Tatsuki Fujimoto’s dark fantasy manga series Chainsaw Man has officially entered the climax phase of its second major arc, the “Academy Saga,” following editorial notes published alongside Chapter 178 on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ digital platform. Shueisha confirmed that the series is approaching the ultimate resolution of Part 2 amid escalating battles between Black Chainsaw Man (Pochita) and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Chapter 178, titled “Gun Goddess,” delivers a pivotal turn in the ongoing conflict. In a shocking display of power, the War Devil Yoru weaponizes a hidden devil concealed inside the Statue of Liberty. By sacrificing 400,000 members of the National Pistol Association of America, Yoru commands the newly unveiled “Gun Goddess” to launch a devastating transpacific attack.
The resulting long-range strike decimates multiple Japanese city blocks and inflicts severe damage on Pochita, leaving the Black Chainsaw Man reduced to a head and torso. The unprecedented destruction leaves dual protagonist Asa Mitaka horrified by Yoru’s unrestrained cruelty, further straining the uneasy relationship between the two shared hosts.
In the wake of the devastating attack, the Aging Devil intervenes, offering Pochita a grim contract to recover. Instructing Pochita to consume its body to regenerate, the Aging Devil reveals a dark arrangement orchestrated by Japan’s Public Safety agency.
The revival, however, comes at a sinister price: the sacrifice of 10,000 Japanese children, whose gathering for execution is revealed through the Aging Devil’s mirror. The horrifying arrangement underscores the desperate and morally compromised measures undertaken by authorities to manipulate the Chainsaw Devil’s power.
The Academy Saga originally commenced in July 2022 after Part 1, the “Public Safety Saga,” concluded its initial run in December 2020. Shifting the spotlight toward dual protagonists Asa Mitaka and Denji, Part 2 broadened the franchise’s worldbuilding around apocalyptic prophecies, the Chainsaw Man Church, and the Four Horsemen.
Chainsaw Man continues to stand as one of Shueisha’s premier digital titles, with global circulation exceeding 35 million copies. As the Academy Saga races toward its final major resolution, the series promises intense drama, high-stakes combat, and existential horror.