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Tatsuki Fujimoto’s chainsaw man is a manga that answers a question that humanity’s greatest thinkers have been asking since the dawn of time: What if there was a guy made out of chainsaws?
If you pay enough attention to the world of anime and manga, there’s a good chance you’ve mentioned Fujimoto’s series in some way. chainsaw man was the seventh-biggest manga series of 2021, moving over 5.2 million volumes in Japan. That’s particularly impressive considering there’s currently no anime adaptation that’s attracting new readers. That popularity will definitely skyrocket later this year when the anime finally premieres.
So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about picking up the first volume of chainsaw man or you want to read the manga before the anime starts, here is everything you need to know about the hit series.
What is Chainsaw Man about?
chainsaw man takes place in a version of our world where devils are very real. These devils are manifestations of human fears, and while some of them are indifferent to humanity (some even make pacts with humans), most of them frequently wreak havoc.
The titular Chainsaw Man is Denji, who works as a freelance devil hunter so he can pay off his late father’s massive debt to the yakuza, from which he borrowed it. He lives in abject poverty and misery, and his only friend in the world is Pochita, a devil who looks like a cuddly pug crossed with a chainsaw.
Denji’s rather horrible life gets much worse when he is betrayed and killed by the yakuza. He is only saved when Pochita contracts and merges with his friend. Denji is reincarnated as a human-devil hybrid who can grow chainsaws out of his arms, legs, and head when he pulls on a ripcord embedded in his chest.
Denji is quickly confronted by the Public Safety Department, a government-sanctioned team of devil hunters. Among them is Makima, the mysterious head of Department 4 of Public Security, who offers to give him anything he wants, including a life free of poverty, if he promises to hunt down devils for her and do whatever she wants says. Agreeing to Makima’s terms, Denji teams up with Aki Hayakawa, a cold and stoic devil hunter, and Power, a violent but childish Blood Fiend.
Is it as good as everyone says?
It’s really. It’s an odd mix of action, horror, and comedy that all works, with some fun, unique characters and an engaging story.
Above all, Fujimoto’s art looks incredible. Even if you’re not particularly happy with the story being told, if you love high-energy action scenes, this series delivers spades. Fujimoto will also leave behind some of the spookiest pages this side of a Junji Ito – the kind of eerie shots that stick in your mind long after you’ve read them.
Fujimoto constantly plays with the reader’s expectations. Characters are given a fully developed backstory and set up as “story important” only to be suddenly turned into a bloody smear. In the hands of a weaker creator, such twists and turns can seem a bit choppy – shock for shock’s sake, which doesn’t really serve the story – but Fujimoto manages to keep them in check. You really connect with his characters and pray that every time you turn the page everything will be fine.
For a series that’s pretty gory and gross (Denji Yes, really wants to touch a booby), chainsaw man is surprisingly warm. One chapter is entirely dedicated to Denji and Makima, who hop through a series of theaters to check out a few movies. It’s such a quiet moment in a very noisy Manga, but this is where Fujimoto’s strengths as a writer really shine, especially when it comes to character depth. (Fujimoto’s two recent one-shots, Look back and Goodbye Eri are both quieter character study pieces and highly recommended).
Where to Read the Chainsaw Man Manga?
chainsaw man appeared from December 2018 to December 2020 in Weekly shōnen jump, and is 11 volumes long. If you’ve been reading manga for a while, you know that this is a fairly short run for a shonen series (especially a very popular one). For comparison, Dragon Ball Z is only 26 volumes all above while Demon Hunter is 23 volumes long. Hell, One piece has whole arcs as long as the whole of chainsaw man.
chainsaw man but is not finished yet. These 11 volumes comprise part 1 of the series, with part 2 scheduled to begin publication on July 13 and will include an arc of Denji going to school.
If you want to read the manga digitally, you can find it through Viz Media’s Shonen Jump service or Shueisha’s Manga Plus.
If you prefer physical copies of your manga, you can grab the first volume in the series here: Amazon Australia ($13.20) | Bayopia ($13.75) | QBD ($14.99)
Is there a Chainsaw Man anime?
There is, but it hasn’t aired yet (hopefully we’ll see it soon). Already announced in December 2020, the chainsaw man Anime is produced by MAPPA, the studio behind it Jujutsu Kaisen, Dorohedoro and Attack on Titan: The Final Season.
Considering how good those series mentioned look – along with the few clips we’ve seen – it’s a safe bet chainsaw man will be at the top of some Best Anime of 2022 lists. Get ready to see many people wearing Public Security Department uniform cosplays at all upcoming anime and pop culture conventions.
Do we have a release date for the Chainsaw Man anime?
While we don’t have an exact release date, the chainsaw man Anime is set to premiere sometime in 2022. Some fans have speculated that it will debut sometime in Japan fall (which is spring here), but there hasn’t been an official announcement yet.
It looks like Crunchyroll owns the international streaming license for the series (except in Asia), so that’s where you’ll find it once it launches. Crunchyroll will also air an English dub.
Is there a trailer we can watch in the meantime?
You bet your ass on it and it looks awesome.
Check back later as we’ll update this article if more information is available on the release date for the chainsaw man Anime becomes available.