Chainsaw man has become an ultra-popular yet highly subversive manga/anime series by author Tatsuki Fujimoto, who has a rather distinct approach when it comes to designing and using his characters. Unlike many shonen authors, Tatsuki Fujimoto will not hesitate to twist, subvert, and kill off even his most beloved characters, such as Himeno, the demon hunter in Chainsaw man. In reality, Himeno didn't last that long—in fact, she didn't even survive the first season. But there's still a lot to learn about who Himeno is and why fans love her.

Himeno appeared quite early in the manga and anime versions of Chainsaw man as one of the many demon hunters Denji met, and within the context of this brutally twisted anime, Himeno played quite a few roles. She was a friend, an older sister, a comedian, and a subversion all rolled into one, and in an extremely tight time frame too. Before her untimely death fighting the villains, Himeno showed many sides of herself as a person and a demon hunter, and had an appreciable impact on the people around her, including Aki Hayakawa, another notable character.

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Who is Himeno from Chainsaw Man?

What is your origin story, who are your friends, and what are your powers?

Unlike some Chainsaw man characters, who had flashback sequences to show their dark origins, Himeno did not have a flashback depicting her childhood or origins. So, she is somewhat mysterious as a supporting character, although it is clear that the details of Himeno's early life are not that relevant to her character arc. Overall, Chainsaw man Fans just need to know and understand Himeno in the present, as a professional demon hunter fighting alongside characters like Denji and Power.

It is possible that Himeno's experiences in her formative years profoundly shaped her personality and worldview, but this is clearly left to the viewers' imagination. This also means that Himeno lacks a sad backstory, a stark contrast to Denji and Aki. Through the characters' dialogue, Chainsaw man Fans learn that Himeno has gone through not just one, but five different partners as a member of the Public Safety Commission, and this not only strengthens Himeno's character, but also shows how dangerous this type of work can be.

Of course, “monster hunter” animes like Chainsaw man and Demon Slayer It's clear that fighting supernatural threats is never easy. But still, having a character like Himeno go through five partners who have been killed helps reinforce how difficult this job is, so no fan can blame Himeno for adjusting her mindset to deal with this harsh reality. Himeno has her warm side, but she's also deeply pessimistic about her job and her coworkers, and often hopes that her coworkers will die before their time.

She has hardened her heart, but despite this, Himeno still feels and shows genuine kindness towards others. As for her combat powers as a demon slayer, Himeno may not have specialized weapons and is certainly not a demon like Power, but she does have a notable demonic contract to use. Himeno forged a pact with the Phantom Demon, a rather powerful demon who demanded Himeno's right eye in exchange for her ability to manifest the Phantom Demon at will.

The phantom demon is usually invisible and intangible, but can still cause serious damage to Himeno's enemies, or simply restrain them, such as when a ghostly arm restrained Power in that cursed hotel. If necessary, Himeno can sacrifice more of her body or even give up her entire body to summon more of the phantom demon and thus exert more of its power. This is what Himeno did when fighting the villains Akane Sawatari and Katana Man, Denji's shonen-style rival and enemy. In addition, Himeno also possesses appreciable skills in unarmed combat.

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Himeno has a small handful of significant relationships in the story of Chainsaw man. For starters, she is good friends with fellow demon hunter Aki Hayakawa, one of her most recent partners. Himeno even encouraged Aki to start smoking, something they have in common as friends, and while Himeno fears that Aki will soon die in his job, Himeno hopes that he will survive and find happiness in life. Notably, Aki also mimics Himeno's attitude towards newly recruited demon hunters, fearing that they are signing up just to be killed.

This is why Aki punched Denji after meeting him, encouraging Denji to quit this dangerous job and not get killed when he was a mere teenager. Himeno also has a fairly positive relationship with Denji, showing him kindness and cooperating with him on various missions, most notably the mission to eliminate the harmful Eternity Demon at that hotel. Himeno warmly supports Denji as a friend and co-worker, which helped Denji view her in a more positive light, even though he was mostly obsessed with his mysterious boss, Makima.

