What Are Primal Fears & Devils in Chainsaw Man? Answered

Just as in life, there is a pecking order in the world of Chainsaw Man’s Devils. Remember when Denji downed the Tomato Devil in the beginning stages of chapter 1? Yeah, that’s not exactly what you’d call a top tier Devil, and it is nowhere near the same league as the ghouls we’ll be discussing today. It’s time to break down what the primal fears and Devils are in Chainsaw Man. Get ready to hide under a blanket, things are about to get scary up in here.

**Please note, this article will discuss characters and concepts present in the International Assassins arc. We recommend you read up to at least Chapter 71 if you want to go spoiler-free.**

What Do the Primal Fears Represent in Chainsaw Man?

Loosely defined, primal fear can be considered an innate fear that is instinctive within us. Such fears include concepts such as heights; a naturally occurring phenomenon in nature that, if ignored, could yield fatal consequences.

Whereas a fear of, say, public speaking is a learned behavior based on preconceived notions or past experiences, primal fears evoke a fight or flight response based on the potential dangers they hold.

As the strength of Devils in Chainsaw Man is proportionate to how much they are feared, it stands to reason that those that represent primal fears are among the most dreaded and formidable out there.

Up to this stage, we have only definitively encountered one primal fear Devil, when Denji and company were plummeted into Hell to face off against the Darkness Devil.

This loathsome being more than lived up to expectations, brutally thinning out the party’s numbers with absolute ease. There have been some shocking scenes of loss throughout the manga’s history, but this one-sided battle surely ranks among the most devastating.

The Darkness Devil effortlessly sliced its targets into ribbons, summoned blades of darkness, and could induce bleeding with a mere glare. It was only through use of a contract with the Hell Devil that the remaining members of the group were able to leave at all, as they were most certainly not going to claim victory over this eldritch villain.

Like other Devils, primal fears can be contracted with or partially ingested, and in the subsequent battle with Santa Claus, Denji was able to exploit her newfound weakness to light. How effective this would have proven against the Darkness Devil itself, however, remains a mystery.

With that, we have unpacked the horrors of the primal fears and Devils in Chainsaw Man. I hope that you didn’t find the whole endeavor too traumatic. Calm yourself by browsing the guides down below, they probably won’t be nearly as ghastly!