Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Denji in his devil-human hybrid form, Chainsaw Man
チェンソーマン (Chensō Man)
Genre	Action Comedy horror Dark fantasy
Manga
Written by	Tatsuki Fujimoto
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump (December 3, 2018–December 14, 2020) Shōnen Jump+ (July 13, 2022–present)
English magazine	NA: Weekly Shonen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	December 3, 2018 – present
Volumes	13
Anime television series
Directed by	Ryū Nakayama Masato Nakazono
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Kensuke Ushio
Studio	MAPPA
Licensed by	Crunchyroll SA/SEA: Medialink
Original network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run	October 12, 2022 – December 28, 2022
Episodes	12

Chainsaw Man (Japanese: チェンソーマン, Hepburn: Chensō Man) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Its first part was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020; its second part began serialization in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ online magazine in July 2022. Its chapters have been collected in 13 tankōbon volumes as of January 2023. Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, an impoverished young man who makes a contract that fuses his body with that of a dog-like devil named Pochita, granting him the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws. Denji eventually joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters, a government agency focused on fighting against devils whenever they become a threat to Japan. The second arc of the story focuses on Asa Mitaka, a high school student who enters into a contract with Yoru the War Devil, who forces her to hunt down Chainsaw Man in order to reclaim the devils stolen from her.

In North America, the manga is licensed in English by Viz Media, for both print and digital release, and it is also published by Shueisha on the Manga Plus online platform. An anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA was broadcast from October to December 2022.

As of January 2023, the manga had over 23 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 2021, it won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category and won the Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category in 2021 and 2022. Chainsaw Man has been overall well received by critics, who have commended its storytelling, characters, dark humor and have particularly highlighted its violent scenes within the context of the story.

Synopsis

Setting

The story is set in a world where Devils (悪魔, Akuma) are born from human fears. Devils are usually dangerous and malevolent, their power proportional to the fear they incite. However, humans can form contracts with them to use their power, and there are individuals specializing in hunting and employing them, called Devil Hunters (デビルハンター, Debiru Hantā). Devils originate from Hell, and exist in a cycle between Earth and Hell: they migrate to Earth when killed in Hell, and vice versa. Dwelling in Hell are extremely powerful Devils called Primal Fears, which have never been killed. Transit between planes appears to be overseen by the Hell Devil (地獄の悪魔, Jigoku no Akuma).

A Devil may, in certain conditions, inhabit the body of a dead human, gaining some of their memories and personality; such a creature is called a Fiend (魔人, Majin, lit. Demonic Person). In rare cases, a living Fiend Host is possible where the dead human is able to retain their personality and balance control of the body with their inhabitant, who they are able to directly converse with. Devils who naturally have a humanoid form are said to be benevolent to humans. Devils can make contracts with humans, where in exchange for a sacrifice the human makes, the human can summon the Devil until either the contract expires or the Devil terminates it.

The events of the story take place in 1997, in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union still exists, and many events such as the Holocaust, AIDS and nuclear weapons are revealed to have been erased from history and have ceased to exist entirely due to the consumption of their respective Devils by the Chainsaw Devil, with only a powerful group of devils known as the Four Horsemen (Control, War, Hunger/Famine, Death) remembering the original events. Likewise, there has been no war since the First World War as the War Devil has been weakened to the point that the only traces of war exist in pop culture and media.

Plot

Further information: List of Chainsaw Man characters

Part 1 – Public Safety arc

Denji is a young man trapped in poverty, working off his deceased father's debt to the yakuza by working as a Devil Hunter, aided by Pochita, his canine companion and Chainsaw Devil. Denji is betrayed by the yakuza, who kill him for a contract with the Zombie Devil. Pochita makes a contract with Denji, merging with him as a human-devil Hybrid, under the condition that Denji shows his dreams to Pochita. Denji then becomes Chainsaw Man when he pulls a ripcord in his chest and massacres the yakuza. In the aftermath, he is approached by a team of governmental Devil Hunters, the Public Safety Division, led by Makima, who convinces him to join their ranks. Charmed by her kindness and looks, Denji joins Public Safety and is partnered with Power, the Blood Fiend, and Aki Hayakawa, a self-destructive Devil Hunter. Makima promises Denji any favor, provided he kill the Gun Devil, perpetrator of the greatest massacre in human history.

