One Above All

Clarifying Notes: The Onset of Adolescence

So we've finally reached the adolescence stage. It took 24 chapters for that and around 161k words.

Wow, I don't know what to say, so let's just get to the point.

Let's see, in Chapter 16, I clarified what the arcs we would be seeing are.

There, I mentioned that the second arc would start from Chapter 13, which is titled "Hunter's Training Arc."

However, here's a little detail, and that is that technically, this arc won't be ending until Hiro turns twenty.

So.

Hunter's Training Arc

Chapters 13-?

Will be indefinite for now because I can't calculate how many chapters there would be between the ages of 14 and 20.

Therefore, the "Hunter's Training" arc will become a sub-arc, so to speak.

That means it will be present in the rest of the arcs that span from 1984 to 1990. Think of it as a spiritual arc; it will always be there, no one will talk about it, but we'll all know it hasn't ended yet.

So, with that said, we'll be starting with the "Gun Devil" arc.

Chapters: 25-?

This arc will have a significant impact on Hiro's life. We already know that it was thanks to the Gun Devil that the fear of guns and devils, in general, skyrocketed to alarming levels during that time, destroying Japan's great security that I've hinted at more than once here. What I aim to achieve here is to kickstart all the most significant lore that will lead to major events in the future.

You'll see why; I'll only tell you that the Gun Devil's attack prompted Security to advance its plans. Hiro will encounter many mysteries.

I want you to guess how the Gun Devil's attack will leave Hiro affected. I doubt you'll guess, but I'm curious to know what you think.

But before we get into that, we need to make some things clear.

Was the Gun Devil attack really in 1984?

Yes, it was.

But why?

EZ.

In Chapter 75 of the manga, the date when the Gun Devil awakened for the second time and attempted to kill Makima is shown to be September 12, 1997. So there you have it, for those who might still have doubts about why I say Chainsaw Man is set in 1997. I don't know why some people say the Gun Devil attacked in 2022 XD.

So, in the early chapters, specifically the one right after Denji touches her breast, Makima explains that thirteen years ago, a catastrophe occurred in a time when people made a living by killing devils using weapons.

So, 1997 - 13 equals 1984.

Now, let's move on to something that has me very confused.

From what I've seen, the wikis don't always provide the ages of certain characters, so sometimes we have to make an educated guess based on their appearances. The same thing happened to me with Kishibe.

But the case of Aki is really perplexing.

I couldn't find anything concise on the wikis, but after digging deeper, I discovered that during the events of the manga, Aki was 19 years old...

19 years old?

Let's see, 19 - 13... That's 6 years!?

Are you telling me that Aki was 6 years old when he lost his family? No way, his brother seemed to be around six years old. Aki always appeared a bit older to me.

For me, he was at most 11 years old when that happened.

I'm sorry, but I can't buy that this kid was 6 years old back then, so let's change things again, taking advantage of this being an alternate universe... and a fanfic to start with.

Let's say that in the manga, Aki was 23 years old, so he was born in '74, which would make him 10 years old when the Gun Devil first attacked.

If that's the case, Hiro would be older than Aki by only four years, enough for him to consider Hiro his "senpai." Although I doubt I'll use that term here, but you know what I mean.

Denji will still be 17 years old, in case you were wondering, no need to change his age here.

Now, I must emphasize once again that the Gun Devil will have a significant impact on this story, as I mentioned before, it will lead to many future events, just like it did in the manga.

Here you'll find a good excuse to see how Hiro and Makima further develop their relationship, believe me, it's going to be very sweet.

There are also some things that are yet to be revealed, some of which may not be understood until the last arc of this story.

For example, do you remember that weird dream Hiro had at the beginning of chapter 15?

Yes, I'll leave you thinking about that; I can't reveal it now because your brains would explode, trust me.

Will there be more action scenes?

Yes, I have a few more planned.

Will Hiro finally get the training he deserves?

Of course, a friend gave me some great ideas a while ago that I can use for inspiration.

But will Hiro have time to train even though he's a teenager still going to school?

Haha, believe me, I also have a very good excuse to keep Hiro from going to school... Maybe too good.

Will Hiro make a contract with a devil?

Certainly.

Is it one of the devils we've already seen?

No.

Will Makima help Hiro train?

Yep.

Will we ever stop pretending that Abusamadres isn't planning to pair up Hiro and Makima?

Probably yes, but I like to be subtle most of the time when talking about this specific topic. I like to play with you.

When will the confession happen?

That's easy to know, it will be when