‘Chainsaw Man’: Everything You Need to Know About MAPPA’s Next Big Anime

Japanese animation studio MAPPA (Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association) is widely known for its current streak of critically acclaimed productions, such as Attack on Titan Final Season, takt op.Destiny, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Chainsaw Man, the next highly anticipated adaptation from the prestigious studio, comes from creator Tatsuki Fujimoto (Fire Punch; Look Back; Goodbye, Eri) and is set to debut on Crunchyroll on October 11. The series has had its premiere worldwide at Toho Cinema in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, and the English dub is expected to debut at New York Comic-Con on October 7.

If you’re excited about the show but have no idea what a “Chainsaw Man” is or even does in the series context, you’re in luck! Before the show debuts and the FOMO sets in, we’ll deliver a plot synopsis, character introductions, info on the English and Japanese cast, and any other relevant credits fans may need to know (and as spoiler-free as possible).

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What is Chainsaw Man About?

Chainsaw Man is a horror action series based on the award-winning manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump.

The story follows a teenage boy named Denji, living with a Chainsaw Devil dog named Pochita. Denji reaps the sins of his father as he’s forced to repay his debts by harvesting devil corpses with Pochita. Just when Denji thinks his impoverished life couldn’t get any worse, he gets betrayed and killed. As he begins to drift away from this mortal coil, Denji makes a contract with his Chainsaw Devil and gets revived as “Chainsaw Man,” also described as a man with a devil’s heart. Being a human that’s able to become a Devil makes him special; thus, he’s approached by the government to become a Devil Hunter.

The trailer below suggests that 13 years ago, America suffered a terrorist attack involving guns, where a Gun Devil appeared. And without spoiling anything, this is a big deal regarding the story’s setting.

Chainsaw Man is set in a world where Devils originate from the fears of humans. Usually considered to be highly dangerous, Devils originate in Hell, and people can accept contracts from them to gain their power. Devil Hunters also exist to employ or execute Devils. However, stronger Devils reside in Hell, all of which have never died and are overseen by a stronger Hell Devil.

Other important Devil lore includes certain conditions (which our protagonist Denji happens to fulfill) that allow Devils to inhabit dead human bodies and gain some of their personality and memories, thus becoming a creature referred to as a Fiend.

Who Are The Cast & Characters?

Tatsuki Fujimoto/Shueisha, Mappa

Denji– (Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya in Japanese & Ryan Colt Levy in English), a young man living a rock-bottom life paying off his father’s debt, is betrayed and killed before being revived by his Devil companion Pochita as “Chainsaw Man.” He is then enlisted by the government’s Public Safety Division of Devil Hunters to hunt and employ other Devils.

Makima– (Voiced by: Tomori Kusunoki in Japanese & Suzie Yeung in English) serves as the leader of Pubic Saftey Division 4, who recruits Denji into their ranks. She’s mysterious, and not much is known about her initially.

Aki– (Voiced by Shogo Sakata in Japanese & Reagan Murdock in English) is a Public Safety Division 4 member who is more reserved in public and honest in private.

Power– (Voiced by Fairouz Ai in Japanese & Sarah Wiedenheft in English) appears as a young woman with long hair that grows red horns on her head when her power is activated. As the trailer shows, she has an innate bloodlust when the action gets going.

Other characters, such as Himeno, Kobeni Higashiyama, Hirokazu Arai, and Kishibe, are featured for the first time in the latest trailer. However, we’ll only focus on the core four Devil Hunters from the Public Safety Division for spoiler purposes. 

MAPPA also announced the new Japanese voice actors that will join the aforementioned cast of characters, which include Mariya Ise (Reg in Made in Abyss) as Himeno, Karin Takahashi (Suika in Dr. STONE)as Kobeni Higashiyama, Taku Yashiro (Tanuma Tsubasa in Kaguya-sama: Love is War) as Hirokazu Arai, and Kenjiro Tsuda (Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen) as Kishibe.

Tatsuki Fujimoto/Shueisha, Mappa

What Other Talents Are Involved in the Anime?

Additional Chainsaw Man credits include screenplay by Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan Final Season; Mob Psycho 100; Banana Fish), character design by Kazutaka Sugiyama (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation), devil design by Kiyotaka Oshiyama (The Wind Rises; The Secret World of Arrietty; Space Dandy), art direction by Yusuke Takeda (Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-; Sword Art Online; Penguin Highway), with music composed by Kensuke Ushio (The Heike Story; Devilman: Crybaby; Space Dandy). 

When & Where Can I Watch Chainsaw Man?

According to Crunchyroll, Chainsaw Man will begin streaming on its platform on October 11 subbed. The English dub of Chainsaw Man will premiere at New York Comic Con on Friday, October 7. However, the English SimulDub will not appear on Crunchyroll until a later date. Additional dubs will include Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, and German, with casts to be announced later.