Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen (４の) are a quadrumvirate of particularly powerful Devils:
 * The Control Devil;
 * The War Devil;
 * The Famine Devil;
 * And the Death Devil.

Makima, revealed to be the Control Devil, was the first Horseman to appear, and she made reference to the other three well before any of them made their debut. The four are some of the most prominent Devils featured in the Chainsaw Man manga, with Makima being the main antagonist of Part 1 of the story while the other three (along with Nayuta, Makima's reincarnation) are featured in Part 2.

Overview
The Horsemen are four particularly powerful, influential Devils who take the form of female humans and consider themselves "sisters". Death is the eldest and most powerful, Fami (Famine) is the second-eldest, and Yoru (War) and the Control Devils (Nayuta and Makima before her) are hence the youngest; while Nayuta is currently the youngest of the four as Makima's recently born reincarnation, it is not explicitly confirmed if Yoru is older than Makima was.

Together, the sisters are known to have engaged in a particularly fearsome, brutal battle in Hell against the Devil feared most by other Devils: "Chainsaw Man". The Horsemen seem to be the only entities in the world (Devil or otherwise) who still remember the names of those Devils devoured by Chainsaw Man, such as the Nuclear Weapons Devil, the Nazi Devil, and others. However, it is unclear how far these memories go: Makima, the Control Devil's previous incarnation, could remember the names of devoured Devils but admitted that she could not recall them beyond the sight of them fighting Chainsaw, and that even those memories were starting to fade; the next incarnation, Nayuta, appears to bear no memories from her predecessor's life.

Intergroup Relations & Ambitions
Despite their past collaboration in fighting Chainsaw Man, the Horsemen sisters are not a cohesive unit, each member following different goals and agendas that tend to clash, yet which as a commonality involve Chainsaw Man in one way or another:
 * Makima, the former Control Devil, posed as a human Devil Contractor working for Japan's Devil Hunter organization, intending (after being the first to find Pochita) to bring the Chainsaw Devil under her control in order to wipe out her sisters, to get rid of their very concepts and (supposedly) better the world for humans; Makima went as far as to claim that she was Chainsaw Man's fan due to his incredible power and chaotic violence, to the point that she would not mind being devoured by him herself.
 * Yoru, the War Devil, intends to find Pochita and battle him again so as to slay him, in a seeming revenge plot for him eating part of her (as well as other Devils that contributed to her power, like the WWII and Nuclear Weapons Devils), while avoiding her sisters (or at least Fami) in the process.
 * Fami has dedicated herself to opposing the apocalypse prophesized by Nostradamus so as to save humanity (by her own words). She aims to prevent the apocalypse by killing her elder sister, Death, and enslaving her younger sister War to aid her in this endeavor (specifically wanting to empower both War and the Chainsaw Devil to be able to stand up to Death when she appears). Fami at different points tried recruiting both Yoru (War) and Nayuta (Control) for her plot.
 * Meanwhile, Nayuta has been taken in by Denji (Pochita's current host) and does not care to involve herself with her sisters' plans, preferring to study like a human child while living with Denji (and also admiring Chainsaw Man, wanting to see him in action as a Devil Hunter).
 * The Death Devil's current agenda is unknown, although if Nostradamus' prophecy is to be believed, she is expected to try to bring upon the end of humanity in six months' time, ushering in the Age of Devils on Earth. If at all (and how) Chainsaw Man would become involved with Death's ambitions is unknown.

Personalities
The Horsemen stand out among Devils not only for their scheming tendencies (especially in the case of Control and Famine) but also their very humanlike dispositions, propensity to pose as humans, and willingness to integrate into human society in favor of their goals. They all have distinct personalities, notably maintaining a veneer of amiability towards humans despite ultimately being extremely selfish.

Makima heavily involved herself in Japan's Public Safety operations and, pretending to be human, almost always maintained an aura of compassion and politeness in front of people — that is, until she began betraying her closest subordinates in pursuit of her ambitions, at which point she revealed herself to be callous, domineering, and Machiavellian as befitting "Control" (not to mention the countless human lives that she was willing to sacrifice); Makima did mention to Kishibe that she was aiming to kill her sisters to better the world for humans, though given her actions, the truthfulness of this statement might be called into question. War, in contrast, is loud, immature, touchy, and belligerent, befitting her nature as "War". Famine is very calm, mannered, and polite to everyone, but unlike Control does not even bother to hide her ill intentions for Asa Mitaka; additionally, though claiming to want to save humanity from extinction, she appears consequentialist (like Makima) in so far as she is willing to wreak global havoc to do so. Nayuta, the current Control Devil, has several childlike tendencies that would be expected of a human her age, both in terms of behavior and speech, although she is has likewise exhibited domineering tendencies and can be rather perceptive.