Several missions later, Denji's group encounters another hybrid, Samurai Sword, a vengeful yakuza seemingly allied with the Gun Devil, who is a Hybrid with the Katana Devil and attacks the Division with his partner Akane Sawatari, who made a contract with the Snake Devil. Makima and devil hunter Kobeni Higashiyama manage to survive and repel the ambush, but the Division loses many members in the attack, including Aki's mentor Himeno and Kobeni's friend Hirokazu Arai. In order to match them, Denji and Power are trained by Kishibe, a master Devil-hunter who distrusts Makima, while Aki makes a contract with the Future Devil, who foresees a "horrible death" for him. The Division launches a counter-attack against Samurai Sword, capturing him, but the Snake Devil devours Akane before she can give up any information regarding the Gun Devil.

Some time later, Denji meets and begins a romance with a young woman named Reze, who is actually a Hybrid (with the Bomb Devil) spy for the Soviet Union, sent to take the heart of the Chainsaw Devil. Returning his affection, she proposes they run away together, which Denji hesitates on. Furious, she attacks the Division, with help from the Typhoon Devil. Denji fights her and ends her rampage, accepting her proposal. Before they can make good on this promise, Makima secretly captures her, with Denji believing she left him. Their battle, however, revealed Denji's existence to the world.

As more media begin to cover Denji’s work as Chainsaw Man, foreign assassin groups target him: Chinese hunter and Kishibe's former comrade Quanxi; a mysterious enemy of Makima called "Santa Claus"; three "Immortal" American brothers; and a Russian woman mentoring a pupil. Denji is outfitted with a security detail including Hirofumi Yoshida, a Private Sector Devil Hunter. While the brothers are quickly dealt with, and Quanxi initially stalls to spend time with her harem of fiends, Santa Claus uses their Doll Devil powers for a large horde attack. After a follow-up by Quanxi, the Russian woman reveals herself as the real "Santa Claus", and has all parties abducted to Hell, where they are overpowered by the Darkness Devil. Santa Claus makes a contract with the Darkness Devil, and reveals she has been hired to kill Makima. Makima retrieves the group from Hell, and Quanxi (revealed to be a hybrid) helps Denji defeat Santa Claus; Makima arrives then decapitates Quanxi and the remnants of her harem. Following the incident, several devil hunters resign, including Kobeni, with fiends Beam and Galgali having been killed in the confrontation with the Darkness Devil.

After Denji recovers, Makima reveals the Gun Devil is already neutralized, with many nations controlling pieces of it. As Aki begs Makima for the safety of Power and Denji, the president of the United States orders the Gun Devil to attack Japan and kill Makima. Revealed to be the Control Devil, Makima confronts the Gun Devil and wins, though not before forcing Aki to make a contract with her. Aki dies in the battle, and the Gun Devil takes his body as a Fiend. Denji and Power are then attacked by the Gun Fiend; helped by civilians, Denji kills it, but Aki's death devastates him, fulfilling the "horrible death" predicted by the Future Devil.

In a vulnerable state, Denji is approached by Makima, who invites him to her house. Though initially friendly, Makima blindsides and betrays him by suddenly inviting and killing Power. Revelling in his shock, she crushes Denji's spirit and dreams of a normal life, threatening to take away anything he loves, and revealing Denji to have murdered his father and repressed the memory. This seemingly voids Denji's contract with Pochita, leaving him catatonic. Shortly after, Kishibe mounts a coordinated attack on her, and she calls for "Chainsaw Man" to save her. Controlling Denji's body, Pochita assumes his true form as the "Hero of Hell." Makima explains her goals: to use Pochita's reality-transforming powers to create a better world; to this end, she was empowered by the government with immortality. Fighting the Chainsaw Man with the brainwashed Hybrids, which include Samurai Sword, Akane, Reze, and Quanxi, she is victorious, as Denji's growing heroic reputation has severely weakened Pochita. However, Power temporarily revives as the Blood Devil from a remnant of her blood within Denji on Pochita's request, escapes with Chainsaw Man, and restores Denji's will to live at the cost of her life, having him promise to find her when she is reborn in Hell.

