Chainsaw Man is one of the biggest anime of the season. Lively characters, a compelling story, and a sharp plot are a few to name. But like with every anime, there's always going to be a waifu competition - and Chainsaw Man has no shortage of waifus or husbandos.
But the top three "best girl" candidates audiences agree on so far are Makima, Kobeni, and Power. Makima, the mysterious but dominant girlboss. Kobeni, the anxious and relatable rookie. And Power, the energetic and mischievous troublemaker. All three are solid characters, but Power manages to stand out among the few for one reason: her "realistic" catgirl tendencies. And be warned, they aren't that cute.
Physical Similarities and Personality
The most significant part of Power's character design is her horns. If you look closely, they're shaped like a cat's ears on alert. They also aren't massive, unlike the conventional oni horns we usually see in anime, which makes them much cuter. The anime also gives us frequent close-up shots of her nails which are noticeably long compared to the rest of the female cast. Finally, her teeth are sharp, fitting the "devil" archetype, but she also has fangs to boot, resembling that of a real-life cat's mouth.
Power is very independent and bossy, and just like real cats, she prefers to take things at her own pace rather than following orders. She's also haughty, stubborn, and has no qualms about making a mess so long as it conveniences her. Most cat owners can agree that at one point, their felines have knocked something off the counter for the sake of it or made a mess and acted like they had nothing to do with it. Cats are cute, but they're a handful.
A True "Cat" Girl
Power is a "waifu" in the sense that she's physically attractive and unique. But if we look at her as a "catgirl waifu", that appeal goes away. The "catgirl" archetype is a cute girl who likes to nap, is athletic and even shy - but to truly combine a cat and a girl into a singular person, the final result is going to be far from a subservient waifu. Cats are definitely not dating material, especially if we're going to apply their personalities to a human (or humanoid).
A defining character trait in Power is her refusal to bathe and eat veggies. Cats are stereotyped to be naturally clean animals, due to the fact that they bathe themselves with their tongues - but they absolutely hate water or being dowsed in it.
Whenever they want to clean themselves, they do, but only in their own time, as Power said she does in episode 4. Cats are carnivores, and so vegetables aren't in their everyday diet - but to be fair, neither are noodles or sweets, which she repeatedly indulges herself in. However, her reaction to vegetables in episode 4, in which she throws them off her plate is reminiscent to a cat that doesn't want to eat something. If they notice something in their bowl that they don't like, cats will either eat around it or paw it out, making a giant mess in the process.
Episode 6 touches on a very common cat-trait that media in general seldom picks up on. When the group are trapped in a hotel by the Eternity Devil, Power goes to eat all their remaining food. While the evidence is staring everyone straight in the face (given the fact that she made a mess and there are crumbs everywhere), she shamelessly puts the blame on Denji. As previously stated, cats are known to cause mischief but play the role of bystander when confronted. Most commonly, it jumps on a table and knocks down an expensive vase. If a cat could talk, it would probably blame you for putting the vase "so close to the edge".
Lay off the Catnip!
Fujimoto deconstructs and plays with a lot of themes, so it's not too far off to assume he may have written Power with a "catgirl" in mind. And let's be honest, sometimes things are best left in fiction. Imagine what a nightmare it would be if cats even had opposable thumbs.