Joey in Chainsaw Man is a private devil hunter from the United States who travels to Japan with 2 brothers to kill Denji and claim a payment of $2 million. Joey serves as a minor antagonist in Part 1, and Joey appears only in the International Assassins Arc. According to Shueisha, Tatsuki Fujimoto wrote and illustrated Chainsaw Man.
The table below records 14 core attributes of Joey, with each attribute in the first column and the value of the attribute in the second column.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Joey (ジョーイ, Jōi) |
| Also Known As | Joey; the middle American brother |
| Species | Human |
| Age | Unknown |
| Occupation | Private devil hunter; assassin |
| Affiliation | The American brothers; employed by the United States government for the mission against Denji |
| Family | Unnamed elder brother (deceased); Aldo, younger brother (alive); parents and grandmother (deceased) |
| Devil Contract | Skin Devil, for an unknown price |
| Abilities | Proficient gunmanship; Skin Devil contract use; civilian disguise |
| First Appearance | Chapter 53, “In a Dream” |
| Death | Chapter 57, “Suddenly”, at the hands of Hirofumi Yoshida |
| Voice Actor (JP) | Unknown |
| Voice Actor (EN) | Unknown |
| Popularity Poll | 66th place in the First Popularity Poll with 63 votes; 85th place in the Second Popularity Poll with 99 votes; 128th place in the Third Popularity Poll with 46 votes |
| Status | Deceased; Joey receives a flashback appearance in Chapter 58 |
Spoiler warning: This guide covers the complete story of Joey, including the ambush and killing of Michiko Tendo, Yutaro Kurose, and Subaru in Chapter 55, the death of the elder brother of Joey, and the execution of Joey by Hirofumi Yoshida in Chapter 57. Readers who have not finished Part 1 of Chainsaw Man will encounter full spoilers in every section.
Who Is Joey?
Joey is a private devil hunter from the United States and the middle brother of 3 American brothers who work as assassins. Joey travels with the elder brother of Joey and with Aldo, the younger brother of Joey, on every stage of the mission against Denji.
Joey enters the story as 1 of the international assassins who target Denji in the International Assassins Arc. The United States government employs the 3 brothers for the mission, and the payment for the mission stands at $2 million. The target of the mission is the heart of Denji, and the brothers must retrieve the heart of Denji and return the heart to the United States.
Joey appears in 3 chapters in a direct role: Chapter 53, Chapter 55, and Chapter 57. Joey receives 1 flashback appearance in Chapter 58, “Yutaro Kurose”. Joey holds the middle position in the family: the elder brother leads the group, and Aldo, the youngest brother, shows fear and doubt about the mission.
What Does Joey Look Like?
Joey looks like a tall man of average build with long disheveled hair and sinister eyes who wears a suit similar to the Public Safety Devil Hunter uniform. Joey wears the suit during the mission in Japan, and Joey wears civilian disguise clothing in Tokyo while the elder brother of Joey carries out the impersonation of Yutaro Kurose.
The long disheveled hair of Joey forms the most distinctive visual feature of Joey. The hair of Joey contrasts with the shorter and tidier hair of Aldo, and the hair of Joey gives Joey a rough and unkempt appearance. The suit of Joey resembles the standard Public Safety uniform, and the resemblance suits the work of Joey as a professional hunter.
What Is Joey’s Personality?
Joey has a personality defined by crude humor, immaturity, casual cruelty toward killing, and strong loyalty to the 2 brothers of Joey. Joey speaks bluntly about women, about killing, and about the mission.
Joey stands as the least mature sibling in the group, according to the elder brother of Joey. The immaturity of Joey appears in the home scene in New York, where Joey asks whether the brothers will be hunting women and states that Japan is all about women. The same immaturity appears in the ambush scene, where Joey comments on the appearance of Michiko Tendo after the killing of Michiko Tendo.
