Hirofumi Yoshida

{{char}} is a supporting character in the International Assassins arc and has a larger recurring role in the Academy Saga.

He was a Public Safety Devil Hunter from Tokyo Special Division 7 who worked with Fumiko Mifune. Formerly a Private Devil Hunter, he was considered by Makima as a high-class bodyguard specialist along with Kusakabe and Tamaoki. After joining Public Safety, he had kept tabs on Denji by attending Fourth East High School and has intervened on multiple occasions to prevent Denji from revealing his identity as Chainsaw Man. Yoshida has mid-length smooth black hair that only reaches the top of his neck, dark eyes, and a slim face. There is a beauty mark under his lips. He has eight piercings on his left ear, though usually, only six are visible below his hair.[1] His piercings are likely a reference to his contract with the Octopus Devil. As a Civilian Devil Hunter, Yoshida wears a casual outfit that consists of an unbuttoned light jacket and dark pants.[2]

Following the events of the Public Safety Saga, Yoshida starts wearing the Fourth East High School uniform in a tidy manner, buttoned-up normally, unlike that of Denji and Miri Sugo. As a Public Safety Devil Hunter, Yoshida wears the standard suit and tie when performing missions for the organization. Yoshida is quite playful and mischievous and loves to have small talk with his opponents during battle. Although Yoshida always has a smile on his face, he is also ruthless. This side of him is demonstrated when he mercilessly kills Joey of the three Immortal Brothers in a back alley after showing up behind the surviving brother.[3] He also attempts to force Denji into quitting his role as Chainsaw Man for good by threatening to have Nayuta killed. From his interactions with Kishibe, he is revealed to be still attending high school.[4]

Yoshida is shown taking his job seriously; he told Denji that if he attempts to reveal his identity as Chainsaw Man, he will interfere and take action to stop him, and eventually does it by grabbing him with the power of the Octopus Devil right before Yoru could attack him in his back, demonstrating he is also someone who keeps his word.[5] He is also entirely capable of acting as the 'bad guy' if it helps him on his mission, taking Nayuta as a hostage by sending a special squad to her school or having Denji kidnapped at Public Safety. And, on the other hand, he is capable of being Denji's best support and ally, which is seen when he offers to skip classes and go to watch a movie in the cinema to cheer him up and even set up a date for him.[6] Also, while on his duty as a devil hunter he seems to be somewhat strict and serious, telling to Fumiko Mifune stay focus on her mission and not get distracted.

He also seems to have a disdain for death, asking if it is possible for Denji, as Chainsaw Man, to consume the Death Devil for the good of the people. Whether this is a personal desire or the intentions of the organization he is part of is currently unknown, although he also questioned Fami about the Prophecy of Nostradamus, presumably wanting to avoid it. He even remarks by mocking the Eternity Devil that trapped him with his fellow members of the Devil Hunter Club that, thanks to its existence, he now appreciates life more in general.

Yoshida is someone who doesn't like to beat around the bush and prefers to get straight to the point, as seen when he meets Fami and immediately asks her about her next moves, even threatening her if she doesn't cooperate with him and Public Safety. His nearly perpetual smile can vanish and devolve into a grimace on rare occasions, like when he becomes too frustrated by Denji's lack of cooperation and seeming stupidity.

Yoshida seems to not have any kind of interest in brawls among fellow students, considering it pointless to see them as something more than just a fight between teenagers, which is demonstrated by being apathetic about a student who got hospitalized after receiving a punch on his face and only cared about it because Denji was blamed for that. He also knows when to quit; as it becomes apparent that Yoru has gained an advantage over him, and he can't harm her anymore, he flees at the first opportunity.

While visiting the school he went to, he expresses regret over not being a normal student and wishes he could have spent more time going to school, but due to his role in Public Safety, that made it impossible. While he was once willing to capture Denji and believed his actions were for the greater good, his last interactions and eventual demise indicate a deeper, possibly even friendly bond formed with Denji. His final moments, where he thanked and apologized to Denji, suggest a complex mix of regret, a sense of duty, and affection for him. In summary, Yoshida is a complex and conflicted person, torn between his duty as a hunter and his desire to be normal and form genuine relationships, as demonstrated in his relationship with Denji.

