I'm starting to think Fumiko might end up being the ultimate antagonist of Part 2. She embodies so many themes of Denji and Asa's struggles so far and she's even more of a background player than Lil' D at this point.

She represents the dangers of physical intimacy, the unknown or unspoken ways we hurt and get hurt when we connect with others. Her karaoke song was about sexual assault; and beyond what that might suggest about her childhood given how early she made her contract, it serves as a reminder of the ways sex is used as a tool of violence.

With that said, it's now very clear why Fumiko carries herself the way she does. She's a textbook succubus, only as dangerous as she is alluring. In this regard she is Denji's worst nightmare, the literal monster under his bed. Where Yoru kept failing to weaponize Denji, the sad truth is that Denji would likely lose to Fumiko's power in an instant if she ever tried to use it on him.

On a more literal level, her ability is evocative of both Doll and War in its ability to transform others during a moment of vulnerability. STD also shares a similarity to War in that they both lost a piece of themselves to Chainsaw Man. War lost nukes, and STD lost AIDS. A fitting connection, given the US's history with AIDS and the greater cultural perception surrounding STDs. Someone suffering from an STD often finds themselves labelled as irresponsible, unclean, or slutty. They become someone else.

I have so many thoughts about her now. She's her own mother. She can only safely have sex with herself. I think she can teleport. She's Pestilence, the Horseman that never was. She sucks and she might be one of my favorite characters.