Chainsaw Man's first season was a huge success, proving that the unhinged mayhem that is Tatsuki Fujimoto's hit shonen manga can capture a wider audience through anime. CSM Season 1 followed the manga source material extremely closely, only adding scenes where it would enhance the action, give the characters greater development, or even foreshadow important events in future arcs. With the anime adapting the manga so faithfully, it makes sense that the next piece of anime media will be a film adaptation of the Reze Arc -- the story arc in the manga that follows exactly where Season 1 left off.
The Reze Arc and its titular character, Reze, are exceedingly popular in the CSM fandom, which makes it the perfect arc to turn into a feature film. However, anime fans didn't get many hints at what the next arc may entail in the series, and it doesn't help that Chainsaw Man is known for being extremely unpredictable. No matter how much anime-only fans prepare themselves, though, the Reze Arc will be full of the kinds of shocking moments CSM fans have come to expect from the series, and plenty of twists and turns that no one could ever have seen coming.
How Season 1 Leads into The Reze Arc
The Post-Credit Scenes After Episode 12 Hinted At The Reze Arc Movie
Season 1 left-off with Denji becoming closer than ever to Aki and Power, and the series' first main villain, Katana Man, being taken into Public Safety's custody. This leads to something of a time of peace for Denji, as he becomes acclimated to his new job and found-family. After the credits roll on the season finale, two brief, anime-only scenes were added that further hint at the events to come in the Reze Arc film, as well as in Season 2 of the anime.
The first post-credit scene features someone walking down a long alleyway in first person view, eventually stopping at a mysterious door. This is the same door that was shown in the very first episode of CSM, which holds a particular significance all its own. When the person reaches the door, it's revealed to be a young Denji, who is stopped by Pochita and tells Denji "Stop. Don't open that door. No matter what." just as he reaches for the doorknob. It's an ominous and chilling scene, though the mystery of the door will have to remain a mystery for anime fans for the time being.
The second post-credit scene in the CSM anime is most important in hinting at the Reze Arc. The scene consists of a young woman walking down an alleyway, with only flashes of her visible. While anime viewers will have never seen her before, manga fans immediately recognized her as Reze. Reze's stroll down the street is accompanied by a female voice that says, "Tell me Denji. If you had to choose between the country mouse and the city mouse, which would you rather be?" This is an iconic phrase from the manga that holds a lot of meaning, particularly in the next immediate arc. That being the case, it was an addition that manga fans were excited to hear. Combined with the shot of Reze walking through an alleyway, the scene was an immediate confirmation that a second season of the anime was inevitable.
In hindsight, fans now know that this particular set of Easter eggs wasn't actually hinting at a second season of CSM at all, but rather the Reze Arc film. Notably, the voice that says this phrase is not a voice that fans will have heard at all so far in Season 1. Instead, it's likely to belong to Reze herself, as a subtle hint at this brand-new character who will have a major presence in the Reze Arc to come. The details behind the phrase that Reze speaks, as well as the destination she's walking to, will become much clearer upon the release of the Reze Arc movie.
Who are the Main Characters in the Reze Arc?
Denji, Power and Aki Make Their Returns, Accompanied by a Rich Cast of Lesser Known Characters From Season 1
As was hinted at in the post-credit scene, the Reze arc introduces some interesting new characters, not least of which being Reze herself. Aside from the titular heroine, there are a few other new characters in the Reze Arc that have stuck with fans even five years after the arc first began being published in Shonen Jump in 2019. Beyond the new characters who fans haven't even met yet, there are a number of returning characters fans of Season 1 will be excited to see take center stage.
The usual suspects like Denji, Aki, Power and Makima play important parts in the Reze Arc, but there are also characters who made a lesser impact on Season 1 who will rise to prominence in the Reze Arc as well. In particular, the Public Safety Hunters of Special Division 4 play a much bigger part than they did previously, aside from making their introduction at the tail end of Season 1. Beam, the Violence Fiend and Angel are standouts of the arc, and Kobeni will continue to offer plenty of comedic relief as well. Ultimately, Reze will end up the star of the show, and likely a new fan-favorite character among anime fans when all is said and done.
