Chainsaw Man Sends Denji Back To Hell in War Devil’s Final Battle

The following contains major spoilers for Chainsaw Man Part 2.Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man has been deep in Part 2's endgame for weeks now, as Denji and Yoru's battle keeps taking wild turns chapter after chapter. Michigan has been destroyed, Yoru used the literal moon as a weapon (or at least the United States' flag), and Denji's gobbling up devils and erasing legs & teeth like it's nobody's business. Chainsaw Man hasn't felt this utterly chaotic since Part 1's final battle against Makima. It always feels like anything can happen in a Fujimoto manga (as Fire Punch fans know all too well), but more than ever before, there's just no telling what in the world is going to happen in Chainsaw Man.
Chainsaw Man Chapter 225 is the manga's most surprising chapter since Fami revealed she was actually the Death Devil last year. As Denji and Yoru's battle only continues to escalate, Denji decides he's had enough of battling on Earth and opens a literal door to Hell – a location fans haven't seen since the Aging Devil arc. Even then, the last time Hell got any major focus was in the Darkness Devil arc all the way back in Part 1. Hungry to eat some "real devils," Denji descends into Hell as Yoru reluctantly follows. The chapter ends with both protagonists staring out into the abyss, with no indication of what'll happen next. One thing is certain, however – Denji is looking for real devils, so Primal Fears may very well be on the menu.
As the Hero of Hell, Pochita being open to open the doorways to Hell isn't exactly new information, but Denji willingly making his way to Hell in order to keep erasing concepts during his battle with the War Devil is a huge pivot. Denji and Yoru have been stuck at something of a stalemate for multiple chapters now, but Denji has been slowly pushing the battle in his favor by outmaneuvering Yoru with his quick (often illogical) thinking. At the same time, he keeps eating the War Devil's pawns, basically rage-baiting her by erasing concepts throughout their fight.
Now, however, Denji seems tired of the back and forth, so is willingly raising the stakes by descending into Hell. It's unclear how much of this move stems from Pochita's own strategy to defeat Yoru, and Denji's total disregard for safety. Diving back into Hell could backfire tremendously. Hell is teeming with the strongest Devils imaginable, as well as Primal Fears the main cast have yet to deal with (or have already failed to defeat). Nayuta's death also means Denji could run into a new Control Devil in Hell, putting his face to face with not just one, but two Horsemen at once. Chainsaw Man is dangerous in and of himself, but unless a strong enough devil appears to force a team-up between him and Yoru, Hell could realistically spell disaster for Denji.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), Hell's denizens are almost certain to be too much for Chainsaw Man to chew on his own. The fact that Chapter 225 ends with Denji and Yoru gazing out at a sea of darkness could very well be foreshadowing the Darkness Devil's return. The last time the main cast met the Darkness Devil, nearly everyone lost their lives and most of the main characters suffered permanent injuries, like Aki and the Angel Devil losing their arms for the rest of Part 1. Makima just barely managed to rescue everybody in time, nearly dying in the process.
Primal Fears are virtually unkillable, so running into the Darkness Devil could be game over for Denji and Yoru. At the same time, it could be exactly what they need to put their final battle on hold and force them to team-up in order to survive. This would also give Asa a chance to finally re-enter the story after effectively being possessed by the War Devil for chapters on end. Chainsaw Man is stronger than ever, too, so by working together with Asa/Yoru, he could eke out an opportunity to eat and erase the Darkness Devil, which would be the perfect twist to pivot Chainsaw Man Part 2 even deeper into its crazy endgame.
While the Darkness Devil is the best candidate to bring back, now's also a perfect chance to introduce some new Primal Fears. As of Chapter 225, Chainsaw Man has only shown four Primal Fears: Death, Darkness, Aging, and Falling. Chainsaw Man describes a "Primal Fear" as an innate fear everyone is born with, so Fujimoto could use Denji's trip to Hell as a means to really lean into the manga's horror movie tendencies and disturb readers in a way he hasn't done since Fire Punch.
While it's impossible to know what Fujimoto is planning or thinking at any given moment, one thing feels certain: Chainsaw Man Part 2 is entering its endgame. The War Devil brought nuclear weapons back, the story's timeline is still only one month away from Nostradamus' prophecy coming true, and the door to Hell has been opened with no back-up like Makima to save Denji this time around. In an absolute worst-case scenario, Denji going to Hell backfires horribly and Devils invade the Earth en masse, leading to the extinction of humanity like Nostradamus predicted.
There's just no way Denji and Yoru can continue their final battle in its current state. One way or another, Chainsaw Man Chapter 226 is set to radically change the status quo. It could be them teaming up against a Primal Fear, Denji running into the new Control or Blood Devils, or even outright failing and losing to Yoru as Earth falls to Devilkind. Fujimoto is no stranger to downer endings, and Part 2 has been much bleaker than Part 1 since the beginning. Denji's return to Hell is the beginning of the end for Chainsaw Man.