Invigorated by public support for him, Denji confronts Makima for one last time and defeats her using a chainsaw he made from the last of Power's blood; to bypass her immortality, he cooks and eats her body. Kishibe later reveals a reborn Control Devil, now a little girl named Nayuta. He asks Denji to look after her, and Pochita supports this mission in Denji's dreams. Later, Denji enrolls in high school and continues fighting devils under the public eye.

Part 2 – School arc

Asa Mitaka is an introverted high school student attending Fourth East High School, who has trouble finding her place in society following her mother's death to the Typhoon Devil. One day, after accidentally killing her class' pet Chicken Devil Bucky, she is confronted by the Class President who has made a contract with the Justice Devil. She attempts to kill Asa, but Yoru, the War Devil appears in the form of a bird and makes a contract with Asa, inhabiting her body and making her a living Fiend host, under the condition that she kills Chainsaw Man. After her quick vengeance, Asa seeks to find Chainsaw Man, though she and Yoru have differing goals: Asa wants Yoru to leave her body, while Yoru wants to reclaim the Nuclear Weapons Devil which was consumed by Pochita. They join the school's Devil Hunter Club, where they are partnered with Yoshida (who is revealed to be attending Fourth East) and Yuko, an outgoing student who befriends her.

Meanwhile, Denji has adapted to his new life as a normal high school student, also attending Fourth East, while using his newfound superhero fame to attract women. Yoshida keeps tabs on him under an unknown mission. Knowing that Denji is still desperate for a girlfriend, Yoshida introduces Denji to Asa, who he attempts to reveal to her that he is Chainsaw Man, but fails.

Asa visits Yuko and later discovers that she also formed a contract with the Justice Devil and plans on enacting revenge on everyone who bullied Asa. Using Yoru's devil abilities, Asa confronts Yuko, but accidentally kills her. At that moment, a stranger walks up to her and revives Yuko for "her little sister", turning her into a giant devil rampaging through the school. Denji attacks Yuko, but she escapes. The now-disfigured Yuko bids farewell to Asa and goes on the run for help, but a mysterious impostor posing as Chainsaw Man kills her.

Following the incident, Asa and Yoru bump into and meet Haruka Iseumi, the President of both the Devil Hunter's Club and the Student Council, who has taken interest in her and the stranger. Haruka tells Asa and Yoru that he is Chainsaw Man, showing them the dangling cord attached to his chest as proof. Believing him, Asa is then made by Yoru to go find someone she can kill and turn into a weapon. Spotting Denji to be the perfect target, she then goes on a date with him in order to kill him and turn him into a weapon. During the date, while she is alone, the stranger suddenly appears behind her and the stranger then reveals herself to be the Hunger/Famine Devil or "Fami", who then isolates her, bringing Yoru and herself outside and seemingly assists her in her quest to turn Denji into a weapon as the two are trapped by the returning Eternity Devil.

Production

Despite the series' violence and dark humor, Tatsuki Fujimoto always wanted to serialize in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but he had the feeling that his work would be "buried" if he had made a "Jump-like manga", so he tried to retain much of his individuality as a creator while making only the structure and characters Jump-like. Fujimoto also said that, despite its success in the magazine, he wanted to write the second part of the series on Shōnen Jump+, because he wanted to do a completely different series from the first part. According to him, there is not much of a difference in working between Weekly Shōnen Jump and Shōnen Jump+, explaining that there were a few depictions that got stopped during the rough draft stage, but he was allowed to do anything he wanted regarding the logic of the story.

Fujimoto said that he took inspiration from various works. During the serialization of Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto said that he was too busy, but he watched as many new things as he could and borrowed various elements from what he saw. On Twitter, he stated that he was a fan of the 2016 film trilogy Kizumonogatari, and that the trilogy's final battle, shown in Part 3: Reiketsu, inspired the final battle of the first part of Chainsaw Man. He also described the series as a "wicked FLCL" and a "pop Abara." Fujimoto had various elements from the series planned from the beginning, while other things were added as it progressed. He did not have specific plans to bring payoff to the meaningful-sounding words and things that felt "off", adding that he left various things vague to make the series' second part easier to do.

