Chainsaw Man: Primal Devils, Explained

Key Takeaways

• Primal Devils are the most powerful due to widespread fears and their long existence in the
  Chainsaw Man
  universe.
• The Darkness Devil showcased immense power, easily defeating foes with its mysterious abilities.
• The Aging Devil, the most recent Primal Devil introduced, despises youth and demands sacrifices in exchange for carrying out contracts.

Devils are the bread and butter of Chainsaw Man. These monstrous creatures are essentially the manifestations of the fears of humanity, where any fear regarding a certain thing accumulates and eventually forms into a Devil based on what has formed it. The threat level of each Devil has to do with how widespread the fear is, so the series has shown relatively non-threatening ones such as the Tomato Devil to powerhouses like the Gun Devil.

However, none match the sheer strength of the Primal Devils. Also known as the Primordial Devils, these monsters are formed from the oldest and most basic fears that humans have had since their earliest days, making them the most powerful Devils in Chainsaw Man by a massive margin. So, let’s take an in-depth look at just how strong they are and break down the few Primal Devils the series has introduced so far.

What Are Primal Devils?

Formed From Humanities’ Primordial Fears

The Primal Devils are the most powerful Devils in all of Chainsaw Man due to their fears largely being the most widespread throughout humanity. Not only this, but they’ve also been there since the beginning of humankind and have been growing in power since then, so this puts them far above any other Devil in the series due to the amount of time they’ve had to grow in strength.

Moreover, Primal Devils have also never undergone the death-and-rebirth cycle, as is common with most Devils, because of how powerful they are. This means that throughout history, no Devil has been powerful enough to kill them, putting them far above everyone else in terms of power. Only 3 have been shown so far in the series and one has been named as the greatest and most terrible Devil of them all.

The Darkness Devil

Formed From The Fear of the Dark

The first of the Primal Devils to ever be shown, the Darkness Devil was so powerful that everyone it went up against was easily defeated with barely any effort. The design of this horrifying creature seems to be many emaciated humans stacked on top of one another with a skeletal head at the very top, and the whole body cloaked in darkness. Though it is silent and hostile to anyone it deems a threat, it is still sentient and intelligent as it can make contracts with people.

They’re the transcendant Devils who have never once experienced death.

Its abilities are intentionally kept vague but the power it possesses is immense. In the blink of an eye, the Darkness Devil was able to remove the limbs of many people at once and string them along behind itself and even contorted Denji’s body when he tried to attack him. Moreover, it also formed a black blade that could kill anything that it touched as well as controlling every facet of darkness to manipulate it how it pleased.

The Falling Devil

Formed From The Fear of Falling

The Falling Devil is an interesting one because, despite being one of the most powerful beings in existence and having never been killed or reborn even once, it was still shown to be subservient to the wishes of Fami. Her original form seems to be a collection of mangled corpses, with its head being held up by a pair of arms coming out of its back. The Falling Devil chooses to be subservient to the other Devils, claiming that its actions and goals are for the benefit of Hell as a whole.

The lower the heart sinks, the higher the body falls. That’s the concept of the dish. May the flavor of past traumas delight your taste buds.

Despite this, it can still easily wipe out other Devils if they don’t seem to align with its interests. This Devil also seems to be very approachable and courteous, choosing to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and even talking to people politely, although this is a ruse as it is very sadistic in reality, preferring to emotionally berate its victims to drive them to suicide rather than outright killing them itself.

The Aging Devil

Formed From The Fear of Aging

The Aging Devil is the most recent of the Primal Devils to be introduced into the story and is shown to be apathetic to forms of life, holding a particular animosity towards youth. It hates the very concept of youth, as those who enjoy it don’t fear or respect getting old, even going so far as to demand the sacrifice of thousands of innocent children in exchange for Chainsaw Man himself consuming him.

The Aging Devil has no attachment to life.

The appearance this Devil takes is that of a withered human head split in two to make way for a smooth and youthful face. Being a Primal Fear, it’s incredibly powerful, since it was able to subdue Chainsaw Man with a single punch on top of having the standard power of Devils. It can be inferred that this Devil is as old as humanity itself since they would have the fear of getting old from the very onset of their existence.

The Death Devil

The Ultimate Terror

There is currently no image or substantial mention of the Death Devil, who is not only the eldest of the 4 Horsemen, but is also the most powerful Devil in all of existence, known as the Ultimate Terror. It is prophesied to descend to Earth in July 1999 and proceed to exterminate all life on the planet, ushering in an age of Devils, which is something that even her younger sisters, at least Makima and Fami, wish to prevent. Whatever the case may be, the Death Devil is going to be the strongest character in all of Chainsaw Man.

Chainsaw Man can be streamed on Crunchyroll.