Also Read: What is a Fiend in Chainsaw Man?