The following contains spoilers from Chainsaw Man Chapter 83, "Death, Resurrection, Chainsaw" by Tatsuki Fujimoto, available now in English through Viz Media.

Chainsaw Man is clearly established as an anime with a hellish nature, with a heavy focus on the devils themselves. These devils are born from the fears of humankind, so the more potent the fear, the more dangerous its devil manifestation becomes. The main antagonists are some of the strongest devils, many supporting characters are fiends and the main character is a hybrid mix of a devil and a human.

As such, throughout the series, demonic undertones and ever-dangerous devils are featured. However, in a shocking reveal from Chapter 83, "Death, Resurrection, Chainsaw," symbolism points toward Christianity and Catholicism, twisting the anime's hellish nature on its head. In particular, the fiends that won the hearts of fans may not be the devils they were initially assumed to be.

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The Fiends in CSM Are Named After the Hierarchy of Angels

chainsaw-man-chapter-83

After Makima brutally killed everyone Denji had ever loved or grown close to, she succeeded in breaking his spirit entirely and forcing him to submit to her. Following this, Makima led the broken boy down a corridor full of fiends. Some of these had been introduced previously -- Power, Angel, Violence, Princi and Beam were all in the lineup. However, the remaining three were characters that were previously unseen, so their identity was a mystery. Denji was obviously dejected and defeated, so he didn't take much notice of what Makima was saying, but the names the Control Devil reeled off were not those of devils but rather of Angels.

Seraphim, Beam, Galgali, Dominion, Virtue, Power, Princi and Angel are names that either refer directly or more subtly to the Hierarchy of Angels, commonly known in Catholicism as the Choir of Angels. Makima stated that these eight fiends were Denji's followers and that despite their differences in faith, all members put their lives at stake to protect Denji. This wasn't entirely out of the blue, as Beam commonly referred to Denji as "Lord Chainsaw," thus implying that the Shark fiend, at the very least, worshiped the hybrid. However, in the cases of the other fiends, this was a shocking and somewhat confusing reveal.

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What Is the Choir of Angels?

Denji and friends watch a movie in the theater during the opening credits of Chainsaw Man.

The Choir of Angels, also known as the Hierarchy of Angels, refers to the nine different groups or rankings of angels in Christianity or Catholicism. These are Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. These nine ranks are further broken down into three triads that are responsible for different things.

The first triad consists of Angels, Archangels and Principalities, who contemplate and adore God directly and are concerned with the specific day-to-day details of the universe and the welfare of people. The second triad includes Powers, Virtues and Dominions, a group that fulfills God's plan, concerning themselves with the ordering of the universe and maintaining balance. Finally, the third triad interacts and serves humanity closely with the "Glory of God," made up of Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim.

The fiends named Seraphim, Dominion, Virtue, Angel and Power clearly take direct inspiration from the hierarchy, but other relations are more indirect. Princi is short for Principalities, Galgali (the Violence fiend's real name) is commonly equated to Thrones and the name Beam stems from Cherubim of the third triad. While all eight fiends fulfill a role in the Choir, the ninth angel rank is not clearly stated; however, from the allegory, it's safe to assume that Denji finishes the hierarchy.

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Denji Is the Archangel

chainsaw man denji standing outside of the doors

The missing role is that of the Archangel -- a title that could belong to Denji. They are the highest rank in the hierarchy and the leader assigned by the angels to communicate and carry out God’s plans for humankind. Denji is said to be the one the fiends -- named after the remaining angels -- follow, so his role as the archangel fits well within this metaphor.

As well as this, archangels are vessels sent by God to interact with and guide humanity and can be chief messengers of God. Following this symbolism, Denji is a vessel chosen by Pochita, who dedicates his time to protecting humans from demons using Pochita's power. As such, it could be implied that Pochita is God, and as his vessel, the fiends have been protecting Denji to protect the Chainsaw Devil. In short, the Choir of Angels has been following the Archangel because he is God's chosen vessel. Again, Beam declaring Denji to be "Lord Chainsaw" as opposed to "Lord Denji" supports this allegory. He isn't necessarily being treated with honor by the fiends or Makima because of his own identity, but rather because Pochita lives within him.

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Makima Is One of the Four Horsemen

Makima in the Chainsaw Man opening.

The fiend followers were said to be fighting to protect Denji in preparation for the day of resurrection. Makima had planned this day meticulously, with the purpose being to manifest the Chainsaw Devil -- aka to resurrect Pochita and unleash his power. This devil is capable of consuming other devils and erasing them from existence, and the Control Devil wanted to abuse this power to strike the War, Famine and Death Devils from human memory.

However, in accordance with Christian symbolism, this day of resurrection could also refer to the end of the world. This is triggered by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -- the harbingers of Armageddon and the new world. The Horsemen also exist in CSM, comprised of the War Devil, the Famine Devil, the Death Devil and Makima -- the Control Devil. As one of the Four Horsemen, the Control Devil's goal centers around erasing the other three Horsemen by making Chainsaw Man consume them. If she were to succeed, three of humanity's biggest fears would be erased from existence, the consequence of which is unknown. This would also make Makima, an already overpowered and terrifying foe, more influential and controlling toward humankind. Thus, a member of the Four Horsemen would wreak havoc on humanity, creating a new world -- for better or worse.

The eight fiends introduced to Denji in Chapter 83 represent Christianity's Choir of Angels, with the former completing the hierarchy as the Archangel. He is the chosen vessel of Pochita, meaning the hybrid is a messenger of God, the one most worshiped by Makima and the fiends. The Control Devil was the Horseman who posed a threat to the world as it was known, trying to create a new world with Chainsaw Man's power.