Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Its first arc was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020; its second arc began serialization in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website in July 2022. Its chapters have been collected in 17 volumes as of April 2024.

Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, an impoverished teenager who makes a contract that fuses his body with that of a dog-like Devil named Pochita, granting him the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws. Denji eventually joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters, a government agency focused on fighting against Devils whenever they become a threat to Japan. The second arc of the story focuses on Asa Mitaka, a high school student who enters into a contract with Yoru, the War Devil, who forces her to hunt down Chainsaw Man in order to reclaim what he had stolen from her.

In North America, the manga is licensed in English by Viz Media, for both print and digital release, and it is also published by Shueisha on the Manga Plus online platform. An anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA was broadcast from October to December 2022. An anime film, titled Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, has been announced.

By May 2024, the manga had over 27 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2021, it won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the category and won the Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category from 2021 to 2023. Chainsaw Man has been overall well received by critics, who have commended its storytelling, characters, dark humor, and have particularly highlighted its violent scenes within the context of the story.

Setting
The story is set in a world where are born from human fears. However, individuals called specialize in hunting and employing them. The events take place in 1997, in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union still exists, and many events such as the Holocaust, AIDS and nuclear weapons have been erased from history due to the consumption of their respective Devils by the Chainsaw Devil, with only four powerful Devils known as the Horsemen (Control, War, Famine, and Death) remembering the events. Humans can make contracts with Devils via a sacrifice, allowing them to use the Devil's power. Devils can also become Fiends by possessing a human's dead body. When a Devil is killed on Earth, it reappears in Hell, and if it is killed in Hell, it reincarnates in a new body on Earth.

Part 1 – Public Safety Arc
Denji is a teenager trapped in poverty, working off his deceased father's debt to the yakuza by working as a Devil Hunter, aided by Pochita, his canine companion and Chainsaw Devil. Denji is betrayed by the yakuza, who kill him for a contract with the Zombie Devil. Pochita makes a contract with Denji, merging with him as a Devil-human hybrid, under the condition that Denji live out his modest dreams of living a basic life such as having bread with jam, or falling in love with a woman and being intimate with one. By pulling on a cord in his chest, Denji then becomes Chainsaw Man and massacres the yakuza.

In the aftermath, Denji joins a team of governmental Devil Hunters, the Public Safety Division, led by Makima, who assigns him to kill the Gun Devil. After being paired with a more experienced Devil Hunter named Aki Hayakawa, Denji begins training with his partner, Power the Blood Fiend, under the veteran Devil Hunter Kishibe. Together, they fight several enemies who seek Denji's power, including the yakuza, other Devils, and assassins sent by various countries.

Makima is later revealed to be the Control Devil, who is ultimately seeking to control Pochita, as he has the power to erase evil concepts from the world by consuming their Devils. The Gun Devil—whose body had secretly been divided among several countries as a superweapon—is sent by the United States to kill Makima, but she defeats it, forcing it to enter Aki's body as the Gun Fiend, whom Denji kills in self-defense. Makima later kills Power in front of Denji, rendering him catatonic and forcing Pochita to take over his body.

Kishibe organizes a raid to rescue Denji alongside cowardly Public Safety operative Kobeni Higashiyama. With their help and the last of Power's blood, Denji kills Makima. Some time later, Kishibe places the reborn Control Devil—a little girl named Nayuta—in Denji's care. In a dream, Pochita thanks Denji for showing him his dreams, and encourages him to live his life to the fullest. Denji begins attending high school while also fighting Devils as a vigilante.

Part 2 – School Arc
Asa Mitaka is an introverted high school student attending Fourth East High School, who has trouble finding her place in society following her mother's death to the Typhoon Devil. One day, after accidentally killing her class's pet Chicken Devil Bucky, she is confronted by the Class President who has made a contract with the Justice Devil. She attempts to kill Asa, but Yoru, the War Devil appears in the form of a bird and makes a contract with Asa, inhabiting her body and making her a living Fiend host, under the condition that she kill Chainsaw Man. After her quick vengeance, Asa seeks to find Chainsaw Man, though she and Yoru have differing goals: Asa wants Yoru to leave her body, while Yoru wants to reclaim the Nuclear Weapons Devil that was consumed by Pochita.