Octopus Devil Contract: Yoshida formed a contract with the Octopus Devil in exchange for an unknown price.[7] Tentacle Summoning: By crossing his middle and index fingers, he can summon the Octopus Devil's tentacles which protrude from ink clouds. He can summon multiple of these to attack small groups or bind them. Yoshida can summon them to wrap himself for protection or use them to catch him from falling to his death.[8] He used the Octopus Devil to scout an area for any potential threats.[9] Ink: By saying "Ink," the tentacle will produce a large black smokescreen. Yoshida uses this to blind his opponents and attack.[8] Grab: By saying "Grab," the Octopus Devil can use his tentacle to latch onto his opponents and try to pull them towards him.[10] Swallow: By saying "Swallow," Yoshida can command the Octopus Devil to swallow his opponents whole. Hand-to-Hand Combat: During his brief fight with Quanxi, he has shown quite a remarkable level of skill in hand-to-hand combat, fighting for a few minutes on equal terms with her, someone who is well-known for her unnatural physical strength and fighting prowess, although he loses the battle.[12] Strategic Intelligence: Yoshida has demonstrated to be a very competent tactician. He knows when it's the right moment to act and when it's better to stay behind and keep a low profile. He has a good intuition and is often seen moving to prevent any disaster, like when he stopped Denji and took him away when he was about to face Yoru, he also is seen going by himself to interrogate Fami about the Prophecy. Swordsmanship: Yoshida is a proficient swordsman. His skills with the sword are seen when he cuts Asa Mitaka's right arm with Asa being unable to react when Yoshida attacks her.

Denji: Denji is a fair-skinned boy with scruffy blond hair that has strands sticking up and falling messily around his head. He has yellow-brown eyes and bags underneath, resulting in a dazed and tired expression. His teeth are noticeably sharp and angular. Due to malnutrition in his childhood, he has a scrawny and undernourished build with protruding ribs, relatively long-looking, almost lanky legs, and slim wrists, and due to the stress of what he did for a living, he’s often mistaken for being older than he actually is. After Denji forms a contract with Pochita, his heart is fused with Pochita, a chainsaw cord forms in the middle of his sternum and he regains his lost organs along with having a muscular, albeit still lanky build. After resigning from a Public Safety Devil Hunter, Denji now wears Fourth East School's uniform, an unbuttoned black buttoned long-sleeved shirt (similar to a gakuran outfit's) and black pants. Denji is both brash and naïve as a result of being unable to have a formal education and socialize due to living in severe poverty, making him generally crass and vulgar. His personality comes off as rude and harsh in an almost childish way. However, he has a good sense of empathy towards other people, willing to save those in danger as much as he could, showing he is a kind-hearted person despite his shortcomings. While Denji doesn't necessarily possess the highest intelligence, he is capable of clever ideas to take down Devils. After becoming a Public Safety Devil Hunter and fulfilling his basic needs, Denji is unsure of what he wants in life. Many of Denji's said basic needs were fueled by sexual desire, going so far as to accept dangerous missions in exchange for some form of sexual gratification. One such case was touching Power's breasts in exchange for rescuing her cat, however, he later realized and laments that the satisfaction from such intimate acts is fleeting. Denji also harbors a fear that his seeming lack of empathy and attachment after his transformation is a sign that he is losing his sense of humanity. Near the end of the first part, as well as at the start of the second part, Denji starts growing more ambitious and lavish in his desires; whilst before he was happy with simply being able to eat jam on toast and feeling a girl's chest, now he desires to have steak for breakfast every day and to have numerous, lustful girlfriends. It's also shown he has grown more arrogant in his Devil-slaying, as he is willing to expose his identity if it means he'd get more attention from girls, despite how disastrous the consequences would be. He also shows to be very greedy, showing an interest in becoming Rich However, Denji later demonstrates the true motivation behind most of these behaviors, which is to fund his adopted sister's education (nayuta) thus showing that he has matured following the disastrous consequences of letting Makima groom, abuse, and control him in their relationship, becoming more independent and standing up for himself without allowing others to dictate his behavior.