Pochita

Pochita is orange, has short legs, a saw blade where his snout should be, and a starter cord looped over his head. Denji finds him bleeding in the woods and shares what little food he has. From then on the two of them work as a set: a boy with a debt and a dog who is technically one of the most feared devils in the world, both living in a shed.

Devils in this series are born out of human fear, and fear of chainsaws made this one. That should produce a monster. Instead it produces something that wags. When Denji dies, Pochita becomes his heart and asks for one thing in exchange, which is to be shown Denji's dreams. It is the closest the manga comes to stating its purpose outright.

Merchandise followed immediately, because Fujimoto drew a shape that reads at any size. The anime opening puts him in a bicycle basket. He is a plush toy, a phone charm, an avatar and also the reason the title character exists at all, which is a heavy load for a dog with a cord on his head.