Future Devil in Chainsaw Man is a devil who embodies the fear of the future and makes a contract with Aki Hayakawa so the Future Devil can live inside the right eye of Aki and watch the death of Aki up close. The Future Devil grants Aki the power to see 4–5 seconds into the future, dances while repeating the catchphrase “The future rules!”, and laughs when Aki dies in the worst way possible. According to Shueisha, Tatsuki Fujimoto wrote and illustrated Chainsaw Man.
The table below records 15 core attributes of the Future Devil, with each attribute in the first column and the value of the attribute in the second column.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Future Devil (未来の悪魔, Mirai no Akuma) |
| Also Known As | The devil who lives in Aki’s right eye; the dancing devil |
| Species | Devil |
| Gender | Not specified; referred to as “it” in official materials |
| Concept Embodied | The future; the fear of the future, known as chronophobia |
| Contractor | Aki Hayakawa (residence in the right eye of Aki) |
| Debut | Chapter 31, “The Future Rules”, in the Katana Man Arc |
| Anime Debut | Episode 10, “Bruised & Battered”; appears again in Episode 11, “Mission Start” |
| Signature Phrase | “The future rules!” (未来最高, Mirai saikō!) |
| Abilities | Precognition, future sight for contractors (4–5 seconds), visions given unbidden, contracts |
| Contract Price (Aki) | Residence inside the right eye of Aki until the death of Aki; no lifespan, body part, or sense taken |
| Voice Actor (JP) | Hiroki |
| Voice Actor (EN) | Landon McDonald |
| Popularity Poll | 21st place in the First Popularity Poll with 1,813 votes; 21st place in the Second Popularity Poll with 3,023 votes; 38th place in the Third Popularity Poll with 1,703 votes |
| Status | Alive; re-captured by Public Safety in Part 2 |
Spoiler warning: This guide covers the complete story of the Future Devil, including the contract with Aki Hayakawa in Chapter 31, the prophecy of the death of Aki, and the death of Aki at the hands of Denji in Chapter 79.
Who Is the Future Devil?
The Future Devil is a devil who embodies the concept of the future and draws power from the human fear of the future. The Future Devil belongs to the time-related devils of Chainsaw Man, alongside the Aging Devil and the Eternity Devil. The Future Devil never fights in person, never leaves the cell of Public Safety under the own power of the Future Devil, and still shapes the fate of Aki Hayakawa more than almost any other devil in Part 1.
The Future Devil matters because the Future Devil knows the future of Aki and chooses the contract with Aki for the worst possible reason. The Future Devil sees that Aki will die in the worst way possible, and the Future Devil wants a front-row seat to that death. The contract therefore costs Aki nothing in lifespan, body, or senses, and costs Aki everything in dread.
The Future Devil first appears in Chapter 31, “The Future Rules”, in the Katana Man Arc, and debuts in the anime in episode 10, “Bruised & Battered”. The rules of devil contracts appear in the guide to how contracts work in Chainsaw Man.
What Does the Future Devil Look Like?
The Future Devil looks like a tree growing from the floor, with branches and a trunk extending up into a humanoid body with outstretched arms and a horned head. Multiple vine-like streamers grow from the arms and the chest of the Future Devil. The lower half of the Future Devil resembles a tree rooted in the ground, and the upper half of the Future Devil resembles a horned humanoid figure with arms stretched wide.
The face of the Future Devil has three pairs of eyes stacked on top of each other in a vertical position. The wide mouth of the Future Devil stays almost perpetually open, giving the Future Devil a look of constant laughter.
The most important feature of the Future Devil is a large hole in the center of the chest, inside of which sits another oversized eye. The hole in the chest serves as the gateway into the future, and a person who sticks the head of the person into the hole sees the own future of the person.
What Is the Future Devil’s Personality?