Meanwhile, Denji has adapted to his new life as a normal high school student, also attending Fourth East, while trying to raise Nayuta and use his newfound fame as Chainsaw Man to attract women. However, Hirofumi Yoshida, a classmate and Devil Hunter himself, keeps blocking Denji's attempts to reveal his alter-ego while keeping tabs on him for the government. Trying to prove a point, Yoshida introduces Asa to Denji, who outright admits to being Chainsaw Man, but Asa does not believe him. Even so, Yoru pushes Asa to become Denji's girlfriend, as Yoru thinks she can use him to create a weapon capable of killing Chainsaw Man. Meanwhile, a mysterious impostor Chainsaw Man stalks the streets, killing Asa's friend Yuko.

After surviving a trap set for them by the Famine Devil, Fami, at an aquarium, Yoru tries to transform Denji into a weapon through Asa's body, but fails. As Asa feels rejected by different boys she trusted, the Falling Devil appears, trying to cook her into a meal. Denji, as Chainsaw Man, along with the impostor, appears and helps her escape, with Fami and Nayuta manipulating events in the background. Asa becomes attracted to Chainsaw Man after realizing he has saved her life multiple times. Fami wants Yoru to survive for the sake of changing the Prophecy of Nostradamus and protecting humanity from the appearance of Death Devil, but Nayuta is more concerned with childish things like wanting to attend school and eat snacks. During the aftermath of Falling Devil's attack, Denji, Nayuta and their dogs are captured by Yoshida's organization, as the supporters of Chainsaw Man form the Chainsaw Man Society for World Peace led by Haruka Iseumi of the Devil Hunter Club. Yoshida threatens to kill Nayuta if Denji ever transforms into Chainsaw Man again, since the conflict between the supporters and critics of Chainsaw Man is escalating.

A conflicted Denji chooses to protect the normal life he has and decides to quit being Chainsaw Man. The Chainsaw Man Society for World Peace, who are revealed to be working for Fami, reveals a mysterious character as the Chainsaw Man, much to the dismay of Denji. Fami reveals that Yoru's goal of killing Chainsaw Man and Asa's desire to save him are both achievable, as there are two entities known as Chainsaw Man- the "red" one that is Denji and the object of Asa's affections, and the former form of Pochita, the "black" one, that has consumed the Nuclear Weapons Devil and is the object of Yoru's revenge. Meanwhile, Denji encounters Miri Sugo, the Longsword hybrid who had previously fought Denji while Pochita was controlling his body. Miri attempts to convince Denji to join the Chainsaw Man Church, but fails. Later, when the Church attempts an attack on the public, they are intercepted by Quanxi and Katana Man, the Bow and Katana hybrids whom Denji had also previously fought. However, Barem Bridge, the Flamethrower hybrid and another member of the Church, reveals that the members of the Chainsaw Man Church had been mass-contracted with the Fire Devil, allowing them to become devils in the likeness of Chainsaw Man; this would cause a war that would greatly increase public fear of both Chainsaw Man and Yoru, strengthening them enough to fight the Death Devil. Quanxi saves Denji, Nayuta, and fellow student Fumiko Mifune from the Church, taking them to Public Safety Officials who states that the devils can be killed via cremation. Asa and Yoru, meanwhile, are confronted by Yoshida who is leading a raid to kill the War Devil. Yoshida cuts off one of Asa's arms, but hesitates in killing her, allowing for Asa and Yoru to escape. At the same time, Asa and Yoru learn that due to the increasing fear of wars, their power has now increased and they can now make weapons without coming in physical contact with the object. Meanwhile, Denji attempts to return to his normal life, but Barem, who had escaped Public Safety, destroys his apartment, incinerating Nayuta's pet dogs and Power's cat in the process. Shattered, Denji transforms into Chainsaw Man, and attacks Barem and Miri. Nayuta apparently sacrifices herself to save Denji, who is taken by Yoshida and Fumiko.

