Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man returns after a week-long break with the start of a new arc. In the wake of legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama's passing on March 1st – as well as the 35th anniversary of the Dragon Ball Z anime on April 26th – the title of CSM Chapter 163, "Dream Balls" reads like something of a subtle homage to the late-great legend's influential series that paved the way for so many shonen mangaka like Fujimoto. In many ways, Fujimoto's insistence on mixing ridiculous humor with intense action scenes in Chainsaw Man continues to carry on Toriyama's legacy today.
Chainsaw Man Chapter 163 takes place an undefined amount of time after Chapter 162 "Fearsome", which featured Asa and Fami finally escaping Public Safety's Tokyo Devil Detention Center with Denji in tow. Katana Man, the Nail Fiend and the Devil Hunter Club escape along with them, as Chapter 163 shows everyone having seemed to make it out safe and sound. However, it's what isn't shown that raises questions as to how smoothly their escape actually went.
The Devil Hunter Club Has a Disagreement
Iseumi and Nobana Can't See Eye-to-eye on What to Watch on TV
Chainsaw Man Chapter 163 opens with Nobana Higashiyama flipping through the channels on a television until one program catches his eye. In it, a young woman is shown in an interview expressing her inability to sleep at night because she is left "shaking from suicidal thoughts". This leaves an impression on Nobana, as he is known to suffer heavily from crippling anxiety, just like his older sister Kobeni. It turns out the young woman is actually expressing her frustration over the recent mistreatment of her favorite Idol, Koma Komagawa.
This sends Iseumi into an emotional spiral as he questions what is wrong with the media. According to him, "Even though there are still people randomly turning into monsters… and several wars are breaking out... a celebrity cheating scandal is the only thing in the news, and you're relieved about that?" Nobana tries to reassure him that it's not like that, but Iseumi continues to question the integrity of the news considering all the very real issues occurring in the world that don't seem to be reported on.
It's a very self-aware moment for Iseumi, but it's all undermined when Asa interjects that she had her own "15 minutes of fame once too." This kind of narcissistic response is not out of the ordinary from Asa, but as Iseumi is quick to point out, she's definitely "missing the point." Amid this banter between Asa and the two members of the Devil Hunter Club, it's hard not to notice that the third member of Devil Hunter Club, Seigi Akoku, is completely missing from the entire chapter.
Where is Seigi Akoku in Chainsaw Man Chapter 163?
The Third Member of the Devil Hunter Club is Missing
When the Devil Hunter Club was freed from Public Safety's clutches in Chapter 159, "Attack on Samurai", Iseumi told Nobana and Akoku that they didn’t have to follow him in joining Asa and Fami’s mission to save Denji. However, Akoku responded "I don't have anywhere else to go!" The true implications of that statement are unknown, but it may be that his family disowned him after he was arrested for "terrorism" along with the rest of the Devil Hunter Club. After all, when the Devil Hunter Club was first accidentally freed from their prison by Asa and Fami, Iseumi told Fami "Our families, our lives, our country -- you ruined everything! Next thing we knew, we were most-wanted terrorists!"
Being that he has nowhere else to go, it's surprising that Seigi Akoku isn't anywhere to be seen with the rest of the group in Chapter 163. It's entirely possible he was captured during the final stretch of the group's escape, and they had no choice but to leave him behind. Importantly, it's uncertain how much actual time passed between when the group escaped from the Detention Center to them arriving at Fami's hideout, so anything could have happened to Akoku. The fact that nobody even mentioned him in Chapter 163 seems to imply that the circumstance behind his absence is a well-known fact among the group. It's impossible to say for certain where Akoku is right now, but Fujimoto has never been one to have things happen for no reason.
The Limitations of Fami and Asa's Powers Become Apparent
Asa's Arm is Still Missing and Fami Won't Stop Eating
Throughout the Tokyo Devil Detention Center rescue mission, Fami and Asa showed hints at limitations in their powers. For Asa, it was the fact she couldn't regenerate her arm despite how much time had passed between when she had it cut off by Yoshida. Fans speculated on a number of reasons why Asa's arm hadn't come back yet, especially since most Hybrids are able to regenerate lost limbs. Fami, on the other hand, outwardly told Asa that there were limits to her power and those limits were shown when she could only summon the Guillotine Devil for a limited period of time. In Chapter 163, both the limits of Asa and Fami's powers become slightly clearer.
In Asa's case, her arm is still missing, as Denji is quick to point out the moment he wakes up. When he asks her what happened to her arm, Asa just replies "your friend cut it off", referring to how Yoshida stormed into her apartment and cut her arm off in chapter 145, "Kumbaya". The fact Asa's arm is permanently missing seems to prove that she is indeed unique to other Devil Hybrids, likely due to the fact that she shares her brain with Yoru and the War Devil is not fully integrated into her body.
