Even if you know nothing about Chainsaw Man, you can probably guess a vital element of the manga from the title. In other words, it's about a guy who's also a chainsaw - so you can probably guess that it goes hard on action, bloodiness and brutality. However, we won't be featuring any such visuals here (more for you to discover!), so rest assured this guide is completely SFW. Alright, ready to learn more? Here we go!
Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto (藤本タツキ, Fujimoto Tatsuki), Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン, Chensōman) is an action manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2018 and ended in December 2020.
Centered around a destitute boy who becomes part chainsaw after a run-in with a devil, the series has gained acclaim from Japanese and overseas fans alike for its unique brand of craziness and dark take on the world of shonen manga. It's also been recognized as the year's best manga in its category by two separate organizations.
Next, fans can look forward to a TV anime adaptation by MAPPA. Specific details are yet to be confirmed, so why not get to know what's going on behind the chainsaw first?
Contents
1. Story
2. Characters
3. Keywords
4. Main media
- 4.1 Manga
- 4.2 TV anime series
Story
In a world where devils (monsters born of human fears) roam society and terrorize humans, an unfortunate young man named Denji works as a devil hunter to pay off his dead father's debts. One day, he is killed by a devil, having fallen victim to a yakuza plot. However, his death fulfills a contract with his devil dog Pochita, thus transforming him into Chainsaw Man. Now that he is part devil, Denji must hunt devils as part of a government team to escape being targeted himself.
Characters
Denji (デンジ)
A young devil hunter who died and came back to life as a human-devil hybrid with the help of his former pet dog, a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita. His chainsaw form can be activated by pulling the cord on his chest. Denji is no stranger to hardship; before his transformation and new position as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, he had also resorted to selling some of his own organs to repay part of his father’s debts. Nevertheless, as a self-proclaimed 16 year old, he maintains some simple desires in life, like spreading jam on bread and eating it, as well as sleeping with a girl before he dies.
Pochita (ポチタ)
A Chainsaw Devil who first takes the form of a cute little dog (albeit with a chainsaw sticking out of his head). After suffering terrible injuries, he meets Denji, who saves Pochita’s life by providing him with blood to drink. Having become attached to the boy and his dreams of a normal life, Pochita later returns the favor by bringing Denji back to life and merging with him to become Chainsaw Man.
Makima (マキマ)
A mysterious Public Safety Devil Hunter who leads the special Division 4 squad and recruits Denji, also taking him to be her “pet.” In addition to her combat abilities as a devil hunter, she is highly intelligent and calculating, often manipulating Denji with kindness and threats in equal measure.
Aki Hayakawa (早川アキ, Hayakawa Aki)
A Public Safety Devil Hunter in Makima’s squad. Despite his desire for revenge against the devil who killed his family, he is a rational young man who truly cares about his comrades. After Denji is recruited, they begin to live together under Makima’s orders. He is partnered with Himeno.
Power (パワー, Pawā)
A Public Safety Devil Hunter in Makima’s squad. Despite her appearance as a pink-haired young woman, she is actually a powerful Blood Fiend. Aggressive and selfish, she nevertheless finds it in herself to become true friends with Denji and Aki.
Himeno (姫野)
A Public Safety Devil Hunter in Makima’s squad. Calm and collected, she has vast experience hunting demons, which has also given her a certain pessimism about the occupation, as well as her own work. She is partnered with Aki, who she has known since he was a rookie devil hunter.
Hirokazu Arai (荒井ヒロカズ, Arai Hirokazu)
A rookie Public Safety Devil Hunter in Makima’s squad. He has received training from Himeno. While he does not trust devils and fiends, he cares for his teammates and is earnest about his job. He is partnered with Kobeni.
Kobeni Higashiyama (東山コベニ, Higashiyama Kobeni)
A rookie Public Safety Devil Hunter in Makima’s squad. Despite her occupation, she openly shows extreme fear when faced with devils and general danger. She is partnered with Arai.
Keywords
– Devil (悪魔, akuma)
Beings born from humans’ fears of just about anything, from physical objects like guns to creatures and concepts. Upon coming into existence, they take on the name of the thing that is feared and generally display related abilities and physical features. A devil’s power depends on how much their namesake is feared, meaning some are weak enough to be defeated by ordinary human weapons, while others require the skills of experienced hunters. Overall, however, they are more difficult to kill than humans because they are able to heal injuries by drinking blood, human or otherwise.
– Devil Hunter
Humans who work to exterminate devils and protect other humans. In Japan, they are either affiliated with the government (Public Safety) or act as bounty hunters or mercenaries (Private Sector).
– Fiend (魔人, majin)
Devils who have possessed human corpses. A fiend’s abilities are much weaker than that of the original devil, so they are usually born of an attempt to escape imminent death.
– Contract
Devils are able to make contracts with humans, in which both parties exchange something. For example, a devil might allow a human to use their devil abilities in return for a part of the human’s body, their senses, or even a portion of their lifespan. Devils may make contracts with any amount of people and with any terms, as long as both sides agree for each contract.
Main media
– Manga
The first part of Chainsaw Man, “Public Safety arc” (公安編, Kōan-hen) began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2018 and ended in December 2020, going on to win the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen category. It was also named as the top manga of 2021 in the men's category of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (meaning "this manga is amazing!") ranking.
The first arc has been published in 11 volumes, currently available in North America through Viz in both physical and digital versions. Overseas fans can also read it online through Shueisha’s Manga Plus website and app.
A second part is slated to run in online magazine Shonen Jump+.
If you're pressed for time, start with a with a quick peek at this fantastically unique manga trailer!
– TV anime series
MAPPA is set to produce a TV anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man. While details on casting, staff and the broadcast date are yet to be announced, an official website has been launched with the rather fitting URL of https://chainsawman.dog/.
Original author Tatsuki Fujimoto has also expressed his eagerness with plenty of excitement and humor, commenting that he couldn't believe that the studio behind Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen, would be producing Chainsaw Man despite it being "like a copy" of the aforementioned manga.
At the moment there are no trailers that feature actual scenes, so for now, get hyped to meet Denji and the crew in anime form with this bizarrely addictive promo video!