Regarding the anime adaptation of the series, Fujimoto stated that he talked to the people handling it and he was comfortable leaving things to them. When the anime series was officially announced, Fujimoto commented: "Chainsaw Man is like a copycat of Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen, and the studio of Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen will produce its anime!? I have nothing to say! Please do it!" According to the manga's editor, Shihei Lin, Fujimoto is heavily involved in the production of the anime series, stating: "Fujimoto-san has seen all the Chainsaw Man's pitch documents, story structure, scripts, and even the storyboards. He has continued to be in close contact with MAPPA's anime team." MAPPA producer, Makoto Kimura, also commented that Fujimoto involvement extended to the casting, planning, and music, because the staff wanted the anime to capture as much of the manga's original vision as possible, including the violence and gore. MAPPA approached Shueisha with the pitch for the project.

Media

Manga

See also: List of Chainsaw Man chapters

Chainsaw Man is written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series' first part, "Public Safety arc" (公安編, Kōan-hen), ran in Shueisha's shōnen manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 3, 2018, to December 14, 2020; following the series' conclusion in Weekly Shōnen Jump, a second part was announced to start on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ online magazine. On December 19, 2020, it was announced that the second part, "School arc" (学校編, Gakkō-hen), would feature Denji going to school. The second part began serialization on July 13, 2022. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 4, 2019. As of January 4, 2023, thirteen volumes have been released.

In North America, Viz Media published the series' first two chapters on their Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine for its "Jump Start" initiative. The series was then published on the Shonen Jump digital platform after the cancellation of Weekly Shonen Jump. Shueisha also simulpublished the series in English on the app and website Manga Plus starting in January 2019. In February 2020, Viz Media announced the digital and print release of the manga. Viz Media posted an official trailer for the manga, featuring a high-octane opera vocals as its soundtrack. The first volume was released on October 6, 2020. As of June 7, 2022, eleven volumes have been released.

The manga is also licensed in France by Kazé, in Italy, Mexico and Brazil by Panini, in Spain by Norma Editorial, in Thailand by Siam Inter Comics, in Poland by Waneko, in Germany by Egmont Manga, in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea, in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing, in South Korea by Haksan Publishing, in Russia by Azbooka-Atticus, and in Vietnam by Tre Publishing House.

Anime

See also: List of Chainsaw Man episodes

On December 14, 2020, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA. It had a stage presentation at the Jump Festa '21, as part of the Jump Studio series of stage presentations that were held online on December 19–20, 2020. The first trailer for the anime series was shown at the "MAPPA Stage 2021 – 10th Anniversary" event, held on June 27, 2021. The anime is directed by Ryū Nakayama (director) and Masato Nakazono (chief episode director), with scripts by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama, and devil designs by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. Tatsuya Yoshihara is serving as action director and Yūsuke Takeda is directing the art. Naomi Nakano is the color key artist and Yohei Miyahara is designing the screens. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo and other networks from October 12 to December 28, 2022.

Crunchyroll has licensed the series outside of Asia, and began streaming an English dub on October 25, 2022. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.

Music

The music of the series is composed by Kensuke Ushio. The first soundtrack EP (for episodes 1–3), was released on October 26, 2022; the second EP (for episodes 4–7) was released on November 23; and the third EP (for episodes 8–12) was released on December 28. The original soundtrack album, Chainsaw Man Original Sound track Complete Edition - chainsaw edge fragments -, is set to be released on January 23, 2023. The opening theme song is "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu, while each episode features a different ending theme song.

Novel

A novel, titled Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories (チェンソーマン　バディ・ストーリーズ, Chensō Man Badi Sutōrīzu), written by Sakaku Hishikawa, with illustrations by Tatsuki Fujimoto, was published on November 4, 2021. It tells three stories focused on a theme of "buddies" about Power and Denji, Kishibe and Quanxi during their partner era, and Himeno and Aki around the time they first met.

Viz Media licensed the novel and it is set to be released in Q3 2023.

Stage play

On December 29, 2022, it was announced that the series will receive a stage play adaptation, directed and written by Fumiya Matsuzaki, and will run in Tokyo and Kyoto from September to October 2023.

Other media

An exhibition, "Chainsaw Man Manga Exhibition", ran at the Space Hachikai gallery area of Tower Records, Shibuya, from June 12 to July 4, 2021.

Good Smile Company launched Nendoroid figures based on characters from the series in October 2021, including Denji, Pochita and Power. Denji made a cameo in the superhero manga series My Hero Academia in chapter 259, as part of the hero raid in the Paranormal War Liberation arc.