The Future Devil has an extremely playful, eccentric, and mocking personality, built around boasting that the future is best. The Future Devil dances, laughs, and repeats the catchphrase “The future rules!” while meeting new people. The Future Devil treats the future as a show, and the Future Devil treats the suffering of humans as the entertainment of the show.
The Future Devil enjoys watching humans suffer, and the Future Devil typically makes contracts with people the Future Devil knows will provide a spectacle when the people die. The Future Devil revels in watching inescapable futures play out for unsuspecting people, and the Future Devil never softens a prophecy to spare the feelings of a contractor.
The Future Devil differs from other devils in one cruel habit. The Future Devil does not simply wait until a hunter calls the Future Devil, and sometimes intercepts the life of the hunter with an unbidden vision. The Future Devil gives Aki visions on the own initiative of the Future Devil, and gives those visions only to cause distress about the future.
What Are the Future Devil’s Powers and Abilities?
The Future Devil possesses 3 main powers and abilities: precognition, the granting of future sight to contractors, and the giving of visions of the future on the own initiative of the Future Devil. The Future Devil holds all of the standard devil abilities, including the ability to make contracts with humans for a price. The Future Devil counts as fairly strong, because Public Safety officers take Aki to the Future Devil to find a weapon after the Fox Devil ends the contract with Aki.
Precognition: The Future Devil can see as far into the future as the Future Devil wishes. The Future Devil sees the future of a specific person when that person sticks the head of the person into the hole in the chest of the Future Devil. The Future Devil sets the price of a contract based on how entertaining the future of the person looks.
Future sight for contractors: A contractor of the Future Devil can see 4–5 seconds into the own future of the contractor. Aki uses that sight to dodge attacks before the attacks land, and to land attacks the attacks cannot miss. The sight carries a notable weakness, because seeing the future does not guarantee that the contractor can act on the future. Aki discovers that weakness in the fight with the Ghost Devil, where Aki sees the barrage coming and still gets overwhelmed.
Unbidden visions: The Future Devil may impart visions on contractors of the own volition of the Future Devil. The Future Devil uses that power only to cause distress about the future, never to help a contractor prepare. The visions are absolute, though cryptic, and the visions come true exactly as shown, even when the contractor fights to change the outcome.
How Does the Future Devil Make Contracts?
The Future Devil makes contracts at prices that are typically very costly, with the price set by how entertaining the contractor’s future looks to the Future Devil. The Future Devil was captured alive by Public Safety at some point before the story begins, and the Future Devil stayed locked in a Public Safety cell while still making contracts. Two Public Safety devil hunters held contracts with the Future Devil before Aki, and both contracts show the normal price of the Future Devil.
One unnamed Public Safety devil hunter gave half of the lifespan of the hunter to the Future Devil. The other unnamed Public Safety devil hunter gave both eyes of the hunter, the sense of taste of the hunter, and the sense of smell of the hunter to the Future Devil. The contract with Aki breaks the normal pattern completely, because the Future Devil asks Aki for no lifespan, no body part, and no sense, and the Future Devil asks only to live inside the right eye of Aki.
How Did Aki Hayakawa Make a Contract With the Future Devil?
Aki Hayakawa makes a contract with the Future Devil in Chapter 31, “The Future Rules”, after Yutaro Kurose and Michiko Tendo lead Aki to the Public Safety facility where devils are locked up. Kurose and Tendo take Aki to find a new weapon after the Fox Devil ends the contract with Aki. The officers warn Aki about the two earlier contractors and the prices those contractors paid.
Aki enters the cell and sees the Future Devil dancing and announcing repeatedly that the future rules. The Future Devil disapproves of the attitude of Aki, and orders Aki to stick the head of Aki into the belly of the Future Devil. Aki follows the order, and after a few moments, the Future Devil laughs at the future of Aki.
The Future Devil states that the Future Devil wants to live in the right eye of Aki, and the Future Devil states that living in the right eye of Aki will grant Aki the power of the Future Devil. The Future Devil explains that the contract is cheap because the Future Devil wishes to see the future of Aki with the own eyes of the Future Devil, and the Future Devil reveals that Aki is fated to die in the worst way possible.