In Chapter 163, Fami is shown eating copious amounts of spaghetti, which is very on-brand for her. This seems to hint at what the limitations of her own powers are. Fami is known to gain strength from eating, so as the Famine Devil, it's likely that the amount Fami eats has a direct impact on how powerful the Devils she summons with her ability are. Considering she can turn the hungry into her pawns, it may be that when she eats, she can give her own energy to her pawns to do her bidding even though they're too starved and weak to act on their own accord. That might also be why the Devils she summons ordinarily can't use their full strength, as the amount of food she eats may impact how much of their power they can access.
Denji's Beating By the Devils Ironically Shows Their Acceptance of Him
Yoru and Katana Beating on Denji May be Nothing More Than Some Tough Love
After Denji wakes up from his coma, he is almost immediately greeted with a kick to his most vulnerable parts by Katana Man. Katana does this in order to get revenge on Denji for his and Aki's infamous "nut kicking contest" they pulled on Katana after capturing him the first time. Katana tells Denji that "I returned both your balls to right where they belong in your ball sack... so I could ring the gong of revenge with my own foot!!"
Interestingly, this parallels Yoru's sentiment toward Chainsaw Man in chapter 161, when they were first putting Denji's body back together. Yoru told everyone "Put every piece back in its proper place! I want Chainsaw Man in perfect condition when I fight him." However, this came off as more of an excuse in order to rationalize the shared feelings she had with Asa for Chainsaw Man, instead of a genuine desire to fight him at full strength. Similarly, while Katana does extend a challenge to fight Denji, he's talked down by Asa, who reminds him that their deal was that they'd fight him only after they got answers from him.
The main reason Katana will follow what Asa says is because he's a fan of hers, having seen her on TV after she became famous for her work with the Chainsaw Man Church. Asa serving as the means of calming Katana down will ultimately be the one thing that can facilitate a relationship between him and Denji in the long run. If Katana truly respects Asa's feelings, he'll have to swallow his pride at some point and accept Denji as his ally.
After Samurai Sword is finished beating up on Denji, Yoru takes over where he left off and kicks Denji in the exact same spot. She then climbs on top of him and tells Denji "I don't need your human form. Wake up already, Chainsaw Man." Denji looks visibly conflicted at this since he is still unaware of the fact that Asa shares half her brain with the War Devil. In any case, it is unclear what exactly Yoru's response would be if Denji were to indulge her request and transform into Chainsaw Man. Yoru would more than likely want to fight him for the fun of it, but given the feelings she began to show in prior chapters, it's unlikely she actually intends to kill Chainsaw Man anymore.
Is Asa Still Mad at Denji?
Asa Was Holding a Grudge on Denji For Standing Her Up on Their Date
In CSM Chapter 161, fans got the moment they'd been waiting for throughout the entirety of Part 2: Asa finding out that Denji is Chainsaw Man. Unfortunately, due to Quanxi breaking in the room to attack them, fans never really got to see how Asa reacted other than the initial look of shock on her face. Things have calmed down in Chapter 163 and fans get some more insight into her thought process.
The last interaction Asa had with Denji when he wasn't Chainsaw Man, she got stood up on their date. Or at least, that's what she remembers after having her memories altered by Nayuta. That being the case, fans thought Asa might hate Denji, but that doesn't appear to be the case at all. In fact, she has a civil, if rather short, conversation with him. Even though Asa is short with Denji, it's likely her realization that he's Chainsaw Man smoothed over some of the negative associations she held toward him for "standing her up".
Before Denji even wakes up, Asa muses to Iseumi and Nobana that it doesn't feel real that Denji is Chainsaw Man. Despite the fact that Asa is often dramatic, this comes off as one of the few times she is actually being genuine. Given the intense feelings she developed for Chainsaw Man, it makes sense she's surprised the boy who once broke her heart and the one she fell in love with are the same person. Regardless of Asa's personal feelings toward Denji, the one who was always the biggest wild card was Yoru.
The first time Denji encountered Yoru, she was trying to turn Denji into a weapon after their first date. Luckily, Denji didn't seem to notice the scars that appeared on Asa's face when she transformed, and he thought that her repeating "Denji Spinal Column Sword" was just a weird quirky way of saying goodbye. Now that Yoru has once again taken over Asa, it's obvious that Denji will have to learn the truth of Asa's identity as the vessel for the War Devil. How he'll react to this news is anybody's guess, but it wouldn't be the first time Denji fell in love with a Devil Hybrid.
