If Pokemon has Pikachu and One Piece has Chopper, Chainsaw Man has an unusual yet adorable dog named Pochita. Due to his iconic and interesting character design, this canine-like devil serves as the series’ mascot. When the anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man premiered last October 2022, the series’ popularity drastically increased. As a result, Pochita plushies, keychains, and other merchandise are sold everywhere.
Locals and non-fans who saw those plushies are probably confused and might ask, “what the hell is this creature?” Is it a dog? Is it a chainsaw? Who knows? If you’re one of those who are also curious about exactly what is Pochita, then you’ve come to the right place.
What is Pochita?
Pochita is the name of Denji’s pet dog in Chainsaw Man. He is a small orange dog with a chainsaw protruding from the center of his face, and his tail comes in the form of a chainsaw pull cord. A handle also emerges on his body that allows him to be wielded like a chainsaw. From his appearance, it is evident that Pochita is not just a simple dog. That’s because Pochita is actually an infamous devil known as the Chainsaw Devil.
His dog-like appearance is only a temporary near-death state. Pochita’s true form is that of a massive, muscular humanoid creature with spikes all over his body and four arms with chainsaws protruding from each of them. A large chainsaw is also emerging from his head, and an intestine-like flesh was wrapped around his neck like a scarf.
What is Pochita’s Personality?
Unlike other devils who can speak in human language, Pochita can only communicate through barking just like an actual dog. It was not until he merged with Denji that Pochita was able to communicate telepathically and warn Denji about not opening the “door.”
Pochita shows a more erratic personality every time he reverts to his true devil form, as shown when he slaughtered everyone who acted the slightest bit hostile at the burger joint in Chapter 85.
Despite his general hatred towards humanity, Pochita cared deeply for Denji after he was saved by the young boy while he was on the verge of death. Unlike other ill-natured devils, Pochita is surprisingly kind and even self-sacrificing when it comes to Denji. He was willing to go to great lengths such as giving up his heart and reviving Denji, even though Pochita himself won’t gain anything from it.
What is Pochita’s Ability?
The Chainsaw Devil is considered the most powerful devil in the series next to the Primal Fears. At some point, it was mentioned that the sound of a chainsaw is the last sound that devils hear before they are killed in hell. This means that the Chainsaw Devil has overpowered and wiped out many other devils while in hell, cementing his title as the “Hero of Hell” and “The Devil that Devils fear the most”. Even Makima herself believes that she is inferior and that she has to defeat him first before she could control him.
- Immense Speed
The Chainsaw Devil is known for his incredible speed. During the fight with Makima and the hybrids, he quickly overwhelmed them before they could even retaliate. He moves so swiftly that he appears to be teleporting to his opponents.
- Immense Durability
The Chainsaw Devil’s body is highly durable, capable of surviving sonic lashes, explosions, piercing strikes, tremendous concussive blasts, and atmospheric entry burns with little to no severe repercussions. Although he was in critical condition afterward, he also survived Makima’s Thousand Year Spear strike, despite being weakened by public adoration.
- Immense Strength
Pochita himself revealed that as the Chainsaw Man, he was so powerful that he couldn’t even perform fundamental social interactions such as receiving or giving a hug. This was demonstrated during their visit to the burger joint when even little movements of his arms were enough to kill numerous locals accidentally. He also had to carry Kobeni with his intestinal scarf to avoid accidentally harming her. Later on, during the fight with the hybrids, his attack on Quanxi and the Broadsword hybrid was so powerful that it destroyed multiple buildings and decapitated both of them effortlessly.
- Devil Erasure
Devil Erasure is Pochita’s infamous ability that gave him the title, “The Devil that Devils fear the most.” It allows him to erase the “name” or the entire existence of a devil by simply devouring them. After the War Devil mentioned that she would revive the Nuclear Weapon Devil by making the Chainsaw Devil throw it up, it can be concluded that the devils that Pochita devours do not die altogether, and instead, they become imprisoned inside the Chainsaw Devil.
