Warning: Contains spoilers for Chapter 187 of Chainsaw Manchainsaw man has always excelled at subverting the expectations of its readers. The reveal of Part One's main villain came with just 20 chapters remaining, following several arcs in which the Gun Devil was staged as the series' final antagonist. Part Two similarly turned readers' attention to the Devil of Death, only to then insert the primal fear, Aging, as the most threatening villain of the saga so far. With Denji back on track and Pochita getting help from his best friend, the War on Aging looks set to begin.
Although he is unimaginably strong, even Pochita, the demon that demons fear most, doesn't have what it takes to live up to a primal fear like aging. The most recent chapter 187, titled “Barf!”, shows these shortcomings, but thanks to some quick thinking on Denji's part, reinforcements are on the way. Closing the chapter in suspense with the series' protagonist ready to fall ill, one of the demons that Pochita ate and erased will be back, and there is the possibility that it will be of nuclear threat level.
The titular Chainsaw Man has eaten countless demons throughout the story, some of which were revealed by Makima during Part One, but even she admitted to only remembering a fraction of them. There are several possibilities for which the concept can be restored, but for one to be useful in fighting the Aged Devil, will need to be extraordinarily powerful. And due to some foreshadowing and Yoru's general presence in the story, the Nuclear Weapon Devil could be just what Pochita needs.
The chainsaw man may need help from the nuke devil
It takes a demon powerful enough to defeat aging
From what little has been shown about Pochita and the Aged Devil fighting, it appears that Aging is practically immune to any physical damagejust like Makima was. Pochita could very well eat the Primordial Devil. In truth, Aging wouldn't love anything more, but as Denji reiterated, Chainsaw Man is a superhero and would never sacrifice children's lives. If a demon that Pochita has been confirmed to have erased is capable of taking down a regenerating opponent, it would need to have the power of something like a nuclear weapon.
And brute force isn't the only reason for a potential return of the nuclear demon, it would also work thematically, given the presence of a certain War Devil presence in the series. Yoru's entire fight with Chainsaw Man stems from him eating his comrades, including Nuclear Weapons. Attentive fans will remember that from the first chapter of Part Two, War Devil's goal was to make Pochita throw that same demon back. She may not be the exact reason this happens, but if Pochita returns the nukes now, Yoru's original goal will be achieved.
The consequences of returning an evil like the Nuclear Weapon Devil to the world are largely unknown. It can be useful in the fight against the Aged Devil, or it could cause unthinkable destruction in Tokyo. If this eviscerates Aging, there's no telling what might happen to Denji and Asa in the alternate world. Returning the devil might just make Yoru grateful and ally with Denji and Pochita, and that might be even more dangerous than her acting like a villain.
It wouldn't be a Tatsuki Fujimoto manga if chainsaw man it was predictable in some ways, and there are countless possibilities for where the story will go next. Nuclear weapons may be coming and the massive levels of destruction the devil is capable of causing can only summon the Devil of Death to finally show his facefulfilling the prophecy that hangs over Part Two.
There is still another demon that Pochita has not yet returned
Yoshida and Octopus have not yet returned to the story
In the previous chapters leading up to #187, Pochita went on something of a demon-eating spree. Erasing Ear, Mouth, Snow, Bitterness and Octopus, all were thrown back except one. Yoshida has been a prominent character throughout Part Two of chainsaw manbut since his Octopus Devil was erased, the mysterious Devil Hunter and schoolmate has yet to be seen. It might be a disheartening development considering the possibilities available, but there's a chance Pochita could call on Octopus for backup, returning Yoshida to the plot.
Whether Yoshida or his beloved Octopus could be useful remains to be seen, but compared to something like a Demon with Nuclear Weapons, neither he nor his pet seem like the right choice. chainsaw man is in the middle of the riskiest battle of Part Two so far, and the fight with the primordial Aged Demon will reach its climax very soon in the next chapters. News for the next Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc There is speculation that the film is coming, so fans will want to keep an eye on the series in the coming weeks.