Chainsaw Man: Who is Hirokazu Arai?

Chainsaw Man introduces some wild characters in its manga and, recently, in its anime adaptation. While some characters have insane devil-related abilities and transformations, and others have fiendish powers or vast talents as devil hunters, others are a little unclear. It can get a little easy to quickly forget some characters, losing track of who is who, especially since this anime can quickly build a body count from its supporting cast. You might be asking yourselves who Hirokazu Arai is in Chainsaw Man, and what his significance to the story is. Spoilers ahead!

In Case You Missed Hirokazu Arai’s Story in Chainsaw Man

Hirokazu Arai is between 21 and 22 years old and is a supporting character, and a recruit to Public Safety paired with Kobeni Higashiyama. You might recall him from the end of the Bat Devil episodes as well as episodes 5 and 6 featuring the Eternity Devil. He has no exceptional abilities but his drive is noted by his superiors. He is traditional by nature, believing Himeno’s kissing incentive to Denji to be inappropriate.

Arai’s protective nature, however, would be his downfall in Chainsaw Man. Final spoiler warning, if you’ve not watched episode 9 yet.

What Happened to Hirokazu?

Hirokazu was tragically gunned down and confirmed dead while protecting Kobeni from a lone shooter after the assaults that began in episode 8. This was a concerted effort by the Gun Devil to eliminate Public Safety personnel but was met with swift retribution when Kobeni, who previously was paralyzed by fear in similar trying moments in the anime, lashed out for vengeance.

Hirokazu Arai was a compassionate man who looked out for his comrades, either when he watched over Denji after his disastrous first drunken kiss, or in his final moments, heroically shielding Kobeni from harm. This would serve as a catalyst for viewers to see Kobeni in action, and in that way, it did not disappoint.

Readers were quick to develop their fan theories after the manga continued, even suspecting him to be the human host for the Violence Fiend, but for now, it remains unconfirmed.

Chainsaw Man released on Crunchyroll on October 11, 2022, with the English dub released later that month.