"They are not humans, Devils or Fiends. The name that referred to them was eaten by you and erased. Yet somehow, their existence was not. Of the many names you've consumed, they are the sole exception." ― Makima to Pochita.
Hybrids, also referred to as a Devil-human (
Overview[]
The real name for the concept of Hybrids was eaten and erased by the Chainsaw Devil, but Hybrids continue to exist despite their erasure for unknown reasons.[2]
In rare cases, a human can fuse with a Devil and turn into a Hybrid. The only known method of becoming a Hybrid is via a contract or surgery, in which the Devil replaces the human's heart.[3][4] The Hybrid's heart therefore becomes both their source of power and weakness.
Hybrids keep their human consciousness and appearance but can transform into Devil-human Hybrids through a trigger and manifest the supernatural abilities of their fused Devils. When transformed, the head and, in many cases, the arms are affected, while the rest of the body remains human. Though their appearance varies from weapon to weapon, most of them take on a mechanical/metallic appearance, and all of them lack lips, exposing monstrous teeth. In addition, nearly all of them lack visible eyes with the exception of the Chainsaw Hybrid whose eyes glow occasionally. When they are not transformed into Devils, they are, with the exception of their triggers, indistinguishable from regular humans, unlike Fiends.
Although the human is fully in control when transformed, the Devil inside them can also take control and turn back to their Devil form if their contract is broken,[5] as seen when Pochita took over Denji's body and fully transformed into the Chainsaw Devil. The Devil is also able to reform into their original selves if the Hybrid tears out their heart,[6] though this would presumably leave the human unable to transform.
Currently there are eight known Hybrids: Chainsaw, Katana, Bomb, Bow, Longsword, Flamethrower, Spear, and Whip. Besides Chainsaw, the others are collectively named as Weapon Humans (
Their triggers are all based on the weapons that give them their powers and manifest on various spots on their bodies. The Chainsaw Hybrid has a chainsaw cord on his chest, the Bomb Hybrid has a grenade pin on her neck, and the Bow Hybrid possesses an arrow in her right eye socket. The Spear Hybrid has a spear he can pull out of his neck. The Katana and Longsword Hybrids have their respective weapons manifested in their arms. The Flamethrower Hybrid has a trigger at his molar. Unlike the rest, the Whip Hybrid appears to trigger her transformation by making certain motions with her hands.
There is a similar phenomenon called Devil transformations which, like Hybrids, is a human who can take on the form of a Devil as a result of a contract. The main difference being that there is no merging between a human and Devil in this scenario and that people with a Devil transformation appear to become full-on Devils, and might need help to turn back into humans from an outside source, while Hybrids are considered to be neither Devil, human, nor Fiend and can freely transform. They are also visually different in that all seen Devil transformations have been more monstrous, while Hybrids retain a human shape with only a demonic appearance in the head area and arms.
List of Hybrids[]
Named Hybrids[]
Unnamed Hybrids[]
Abilities[]
- Hybrid Transformation: The main ability of a Hybrid is transformation into their respective Devil forms fused with their human form. Certain actions act as triggers for Hybrid transformation, with each action usually referencing a part of the Devil a human is fused with (ex. Denji transforms by pulling Pochita's tail like a Chainsaw start cord, Reze takes out a pin in her neck like a pin in a grenade). Their strength, speed, and durability are dramatically increased after the transformation, and they also gain the abilities of their respective Devil. Their transformation usually affects their heads and arms, but skilled Hybrids can also transform their legs into weapons.
- Immortality: Although Hybrids can regenerate by drinking blood just like Devils and Fiends, they are also able to regenerate and even recover from fatal injuries by activating their trigger without needing to drink blood. Examples of this ability include when Denji split Katana Man in half, but the halves stuck themselves back together when Denji activated Katana Man's trigger by pulling off his left hand,[7] or the numerous times Denji has been revived by having his cord pulled. This makes Hybrids immortal, as unlike Devils and Fiends who go to Hell when they die, Hybrids will remain on Earth for seemingly unlimited time. This is exemplified by Makima bringing back Reze and Quanxi, long after they seemingly died. Hybrids also don't age, as Quanxi, despite being at least as old as Kishibe, still has the same appearance after multiple decades, while the Whip Hybrid also claims to be almost 82 years old. Furthermore, they are stated to be immune to the Chainsaw Devil's ability to erase concepts by eating their associated Devil. Although the actual name for the Hybrids has been erased by this method, the Hybrids themselves still continue to exist somehow.[2]
- Blood Consumption: They are able to restore their health by consuming blood, like Devils and Fiends. Moreover, their regenerative abilities are limitless and they can revive if there is an adequate amount of blood to consume, even if their head is severed or their heart is removed from their body. If there is not enough blood, the transformation will stop on the way even if they try to transform again, the armament will not appear even if you perform certain actions, or only the damage will recover and return to the human form. When transforming or disarming, the changed parts melt like mud.
- Partial Ability Immunity: It appears that Hybrids are immune to certain Devil abilities, particularly those that would forcefully transform them - this is seen through Denji being completely unaffected by the Zombie Devil's zombie transformation, the Doll Devil's doll transformation, and (potentially) the War Devil's weapon creation.
- Contract Creation: Like regular humans, and unlike Fiends, Hybrids can make contracts with Devils, as it is shown that despite having a contract with Pochita, Denji is also able to contract with the Blood Devil. However, it is unknown if the Devil inside the Hybrids can make a contract with other humans.
Trivia[]
- The term "hybrid" is a widely accepted placeholder name among fans but they are more accurately described as being fusions/merges between an already existing human and Devil than a crossbred hybrid. While a Hybrid doesn't necessarily have to refer to beings born through interbreeding means only, the term is most often used, in real life and in fiction, to refer to such. A Devil and human hybrid is a term often used in other media to refer to the offspring born from a Devil and human and not some transformation or fusion later in life, but there are exceptions.
- In Chapter 103, a news reporter refers to Chainsaw Man as a "Devil-human", a term similar to one of the alternate translations for Fiends: "Devilman" or Devilmen. This is a reference to the 1972 manga of the same name by Go Nagai, which served as an inspiration for Chainsaw Man.
- While all the Hybrids currently seen are only weapon-based, it is unknown if only Weapon Devils can become a Hybrid or not.
- It would also be doubly questionable as to what would qualify as a weapon or not, as many things can be used as a weapon but have other uses and vice versa, such as how chainsaws themselves weren’t originally weapons but were made for medical purposes. Even now chainsaws are mainly used as a tool to cut wood, not as a weapon.
- Other Devils who have consumed or tasted Hybrids, like the Bat Devil and Fox Devil for example, say they taste bad.
- In Chapter 135, the hybrid Denji is referred to as “Red Chainsaw Man” and the Devil who became his heart, Pochita, is referred to as “Black Chainsaw Man” and the two bear notable and distinct differences not limited to just color. It is unknown how much the unique transformed form for each of the hybrids vary from the form of a devil that became a part of them, other than most of the hybrid’s original human body parts typically still being present even in transformation.
References[]
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 103
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 87, Page 1
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 1, Page 39
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 36, Page 38
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 82, Page 7
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 96, Page 7
- ↑ Chainsaw Man Manga: Chapter 38, Page 3