Chainsaw Devil’s Devil Erasure Ability, Explained

Key Takeaways

• Chainsaw Devil’s Devil Erasure ability erases the concept of fear, affecting both devils and humanity.
• Chainsaw Man must consume devils to activate Devil Erasure, erasing their existence past, present, and future.
• Devil Erasure has mysterious side effects, making the unpredictable Chainsaw Devil the most dangerous devil.

There are a lot of reasons to fear Chainsaw Man, especially when he is in his Chainsaw Devil form. The double chainsaws revving from his arms, the big chainsaw protruding out of his forehead, the loud and menacing roar, the hyper-aggressive fighting style, the violence, the brutality, the bloodbath, the destruction, so many things to be scared about.

That being said, the one ability that puts the fear of God in the heart of the other devils is Chainsaw Devil’s Devil Erasure ability. Quite frankly, this ability is so overpowered that it’s a wonder why any devil even dares to go against Chainsaw Devil. What’s even more interesting is the fact that this ability does not only affect the devils, but it greatly affects humanity as well. So let’s use this chance to unpack everything about Chainsaw Devil’s Devil Erasure.

A Crash Course on Devil

Before we talk about the Devil Erasure, let’s take a second to remind ourselves about the nature of Devils in the world of Chainsaw Man. As the title suggests, this is not a comprehensive examination of the devils in this series, but more of a crash course that focuses on some of the aspects of the devils that are relevant to the main topic at hand, the Devil Erasure.

Every Devil Represents a Concept of Fear

The devils in this series are not just some random strange-looking, bloodthirsty monsters. Each and every single one of them represents humanity’s concept of fear. Fear of wars? There’s a war devil. Fear of guns? There’s a gun devil. Fear of chickens? There’s a chicken devil. Whatever it is that you fear in your heart, there’s a devil for that.

The stronger the fear, the stronger the devil will be. This means primal fear, such as aging, death, and hell, are some of the most powerful devils out there. This principle also works for fears based on abstract concepts, such as zombies or ghosts.

A Cycle of Rebirth

When a new type of fear is manifested—fear of social media, for example—the respective devil will also be created in hell. If, for some reason, this devil is killed by his brethren, he will be reborn on Earth. Same devil, but with an entirely new memory and personality.

The same principle also applies if a devil is killed on Earth. They will be reborn in Hell with a brand-new memory and personality. Thanks to this cycle of rebirth, there is no such thing as death for devils. The only exception to this principle is Devil Erasure. This ability is the only thing that can grant a true death to a devil.

What Happened When Chainsaw Devil Consumed a Devil

In order to activate Devil Erasure, Chainsaw Devil cannot just kill a devil, he has to consume it. This means he has to physically eat the devil. Eating them whole would be better, but eating the head alone should do the trick. These are the things that happen when Chainsaw Man uses his Devil Erasure.

Consumed = Erased

To Chainsaw Devil, killing and consuming are two vastly different things. Killing a devil will simply throw them into the usual cycle of rebirth, but when he consumes the devil, he basically erased them and the concept that they represent. They are out of the cycle of rebirth, and the concept that they represent in humanity is absolutely erased from existence as well. It’s as if that thing never even existed in the first place.

“Nazis. World War II. SOA. AIDS. Arnolone Syndrome. The Mount Hio Eruption. Nuclear Weapons. All of these once existed and were feared every bit as much as the devils with their names. But I’m the only one who remembers those names now. Because Chainsaw Man ate them all up.”

It Works Everywhere, Every Time, All at Once

Once a devil has been consumed, the erasing effect doesn’t only happen at that particular point in time. The devil’s brand of fear is erased everywhere, at all times, all at once. Be it on Earth or Hell, the past, present, or the future, the concept represented by this fear is erased from the memory of every human, animal, and even devil.

Take Nuclear Weapons, for example. When Chainsaw Devil consumed the Nuclear Weapons Devil, Nuclear Weapons instantly became a foreign concept to everybody. They never heard of Nuclear weapons before and have a difficult time comprehending what Nuclear weapons even mean. It’s as if Nuclear weapons never even existed in the first place.

Change in Perspective

While Devil Erasure can erase certain objects, fears, ideas, or even concepts and make them as if they never even existed, this ability cannot erase the physical objects or artifacts that have been created based on that concept. People simply have a different perspective on the purpose of the objects and how to use them.

“According to the research we conducted during the three minutes and 50 seconds that ears were erased…In a world without ears, hearing didn’t disappear, cell phones and radios still existed and ear picks were sold as an arts and crafts product.”

—Fumiko Mifune, Chapter 174

Things Can Go Back to Normal

When Chainsaw Devil consumes a devil, it is cut out from the cycle of rebirth, and its concept is forever erased from our lives. However, there is one special condition that allows an erased concept to come back to life. Chainsaw Devil simply has to vomit the devil back.

As long as Chainsaw Devil hasn’t fully digested the devil, he can always vomit it back. The devil itself will still be dead, but it will now be able to return to the cycle of rebirth. This means the concept that it represents will also be alive and well in the real world. This is what happens when Chainsaw Devil eats Ears Devil in Chapter 174 and vomits it back soon after. For 3 minutes and 50 seconds, every living being walks around without a pair of ears and lives their lives not knowing what it means to have ears.

Mysterious Side Effects

Due to the nature of Devil Erasure that erased the concept without erasing man-made objects related to the concept, it’s incredibly hard to predict what would happen after it consumed an important devil, especially one that is tied closely to our everyday life.

What if he erases “hands” from our lives? Does it mean we have to do everything using our feet? What if he erases the concept of “aging”? Will mental and physical decline disappear completely? Will a society that doesn’t age lead to a utopia or bring everything down towards a dystopian future? That is one of the biggest dangers of Devil Erasure. There are so many unpredictable side effects.

“The scale of this is so big I can’t wrap my head around it…”

The Most Dangerous Devil in Existence

When it comes to raw strength, there are so many devils that are way stronger than Chainsaw Devil. This is especially true for devils that represent humanity’s primal fear, such as death, aging, and falling, just to name a few. These Primal Devils command powers that are beyond human comprehension.

That being said, even the most powerful devil will be erased once the Chainsaw Devil gets the chance to consume them with his Devil Erasure. Unfortunately, the moment Chainsaw Devil consumes one of the Primal Devils who embodied humanity’s most basic fear, the fate of human beings will also be altered forever. For better or worse. This immense yet unpredictable ability is the reason why Chainsaw Devil is the most dangerous devil in existence.

Chainsaw Man is available to stream on Crunchyroll.