Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Control Devil arc and chapter 138 of the Chainsaw Man manga.
Chainsaw Man was already a beloved manga series ahead of its anime debut, but there’s no denying how much the adaptation contributed to its spike in popularity. While awaiting a new season, a legion of fans all over the globe have turned to the source material and, needless to say, they’re not disappointed in the slightest.
The manga is full of surprises, interesting plot developments, and iconic characters that have left an impression on readers. Santa Claus, the Four Horsemen, and Beam are a few examples that come to mind. Sadly, some great characters have met their demise along the way, but others, like Sword Man, remain around — for the time being, at least.
In chapter 138 of Chainsaw Man, aptly titled “Sword Man,” fans are graced with the return of this particular character. As it turns out, though, not everyone seems to remember ever seeing his face before. It’s understandable, considering that Sword Man was just a minor antagonist at the time of his introduction to the series, and for a long while, didn’t even have a confirmed name. For those confused about who exactly this character is and when he appeared in the manga, here is a breakdown of it all.
Warning: Spoilers to follow.
Who is Sword Man?
Sword Man is a human-devil hybrid who made his first appearance in Chainsaw Man during the Control Devil arc. At the time of his debut, in chapter 86 of the manga, the character was under Makima’s control, having been brainwashed at some point before. Sword Man was part of the newly formed Division Five of the Public Safety Devil Hunters, which was composed of Weapon Devils, who served Makima with the sole purpose of taking down the Chainsaw Devil.
The character also appeared in chapters 87, 93, and 94 of the same arc, fighting the protagonist twice during the course of the entire arc. Both times, Sword Man transforms from his human to his hybrid form, and both times, he ends up defeated. As we’ve come to see, this character may be strong due to its Weapon Devil status, but his powers aren’t enough to win one over on the Chainsaw Devil.
Sword Man returns for a third time in the story’s Academy Saga, and unlike in the Public Safety one, where he acted as a minor antagonist, it seems as though he’ll be more of a supporting character this time around. That said, it’s still early to tell exactly how his return will impact the story, but at least we can be sure that Makima’s brainwashing no longer holds power over him.
What are Sword Man’s powers?
Because the Sword Man is the result of a fusion between a human and the Longsword Devil, he is able to keep a human form for the majority of the time, transforming into a hybrid form only when a trigger is activated. As we know, the triggers for hybrid transformations are all different — Denji’s is the chainsaw cord protruding from his chest, for example — and in this character’s case, it’s his right hand. Specifically, Sword Man can activate his transformation by removing his hand, therefore exposing the blade inside his right arm. It’s gruesome stuff, but Chainsaw Man has gotten us used to that by now.
In his hybrid form, Sword Man has superhuman strength and speed, something that’s pretty standard for this type of character. Much like the other hybrids, he can easily heal wounds and regenerate his body by drinking blood, which makes it nearly impossible to kill him. Even if he’s deadly injured in his human form, simply triggering his transformation can bring him back in a snap.
Naturally, a character like this has to embody the weapon that gave him his name. As such, he has blades sticking out of both arms in his hybrid form, and a pointy face with two swords extending backward from it. It also makes sense that, as the Sword Man, he would have decent fighting skills, and that he does, making use of his body to cut into opponents.
Sword Man’s reappearance in the series opens up the door for more hybrids to return. This would delight most fans, but even if they don’t, the fact that we get to see and learn more about Sword Man is a gift in and of itself.