Chainsaw Man is a hugely popular and rather brutal shonen manga series by author Tatsuki Fujimoto, telling the grim but exciting tale of the roguish antihero Denji, who eventually becomes Chainsaw Man himself. Denji had almost nothing at first, but as Chainsaw Man, he can fight devils, earn cash, and make his very humble dreams come true at last.
It’s always exciting when a popular, gripping manga series gets its own anime, and studio MAPPA isn’t about to disappoint fans, either. In light of the outstanding trailers, this is sure to be a standout anime for 2022. While new fans are in for a wild adventure, manga readers are simply looking forward to having their favorite scenes animated — and there are plenty to choose from.
Spoilers for the Chainsaw Man manga ahead.
10/10 Denji’s First Transformation Into Chainsaw Man
This is an early plot point that will probably take place in the very first episode of the Chainsaw Man anime, and it will be a real treat for new and veteran fans alike. It’s always a big deal when the main hero unlocks their new powers or form, such as when Ichigo Kurosaki became a Soul Reaper in Bleach‘s first season.
At first, Denji is just a teenage boy with a small, canine chainsaw devil named Pochita by his side, but not for much longer. In a moment of crisis, boy and dog will come together to form the legendary Chainsaw Man, a thuggish but courageous antihero for the ages.
9/10 Denji’s Domestic Shenanigans With Power
Every shonen hero needs a friend, even a rowdy antihero like Denji, and he’ll get a friend in the horned half-devil girl known only as Power. They are partners in their devil hunting squad, but Power is no Ochaco Uraraka or Nobara Kugisaki, not even during her off-hours when there are no devils to fight.
Anime fans who thought Nobara is a cool tomboy haven’t seen Power. She is a fun but crude, peculiar person to live with, and Denji and Power will butt heads and yell at each other for all kinds of goofy reasons when they’re forced to live together for a time. “The odd couple” isn’t even the half of it.
8/10 The Hotel Loop Adventure Should Prove Fun To Watch
Every good shonen anime needs some cool story arcs to stand out, from MHA‘s UA sports festival tournament to Naruto‘s chunin exam, and Chainsaw Man will deliver in its own weird but compelling way. Partway through the story, Denji and his crew will visit a hotel haunted by devils — a serious challenge indeed.
This elite devil-hunting team will be sorely tested as they loop constantly on the same floor, unable to go up or down to escape this place. There will be humor, mystery, and action in this sequence, making it almost like a twisted Doctor Who episode.
7/10 Reze The Bomb Devil Should Make An Appearance
It may take some time for the character Reze to make her debut in the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime; in fact, she might have to wait until a second cour or season of the anime to show up. But Reze is bound to arrive sooner or later, and she will take part in some of the best fights in this series.
Reze presented herself as a cute, innocent employee at a charming café, and that totally fooled Denji, who only saw her as a prospective girlfriend. Then Reze showed her true nature as the vicious and explosive bomb devil hybrid, and the fight was on.
6/10 Denji’s Fights With Katana Man Are Awesome
In the world of Chainsaw Man, every devil or human/devil hybrid has its own unique theme or powers, and as expected, there is a sword-based devil as well. This is Katana Man, a coat-wearing male with a powerful body and three deadly blades that can slash or stab any foe with impunity.
Denji will fight this terrifying nemesis more than once, and it won’t be easy. Denji may have three chainsaw blades, but Katana Man’s blades are even sharper, and he shows no mercy in a duel to the death. With some great animation, their fights should be truly thrilling to behold.
5/10 Santa Claus’s Doll Attack Will Be Terrifying In Anime Form
At one point in the manga, the mysterious female rogue known as Santa Claus showed up. She wreaked havoc with her strange combination of powers, including her ability to turn people into obedient doll soldiers, complete with blade arms and the ability to turn other nearby people into dolls as well.
In the Chainsaw Man manga, Denji and his allies faced an ever-growing horde of these creepy assailants in an urban battlefield, and they will slice up anyone who gets too close. That’ll be awesome to watch in the anime, especially if the animators find the right music for this horrific sequence.
4/10 Denji’s Fire-Based Counterattack Against Santa Claus
The battle against Santa Claus was lengthy and bitter, with much blood being shed from start to finish. Elaborate Shikamaru-style tactics weren’t working, so protagonist Denji, being his practical and whimsical self, dumped gasoline all over his body and ignited it with sparks from his chainsaws.
Denji willingly set himself on fire, all so he could negate Santa Claus’s darkness-based powers and gain the upper hand. It was terribly painful for Denji, but he still enjoyed the fight, and this clash should look fantastic and suitably gory when it appears again in anime form.
3/10 Arriving In Hell Should Be Pretty Scary In The Anime
The fear of Hell is overwhelming in the world of Chainsaw Man, and naturally, the Hell Devil is one of the most powerful villains of all. In the manga, the Hell Devil’s massive hand slammed down to transport everyone to a weird, creepy version of Hell, but the nightmare was just beginning.
Hell will look awesome and bizarre in the Chainsaw Man anime someday, and in that twisted realm, the heroes will also confront the horrifying Darkness Devil, too. Grim sacrifices will be made to obtain true power from that thing.
2/10 The Gun Devil Should Steal The Show
The enormous, floating Gun Devil is the world’s most notorious and powerful devil of them all, and it behaves more like a natural disaster than like a typical shonen villain. Whenever the Gun Devil fights, it will race across an entire country in a straight line and massacre thousands of people in a matter of minutes.
The imposing sight of this slaughter machine will be the highlightof Chainsaw Man‘s anime when it shows up. In fact, anytime the Gun Devil strikes, the names of hundreds of its victims will appear on-screen, emphasizing just how tragically destructive the Gun Devil is.
1/10 Denji Fighting With Beam Is Going To Be Awesome
Denji gained another friend in Beam, a young man who is also the shark fiend, making him roughly similar to Power. Beam can turn into a six-eyed shark that can run around on dry land, and Beam, who thinks highly of Denji, even allows Denji to ride atop him as a war mount.
These two fiendish boys make a great duo in Chainsaw Man‘s manga, and it should be even more fun to watch their rampages in the upcoming anime, too. Only the most powerful devils could possibly drive them apart.