Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man is an anime television series produced by MAPPA that began broadcasting on TV Tokyo in October 2022. The anime adapts the manga written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Director Ryū Nakayama led the series alongside character designer Kazutaka Sugiyama and composer Kensuke Ushio.

Denji is an impoverished teenager who lives burdened by large debts left behind by his deceased father to the yakuza. He scrapes by as an unofficial devil hunter accompanied by Pochita, a canine devil with a chainsaw blade on its face. When the yakuza gang betrays and cuts Denji down, Pochita merges into his chest to serve as his new heart. The contract transforms Denji into a devil-human hybrid with chainsaws emerging from his arms and head, drawing the attention of public safety agent Makima.

The first season has 12 episodes, which aired between October 12 and December 28, 2022, on Japanese television stations. Every episode concludes with a distinct ending theme song written and recorded by separate musical acts. MAPPA announced a continuation film, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, at the Jump Festa event in December 2023. Streaming company Crunchyroll licensed the anime for distribution across the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Africa with subtitles and spoken dubs. Media distributor Medialink secured regional streaming rights across Asia and launched the series on its YouTube channel.

Japanese voice actor Kikunosuke Toya played Denji, and Tomori Kusunoki voiced Makima. At the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2024, the anime received the award for Best New Series. The anime competed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2023, where episode 1 earned a nomination for Best TV Film. In October 2023, the opening theme Kick Back by Kenshi Yonezu achieved gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The song later reached platinum certification from the same association in September 2025.