Joey enjoys smoking, and Joey reacts to killing with mild annoyance and disgust rather than with horror. The reaction of Joey contrasts sharply with the reaction of Aldo, and Aldo vomits after the first killing of Aldo.
Joey remains close to the family of Joey despite the crude personality of Joey. Joey reacts in shock and anger when the elder brother of Joey dies, and Joey tries to calm Aldo in the alleyway after the death of the elder brother. Joey vows to kill the fiend responsible for the death of the elder brother, and the vow of Joey leads directly to the death of Joey.
What Are Joey’s Powers and Abilities?
Joey has 1 confirmed devil contract and 2 professional skills: the Skin Devil contract, proficient gunmanship, and civilian disguise.
The table below lists 3 abilities of Joey. The first column names each ability, and the second column states the effect of each ability.
| Ability | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Skin Devil Contract | Permits Joey, upon touching the corpse of a person, to change the appearance of Joey into the appearance of that person; the price of the contract remains unknown |
| Proficient Gunmanship | Permits Joey to shoot and kill trained devil hunters in the ambush in Chapter 55, including Yutaro Kurose |
| Civilian Disguise | Permits Joey to move through Tokyo in civilian clothing, unrecognized, while the elder brother of Joey impersonates Yutaro Kurose |
The Skin Devil contract of Joey requires careful description, because the manga shows the elder brother of Joey using a Skin Devil contract to impersonate Yutaro Kurose, and the Chainsaw Man Wiki lists a Skin Devil contract for Joey as well. The manga never shows Joey using the contract of Joey on panel to assume a specific face, and the price of the contract of Joey remains unknown.
The gunmanship of Joey carries more weight in the story than the contract of Joey, because the gunmanship of Joey produces the central crime of the arc. Joey shoots the occupants of the car in the ambush, and Joey kills Yutaro Kurose with gunfire. Joey holds no devil transformation, no fiend physiology, and no hybrid power.
What Is Joey’s History Before the International Assassins Arc?
Joey’s history before the International Assassins Arc is a history of shared family trauma, shared survival, and a shared belief in immortality. Joey grows up in the United States with the elder brother of Joey, with Aldo, with the parents of Joey, and with the grandmother of Joey. The family of Joey becomes 1 of the victims of the first attack of the Gun Devil, and the attack kills the parents of Joey and the grandmother of Joey.
The 3 brothers survive the attack, and the brothers survive 3 further events together after the attack: the brothers survive being swallowed by a devil, the brothers survive a house fire, and the brothers survive food poisoning. Each survival reinforces the belief of the brothers that the brothers cannot die.
The belief in immortality explains the confidence of Joey on the mission. The belief of Joey proves false within 4 chapters of the debut of Joey, because the elder brother of Joey dies in Chapter 57 and Joey dies in Chapter 57 as well.
What Is Joey’s Role in the International Assassins Arc?
Joey serves in the International Assassins Arc as a supporting antagonist who helps ambush 3 Kyoto devil hunters, watches the impersonation plan collapse, and dies in an alleyway in Tokyo. Joey debuts in Chapter 53, “In a Dream”, and Joey dies in Chapter 57, “Suddenly”. The arc appears in the guide to Chainsaw Man arcs in order.
Joey first appears in New York, in the home of the brothers, where the brothers eat together. The elder brother of Joey tells the brothers about a job from federal agents, and the job involves hunting a person. Joey asks whether the brothers will be hunting women, and Joey states that Japan is all about women. The elder brother shows the brothers Chainsaw Man on television, and the elder brother states that the brothers will be paid $2 million for killing the man.
Joey arrives in Japan with the 2 brothers, and the brothers ambush 3 devil hunters on the road to Tokyo in Chapter 55, “Let’s Go”. The targets of the ambush are Michiko Tendo, Yutaro Kurose, and Subaru, and the 3 hunters travel to Tokyo as additional guards for Denji. The brothers throw road spikes in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle swerves and crashes into a tree. The brothers break the car windows and fatally shoot all 3 occupants. Joey looks inside the wreckage and sees Michiko Tendo, and Joey states that killing Michiko Tendo was a shame, seeing how fine Michiko Tendo was.