Reception

Popularity

Chainsaw Man ranked fourth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2020 for male readers, and topped the 2021 list. On Freestyle magazine's The Best Manga 2020 Kono Manga wo Yome! list, the series ranked 12th, and 16th along with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, on the 2021 list. It ranked 2nd, behind Spy × Family, on "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by the Honya Club online bookstore. In 2020, Chainsaw Man ranked 10th in the "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll conducted by AnimeJapan. The series ranked 45th on the 2020 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 43rd on the 2021 list. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150.000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Chainsaw Man ranked 58th. The series was #12 on the annual Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.

Manga

Sales

By August 2020, the manga had over 3 million copies in circulation; it had over 4.2 million copies in circulation by October 2020; over 5 million copies in circulation by December 2020; over 6.4 million copies in circulation by January 2021; over 9.3 million copies in circulation by March 2021; over 11 million copies in circulation by June 2021; over 12 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 13 million copies in circulation by June 2022; over 15 million copies in circulation by August 2022; over 16 million copies in circulation by September 2022; over 18 million copies in circulation by October 2022; over 20 million copies in circulation by November 2022; and over 23 million copies in circulation by January 2023.

Chainsaw Man was the fifth best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021 (period between November 2020 and May 2021), with over 4 million copies sold. In 2021, it was the seventh best-selling manga with over 5 million copies sold.

In North America, the volumes of Chainsaw Man were ranked on NPD BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since 2020. They were also ranked on The New York Times' Graphic Books and Manga bestseller monthly list since 2021. According to ICv2, Chainsaw Man was the tenth best-selling manga franchise for fall 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the third "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, the first three volumes of Chainsaw Man were ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2021. The first volume sold 18,000 copies in the United States in 2020, and the eight volumes collectively sold 623,000 copies in 2021.

Critical reception

Chainsaw Man has been overall well received by critics. James Beckett of Anime News Network ranked the first volume as a B+. Beckett commented: "[Chainsaw Man is] goofy, kinky, dark, and bizarre, which is already the kind of tonal mishmash I'm generally down for in my art," praising as well its compelling world-building and character development, adding that the volume "earns plenty of goodwill by committing to its surprisingly earnest and charming brand of ferocious bloodletting." Nicholas Dupree from the same website commented: "[i]t's a bizarre, unpredictable, and undeniably unique thrill ride, and love it or hate it, there's nothing else quite like it." Hannah Collins of Comic Book Resources gave the series a positive review, stating: "Chainsaw Man bears all the hallmarks of a standard supernatural action series, but its quieter moments are where its dark heart beats fastest." Polygon's Julia Lee gave the series a positive review, commenting: "Chainsaw Man is considered one of Shonen Jump's best new series, and for good reason. The graphic rip-and-tear fights, paired with a unique and funny story about devils makes for one great manga." Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart gave the first volume a 9/10. McNeil stated: "I did not think I was going to enjoy this manga. I'm glad I was wrong!" She noted that the series has similar elements from Army of Darkness, Devilman, Dorohedoro and inspiration from various devil-hunting series, recommending it to fans of those works.

Anna Neatrour of Manga Report gave a positive review to the first volume, calling its monster fighting, "buckets of gore", and humor "plenty amusing," and calling Denji an "incredibly damaged but potentially powerful hero." Reviewing the first volume, Danica Davidson of Otaku USA called the series "a little creepy" and "downright bizarre," adding however, that it is "a bloody, action-packed shonen with some heart showing through the weirdness, and it's been very successful in Japan." Following her "read-a-thoning" of the series, Katherine Dacey of The Manga Critic commented that she finished it with a "grudging respect for Fujimoto's excessive, ridiculous creation, which entertained and repelled me in equal measure. Your mileage will vary." Ian Wolf of Anime UK News gave the first volume a 6/10. Wolf wrote that the main feature of the series is the action sequences, but criticized the lack of depth in writing, concluding: "Chainsaw Man has some things going for it and hopefully may well build up from a promising start."

