Chainsaw Man fans could never get enough of Himeno. She was a fellow Public Safety Devil Hunter of Denji, Power, and Aki. She was more experienced and skilled than anyone in the group. As such, she gives off the cool, senior member vibes that every Devil Hunter can rely on.
She was also impressively mature and calm even in the direst situations – a direct contrast to Kobeni. She also genuinely cared about her fellow Public Hunters, even though she kept up a tough facade. Unsurprisingly, she became one of the fan favorites, even securing a spot among the Best Girl of Fall Anime 2022.
So, what is more to know about her? What can we know more of Himeno?
1. Himeno Was a Heavy Smoker
The one thing we immediately know of Himeno is that she was a heavy smoker. You can always see her with a cigarette, especially in her down time. She also smoked when they were stuck in the Eternity Devil’s trap. This meant that Himeno relied on cigarettes as a coping mechanism, and a stimulant.
She was also the one who encouraged Aki to smoke too. Even though Aki pointed out that smoking is dangerous for the health, Himeno just shrugged it off that Devil Hunters never had long lives anyway. This gave away Himeno’s pessimistic mindset after being a Devil Hunter for so long.
2. Himeno Had Work Partners Before Aki
Since Himeno has been a Public Safety Devil Hunter for a long time, she already witnessed a lot of her co-workers dying. This included her partners who worked closely with her. She already had 5 of them who died as seen in a flashback when she was visiting their graves. She was then introduced to Aki, who was her 6th partner.
Himeno then proceeded to describe them as ‘useless’ because they died. Initially, this might give off Himeno as someone cold who never cared. But she followed this by telling Aki to not die on her.
It meant that the deaths of Himeno’s previous partners affected her to the point of near numbness. Her gaze upon looking down on their gravestones were somber. She also visited their graves every month.
Labelling them as ‘useless’ do not mean that she looked down on them. She was trying to detach herself from them by thinking that these things happen. These things happen because they were useless, simple as that. But in truth, these deaths have affected Himeno more than she could ever admit. Why would she ever still visit them if they never mattered to her?
Himeno even experienced getting hurt by the loved ones of her previous partners. They would take out all of their pain and grief on Himeno. They would put all of their blame on Himeno, because they were unable to face against the Devils. This accusation most likely caused Himeno to feel immense guilt with herself. She probably blamed herself a lot of times.
Aki witnessed a girlfriend of a previous partner slapped Himeno. Himeno insisted that she was used to it, but Aki still went on to avenge her anyway. He stuck gum on the girlfriend’s clothes, which definitely touched Himeno. This served as the foundation of her feelings for Aki. She probably had no one to defend or protect her before, because she was always the one doing it to everyone else.
3. She Was Touchy Whenever She’s Drunk
Pretty sure that everyone remembers Himeno kissing Denji... that is disgusting and funny at the same time.
The Public Safety Devil Hunters had a little celebration to welcome their new recruits. They had a drinking session, in which Himeno had too many to drink. She then became very touchy with Denji, and offered to kiss him. One of the Devil Hunters said, “Himeno becomes really friendly whenever she is drunk.” He also added that Himeno had kissed almost everyone, except for the newbies. It seemed that Denji is the first (and last) among the newbies to receive a kiss from Himeno.
Unfortunately, her kiss with Denji led to her puking in his mouth.
Himeno actually took things further with Denji. She brought him to her home, and offered to have sex with him. She made advances to him, which made Denji very flustered. At first, it seemed that he wanted to give in, but eventually he rejected her. This is because he wants his first sex to be with Makima.
Himeno expressed her disappointment, and insisted that Denji should not love Makima. She also mentioned Aki having feelings for Makima too, so she was obviously jealous about this.
The next morning, when Himeno sobered up, she was actually grateful that she did not have sex with Denji. She was aware that he is a minor, but it does not erase the fact she made sexual advances to him when she was drunk.
Read More: Who Is Denji in Love With in Chainsaw Man?
4. Her Contracted Devil Was the Ghost Devil
Himeno’s contracted devil is the Ghost Devil. She was missing her right eye because this was her trade to the Ghost Devil. Himeno was able to use the Ghost Devil’s right arm because of this.