Joey helps hide the bodies of the hunters after the ambush, and Aldo vomits during the concealment of the bodies. The elder brother asks Joey about the feelings of Joey on killing, and Joey answers with mild annoyance and disgust. The elder brother laughs at the answer of Joey, and the elder brother changes the face of the elder brother to match the face of Yutaro Kurose.
Joey reaches Tokyo with Aldo, and Joey and Aldo disguise themselves as civilians while the disguised elder brother talks with Special Division 4. The disguised elder brother then talks with Denji, and the conversation ends when Power, driving the car of Kobeni Higashiyama, rams the disguised elder brother and Denji. The disguise of the elder brother slips away in the crash, and Joey and Aldo watch the crash from the side in terror.
Joey moves with Aldo to an alleyway after the crash, and the brothers remove the disguises of the brothers in the alleyway. Aldo vomits again, and Joey attempts to calm Aldo. Joey vows to kill the fiend responsible for the death of the elder brother. Hirofumi Yoshida pulls Joey around the corner of the alleyway in Chapter 57 and wounds Joey. Hirofumi Yoshida talks briefly with a disguised Aldo, and Hirofumi Yoshida returns behind the corner and executes Joey.
What Happens After Joey’s Death?
After the death of Joey, the story of Joey continues only through Aldo and through 1 flashback in Chapter 58. Joey receives no resurrection, no return, and no appearance in Part 2 of Chainsaw Man. The flashback in Chapter 58, “Yutaro Kurose”, recalls the brothers and the impersonation plan.
Aldo survives the arc by pretending to be infected with the power of Cosmo after the defeat of Santa Claus, and Aldo stands as the only brother who escapes Japan alive. The mission of the brothers fails completely: Denji survives the arc, the heart of Denji never reaches the United States, and 2 of the 3 brothers die in Tokyo.
What Is the Relationship Between Joey and Aldo?
The relationship between Joey and Aldo is a brotherly relationship in which Joey dismisses the fear of Aldo and Aldo depends on the confidence of Joey and the elder brother. Joey and Aldo share the trauma of the Gun Devil attack, the career as assassins, and the belief in immortality. Joey tries to calm Aldo in the alleyway after the death of the elder brother.
What Is the Relationship Between Joey and the Elder Brother?
The relationship between Joey and the elder brother is a follower-and-leader relationship in which Joey obeys the elder brother, jokes with the elder brother, and trusts the judgment of the elder brother completely. The elder brother of Joey gives the orders, secures the job from the federal agents, and performs the impersonation of Yutaro Kurose. Joey reacts in shock and anger when the elder brother dies, and Joey vows revenge for the elder brother.
What Is the Relationship Between Joey and Hirofumi Yoshida?
The relationship between Joey and Hirofumi Yoshida is a killer-and-victim relationship with no prior meeting and no personal history. Hirofumi Yoshida serves as 1 of the bodyguards of Denji, and Hirofumi Yoshida identifies Joey and Aldo as threats in the alleyway after the crash. Hirofumi Yoshida pulls Joey around the corner, wounds Joey, and returns to execute Joey.
What Are the Most Common Questions About Joey?
Summary of Joey in Chainsaw Man
Joey in Chainsaw Man begins as a private devil hunter from the United States and the middle brother of 3 American brothers who survive the first attack of the Gun Devil and build a career as assassins on a belief in their own immortality. Joey debuts in Chapter 53, accepts a $2 million mission to kill Denji, and helps ambush and kill Michiko Tendo, Yutaro Kurose, and Subaru in Chapter 55. Joey dies in Chapter 57 at the hands of Hirofumi Yoshida in a Tokyo alleyway, and Joey receives 1 flashback in Chapter 58.