Fujimoto's art style has also been commended. Collins praised Fujimoto's penmanship, stating that the "thickly-sketched lines on individual characters and still moments convey the rough edges of [its] world." Dupree lauded the series' art style, stating: "as the Devil enemies of the story grow more powerful, his imagination for bizarre, abstract, and genuinely unsettling visual storytelling reaches heights I've never seen in a Jump series before." Beckett called the character designs and general linework "a bit generic at first glance," but that when "the carnage comes flooding in," the series "has a clarity of style and consistency of vision that can be wondrous to behold." McNeil said that the character designs, other than Pochita and Chainsaw Man, are "not memorable," but that the art "really shines for the creepy Devils, the action, and especially the gore." Regarding the devils' designs, Dacey wrote that some are "uninspired" and that the most memorable ones are "clearly designed to elicit an appreciative 'ewww'". Wolf stated that the art of the series "feels better than its writing," adding that visually, the action and fighting make the manga appealing.

Themes

Various reviewers have commented the use of violence and gory scenes within the context of the story. Dupree wrote that the "irreverent tone and deliciously gory violence" are elements that make the series "really stand out from the get-go." Collins wrote that the gory scenes, instead of being gratuitous, make the story feel "refreshingly unfiltered." McNeil commented that the series is "wonderfully absurd. It's funny, gorey [sic], and violent, but also has an interesting bit of humanity at its core." Davinson called it "casually gruesome and violent," but that it fits with its theme. Lee wrote: "Chainsaw Man is gory. Extremely gory," adding that these scenes make the series different from other shōnen series, calling them "pretty gross," but "fitting for a dark manga about slashing devils down with a chainsaw." Dacey called the series a "blood-and-testosterone-soaked battle manga," commenting that its main appeal is the "outrageous displays of gore and violence," adding as well that Fujimoto "does his utmost to push the boundaries of good taste." Beckett wrote that the "delightfully ridiculous and bloody" premise runs with it in "all sorts of fascinating directions," adding however, that its reveling in crude humor and violence could be off-putting to some readers.

Regarding the characters, Adi Tantimedh of Bleeding Cool called them "sad, broken people who live outside the norms of society and haven't learned basic social skills," adding as well that the series' subtext is about "people getting abused, degraded, dehumanized, objectified, literally becoming objects." He concluded: "[s]ociety is to blame for degrading people into tools and objects; these mangas [sic] seem to be saying, though they never outright blame Capitalism or the alienating repressiveness of Japanese society. The result is one of the more unique manga out there." Collins commented that the series has a premise "loosely" comparable to Jujutsu Kaisen, adding, however, that Denji might fit the mold of a shōnen protagonist on paper, but that the mold is "only there to be broken," comparing his "life on the fringes of society" to a "Dickensian parable about the plight of the working class." Dacey called Denji "a more honest shonen hero than the typical Jump lead; he thinks and acts like a real teenage boy, right down to his self-absorption and total objectification of women," adding that she did not "ever warmed to Denji as a lead character." Lee commented that the series has an "interestingly goofy contrast between the characters and what's going on," adding that Denji's simple mind and "kind-of-horny instincts" can get tiring at times, but it does not make the series bad, and with the introduction of the "extremely interesting side characters," like Power and Makima, the story "takes a turn for the better."

Its way of handling comedy has also been commented. Tantimedh stated that the series has a "unique sense of deadpan comic timing" that "makes the series unique," adding as well that the series distinguishes itself for its slapstick comedy and that a "deadly earnest" tone might have made the series unreadable. Beckett said that when he read the premise, he took the series at face value as a "goofy nonsense comic, a parody of shonen manga that primarily exists to push out page-after-page of gross-out gags and gory action," also calling it "a mishmash of raunchy teen sex comedies, Hellboy, and The Evil Dead." Dupree stated that the "crass, crude, and purposefully lowbrow" humor is one of its defining characteristics, adding that there are multiple jokes where it feels like half the punchline is that the series, "in all its gleefully nihilistic indulgence," was published in the same magazine as other "bleedingly sincere and family-friendly" titles like One Piece or My Hero Academia. Neatrour said: "[t]here's a level of off-kilter humor in Chainsaw Man that I find endearing," and that it also has "plenty of juvenile humor." Davinson commented that the humor of the series mainly revolves around Denji trying to get a girlfriend. Wolf wrote that "the ridiculousness of the story helps to add comedy to the whole thing," although, he called the humor "rather base at best."

