Chainsaw Man Chapter 123: Falling Devil Powers, Explored

Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 was released on Tuesday, March 13, bringing with it the name of the series’ new Primal Devil. Dubbed the Falling Devil, the new threat attacked Asa Mitaka and War Devil Yoru both mentally and physically, forcing the former to mentally relive trauma while the world was literally turned upside down.

Many fans were expecting Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 to reveal the Primal Devil to be something other than the Falling Devil, but they’ve gone along with the idea since the issue was released. Likewise, fans are now trying to figure out exactly how the Falling Devil’s powers work, with no clear explanation apparently present in the latest issue.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 seems to indicate that the Falling Devil’s powers are tied to unresolved trauma.

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Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 begins with Yoru fleeing from the Falling Devil, who introduces himself to the readers as he runs. The Falling Devil claimed that he visited Earth at the behest of the inhabitants of Hell, suggesting that he did not die and be reincarnated on Earth. Yoru pleaded with Asa to regain control, as she can create powerful weapons, but to no avail.

The Falling Devil then clapped its hands, seemingly triggering its attack, which forced Asa and the onlookers to relive his life immediately after his mother’s death. Asa lived in an orphanage with the cat she had saved from the Typhoon Devil. Readers then saw the orphanage caretaker ask her to give away the cat so that Asa and the cat would be happier than they are now.

Readers saw Asa acquiesce, but eventually found out that the caretaker killed the cat instead, claiming that it’s not fair that Asa is the only one with a family member in this orphanage. Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 then brought readers and Asa back to reality, where the latter found herself clinging to a railing so as not to fall through the sky.

Readers then saw seven more people, presumably the convicts Famine Devil Fami said died “this week” in the last issue, floating through the sky and walking through gates presumably leading to hell. The Falling Devil then explains that “the deeper a person’s heart sinks, the higher their body falls”. At the end of the chapter, Yoru attempts to calm Asa down enough to take over their joint body and save them, since the former cannot win this fight.

The powers of the Falling Devil, explored

To assess the Falling Devil’s powers, it’s important to establish what readers have seen up to Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 before speculating on exactly how his powers work. Her debut in Chapter 122 seems to indicate that she is able to create mass hysteria, or at least control people en masse, and force them to intentionally ‘fall’.

In chapter 123, she warns that “those who don’t finish their meal will taste death”, implying that her first course is revisiting Asa’s traumatic past. Returning to reality, Asa discovers that his own gravity and that of the other affected people has been essentially reversed. It should also be noted that passers-by on the street seemed to recognize Asa in this anomaly.

In Chapter 123 of Chainsaw Man, the Falling Devil states that the “concept of this dish” is that “the lower the heart goes down, the higher the body goes down”. She also made a direct connection to everyone’s life experiences, sharing her hope that “the flavor of past trauma” will delight “your taste buds.”

Putting it all together, it seems like the Falling Devil has two different sets of powers: a passive that comes from her presence, and another that she actively uses. Passive powers seem to be the root of the mass hysteria she’s causing in some humans. Unfortunately, the exact conditions of this phenomenon are not yet known, nor is it known if she is able to target or control this passive ability.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 seems to indicate that his active powers consist of forcing an individual or a group of individuals to relive their past traumas. The pain this causes each individual apparently forces their bodies to ignore gravity and begin to “fall” through heaven, and eventually into Hell. This is what the Falling Devil itself says in the last pages of the issue.

Additionally, his words seem to imply that if anyone is able to come to terms with or move past their traumas, their powers will be negated or not affect them as intended. It could be setting up Asa Mitaka for his greatest moment in character development.

However, this is all pure speculation, as no official explanation of the Falling Devils has appeared in the series so far. That being said, fans can expect that to happen in the near future.