After showing Aki a vision of the future, Aki questions the Future Devil on the motive of the Future Devil. The Future Devil responds that Aki must shout “The future rules!” before summoning the Future Devil, and Aki quickly rebuffs the demand. Aki accepts the contract in Chapter 32, “Over and Over Again”, and gains the power to see 4–5 seconds into the future.
How Does the Future Devil Help Aki Against Katana Man?
The Future Devil helps Aki against Katana Man by letting Aki see 4–5 seconds into the future during the rematch with Samurai Sword and Akane Sawatari. Aki dodges the lightning-fast attacks of Katana Man, because Aki sees each attack before Katana Man launches the attack. Aki anticipates the moves Akane tries with the Snake Devil, because Aki sees each move before Akane makes the move.
The rematch still costs Aki dearly. Aki uses the Curse Devil against Katana Man, and the Curse Devil shortens the lifespan of Aki with every use. Aki survives the battle, and Aki emerges from the battle with only two years left to live.
What Role Does the Future Devil Play in the Bomb Girl Arc?
The Future Devil plays a terrifying role in the Bomb Girl Arc by showing Aki a horrific vision of the future while Aki drives Denji to safety from Reze. Division 2 agents hold Reze off while Aki orders Beam and the Angel Devil to feed Denji blood inside the car of Aki. Aki prepares to drive off, and the Future Devil shows Aki the vision before Aki can escape.
The vision comes true immediately. Reze lands in front of the car of Aki, and Reze reveals the brutal slaughter of Division 2, including the decapitated heads of Nomo and the Vice Captain. The vision exists only to make Aki feel the horror before the horror arrives.
What Does the Future Devil Show Aki About the Gun Devil Arc?
The Future Devil shows Aki a vision of a near and unavoidable future in which Aki and Power are killed by Denji, followed by the arrival of the devil that devils fear most. Aki experiences the vision shortly after learning the truth about the Gun Devil, and reacts with intense dread. Aki later summons the Future Devil at night, and the Future Devil explains that the vision shows a near future Aki cannot avoid.
The vision appears in Chapter 73, “Everyday Life No More”, and the Future Devil appears again in Chapter 79, “Play Catch”. The vision drives the desperate actions of Aki in the Gun Devil Arc, because Aki tries to save both Power and Denji from the future shown. Aki begs Makima for any way to keep Power and Denji safe.
The attempt to change the future fails completely. Makima reveals that Makima is the Control Devil, and Makima takes Aki under the control of Makima through a contract. Makima then uses Aki against the Gun Devil, and the Gun Devil possesses the corpse of Aki and turns Aki into the Gun Fiend. Denji is then forced to kill Aki in Chainsaw Man form, and the death of Aki traumatizes Denji for the rest of Part 1.
How Does the Future Devil React to Aki’s Death?
The Future Devil reacts to the death of Aki by reappearing, laughing, and mocking the dead Aki for dying in the worst way possible for the Chainsaw Boy. The Future Devil appears after Denji kills Aki in Chapter 79, and delivers the punchline the whole contract was building toward. The death of Aki was meant to be horrible for Denji, the boy forced to kill the closest friend of Denji with the own chainsaws of Denji.
Makima also uses the antemortem contract of Aki with the Future Devil during the battle of Makima against the 20% of the Gun Devil. The Future Devil therefore serves Makima even after the death of Aki, through the control of Makima.
What Happens to the Future Devil in Part 2?
The Future Devil in Part 2 is re-captured by Public Safety and continues to make contracts, including contracts with 30 convicts in the Falling Devil Arc. The Future Devil appears in the Falling Devil Arc through mention in Chapter 122, “The Prophecies”. The Future Devil predicts that 23 out of the 30 convicts will die in July 1999, and the prediction supports the Prophecies of Nostradamus about the end of humanity.