Reviewers have also commented the emotional aspects of the series. Dacey discussed its unexpected moments of "genuine pathos," talking about the interactions between Denji and Pochita, noting as well parallels to Denji's relationship with Makima. Davidson also stated that the emotional part of the story is about the love between Denji and Pochita. Dupree wrote that the series' "bombastic, borderline nihilistic maelstrom of gore and dick jokes" is in part a reaction to the "absurd and illogical world it takes place in," adding that the series has a "proudly beating heart. Perhaps a cynical heart, but one that nonetheless sympathizes with the struggle to find meaning or solace in a cruel and unpredictable world." Reviewing the series' 97th and last chapter published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Reiichi Narima of Real Sound commented that Denji's growth through loss is a storytelling more related to seinen manga than shōnen manga, adding that he was "deeply moved" by the inclusion of this kind of stories in the magazine, ultimately calling it a masterpiece and concluding: "at the core of bloody violence, there was a boy's sad love story."

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2019	5th Next Manga Award	Print	2nd Place
	3rd annual Tsutaya Comic Award	Next Break	9th Place
2020	13th Manga Taishō	Manga Taishō	8th Place
2021	66th Shogakukan Manga Award	Best Shōnen Manga	Won
	Harvey Award	Best Manga
	27th Manga Barcelona	Best Shōnen Manga
2022	Japan Expo Awards	Daruma for Best Drawing
		Daruma for Best Screenplay
		Daruma for Best Action Manga
	Eisner Award	Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia	Nominated
	Harvey Award	Best Manga	Won

Anime

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Chainsaw Man holds an approval rating of 97% based on 87 reviews. Mónica Marie Zorrilla of Inverse described Chainsaw Man as the standout of "demon-fighting anime" in 2022. She also praised Denji's contrast to other shōnen protagonists in his simpler motivations for "girls and food". Rafael Motamayor of IGN praised Chainsaw Man's cinematography, character dynamics and approach to its emotional moments. He also described it as a successful mix of "workplace comedy, horror, and action series", in contrast to most shōnen. IGN and Polygon praised the action scenes and its sudden tonal shifts from emotional scenes to "juvenile, 2000s sex comedy humor", while Polygon also praised its twelve different ending scenes.

Further reading

• 【第66回】担当作家 藤本タツキ先生Q&A！ [[66] Writer Tatsuki Fujimoto Q&A]. Jump Rookie! (in Japanese). Shueisha. July 2, 2020. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020.
• Brown, Urian (June 1, 2020). "Chainsaw Man Popularity Results 2020". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020.
• 『チェンソーマン』と現代のヒーロー像 「少年ジャンプ＋」編集者・林士平 Vo.1. KAI-YOU (in Japanese). October 12, 2020.
• Narima, Reiichi (January 8, 2020). 『チェンソーマン』5巻、壮絶な戦闘描写で捧げる“B級ホラー映画”へのオマージュ. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020.
• Anais (January 9, 2021). 『呪術廻戦』『チェンソーマン』 映画好き作者が産むヒット作が提示する“引用”の重要性. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021.
• Shimada, Kazushi (September 1, 2020). いま最もぶっ飛んだ漫画『チェンソーマン』 「わかりやすさ」から逸脱する、前衛的な表現を考察. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd.
• Kobayashi, Jun (December 13, 2020). 『チェンソーマン』はなにが衝撃的だったのか？ ジャンプ大好き評論家3名が徹底考察. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd.
• Hosoya, Masamitsu (December 19, 2020). 『チェンソーマン』にはロマンと恐怖が詰まっている 一気読み必至の面白さを考察. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd.
• Kirsch, Alexis (October 6, 2020). "When Life Gives You Chainsaws…". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020.
• "Yuji Kaku breaks down the maniac characters from Chainsaw Man!". Manga Plus. Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020.
• "INTERVIEW: Chainsaw Man with Alexis Kirsch, Deputy Editor in Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump". But Why Tho? the podcast. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020.
• Price, Austin (April 29, 2021). "I Like Crap". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021.
• Basile, Michael (June 10, 2022). "The Silent Darkness of Chainsaw Man". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022.

External links

• Chainsaw Man official manga website at Weekly Shōnen Jump (in Japanese)
• Chainsaw Man official manga website at Shōnen Jump+ (in Japanese)
• Chainsaw Man official anime website (in Japanese)
• Chainsaw Man official manga website at Viz Media
• Chainsaw Man official manga website at Manga Plus
• Chainsaw Man (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia