A sensation unlike any other in modern shonen history, Tatsuki Fujimoto's action horror series Chainsaw Man is an unorthodox new player in the medium that saw unprecedented success even long before last year's anime adaptation. The unexpectedly grim yet extraordinarily exciting story of a down-on-his-luck teenager, Denji, who fuses with a Chainsaw Devil and is forced into a dangerous profession of fighting his monstrous kin conquered the worldwide shonen audiences.
And, after studio MAPPA released its widely successful first season of the Chainsaw Man anime adaptation in 2022, even more fans gained interest in this remarkable Shonen Jump entry. However, due to the show's eccentric reputation and idiosyncratic nature, Chainsaw Man is not the best series to go into blind. These crucial pieces of Chainsaw Man lore and trivia might be essential for new fans to gather what to expect from this modern shonen classic.
10 Chainsaw Man's Devils Are Manifestations Of Human Fears
A large portion of Chainsaw Man's cast — both on the side of good and evil — are Devils, monstrous entities who feed on humanity's fears. If there's a concept a person can potentially fear, be it something as inherently frightening as zombies or something as mundane as tomatoes, there is a Devil correlating to that notion.
Yet, a Devil's power depends on how inherently fearsome its namesake is, so creatures like Darkness Devil or Famine Devil are considered among the most formidable. Besides pure Devils, there also exist Human-Devil Hybrids, such as the titular Chainsaw Man, and Fiends, or Devils possessing human corpses. While seen as a threat to humanity, Devils aren't mindless monsters and have multifaceted personalities, which leads to some of them working with humans.
9 Public Safety Devil Hunters Protect Humans From Devils
The organization that takes Denji in after he transforms into Chainsaw Man is the Public Safety Devil Hunters — a Japanese government-established force that deals with Devil-related incidents. Prior to joining Public Safety, Denji worked as a private Devil Hunter, executing low-caliber threats with the help of Chainsaw Devil Pochita.
In the Chainsaw Man universe, humans can make contracts with Devils, so most members of Public Safety can use Devil powers through their contracted Devils. Yet, a contract comes with a price. Usually, a human has to sacrifice something of value, be it a body part, their lifespan, one of their senses, or a close person's life, to seal the deal.
8 Chainsaw Man Is Set In 1997
Chainsaw Man is set in an alternative history version of 1997, which looks quite different from the real-world timeline. In this rendition of history, the Soviet Union never collapsed and remained a world superpower. World War II never happened, as well as all other large-scale conflicts after the Great War. It's also implied that the Cold War is still ongoing in this version of history.
Due to a particular Devil-related phenomenon, it's revealed that certain events and concepts can be erased from human collective consciousness, which is why such things as WWII, Nazism, nuclear weapons, and AIDS don't exist in Chainsaw Man's world.
7 Part One Of Chainsaw Man Is Over, But The Manga Is Still Ongoing
On December 14, 2020, the serialization of Chainsaw Man's first part, also known as the Public Safety Saga, concluded. Chainsaw Man follows a peculiar structure; unlike most other shonen stories, which are simply broken down into arcs, it also differentiates between parts, which separate the narrative into individual large-scale plots.
Currently, the second part of Chainsaw Man, dubbed the Academy Saga, is ongoing. The first season of Chainsaw Man anime only covers the first 38 chapters of the manga, with the total number of chapters in the Public Safety Saga being 97.
6 Chainsaw Man Is A Lot Darker Than Most Shonen Plots
When one thinks of a typical Shonen Jump series, the comical, lighthearted, family-friendly plots of Dragon Ball and One Piece come to mind first. Unlike his happy-go-lucky counterparts, Chainsaw Man is gritty, dark, and depressing, its world defined by its bleakness and ruthlessness.
Beyond the surface-level gore, Chainsaw Man covers many sensitive and dour themes, including doomed fates, grief, PTSD, and child abuse, so checking content warnings before delving into the series is advised. Nevertheless, Chainsaw Man doesn't include uncomfortable themes to simply be shocking or edgy. Instead, the series' maturity is sincere, and devastating concepts are used for meaningful plot and character development.
5 Chainsaw Man Draws Inspiration From Multifaceted Sources
Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, is a huge film buff and an enthusiast of various entertainment mediums. He famously wears his inspirations on his sleeve, and his passions are evident in his work. Chainsaw Man's reference-filled opening is an homage to Fujimoto's fascination with cinema.
The concept for Chainsaw Man originates from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a cult-classic American horror film that influenced the manga's gruesome approach to action and overall disturbing feel. In the world of anime, Fujimoto most famously lists FLCL as a reference to his manga. Namely, the enigmatic Devil Hunter Makima was inspired by FLCL's eccentric deuteragonist Haruko Haruhara.
4 One Of Chainsaw Man's Protagonists, Power, Was Inspired By Eric Cartman
Profound cinematic references aren't the only inspirations Tatsuki Fujimoto uses in his work. According to the author himself, one of Chainsaw Man's fan-favorite characters, the foul-mouthed Blood Fiend Power, was based on South Park's infamous menace, Eric Cartman.
Power and Cartman are similar in all but appearances — both are unapologetically selfish, narcissistic, lack human decency, and are utterly unempathetic. Yet, where Cartman's atrocious personality usually evokes hatred, Power is much more likable due to her character's complexity. While she might take some notes from Cartman's book, she is, ultimately, nowhere near as horrible of a person as him.
3 Chainsaw Man Is Weird, And Fans Love It For That
A consensus that most new fans of Chainsaw Man come pretty quickly is that this series is nothing like anything else the anime medium has to offer. Chainsaw Man is bizarre in all the best ways possible, introducing viewers to a world of drastic tonal whiplash, chaotic characters, and utterly unpredictable plot twists.
Yet, those familiar with Tatsuki Fujimoto through his previous works, namely his first serialized manga, Fire Punch, know never to expect anything close to conventional from this eccentric mangaka. Compared to the absolutely wild plot of Fire Punch, Chainsaw Man is mild and predictable, which is why it found so much more success in the mainstream anime community.
2 Chainsaw Man's Anime Is Handled By An All-Star Team
According to both diehard manga fans and new viewers, the Chainsaw Man anime adaptation is nothing short of exceptional, bringing the original series to life through masterful animation, brilliant camera work, and outstanding sound design. Such dedication is the trademark of the team behind the Chainsaw Man anime.
Produced by studio MAPPA, famous for its work on Jujutsu Kaisen, Terror in Resonance, and later seasons of Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man received top-notch treatment. The series' direction was handled by veteran key animator Ryuu Nakayama, and screenwriting was executed by Hiroshi Seko, who previously did Seraph of the End and Mob Psycho 100. With such an impressive creative lineup, it's not surprising that the Chainsaw Man anime turned out to be a modern masterpiece.
1 Major Character Death Is Common In Chainsaw Man
For better or worse, signature shonen plot armor doesn't apply to Chainsaw Man's cast. New fans who tend to get attached to characters quickly need to be warned that Chainsaw Man doesn't shy away from major character death.
In the series' merciless world, death is an ever-present threat, and it takes a substantial portion of Chainsaw Man's character lineup by the end of Part 1. Even the 12-episode anime sees some significant characters permanently perish in truly gruesome ways, and it's only the start of the emotional rollercoaster awaiting new fans in future seasons.
