WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first arc of Chainsaw Man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Amanda Haley and Sabrina Heep, available now in English from Viz Media.
The end of the first arc of Chainsaw Man brings an almost complete reset of the status quo, with pretty much every major character, aside from Denji, being slaughtered. One of the characters to get the chop is the terrifying Control Devil Makima. To the dismay of many a reader, another is Power, the weirdly lovable Blood Fiend who forced her way into the position of fan-favorite character. And while death can be something of a revolving door in the world of Chainsaw Man, there is no doubt that the consequences of this first arc will play out in a very tragic way.
Throughout the first arc of Chainsaw Man, Makima is presented as an absolutely terrifying monster, an avatar of death and destruction. She forces Denji to kill Aki in the most heartbreaking way possible, and then promptly follows up by killing Power, Denji's closest friend. It's hard not to root for her downfall at the end of the series-- and what a downfall it turns out to be.
Makima, however, gets a chance at redemption... sort of. Devils don't die; rather, they're killed and constantly reincarnated, alternating between lives in Hell and lives on Earth. Sure enough, shortly after Makima is killed, the Control Devil quickly finds herself reincarnated on Earth in the form of a young girl named Nayuta. Nayuta is entrusted to Denji to raise up and ensure that she doesn't go bad in the same way Makima did.
What Chainsaw Man makes crystal clear is that while Nayuta might be very similar to Makima, perhaps too similar, she isn't Makima. She's a reincarnation, not a reproduction, and she will never be the same person as Makima was.
It's hard to be overly sad about this, given just how awful Makima was. What is sad is what this development means for Power. One of the highlights of Chainsaw Man is the relationship between Power and Denji. Throughout the first arc of the series, they go from simply seeing each other as tools to get what they want -- Power just wants to sacrifice Denji to save her cat Meowy, while Denji, um, just wants to touch some "boobs" -- to having a close and moving relationship.
Most of this isn't conveyed through dialogue or even the action of the story but instead, through the body language of the characters. There is a physical closeness there, with Power constantly resting her head on Denji's shoulder or practically laying on top of him when they sleep, which conveys their emotional bond.
Chainsaw Man is, in many ways, a very nihilistic comic. It's a dog eat dog world where beloved characters die for stupid and unfair reasons, simply because they weren't strong enough. It's a hyper-violent visual freakout, and shouldn't be taken too seriously -- after all, the hero does have a chainsaw for a head. But what makes Chainsaw Man really special is its heart. Even though these characters are hyper vulnerable, it's impossible not to care for them, because they care about each other.
Aki cares about his "buddies," his found family of Devil Hunters. This even extends to Denji and Power, even though they're probably the most annoying people possible with whom to share an apartment. Himeno had a powerful unrequited love for Aki. Power sees Denji as her first and only friend and relies on him for security and comfort. And all of these characters not only care deeply about each other, but they're also willing to die for each other.
This is why Power's death resonates in such a strong way, and why the nature of Makima's reincarnation is so sad. In her last moments, Power tasks Denji with finding the Blood Devil in Hell and killing it, so she can return to Earth, become a fiend once more and resume their friendship. But Makima's reincarnation shows that even if the reincarnated version of the Devil is similar, it just isn't the same as the original.
So, is Power gone for good? Perhaps, perhaps not. If she was a Devil being reincarnated, then there is no way she could ever be the same Power that we all know. But Power is a Fiend -- maybe things work differently for them than for straight-up Devils. The rules surrounding Devils and Fiends are murky at best, and the Chainsaw Man definitely has unknown levels of power himself that could change things all the more.
For the time being, however, Power is definitely gone, and it seems like no matter what she or Denji believes, she isn't coming back. At least, not unchanged.
