Why Didn’t Himeno Want Aki to Use His Sword in Chainsaw Man?

Aki is one of the main supporting characters of the Chainsaw Man manga and anime. A curious man, Aki was initially very antagonistic towards Denji but would later become his close friend and protected him on numerous occasions. Although the Chainsaw Man manga is still ongoing, Aki’s story is over, but that won’t stop us from discussing his story here. In this article, we are going to talk about one aspect of Aki Hayakawa’s abilities, as we are going to reveal why exactly Himeno did not want Aki to use his katana against the Eternity Devil.

Aki Hayakawa’s katana was special as it was connected to the Curse Devil’s special ability. Namely, the Curse Devil gave Aki exceptional powers that allowed him to kill practically any Devil, but activating these powers would significantly shorten Aki’s life. Since Himeno was in love with Aki and did not want to see him die, she did not want him to use his katana against the Eternity Devil.

The rest of this article is going to bring you a recap of the Eternity Devil arc up to the point when Denji goes to face the Devil alone. In it, you’ll find out what Aki’s powers are, why are they so dangerous and why exactly Himeno did not want him to use them. The article is going to contain some major spoilers so if you’re not fully up-to-date with the story, be careful how you approach it.

What happened to Aki in the Eternity Devil arc?

From the Fish Devil’s corpse, Aki and Himeno are seen removing some of the Gun Devil’s meat. Aki, Denji, and Power travel to the Morin Hotel with Himeno’s gang after getting a request from the Bureau for the eradication of a Devil. They all continue to investigate the area floor by floor. They came discover a Devil that resembles a walking head, which Himeno and Power defeated with ease.

Hirokazu informed them that they should have been on the ninth floor as they progressed to the eighth floor. Aki quickly discovered that they were stuck on the eighth floor, possibly as a result of a Devil’s might, after doing more research. When Aki finally makes it back to the area where the party is gathering, she informs them that the Devil they previously fought is constantly growing in size. Aki then resumes her quest for the Devil. The Devil makes a deal, promising him freedom in exchange for Denji’s death.

Kobeni and Hirokazu’s mounting apprehension feeds the Devil’s growth as the situation worsens. The gang is then pursued by the monster, who tilts the room they are locked in and turns the corridor into a tunnel that leads to its mouth. Hirokazu and Kobeni get ready to kill Denji because they just want to get out of the hotel, but suddenly, Aki asks Himeno for permission to fight him with his katana. Knowing the consequences of such a move, Himeno forbids him and apologizes to Denji, after which she uses the Ghost Devil’s powers to restrain Aki, while Aki and Himeno proceed to kill Denji. Aki, though, manages to get free from the Ghost Devil and protects Denji from by taking the knife to his ribs.

Seeing Aki’s sacrifice, Denji asks Power to help him and then makes the decision to intervene on his own, promising Aki that they will call it even if he comes back alive. What happened, then? You’ll have to wait until next week’s episode (or read the manga) to find out what occurred with Denji and the Eternity Devil because we won’t be giving away any spoilers). This brief summary was provided so that you would know the circumstances surrounding Aki’s need for his katana.

Why didn’t Himeno want Aki to use his katana against the Eternity Devil?

Himeno was well aware of Aki’s powers and abilities and she knew that his katana was connected to the Curse Devil, with whom Aki was under contract (Aki wanted to use the Fox Devil earlier, but they were completely cut off from the outside world, so it could not come). Aki knew that they would defeat the Eternity Devil with his katana, whereas Himeno knew the consequences of such a move.

Namely, Aki’s abilities were, as we have said, in part the result of a contract with the Curse Devil, a very peculiar Devil. The Curse Devil is a very bizarre-looking Devil, as he takes on the appearance of a huge two-headed skeleton that has horns. The skulls are not identical: the left skull has three eye slits and longer teeth, while the right skull appears completely human. The hands and ribcage of the Curse Devil are full of menacing claws. When the Curse Devil speaks to someone, it appears as a monstrously big mouth or as a pair of sinister lips floating in the shadows. The Curse Devil would materialize, grab the target’s crossed arms, and gravely hurt them by biting their shoulders and neck while squeezing their arms when his contractor repeatedly stabs his target with her nail.

So, how is this morbid monstrosity connected to Aki? Well, the Curse Devil actually has a very specific ability that is as bizarre as its appearance. The Curse Devil will appear once its contractor stabs its target several times with a nail, and will then pick them up by their arms in a cross position, and fatally harm them by biting into their shoulders and necks and crushing their arms.

In the case of Santa Claus, she would offer the feeling of sensation in her fingers to the Curse Devil to obtain the ability to curse her enemies by stabbing them with the nail four times. On the other hand, in Aki Hayakawa’s case, the Curse Devil required only three stabs to manifest its effects, but it would cost Aki a portion of his total lifespan, which was a significantly bigger investment than in the case of Santa Claus.

So, knowing that the activation of the Curse Devil’s abilities through his katana would cost him a portion of his life, Himeno forbid Aki to use his katana. She had strong feelings for him and although Aki was not indifferent towards her, he was very professional and had a very clear goal in sight, and that was the death of the Gun Devil. In order to achieve that, he was willing to do anything, even sacrifice his lifespan, but Himeno would not allow him to do so because she care for him more than she cared for Denji. That is why she was willing to sacrifice Denji for Aki’s sake.