None of the Horsemen seem to have the common Devil desire for human flesh, eating human food instead. Fami appears to be partial to fast food and has expressly named Chinese food and pizza as good enough reasons for why human civilization should be preserved, which Nayuta agreed with. The sisters also seem to have an affinity for bread.

As a shared quirk, the Four Horsemen are all face-blind, with Fami mentioning that "the sisters" have no interest in faces, whether human or Devil. Long before revealing her true nature, Makima hinted at the fact that instead of discerning faces, she went by smell, something later confirmed by Denji, who noted that Makima never actually remembered peoples' faces, including his; Nayuta, in turn, seems to have inherited Makima's acute sense of smell. Yoru likewise noted that she had not recognized Fami due to it being too long since she last met her, and both she and Famine (like Makima) are apparently unable to discern Denji-as-Chainsaw Man from Pochita (in his true form) by anything besides color, despite them looking very different. Whether all the four sisters perceive others via scent is unknown.

Appearances
All Four Horsemen are female, appearing as young women and/or girls.

Though they differ from another looks-wise and may change appearances upon reincarnation, they look fully human to a degree unusual for full-fledged Devils (at least while in the Human World), to the point of being able to pass themselves off as regular humans without being found out and seamlessly integrate into society. Whether Death is an exception is unknown, since she has yet to appear, and if the Horsemen's original forms in Hell are the same degree of human is likewise unconfirmed. Yoru the War Devil was shown taking the shape of a small dark owl while in a weakened state, before subsequently possessing the body of a teenage girl (and being distinguished in said body by her ringed eyes and facial scars that manifest whenever she is in control).

All Four Horsemen have uniquely colored eyes whose irides are split by concentric rings.

Power
The Four Horsemen embody some of humanity's greatest fears and thus count among the strongest Devils. They are matched and/or surpassed in power only by Chainsaw Man (whom the four brutally fought in the past), the "Primal Fears", and perhaps the Gun Devil at the very height of its power. However, only Death herself — the eldest and strongest Horseman — is confirmed to be a Devil of "Primal Fear" status, and her younger sisters do not seem to command that same level of fear; the Eternity Devil, for instance, did not hesitate to curse out Fami when she went against their deal.

Makima, the first Horseman to appear, was also the first to showcase her power, proving to be an immensely powerful Devil who was feared the world over by humans and Devils alike, and whom various nations on Earth had all but given up opposing. With sufficient preparation (that is, after subjugating several Devils) Makima was able to overpower the Gun Devil at its strongest (when empowered by a Contract affording it one year of lifespan from every American citizen), though she failed to deal a killing blow and prevent the Gun Devil's escape. Using her power of "Control" to force various humans, Devils, and Fiends into Contracts, Makima was able to acquire a wealth of different abilities; her Contract with the Japanese Prime Minister made her nigh-unkillable as any physical harm done unto her was transferred to random Japanese citizens; hence, she had a near-limitless stock of extra lives. Consequently, Makima proved herself able to pressure and even defeat Chainsaw Man, though only after the latter's drastic weakening due to humans' declining fear of him. Makima also managed to somewhat oppose the primal Darkness Devil, being able to slightly injure and draw blood from the latter, though at the cost of her arm, and while merely trying to escape from Hell with her allies.

Makima's reincarnation Nayuta, though not yet as powerful, is shown to have a complete grasp on how to use her "Control" powers, with her sister Fami valuing her power enough to try to recruit her for her cause.

The War Devil Yoru, though having the potential to be incredibly powerful in her own right, is currently weakened due to her past battle with Pochita (who ate a piece of her) and the world having forgotten war's terrors since WWII. Not only is Yoru subject to unique limitations while possessing Asa's body, such as being unable to take her over when Asa is stricken with fear, she also lacks raw power; since the strength of her weapons scales to the amount of guilt that Asa feels about creating them, Yoru claims that only Asa can create strong weapons. When faced with the primal Falling Devil, Yoru (unlike Makima against Darkness) felt that she had no chance in her current state, opting to flee on sight. Still, Fami believes that, if humanity's collective fear of war is heightened to its max, Yoru (together with Pochita) could be able to stand up to the Death Devil herself.

