AkiAngel

AkiAngel is the slash ship between Aki Hayakawa and Angel Devil from the Chainsaw Man fandom.

Canon
The first time Aki and the Angel Devil appear together, when the two participate in a raid against terrorists. When the Angel Devil gets marred in blood, he asks Aki if he has a handkerchief, and Aki offers him one. The Angel Devil is surprised Aki would get close to him, since humans' lifespan get shortened if they touch him. Aki says that it's safe if they touch through cloth. When a gunman appears and tries to shoot Aki, the Angel Devil covers him with his wing. Then Aki deals with the intruder, he asks the Angel Devil to take the body outside. The Angel Devil comments on being ordered around, but notes that it's better than fighting.

Aki and the Angel Devil are partnered up again and sent on a patrol mission. Angel Devil doesn't enjoy working, he buys himself some ice cream, and as he's enjoying it on a bench, Aki tries to persuade him to stop idling around and join him on their duty. It is revealed that Makima gave Aki his personal mission — to tame the Angel Devil and make him comply despite his natural laziness. Makima tells Aki that he only needs to learn how to use his new partner to his own benefit. Makima discloses personal information about the Angel Devil — he killed everyone in his home village, she wants to use him and asks Aki to get along with him or even just to pretend to. This turns out to be too hard of a task, and Aki openly admits it to his Devil partner. He realizes that his devil partner hates humans so much, that he won't even put a dying man out of his misery and kill him painlessly. The Angel Devil only says that it's because he is a devil first and an angel second.

When Aki and the Angel Devil take shelter from rain, the latter confesses that he's a countryside person and would prefer to spend his life in safety rather than leading a dangerous but fancy lifestyle. Some time later they discuss Aki's shortened lifespan, and the Angel Devil admits that he wishes he could die soon, too.

When they fight against Reze and the Typhoon Devil, the Angel Devil almost gets sucked into cyclone, but is saved by Aki, who grabs his shirt at the last moment. The Angel Devil says that he can let go — he won't mind dying as he's been prepared for this day for a long time. Aki lets go, but only to grab him by the hand. He gets a hold of the Angel Devil, who is shocked Aki would do such a thing as touching him and subsequently shortening his lifespan, and they take cover behind a street pole. The next day the Angel Devil kills Reze on Makima's order, who expected him to come with Aki as he's been told. Makima draws the conclusion that the Devil Angel didn't bring Aki as he didn't want to make him kill a girl, and comments on how humane it is of him. The Angel Devil only replies saying that he's an angel after all.

After being assigned a new mission, Aki thinks of the Angel Devil and remember the secret information he shared with him. The devils are trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth: if they die and their name is still remembered, they are revived in hell; if they die in hell, too, they come back to life on earth. The last thing, he confesses, that all devils remember, is the sound of the chainsaw. Aki and the Devil Angel are both ordered to guard Denji with the rest of the group against the international assassins invading the country. When Quanxi arrives to Japan to kill Denji, she launches an attack on them. Aki senses Quanxi coming through his future sight, and tries to warn Angel Devil. Then he unseathes his katana, despite the fact that its usage will shorten his life, and gets it in between Quanxi and the Angel Devil, saving the his life.

Later, the group's fight against the Darkness Devil is proven futile, when they're all cast into Hell by the Devil's power. The group is getting slowly and painfully decimated by the Darkness, and Aki and the Angel Devil are the last to die — first the Angel Devil bleeds out and falls to the ground in front of Aki, and then it's his turn. Later, when they come back to Earth, Aki and the Angel Devil are missing both of their hands, but Aki, unlike the Devil Angel, can reattach his. Aki visits his partner at the hospital, and gives him a letter of recommendation that will ensure the Angel Devil's survival if he makes contract with Public Safety. The Angel Devil tells him he's nice and says that Aki isn't much of a devil hater false rumors accuse him to be. Aki stands up and informs the Angel Devil that he will be seeing the Gun Devil tomorrow, and it might be the last time they see each other. He bids farewell, but the Angel Devil stops him to admit he's afraid that if Aki dies, he will haunt his dreams, and says he will do anything possible to stop him from dying. They decide to discuss this matter with Makima.

Aki and the Angel Devil leave the hospital and stop by a shop to by some water. Due to the Angel Devil's disability, Aki helps him drink water. They head to the beach, as the Angel Devil tells Aki to quit his job and run very far away to stay safe. He says Aki, unlike him, could go anywhere and lead a normal life. Aki says that he can't since Denji, Power, and Makima will stay there. The Angel Devil guesses that Aki likes Makima and asks him why exactly. Aki fails to give a response. They meet with Makima who orders Aki to make a contract with her, and suddenly the Angel Devil's memory comes back to him. Once he lived in a village, and when Makima showed up and gave him an order, just the way she did to Aki right at the moment, to show her his power to take away other people's lifespan, thus forcing the Angel Devil to kill all of the villagers. Aki agrees to the contract. The Angel Devil draws sword and attacks Makima, but she stops him and says she's surprised he managed to break free of her power. Makima forces the Angel Devil to surrender his will to her, like Aki did previously. The Angel Devil agrees. Now he and Aki are Makima's weapons.

Quotes
"Hey, you... Got a handkerchief?"

- The Angel Devil to Aki, Chapter 34

"Why did you touch my hand?! Do you want to die?!"

- The Angel Devil to Aki, Chapter 50

"If you want to die, do it somewhere far way from me. I'm sick and tired of people dying on me, right before my eyes."

- Aki to the Angel Devil, Chapter 50

"If I just let you die, I have this feeling, you'll start haunting my dreams, too. I also want to do everything I can to help you stay alive."

- The Angel Devil to Aki, Chapter 74

"Unlike me, you can go anywhere you please. It'd be nice to get a normal job and live a normal human life."

- The Angel Devil trying to persuade Aki to give up his dangerous job, Chapter 74

Fanon
AkiAngel is one of the most popular ships in the Chainsaw Man fandom. The tragic ending for Aki compels the fans of the story to imagine and write works that make these characters' fate take a different route. Fans of the ship enjoy the dynamic the two have: a devil hunter and a devil, who slowly turn to trust and care about each other despite their differences in views and personalities. Aki being well known across Public Safety as one of the most resentful hunters towards devils and Angel claiming to have no sympathy towards humans, in the end both did their best to make sure the other stays alive despite their fate not ending in the way they both desired.

It is notable that like Himeno, who has a crush on Aki, the Angel Devil wants Aki to quit his job as he worries he will get killed on a mission before his time. Another thing that seems interesting is that the Angel Devil finally broke free of Makima's control and regained his memory much to her surprise, when Aki agreed to make contract with her, but despite his best efforts to fight back against Makima and thus protect Aki, he ended up binding himself to bear future sufferings.

Currently AkiAngel is the most written ship under the Chainsaw Man tag on Archive of Our Own with 550+ fanfics.

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