How Did Pochita Meet Denji?
Before Pochita met Denji in his near-death state, he was popularly known as the Chainsaw Devil, the Chainsaw Man, and the “Hero of Hell.” He is known for his unique ability to erase the existence of other devils by devouring them. Most of the time, devils who were killed in hell can reincarnate to the human world, but devils who died and were eaten by the Chainsaw Devil can no longer reincarnate. Because of this, the Chainsaw Devil has been deemed a threat to all devils and has become the most feared devil in hell. Certain devils worshipped him and admired him deeply because of his power, but some devils attempted to kill him multiple times.
Eventually, the Chainsaw Devil had a fatal encounter with the Four Horsemen and the Weapon Devils. He got severely wounded during their battle, causing him to reduce to his near-death state which is his dog form. At the height of the fight, he fled and ended up on Earth where he met Denji.
The Chainsaw Devil, now in the form of Pochita, found Denji as he was mourning at his father’s tombstone. Upon seeing that Pochita was gravely injured, Denji offered his blood to save him on the condition that Pochita would protect him and the two would become partners. Since then, Pochita has been living alongside Denji, helping him work as a devil hunter and a woodcutter to earn money to pay off the massive debt left behind by Denji’s father.
How Did Denji Become Chainsaw Man?
Denji turned into a Chainsaw hybrid after forming a contract with Pochita. During one of their devil hunting missions, Denji was brutally killed by the zombies brought by the Zombie Devil. To save his life, Pochita made a contract with Denji. Pochita would become Denji’s heart and bring him back to life, and in exchange, Denji must continue living his life and make his dreams come true. That’s how Denji acquired extraordinary devil powers and gained the ability to transform into the Chainsaw Devil himself by pulling the cord on his chest.
“I liked hearing your dreams, Denji. This is a contract. I’ll be your heart. In exchange, show me more of your dreams.”
— Pochita, Chapter 1
Typically, a contract between a devil and a human being includes a sacrifice on the human’s part. The sacrifice can be a body part or a portion of their lifespan. However, Denji and Pochita’s contract did not involve any of this. In fact, it seems like a mere sacrifice on Pochita’s part. Unlike other devils, Pochita did not ask Denji for anything in return. He simply wanted Denji to live his life and achieve his dreams. Pochita will not gain anything from forming a contract with Denji and reviving him, and yet he willingly offered to become his heart. Pochita was adored by many fans because of his selfless sacrifice which was indeed unusual, especially for a devil.
Why Does Makima Want Pochita?
Makima wants Pochita (Chainsaw Devil) because of his ability to permanently erase the existence of other devils. She wants to use his power in order to get rid of unnecessary evils and create a better world. According to her, things like war, hunger, poverty, and death must be eradicated so that humans can live in a better place. This may sound like a noble cause, but knowing Makima, there’s a considerable possibility that things will go awry once she acquires great power. Giving Pochita’s power to someone like Makima is dangerous because who knows what her idea of a “better” world is?
“I want to use Chainsaw Man… to create a better world. Take, for example. Death. War. Hunger. There are many things in this world that humanity would be happier without. With Chainsaw Man’s power, I’ll blot them all out.”
— Makima, Chapter 84
Makima also mentioned at one point that she longs to have a family whom she could have a real connection with. Hence, one of her goals is to be together with Pochita and live a happy life with him.
Pochita Trivia
- Pochita ranked 9th in the first and second character popularity polls organized by Shueisha in 2020 and 2021.
- Pochita’s appearance may have been inspired by a specific Makita chainsaw model. Makita is a well-known manufacturer of chainsaws in Japan. In fact, his name might have been a combination of pochi (a common name for a dog in Japan) and the suffix -ta (from Makita).
- Pochita’s actual devil form is most likely inspired by the Black Gauna from the dystopian manga series Abara by Tsutomu Nihei. Tatsuki Fujimoto also mentioned that Abara served as one of his inspirations for Chainsaw Man.