With no use left for Denji, Public Safety imprisons him at the Tokyo Devil Detention center, and uses his body for amputations. A week later, Asa, Yoru, and Fami arrive at the Devil Detention Center to fight Chainsaw Man. After Asa destroys the entrance by buying the turrets owned by the center itself, they are met by Haruka, Seigi Akoku and Nobana Higashiyama, the Church's followers, who are now being treated as international terrorists. After Haruka, Seigi, and Nobana join the group, they are confronted by Katana Man and the Nail Fiend, who are ready to fight. However, Asa calls a truce and invites Katana Man to fight Chainsaw Man. The Nail Fiend also joins them. However, upon saving Denji, they are confronted by Quanxi, who easily overpowers the group but spares Asa's life. Back at Fami's hideout, Denji regains consciousness; however, Katana Man and Yoru attack him, ordering him to transform into Chainsaw Man and fight them off.

Denji agrees to join the group, on the condition that the group shall first attempt to find Nayuta, who has gone missing. On reaching the site, they find nothing but rubbles. The group then tries to lift Denji's mood by comforting him. Yoru unexpectedly kisses Denji and gives him a handjob. Both Denji and Asa are visibly unnerved by this. At a restaurant, the group encounters Barem, who Denji tries to kill but stops when Barem tells him that he knows where Nayuta is. However, Barem ends up showing Denji what appears to be Nayuta's severed head, horrifying everyone. Now sufficiently broken, Pochita emerges from within Denji, allowing him to rip Barem's head off, and transforms into the Black Chainsaw Man.

Production
Despite the series' violence and dark humor, Tatsuki Fujimoto always wanted to serialize in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but he had the feeling that his work would be "buried" if he had made a "Jump-like manga", so he tried to retain much of his individuality as a creator while making only the structure and characters Jump-like. Fujimoto also said that, despite its success in the magazine, he wanted to write the second part of the series on Shōnen Jump+, because he wanted to do a completely different series from the first part. According to him, there is not much of a difference in working between Weekly Shōnen Jump and Shōnen Jump+, explaining that there were a few depictions that got stopped during the rough draft stage, but he was allowed to do anything he wanted regarding the logic of the story.

Fujimoto said that he took inspiration from various works. During the serialization of Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto said that he was too busy, but he watched as many new things as he could and borrowed various elements from what he saw. On Twitter, he stated that he was a fan of the 2016 film trilogy Kizumonogatari, and that the trilogy's final battle, shown in Part 3: Reiketsu, inspired the final battle of the first part of Chainsaw Man. He also described the series as a "wicked FLCL" and a "pop Abara." Fujimoto had various elements from the series planned from the beginning, while other things were added as it progressed. He did not have specific plans to bring payoff to the meaningful-sounding words and things that felt "off", adding that he left various things vague to make the series' second part easier to do.

Regarding the anime adaptation of the series, Fujimoto stated that he talked to the people handling it and he was comfortable leaving things to them. When the anime series was officially announced, Fujimoto commented: "Chainsaw Man is like a copycat of Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen, and the studio of Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen will produce its anime!? I have nothing to say! Please do it!" According to the manga's editor, Shihei Lin, Fujimoto is heavily involved in the production of the anime series, stating: "Fujimoto-san has seen all the Chainsaw Man's pitch documents, story structure, scripts, and even the storyboards. He has continued to be in close contact with MAPPA's anime team." MAPPA producer, Makoto Kimura, also commented that Fujimoto involvement extended to the casting, planning, and music, because the staff wanted the anime to capture as much of the manga's original vision as possible, including the violence and gore. MAPPA approached Shueisha with the pitch for the project.

Manga
Chainsaw Man is written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series' first part, "Public Safety arc" (公安編), ran in Shueisha's manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 3, 2018,  to December 14, 2020;  following the series' conclusion in Weekly Shōnen Jump, a second part was announced to start on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ online magazine. On December 19, 2020, it was announced that the second part, "School arc" (学校編), would feature Denji going to school. The second part began serialization on July 13, 2022. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on March 4, 2019. As of April 4, 2024, 17 volumes have been released.

In North America, Viz Media published the series' first two chapters on their Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine for its "Jump Start" initiative. The series was then published on the Shonen Jump digital platform after the cancellation of Weekly Shonen Jump. Shueisha also simulpublished the series in English on the app and website Manga Plus starting in January 2019. In February 2020, Viz Media announced the digital and print release of the manga. Viz Media posted an official trailer for the manga, featuring a high-octane opera vocals as its soundtrack. The first volume was released on October 6, 2020. As of May 7, 2024, 15 volumes have been released.