Fami, though having yet to be seen in a direct combat scenario, is shown to be very powerful too, and exceedingly resourceful in much the same way that Makima was. Her power to lock those who are hungry/starved into her servitude was shown to work even on a Primal Fear Devil, as she was able to force the Falling Devil to do her bidding and summon her from Hell to Earth. As noted by Barem Bridge, Fami has several extremely valuable Devils as her pawns: from the aforementioned Falling Devil (formerly) to the Eternity Devil, to the enigmatic Fire Devil.

As revealed by Nayuta, the Death Devil (the eldest Horseman sister) is in fact a "Primal Fear" Devil herself, and not just any but the so-called "Great King of Terror" whose name is feared the most of all. Hence, Death is the strongest Devil in existence whose advent on Earth is foretold as part of Nostradamus' prophecy, ushering in the apocalypse and ending humanity. Fami aims to induce global chaos specifically directed at reigniting humanity's collective fear of War and the Chainsaw, so that both Devils may grow strong enough to possibly stand up to Death.

Abilities
As with all Devils, the Four Horsemen wield powers corresponding to their embodied concept. Coincidentally, the three Horsemen shown so far are endowed with the ability to exert control over things (living and nonliving) one way or another:
 * The Control Devil's core ability is to control whom she deems inferior, with Makima stating "I have the power to control those I consider to be of lesser rank than myself." Her potential targets range from humans to animals, to Devils, to Fiends, to Hybrids. Even precise control over someone's brain, including manipulating memories and perception, is possible for the Control Devil.
 * The War Devil can turn anything she believes is "hers" (her property) into her weapons, from objects to lifeforms. This ability, when witnessed through Asa Mitaka, depends on guilt; the more guilt Asa feels about creating a weapon, the stronger it will be, meaning that while Yoru possesses Asa, only Asa can create strong weapons. In this context, the concept of Asa's ownership is bound only by her own perception no matter how illogical.
 * The Famine Devil can turn the "hungry" into her "pawns" and have them do her bidding, potentially even a Primal Fear Devil.
 * If the Death Devil has some power of control is unknown.

Past
Together, the Horsemen sisters are known to have engaged in a particularly fearsome, brutal battle in Hell against the Devil feared most by other Devils: Chainsaw Man (Pochita). For exactly how long is not revealed, alhough going by Yoru's words, it may have been for at least over 50 years since she mentioned how she was weakened by the absence of war since WWII following her fight with Pochita. However, in the midst of their final confrontation, Pochita mysteriously vanished. Despite searches conducted by the Control Devil, Pochita could not be found. Unbeknownst to the Four Horsemen, this was because Pochita had changed forms on the verge of death and escaped to Earth; this is when Denji and an injured Pochita met.

Sometime after this battle, the Horsemen arrived on Earth, but apparently parted ways. The Control Devil assumed the identity of a human, "Makima", who became the head of Special Division 4 in the Public Safety.

The Death Devil's whereabouts remain unknown, though it is implied that she has yet to appear on Earth, her advent being what Famine seeks to prevent.

Gun Devil arc
Makima's status as the Control Devil is revealed during her fight against the Gun Devil.

Control Devil arc
Makima reveals the existence of the Four Horsemen amid her fight against Chainsaw Man, describing how she, the other three Horsemen, and the Weapon Devils fought against Pochita in Hell until the battle abruptly ended, when Pochita vanished before their eyes. With the Weapon Hybrids present, she announces that the interrupted battle can finally be brought to an end, as she orders the Weapon Hybrids to attack Chainsaw Man.

After seemingly succeeding at defeating Chainsaw Man and seizing control over him, Makima is suddenly sliced open by Denji with a chainsaw. Through a loophole, Denji renders the Devil Contract Makima had with the Prime Minister of Japan that gave her nigh-immortality null and kills her by eating her entire body.

The Control Devil is soon reincarnated as Nayuta, a young girl from China. Kishibe, who discovered her, brought back to Japan and where he tasks Denji with taking the girl in to raise her right, so as to prevent the rise of another Makima.

Justice Devil arc
Quite some time after Makima's downfall, the War Devil — weakened from her battle against Chainsaw Man and reduced to a diminutive, owl-like form — appears in front of Asa Mitaka, shortly after the girl is murdered by her jealous classmate, who killed her out of the belief that it would secure her the affections of their teacher, Mr. Tanaka. The War Devil offers to save Asa's life, in exchange for control over her body. Mitaka takes this opportunity, allowing the War Devil to assume control of her body. The War Devil immediately slaughters her murderer as well as her teacher. Seeing a Chainsaw Man poster nearby, the War Devil vows to make Chainsaw Man "vomit nuclear weapons back up". War reveals that, having left Asa's brain intact, the latter's self has been preserved, causing the two to share one body, and consequently names herself "Yoru" (meaning "Night" in contrast to Asa's name, which means "Morning").