However, Himeno has a somewhat negative relationship with Kobeni, willing to restrain Kobeni if the latter gets out of control. Meanwhile, Himeno has an intense dislike for Makima, and perhaps not just because of Makima's frightening and condescending outward personality. It is possible that Himeno realized the truth about Makima, the controlling demon, and this subtly served as a premonition for Makima's true nature later on. Chainsaw man. In more ways than one, Himeno was a warning to Denji about the dangers of his job, danger that came from both the demons and his boss Makima.

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How does Himeno subvert the role of the older sister in Chainsaw Man?

Himeno may have big sister traits, but she totally flips the script

It didn't take long for manga and anime fans to realize that Chainsaw man is a highly subversive story in darkly funny ways, but it's not all just for the sake of comedy or provocation. In a way, the twisted heroes of Chainsaw man are refreshingly honest about traditional anime archetypes, and that includes Himeno. She's a mentor and protective figure to Denji, albeit briefly, fulfilling a similar role to anime characters like Kyojuro Rengoku and Satoru Gojo, while also acting as an older sister to Denji thanks to her warm and caring demeanor.

Just as Kyojuro was like a cool older brother to Tanjiro with their relatively small age difference, Himeno was like an older sister to Denji rather than a boss or mother figure, which means a lot to an only child like Denji. However, as a true Chainsaw man As a character, Himeno also perverts the older sister archetype, sometimes in funny ways and sometimes in profound ways. On the surface, Himeno destroys the image of a clean and dignified older sister by vomiting into Denji's mouth, and she is also a smoker.

These are behaviors rarely seen in any shonen anime character, let alone a young girl or an older sister figure. Himeno also tried to seduce Denji later that night at her apartment, only for Denji to refuse, and this is not a scene anime fans are used to seeing with an older sister figure. But it's not just the superficial subversion that makes Himeno an interesting older sister to Denji. Crude humor aside, Himeno reminds anime fans that even beloved older brothers and sisters are still flawed and sometimes vulnerable or foolish people who make mistakes.

In fact, Himeno's character design suggests that she is naive for an anime like Demon Slayer writing characters like Kyojuro Rengoku as a perfect, ideal hero who can do no wrong despite losing to Akaza, the demonic villain. Kyojuro's design suited Demon Slayerneeds, sure, but in the meta landscape of anime, perhaps this fictional realm needs more balanced, humanized older brothers/sisters who aren't so perfect after all. This important subversion doesn't always require stomach-churning humor or PG-13 seduction scenes, but the point is the same, and Himeno makes that point well during her brief stint on Chainsaw man.

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How does Himeno provide a balanced perspective on devil hunting?

Himeno shares a lot of wisdom from his short time on Chainsaw Man

While Himeno's character may rewrite the rules on older sister figures in shonen anime, she's much more well-rounded as a demon slayer and doesn't have many surprises in store for her. Chainsaw man fans in that sense. Overall, Himeno is the middle ground between her more extreme co-stars, with Hirokazu Arai being almost too clean and straightforward as a demon hunter, and Power, the horned demon, being a brutal subversion of shonen heroines and monster hunters.

Himeno may say that it takes “a few screws loose” to succeed in this dangerous line of work, but no matter her words, Himeno is evidently the wisest, most reliable, and most level-headed demon hunter, vomit and seduction aside. Thus, Himeno helps stabilize Chainsaw manThe cast of wacky demon hunters is kinder and more trustworthy than Power, but they're also tougher and less naive than Hirokazu.

All of this proves that while this difficult career has left her with some mental scars and “a few screws loose,” Himeno has never let her work destroy her, nor has she lost herself in the darkness or become a brutal subversion of shonen heroines. All of this makes her a well-rounded, nuanced, and compelling character. Chainsaw man hero who doesn't rely on a single weird gimmick to be memorable and fun to watch.

Chainsaw man

After a betrayal, a young man left for dead is reborn as a powerful demon-human hybrid after merging with his pet demon and is soon enlisted in an organization dedicated to hunting demons. When his father died, Denji was left with a huge debt and had no way to pay it off.

Release date

October 11, 2022

Cast

Kikunosuke Toya, Ryan Colt Levy, Tomori Kusunoki, Suzie Yeung

Seasons

1

Studio

MAP

The Creator

Tatsuki Fujimoto

Main characters

Denji, Makima, Pochita, Power, Himeno, Kishibe

Number of episodes

12

Network

Crunchy Roll