The following contains spoilers for Episode 10 of Chainsaw Man,"BRUISED & BATTERED", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
When someone dies, those who are left behind are left with the burden of facing their feelings and finding some way to carry on. The ability to mourn someone's death and experience a deep sense of regret for what once was is often considered to be a core part of being human. In contrast to the high flung action that has been at the forefront of the series, Chainsaw Man Episode 10, takes a deep and insightful look into this most somber of circumstances. In doing so, it not only explores the plight of those suffering from survivor's guilt, but asks whether it is possible to lose one's humanity.
Episode 10 found Denji and the remainder of Special Division 4 recovering from the brutal ambush led by Samurai Sword and Sawatari. Though they were able to fight them off and force a retreat, the battle was not without cost, as the overwhelming majority of Public Safety's Special Division Devil Hunters were killed in the assault. Most notable among the casualties was Himeno, Aki Hayakawa's long time partner. The episode saw Aki wrestling with her death and the emotions that come with it, including his drive to grow stronger to take revenge.
Himeno's Impact On the Remaining Cast Members
As the most human of the central cast, in a number of ways, Aki was left the most damaged out of everybody by the assault. Having sustained critical injuries from the fight, he's now left recovering in the hospital. When it finally dawns on him that his dear friend and comrade Himeno is dead, having given her life to help them survive, it broke him. To further drive the pain home, in between moments with his Devil Hunter peers, Aki was visited by Himeno's sister, who brought letters that Himeno had written to her, many of which detailed her feelings for Aki.
As many family members of deceased Devil Hunters have been shown blaming their loved one's surviving colleagues, it is unclear whether Himeno's sister presented Aki with the letters with good or ill intent. What is apparent, though, is how deeply they affected him, psuhing him to do everything in his power to exact vengeance on her killers. Even left with a broken contract between himself and the Fox Devil, and only two years of life remaining due to his agreement with the Curse Devil, Aki's feelings for revenge are so strong that he ends the episode by risking his well-being for a chance to acquire the power of the Future Devil.
Inversely, the episode also saw Denji, who bore witness to Aki's devastated state, questioning his own ability to experience grief. Though it had only been for a short while, he and Himeno had forged a friendship, causing him to be perplexed at his lack of dejectedness over her death. He quickly dismisses the idea, not wanting to dwell too much on anything depressing, but it leads him to wonder whether fusing with Pochita led him to lose some crucial aspect of his humanity.
Mortality and Morality For Devils
Denji does not seem entirely alone in this either, as Power, a Fiend, showed little to no reaction regarding the deaths of her co-workers. This something that Kishibe, the veteran Devil Hunter meant to train the pair inquires about as a means of identifying them as inhuman. It must be said that there seems to be a certain amount of truth to this, as both Power and Denji spend much of the episode respectively being broken and killed, only to recover after a relatively short period of time.
The difference in impact that divides Denji and Power from Aki is palpable, implying that the capacity to feel devastation in the wake of someone's death, is a phenomenon that can draw a line between to characterize humanity. As a Devil in a human body and a human fused with a Devil respectively, Power and Denji experience numbness where others might find sorrow. Still, neither of them are completely without such feelings, as they were both left despondent following the loss of their pets Meowy and Pochita, perhaps indicating that they both have enough of that nature within them for something.
Makima's Role In Present and Future Events
Additionally, neither Power nor Denji had much history with anyone that was lost, leaving some room for personal distance to dampen the effects on them. What may be most unsettling, however, is the complete absence of sadness displayed by Makima, who seemed to have been working with the late Division members for quite some time. While she does not have much presence in the episode, apart from introducing Power and Denji to Kishibe, she appeared to be going about business as usual, entirely unfazed by the deaths of her subordinates. When coupled with Madoka's belief that she knew something about the attack before it happened, along with her inexplicable survival and reversal of the onslaught, a shadow of speculation is cast over just who or what she may be.
All that aside, this may just be a sampling of the tragedies to come for the remnants of Special Division 4. With the other Special Divisions set to merge under Makima's command, Denji and crew are sure to strike an accord with new colleagues as they track down the assailants. Since this appears to be just the prelude to hunting down the Gun Devil, the body count is sure to continue to increase. Those who are left behind may have to steel themselves and whatever humanity they have just to make it through to the end.