Yahoo Movies Crunchyroll announces Chainsaw Man anime: Here's what to know about the series
The Chainsaw Man anime is finally on the way! Crunchyroll announced Monday that it has acquired the streaming rights to the highly-anticipated series based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Ryū Nakayama (The Rising of the Shield Hero) is set to direct.
"With dark humor, dynamic characters and a sharp story, Chainsaw Man is one of the most anticipated new series this year," Crunchyroll content chief Asa Suehira said in a statement. "Anime fans will be up all night thinking about the spectacular visuals and high-octane action."
If you haven't read the manga yet, here's what you need to know about Chainsaw Man: It takes place in a world haunted by devils, each of whom embodies a particular nightmarish concept. So the Zombie Devil, for instance, turns people into its mindless zombie minions, while the Bat Devil devours humans for their blood like an oversized vampire bat.
The story's hero is a bit of a devil himself, and he manages to pull off the impressive task of being both badass and relatable. When we are introduced to Denji at the beginning of Chainsaw Man, he is a young man hopelessly awash in debt. Constantly forced into freelance work, barely able to afford basic life necessities like rent and food, Denji's only comfort in life is his adorable dog Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil. When Denji's life hits its lowest point (betrayed, murdered, and dismembered) Pochita comes to the rescue, fusing with Denji to create the new gestalt being known as Chainsaw Man: Part devil, part human, capable of emitting chainsaws from just about every part of his body and wrecking monsters.
Tatsuki Fujimoto Denji snuggles with his dog devil Pochita in 'Chainsaw Man.'
Tatsuki Fujimoto The Fox Devil rampages in 'Chainsaw Man.'
Tatsuki Fujimoto Denji has a strange relationship with his female superior, Makima, in 'Chainsaw Man.'
Every new devil design in Chainsaw Man is grosser and more interesting than the last, and they collide with Denji and his fellow Devil Hunters in incredibly kinetic, exciting battle scenes. But there's also a refreshing level of humor and vulgarity throughout, especially in comparison to other massive Shonen Jump franchises. Unlike One Piece's Luffy or Naruto's eponymous hero, Denji's dream isn't to become king of the world or even leader of his community. He just wants to touch some boobs and, to say it more eloquently, be treated as an actual human being instead of a freak or a debt peon.
All 11 volumes of Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man are available now both physically and digitally if you want to read up before the anime lands on Crunchyroll later this year in both subtitled and dubbed versions.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