Shortly after, the Famine Devil (nicknaming herself "Fami") is revealed to have assumed the identity of a high school student at Fourth East, as a member of the school's Devil Hunter Club.

Falling Devil arc
Yoshida reveals the "Prophecy of Nostradamus" that foresees a coming apocalypse, during which the so-called "Great King of Terror" is to appear on Earth to usher in the apocalypse: the end of the age of humans and the dawn of one where Devils rule (later revealed to in fact refer to the coming of the Death Devil). The Horsemen's investment in said prophecy is shown to vary from member to member — with Famine actively working against it and wishing to preserve humanity, Control seeming disinterested, and War being not yet fully involved in any scheme.

Yoru correctly guesses that Fami is involved with the attack of the primordial "Falling Devil" on Asa and Yoru, with Fami revealing that she intended for the Falling Devil to feed Asa and Yoru to the Justice Devil and have her sister starved in its belly so that she may become Fami's pawn, to aid in the latter's plot to prevent Nostradamus' prophecy. Nayuta declines Fami's request to work with her.

Current arc
After her attempts to starve the War Devil failed, Fami with the help of Haruka Iseumi and Barem Bridge founds the Chainsaw Man Church, which quickly grows to become a powerful organization with tens of thousands of members, frequent TV appearances, and political donations. Following a tense conversation, Fami managed to recruit her Horseman sister Yoru (alongside Asa Mitaka) into the church, turning them both into a national celebrity to serve as a public face for the church. Besides the War Devil, the church also has various Weapon Hybrids among its ranks.

It is later revealed that Fami, thanks to her many Devil connections, was able to allow an estimated 350,000 Chainsaw Man Church followers worldwide to enter Contracts with the Fire Devil, transforming them into pseudo-Devils resembling Chainsaw Man to begin creating global chaos. This, per the plan of Fami and Barem Bridge, is for the purpose of raising humanity's collective fear of both the Chainsaw and War, to make both Devils strong enough to stand up to the "Great King of Terror" — the Death Devil — whose arrival on Earth (per Nostradamus' prophecy) is fortold to happen in six months' time, and which Fami and Barem aim to prevent in order to save the human race.

Trivia

 * The Four Horsemen are based, in name and concept, on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Japanese: の) from Christian eschatology, appearing in John's Book of Revelation (6:1–8) of the New Testament and being assumed in some interpretations to be referenced in the Old Testament's prophetic Book of Zechariah and in Ezekiel.
 * Per the scripture, these four figures are to set a divine end-time upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment: they appear with the opening of the first four of the Seven Seals of God that release the Apocalypse, as punishment from God. They are usually interpreted by modern scholarship as: Conquest (the White Rider), War (the Red Rider), Famine (the Black Rider), and finally Death (the Pale Rider, who is the only one explicitly named in the Revelation).
 * The Horsemen's order of appearance in the Revelation is reflected by the order of the corresponding Devils' appearance in Chainsaw Man: first shown was the Control Devil, followed by War and then Famine, with Death having yet to appear.
 * Under one interpretation that has appeared since the early 20th century (especially prevalent in pop-culture references to the Four Horsemen), the first Rider is called Pestilence instead of Conquest — associated with infectious disease and plague. While the exact origin of this interpretation is unknown, some assume a reason to be that scholars found Conquest and War to be too similar. Coincidentally, the White Rider is described as carrying bow; bows and arrows have been associated with disease since antiquity, with arrows thought of as carriers thereof (esp. the plague) due to oft being laced with poisons.
 * While Makima can control any creature she deems inferior to herself, like animals, she has been shown to teleport herself using specifically rats as a medium, which are creatures associated with disease.
 * The term "Horseman" is traditionally rendered as Kishi (騎士) in Japanese bible translations, a gender-neutral term that means "Knight".
 * Before her reveal as a Horseman, Makima was already highly implied to be one due to her and the biblical "Conquest" Rider sharing the same name in Japanese: "Conquest" being rendered as Shihai.
 * The ringed eye design of the Horsemen (and Nayuta's character as a whole) seem based on the character Nayuta from Tatsuki Fujimoto's pre-Chainsaw Man one-shot, Yogen No Nayuta.
 * In said one-shot, Nayuta was a demon child prophesized to start the apocalypse, further emphasizing the reference in relation to the Four Horsemen.
 * The ringed eye design is not solely indicative of the Horsemen, however: the Fox Devil and Future Devil are prime examples of other Devils having such an eye design.