Why is Reze so Popular?
Reze Has Ranked Near the Top in Every Chainsaw Man Character Popularity Poll
Any Chainsaw Man fan who spends even a moment on social media pages related to the series is bound to run into the name "Reze" at some point. Reze has become something of a meme in the CSM fandom, to the point that fans insist on talking about her with the release of every new manga chapter -- regardless of whether she's actually involved or not. Due to her character design, personality and relationship with Denji, Reze made a strong impression on CSM manga readers that has never gone away.
In the first two popularity polls held of the Chainsaw Man manga, Reze was voted the fourth and fifth most popular character in the series, only coming after characters like Makima, Aki and Power, and being ranked above even Denji himself. On popular anime ranking site, MyAnimeList, Reze remains the fifth most popular character in the entire series for fans. This places her above other beloved main characters in the series like Himeno, Pochita, and Kobeni, and puts her only behind Season 1's main cast of Denji, Makima, Power and Aki. This unprecedented popularity for a character who wasn't even shown in the first season of the anime may be surprising for anime-only fans, but it certainly isn't unwarranted from readers of the manga.
Reze is an enigmatic figure whose look and personality is just as entrancing to fans as it was to Denji himself, making her an unforgettable presence in the early part of the series. Reze's relationship to Denji is also of particular importance, and shapes who he becomes forever. A character who is so important to Denji is bound to be important to CSM fans, which at least partly explains why Reze has left such a lasting impression on the fandom. As popular as Reze already is, her popularity is likely to only increase tenfold when the Reze Arc movie is finally released.
When is the Reze Arc Film Set to Release?
The Reze Arc Movie Still Doesn't Have a Confirmed Release Date
There is no release date for the Reze Arc film yet, but many fans expect it to be released sometime near the end of 2024 or early 2025. It's likely that the existence of another film being adapted from one of Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, Look Back, has prevented any concrete release date from being announced for the Chainsaw Man movie. Given the release of the Reze Arc film's first trailer on December 17, 2023, fans can rest assured that the film is very likely to be in the latter stages of development already.
The film will be produced by MAPPA, and the VA cast of the original anime is expected to return. For the part of Reze, Reina Ueda will be the Japanese VA, while Alexis Tipton will take on the role in English. The visual style of the trailer was very different from that of the anime, leading fans to expect that the art direction would take a dramatic turn from the one used in Season 1. Being that it was still only an announcement trailer, it’s entirely possible that the scenes shown could have just been early concepts. If the trailer is any indication, though, the Reze Arc's art style may follow far more closely with Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original art from the manga. Considering how beloved Fujimoto's art is, that would certainly be a welcome change for manga readers, which would keep the film even closer to the source material than Season 1 already was.
The Reze Arc is Short but Explosive
The Reze Arc is the Perfect Storyline to Adapt Into Chainsaw Man's First Feature-Length Film
The Reze Arc is a fan-favorite story arc from the manga, so the upcoming film adaptation is unsurprisingly highly anticipated by the fandom. Like a bomb with a short fuse, the Reze arc happens very quickly, but it leaves an impact on Denji that he, and fans, will never fully heal from. The Reze arc's story follows Denji as he meets a cute girl named Reze, who seems to take a liking to him. Even though he wants to stay faithful to Makima, Denji can't help but be fascinated by Reze -- but giving her his heart comes with way more baggage than he bargained for.
The Reze Arc covers chapters 39 to 52 of the Chainsaw Man manga, making it relatively short in comparison to other major arcs in the series. Even though it all happens relatively quickly, the Reze Arc is full of humorous moments, surprising plot twists and action-packed scenes that make every panel of every page count. Additionally, its story is very self-contained, making the Reze arc the perfect story to turn into a film. While having an understanding of the general premise and characters of Chainsaw Man will of course help in enjoying the movie, the story is concise and to the point, potentially allowing fans who have never seen or read Chainsaw Man to enjoy the film.