This arm was proven to be strong, as it managed to subdue Power and Aki during the Eternity Devil arc. It was also capable of pulling Denji out from the crutches of the Eternity Devil.
In the fight with Katana Man and Akane Sawatari, Himeno asked the Ghost Devil for help. The Ghost Devil refused because it found Akane to be scary. This led to Himeno offering her whole body in exchange of the Ghost Devil’s full power. This excited the Ghost Devil, and was able to overwhelm Katana Man. However, this led to Himeno’s demise.
The Ghost Devil was defeated by Akane’s Snake Devil, so it became subservient to the latter. Later on, Aki faced against the Ghost Devil, but was able to use the powers of the Future Devil to evade the attacks. The Ghost Devil then offered Aki the cigarette from Himeno with the words, “Easy revenge!” on it.
The Ghost Devil was later killed by Aki as he remembered Himeno’s words that the Ghost Devil could only sense through fear. Aki stopped feeling afraid so he was able to decapitate the Ghost Devil.
5. She Believed in Denji’s Capabilities
Almost every Public Safety Devil Hunter Denji encountered have little to no faith on him. This was because his motivations are questionable. He just wants the job because it might be an opportunity for him to touch some breasts. In other words, he is just seeking sexual gratification, since he is a hormonal teenager. His motivations eventually evolved into pleasing Makima, as she promised him into giving what he wants if he hunted down the Gun Devil.
Initially, Himeno had thought of sacrificing Denji to the Eternity Devil. So this meant that she previously has no faith on Denji, up until she witnessed Denji’s fight with the Eternity Devil.
Denji was absolutely bloodthirsty and sadistic upon killing the Eternity Devil. He relished in the fear of the Eternity Devil, and proceeded to taunt the latter.
Himeno remembered what Kishibe told her – anyone who is insane and have a few screws loose can stand a chance against the Devils. They will do anything for their survival, even if they would resort to extreme ways. They will still continue to face against Devils despite how hopeless it is, because of their strong goals and dreams that may seem trivial to some. They are also capable of being ruthless to their enemies without remorse for victory.
From then on, Himeno had expressed admiration and even respect towards Denji. Her words, “Easy revenge!” even encouraged Aki to entertain Denji’s idea of kicking Katana Man’s balls after her death.
6. She Had Thought of Leaving Her Job With Aki
In the aftermath of Himeno’s death, Aki was able to read her last letter. Her younger sister gave it to him to read, which revealed a lot of things. Most of all, it gave us the glimpse of Himeno’s softer and caring side.
She seemed to be the breadwinner of the family, as she was sending money for her sick father. She also assured her sister that she does not need anything in return. This showed how much Himeno loved her family.
There is also the trivial fact that she encouraged Aki to get piercings as well, aside from making him smoke cigarettes. This proved that Himeno has been influential to Aki in a lot of ways.
Ultimately, the revelation of her desire to leave the Public Safety Devil Hunter job can be quite surprising. After all, she was not like Kobeni who openly revealed that she does not want to become a Devil Hunter. More than anything, it felt like she was made for the job. She was used to it, and has survived that long. She has not once tried to leave.
A foreshadowing of this is when she and Kishibe shared a conversation during one of her visits to her previous partners’ graves. Kishibe asked if she was an insane person, to which she replied that she is not. This was when Kishibe mentioned that being a crazy person can face against Devils.
Himeno probably stayed because the job pays well, and she has a sick father to look after. Aki can also be the reason why she stayed longer than she should’ve.
Himeno’s feelings for Aki were brought up in the letter. She wanted to quit being a Public Safety Devil Hunter and go private with Aki. She wanted to have a normal life with Aki, and even asked him about it. However, Aki’s goal of avenging his family against the Gun Devil made him brush off this offer.
Aki was seemingly affected when he learnt this, as he became more revenge-driven than ever to fight Devils. Whether or not he felt the same for Himeno is a different story.
In other words, Himeno was just someone who never get to experience a normal and peaceful life with the man she loved. This marked the tragedy of Himeno, but her strength and willingness to fight will never be forgotten.
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