Some things you read are unforgettable, and Chainsaw Man just unleashed one of those moments on readers. This week the world was gifted with a new update to the series and the Chainsaw Man manga didn’t hold back. In true fashion, creator Tatsuki Fujimoto left readers paralyzed with a bout of poignant trauma, and the reveal made fans see Asa in a new light.

After all, Chainsaw Man Chapter 123 was hardly kind to the girl. We watched Asa encounter Primal Fear and the long-feared fiend turned out to be terrifying. The Falling Devil has revealed his power that feeds on humanity’s fear of falling, whether physically or mentally. This means that the primordial devil can force people to relive their traumas, and Asa found herself facing that threat when we got a glimpse into her childhood.

To put it into perspective, the flashback saw Asa in an orphanage after her parents died. The matron there convinced Asa to adopt her cat because Crambon was lonely, but the whole thing was a lie. The matron took the cat and killed it in the river before Asa could find out the truth. When asked, the matron said it was unfair for Asa that everyone who loved her like family would be alone in the orphanage. And yes, it’s clearly messed up.

This detail shocked fans, but Fujimoto layered the flashback with an even more heartbreaking detail. The cat name Crambon has an important history in Japan, courtesy of writer Miyazawa Kenji. The author wrote the story “Yamanashi” which talked about a mysterious character named Crambon. The character became somewhat of a literary mystery, as Miyazawa was never able to explain the purpose of Crambon to readers before he died himself. Students in Japan often study the short story to discuss what significance Crambon had, but for the most part his existence is pointless. But as Miyazawa often wrote about the death of loved ones, many believe that Crambon is simply meant to convey some unnamed feeling of grief.

With that in mind, Crambon’s death in Chainsaw Man is all the worse. This manga’s Crambon has a specific ending and Asa is reeling. Obviously, this caused enough trauma for the Falling Devil to manipulate, and Crambon’s death is just one of many that haunt Asa. So, as you can probably guess, the girl’s fight with the primordial devil will be intense.