The Part 2 role of the Future Devil shows that the death of Aki changed nothing about the nature of the Future Devil. The Future Devil still trades in futures and still tells contractors the dates of the deaths of the contractors. The Falling Devil Arc brings the Falling Devil into the story, and the prophecy of the Future Devil feeds the dread around the end of the world. Readers can read the full story at Read Chainsaw Man Manga Online, where all 232 chapters appear in English in reading order.
Future Devil’s Relationships With Other Characters
Aki Hayakawa: Aki is the contractor, the host, and the entertainment of the Future Devil. The Future Devil lives inside the right eye of Aki, grants Aki 4–5 seconds of future sight, and watches the life of Aki from the closest possible seat. The Future Devil gives Aki visions only to cause distress, mocks Aki after every vision, and laughs when Aki dies at the hands of Denji.
Denji: Denji is the executioner in the prophecy of the Future Devil and the true victim of the death of Aki. The Future Devil shows Aki a future in which Denji kills Aki and Power, and the Future Devil mocks the dead Aki by saying that Aki died in the worst way possible for the Chainsaw Boy. The Future Devil cares nothing for Denji as a person, and the Future Devil cares only that Denji suffers the trauma of killing Aki.
Power: Power is the second victim named in the vision of the Future Devil. The Future Devil shows Aki a future in which Aki and Power both die at the hands of Denji, and Aki spends the Gun Devil Arc trying to save Power from that future. Power never meets the Future Devil directly, and Power never learns that the Future Devil named Power in the prophecy.
Makima: Makima is the controller who uses the contract of Aki with the Future Devil after the death of Aki. Makima draws on the antemortem contract of Aki during the battle of Makima against the 20% of the Gun Devil, and Makima treats the power of the Future Devil as one more tool in the arsenal of Makima. The Future Devil shows no loyalty to Makima, and the Future Devil shows no resistance to Makima either.
Yutaro Kurose and Michiko Tendo: Kurose and Tendo are the Public Safety officers who lead Aki to the Future Devil. Kurose and Tendo warn Aki about the prices paid by the two earlier contractors, and Kurose and Tendo take Aki to the cell to find a new weapon after the Fox Devil ends the contract with Aki. The Future Devil treats Kurose and Tendo as delivery agents, and the Future Devil saves the full performance for Aki alone.
Reze and the Gun Devil: Reze is the proof that the visions of the Future Devil come true, because Reze delivers the slaughter of Division 2 exactly as previewed to Aki. The Gun Devil is the trigger of the final tragedy, because the Gun Devil possesses the corpse of Aki and turns Aki into the Gun Fiend. The Future Devil foresees the whole chain, and the Future Devil never warns Aki about it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Summary of Future Devil in Chainsaw Man
Future Devil in Chainsaw Man begins as a devil locked in a Public Safety cell, dancing, laughing, and repeating that the future rules, while holding contracts with two hunters who paid half a lifespan and both eyes plus taste and smell.
Aki Hayakawa meets the Future Devil in Chapter 31, sticks the head of Aki into the belly of the Future Devil, and receives a contract that costs nothing but residence in the right eye of Aki, because the Future Devil wants to watch Aki die in the worst way possible.
Aki uses 4–5 seconds of future sight to defeat Katana Man and Akane Sawatari, survives the Bomb Girl Arc after the Future Devil previews the slaughter of Division 2 by Reze, and then receives the vision that Aki and Power will die at the hands of Denji.
Aki tries to change that future, falls under the control of Makima, becomes the Gun Fiend after the Gun Devil possesses the corpse of Aki, and dies at the hands of Denji in Chapter 79, while the Future Devil reappears laughing that Aki died in the worst way possible for the Chainsaw Boy.
The Future Devil survives the death of Aki, is re-captured by Public Safety in Part 2, and tells 30 convicts the dates of their deaths, predicting that 23 of the 30 will die in July 1999.
