Chainsaw Man: Fujimoto uses Fire Devil to make the ultimate Fire Punch reference

Heading into chapter 204’s official release earlier this week, fans of mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man series were expecting anything but the introduction of the Fire Devil. Even more shocking was her confirmation that Fakesaw Man was her human host, with the issue ending by teasing the reveal of his true identity in the subsequent release.

While Chainsaw Man fans only know that the Fire Devil’s host was a human male who attended Denji’s school, many readers asserted that they already know who it is. More specifically, they claimed that Fujimoto may make the ultimate reference to his previously serialized manga in Fire Punch with this reveal.

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Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man fans unite over Seigi Akoku being all but revealed as Fire Devil’s host

With the confirmation that the Fire Devil’s host is a human, many fans are preparing for Chainsaw Man’s ultimate reference to Fire Punch. Fujimoto’s previous series follows protagonist Agni whose body is constantly aflame due to abilities in the series’ power system, hence the title. Coincidentally, or rather not so, Seigi Akoku has a character design that is strikingly similar to Agni’s appearance.

Should Seigi be confirmed as the Fire Devil’s host in chapter 205 or beyond, it would make for a referential reveal which fans have longed for since the Devil was initially named. Likewise, the theory has more weight than ever given that this host is confirmed to be male via the Fire Devil’s words in chapter 204. While certainly exciting, it may understandably seem like a very flimsy theory without any real evidence backing it up.

In reality, this is not the case, with the first key piece of evidence being Seiki’s similar design to Agni. Arguably the next biggest piece of evidence is the confirmation from Yuko in Chainsaw Man chapter 111 that the Justice Devil goes to her, Denji, and Asa Mitaka’s school. The Justice Devil is revealed to truly be the Fire Devil, with the Chainsaw Man Church giving it a fake name when contracting youths to it.

Additional key evidence focuses on tying Seigi to Fire Punch’s Agni as a referential character and the Fire Devil overall. Firstly, Seigi’s first name can be read as “justice” in Japanese, a clear reference to the Justice Devil who is actually the Fire Devil. In addition to his similar appearance to Agni, his last name of “Akoku” can also be read as “Aguni,” or Agni, in Japanese. Agni’s main gimmick being fire and constantly aflame, or being possessed by fire, further links them.

This aspect of Agni’s presentation would thus be represented in Seiki via his being possessed by the Fire Devil, who represents fire in-series. Seiki being a member of the Chainsaw Man Church would also explain how they became the Fire Devil’s host given the Church’s aforementioned ties with the Fire Devil. It would also explain why they, as the Fire Devil’s host and a Church member, encouraged other youths like Yuko to contract with the Fire Devil.

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Final thoughts

Fujimoto seems set to reveal Fakesaw Man's identity as Seigi Akoku for one of the greatest Fire Punch references in the medium yet (Image via Shueisha)

While this theory is still speculative, there’s no other character in Fujimoto’s flagship series who has a better argument than Seigi. The fact that his being the Fire Devil host would be a major reference to Fujimoto’s own Fire Punch series is a key factor in this being the case. Likewise, fans of Fujimoto’s general works could be in for one of the biggest references to his beloved first serialization yet.

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Related links

• Chainsaw Man chapter 205 release date and time
• Chainsaw Man chapter 204 highlights
• Where to read Tatsuki Fujimoto's Fire Punch manga? Explained