Why Did the Eternity Devil Want to Eat Denji in Chainsaw Man?
Denji faces a wide range of raging antagonists throughout the Chainsaw Man saga, but the Eternity Devil could be one of the most challenging devils Denji has taken on. Denji successfully defeated the Eternity Devil after 3 days of fighting with the help of fellow demon hunters, but many fans are left wondering why the Eternity Devil wanted to eat Denji in Chainsaw Man.
The Eternity Devil wanted to eat Denji in order to consume the Chainsaw Devil. The Eternity Devil was afraid of being consumed and erased by Pochita, and wanted Denji’s friends to hand him over instead of fighting Denji directly. However, it’s clear that the Eternity Devil was eager to gain the power and notoriety that would accompany eating the Chainsaw Devil.
Although it seemed that the Eternity Devil simply wanted to kill Denji for the sake of it, even Denji realized that this may be due to another reason. Stick around to find out everything there is to know about why the Eternity Devil’s motives, as well as why it wanted Denji in particular.
The Eternity Devil in Chainsaw Man
The Eternity Devil in Chainsaw Man is a powerful being that takes the appearance of a relatively small infinity-shaped glob of flesh, formed from the fear of eternity. This devil has some unique yet terrifying powers, enabling it to take on even the most powerful devils in the Chainsaw Man storyline.
Making its debut back in the Chainsaw Man manga’s Chapter 14 (or episode 5 within the Chainsaw Man anime series) the Eternity Devil is a being who enjoys seeing humans suffer, primarily creating contracts with humans in order to meet its agenda. Its main ability revolves around Pocket Reality Creation, which allows the Eternity Devil to create an alternate space void of time and the general rules of reality.
The Eternity Devil generally traps victims inside this space, after which they are typically forced to make a deal with the devil in order to escape. It can also transform into a more sinister and vicious being once inside this pocket reality, growing at rapid speeds depending on the negative feelings of those trapped within the space – such as fear, anger, and so on.
It becomes an expanding blob of flesh, limbs, and heads, which it can use to attack its victims as well. In fact, the avatar created by the Eternity Devil was believed to be so strong that it could technically rip Denji’s body into pieces – even after transforming into Chainsaw Man.
Why Did the Eternity Devil Want to Eat Denji in Chainsaw Man?
Before the entire battle between Denji and the Eternity Devil takes place, the Eternity Devil is quick to offer the group of devil hunters a deal in return for their safety. The devil explains that all of the devil hunters’ deaths are guaranteed while they are trapped within this space and that they will be freed as long as the Eternity Devil gets to eat Denji.
Denji realizes that this proposition implies that the Eternity Devil sees Denji as a threat compared to the other devil hunters, which gives him the courage to tackle the devil head-on. Denji literally jumps down the Eternity Devil’s throat while transforming into Chainsaw Man, after which the bloody and violent battle begins.
However, while this point was glossed over, many fans have been left wondering why the Eternity Devil wanted to eat Denji in particular. There are two main reasons fans have theorized regarding the Eternity Devil’s proposition, both of which are closely related to each other.
1. The Eternity Devil is Afraid of the Chainsaw Devil
It’s well known that Pochita is extremely powerful, a primary reason why Makima wanted Pochita as well. The Chainsaw Devil is strong, vicious, brutal, and merciless when it comes to killing evil devils, but holds a skill that is far more terrifying to devils in particular.
Among the many abilities granted by being the Chainsaw Devil, Pochita also has the ability to erase devils from existence. Devils consumed by the Chainsaw Devil cannot simply resurrect in a new form in most cases, and dark memories caused by these devils can be erased from humanity’s collective memory as well. Of course, since Pochita is alive inside Denji after becoming Denji’s hybrid heart, the same risk would stand for the Eternity Devil.
Being killed is not that much of a big deal for most devils in Chainsaw Man, although it’s still terrifying – but being eaten by Pochita (dubbed the Hero of Hell) is an entirely different fate. Devils consumed by Pochita can never be reincarnated even if humans feel the relative fear needed for the devil’s powers – they can only return to existence by physically being ripped from the Chainsaw Devil’s stomach!
The Chainsaw Devil is one of the most feared devils in the entire Chainsaw Man universe for this reason. It’s completely understandable that the Eternity Devil would want to get rid of Denji from the very beginning, taking the Chainsaw Devil out of the picture in the process.
At the same time, the Eternity Devil may not have sought out the Chainsaw Devil at all, especially considering that it is likely afraid of being erased by Pochita. From any perspective other than the main Chainsaw Man protagonists, it may even seem that they were there to kill the Eternity Devil.
Denji and fellow demon hunters were actually in a hotel on the hunt for the Gun Devil, a huge motive for Aki. It’s possible that they simply intruded on the Eternity Devil’s territory unknowingly, and the Eternity Devil felt it had to eat Denji in self-defense. The fact that the Eternity Devil never asked to fight Denji is also quite telling, instead asking for Denji’s friends to hand him over (dead or alive).
2. The Eternity Devil Wanted to Become More Powerful
A cowardly take on the Eternity Devil’s proposal may be a pretty valid theory, especially considering that we know powerful devils are already afraid of the Chainsaw Devil. But, the Eternity Devil is quite tough, at least within its own realm, and it may have been far more interested in gaining power – perhaps, it may have been a “two birds one stone” type of situation.
There were actually a few moments where the Eternity Devil seemed to have killed Denji or injured him severely enough to secure a win. But, Denji was aided by Himeno which allowed him to continue fighting. In a moment where it seemed the Eternity Devil had won, it began gloating about being the one to defeat the Chainsaw Devil.
Of course, being an odd and formless devil with multiple mouths, he didn’t say anything specific. But, it was pretty obvious that he was alluding to Pochita’s reputation among devils, and highlighting the victory as a huge trophy.
It appears the Eternity Devil was excited to eat the Chainsaw Devil, which would be a massive brag not to mention a sudden surge in power levels. The Eternity Devil had already been made more powerful due to a prevalent fear of eternity among humans, and consuming the Chainsaw Devil may have been the catalyst for gaining far more control over the world.
Fortunately, Denji ultimately defeats it after 3 long days of battling back and forth. Although, the battle’s outcome can definitely be attributed to the help Denji received from his allies at the time.
That’s everything there is to know about the Eternity Devil’s need to defeat Denji in Chainsaw Man. The Eternity Devil may have had some rather sinister plans and motives tucked up its many sleeves, but it was thankfully defeated before it could pursue any of its dark ambitions.
