Chainsaw Man
チェンソーマン Chensō Man
Genre	Action[1] Comedy horror[2] Dark fantasy[3][4]
Based on	Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Screenplay by	Hiroshi Seko
Directed by	Ryū Nakayama Makoto Nakazono[a]
Voices of	Kikunosuke Toya Shiori Izawa Shogo Sakata Fairouz Ai Tomori Kusunoki
Music by	Kensuke Ushio
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Makoto Kimura
Cinematography	Teppei Ito
Animator	MAPPA
Editor	Masato Yoshitake
Running time	24 minutes
Production company	MAPPA
Original release
Network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
Release	October 12 (2022-10-12) – December 28, 2022 (2022-12-28)
Related
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン, Chensō Man; Chainsaw Man) is a Japanese anime television series produced by MAPPA, based on the manga series Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto.^[5] The series was directed by Ryū Nakayama from scripts by Hiroshi Seko, with Makoto Nakazono as chief episode director and Tatsuya Yoshihara as action director, as well as character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama and demon designs by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. The series' music was composed by Kensuke Ushio.^[6][7][8] Production was entirely funded by MAPPA itself as opposed to following the same production committee format as most other anime.^[9]

The series aired on TV Tokyo from October 12 to December 28, 2022. Crunchyroll licensed the series for worldwide streaming outside of East Asian countries.^[10] Medialink obtained the licensing for Southeast Asia.^[11] A sequel film, titled Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, was released by Toho on September 19, 2025.^[12] An anime adaptation of the manga's Assassins Arc has been announced.

Denji, a young man who shares his life with Pochita, a chainsaw devil, is forced to survive by killing devils and selling their parts to pay off the debt he inherited after his father's death. His existence has been a succession of hardships until a fatal betrayal leads to his death. In an unexpected turn, Pochita makes a pact with him, allowing him to resurrect as "Chainsaw Man", a hybrid entity with the heart of a demon.

In December 2020, it was announced that the manga would be adapted into an anime by the studio MAPPA.^[5][15] The theatrical presentation at Jump Festa '21, as part of the online theatrical presentations of Jump Studio, took place from December 19–20, 2020.^[16][17]

The first trailer for the anime was presented during the "MAPPA Stage 2021" – 10th Anniversary event, held on June 27, 2021.^[18][19] The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo and other networks from October 12 to December 28, 2022.^[20][21][22]

Regarding the adaptation of the series, Fujimoto stated that he talked to the people handling it and he was comfortable leaving things to them.^[23] 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!"^[24] 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.^[25]

On December 17, 2023, at the Jump Festa '24 event, an anime film entitled Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (劇場版 チェンソーマン レゼ篇, Gekijō-ban Chensō Man Reze-hen), was announced.^[26] The staff and cast reprising their roles, while Tatsuya Yoshihara served as the director.^[27] The film is a direct sequel to the series, and covers the events of "Reze" arc.^[26] The film was distributed in Japan by Toho, and premiered on September 19, 2025.^[28]

At the Jump Festa '26 event on December 21, 2025, an anime sequel, Chainsaw Man – Assassins Arc (チェンソーマン 刺客篇, Chensō Man Shikaku-hen), was announced.^[29]

The music of the series was composed by Kensuke Ushio.^[30] 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.^[31] The original soundtrack album, Chainsaw Man Original Sound track Complete Edition - chainsaw edge fragments -, was released on January 23, 2023.^[32] The opening theme song is "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu, while each episode features a different ending theme song.^[33][b]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 97% based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Distinguished by its rip-roaring animation and serrated sense of humor, Chainsaw Man is an action anime with teeth."^[35] 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".^[36] 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.^[37][38]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Chainsaw Man (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia