There have been many major moments in Chainsaw Man, but episode eight might have been the most dramatic yet.
In a fight against the Katana Man, Aki uses his special sword that Himeno warned him not to use in an earlier episode. Division 4 was figuring out how to defeat the Eternity Devil, and Aki considers using his sword. Himeno tells him not to and reveals to Denji that using it will take out a large portion of his life. Himeno has lost many partners over time and she doesn’t want to lose Aki.
The Katana Man proves to be a force to be reckoned with and Aki brings uses his sword to stand a better chance. He runs towards his opponent, points his sword, and a long red nail appears behind him as he plunges his sword into Katana Man’s chest. Aki attacks him more times and the Curse Devil’s mouth counts down every time he strikes. When the Curse Devil reaches zero, the hand grabs Katana Man, and he’s trapped by a large skeletal spine, seemingly defeated.
As terrifying as this was, it was more terrifying that this didn’t kill the Katana Man. A blonde woman in a red hoodie appears named Akane who pushes Katana Man to keep going. He gets up and goes back to fighting Aki. The bladed devil moves so fast that it’s impossible to see him while he’s in motion.
Himeno, wanting to save Aki, summons her Ghost Devil, but that’s not even enough to win the day. Akane uses her Snake Devil and consumes the Ghost Devil whole. It would seem as though Aki’s desperate effort to use the Cursed Devil’s sword didn’t get the job done, and his lifespan has just been cut as a result.
Chainsaw Man is streaming on Hulu.