The manga is also licensed in France by Kazé; in Italy, Mexico and Brazil by Panini;  in Spain by Norma Editorial; in Thailand by Siam Inter Comics; in Poland by Waneko; in Germany by Egmont Manga; in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea; in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing; in South Korea by Haksan Publishing; in Russia by Azbooka-Atticus; in Indonesia by M&C!; in Vietnam by Tre Publishing House; in Turkey by Gerekli Şeyler; in Portugal by Editora Devir; and in the Czech Republic by Crew.

Anime
On December 14, 2020, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA. It had a stage presentation at the Jump Festa '21, as part of the Jump Studio series of stage presentations that were held online on December 19–20, 2020. The first trailer for the anime series was shown at the "MAPPA Stage 2021 – 10th Anniversary" event, held on June 27, 2021. The anime is directed by Ryū Nakayama (director) and Makoto Nakazono (chief episode director), with scripts by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama, and devil designs by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. Tatsuya Yoshihara is serving as action director and Yūsuke Takeda is directing the art. Naomi Nakano is the color key artist and Yohei Miyahara is designing the screens. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo and other networks from October 12 to December 28, 2022.

Crunchyroll has licensed the series outside of Asia, and began streaming an English dub on October 25, 2022. The series was released on home video in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2023. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.

Film
On December 17, 2023, at the Jump Festa '24 event, an anime film entitled Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc was announced.

Music
The music of the series is composed by Kensuke Ushio. The first soundtrack EP (for episodes 1–3), was released on October 26, 2022; the second EP (for episodes 4–7) was released on November 23; and the third EP (for episodes 8–12) was released on December 28. The original soundtrack album, Chainsaw Man Original Sound track Complete Edition - chainsaw edge fragments -, was released on January 23, 2023. The opening theme song is "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu, while each episode features a different ending theme song.

Novel
A novel, titled Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories (チェンソーマン　バディ・ストーリーズ), written by Sakaku Hishikawa, with illustrations by Tatsuki Fujimoto, was published on November 4, 2021. It tells three stories focused on a theme of "buddies" about Power and Denji, Kishibe and Quanxi during their partner era, and Himeno and Aki around the time they first met.

Viz Media licensed the novel and released it on July 25, 2023.

Stage play
On December 29, 2022, it was announced that the series would receive a stage play adaptation, directed and written by Fumiya Matsuzaki, music composed by Shunsuke Wada and choreographed by Hidali. Titled Chainsaw Man The Stage, it ran in Tokyo from September 16 to October 1 at The Galaxy Theatre, and in Kyoto from October 6–9, 2023, at the Kyoto Theater. The cast includes Naotake Tsuchiya as Denji, Mizuki Umetsu as Aki Hayakawa, Mahiru Coda as Power, Minami Tsukui as Himeno, Haruki Iwata as Kobeni Higashiyama, and Aya Hirano as Makima.

Other media
An exhibition, "Chainsaw Man Manga Exhibition", ran at the Space Hachikai gallery area of Tower Records, Shibuya, from June 12 to July 4, 2021.

Good Smile Company launched Nendoroid figures based on characters from the series in October 2021, including Denji, Pochita and Power. Denji made a cameo in the superhero manga series My Hero Academia in chapter 259, as part of the hero raid in the Paranormal War Liberation arc.

A browser game commemorating the release of the manga's fifteenth volume was released for free on August 4, 2023. In Q4 2024, Universal Studios Japan is set to host an attraction based on Chainsaw Man.

Popularity
Chainsaw Man ranked fourth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2020 for male readers, and topped the 2021 list. On Freestyle magazine's The Best Manga 2020 Kono Manga wo Yome! list, the series ranked twelfth, and sixteenth along with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, on the 2021 list. It ranked second, behind Spy × Family, on "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020" by the Honya Club online bookstore. In 2020, Chainsaw Man ranked tenth in the "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll conducted by AnimeJapan. The series ranked 45th on the 2020 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 43rd on the 2021 list. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Chainsaw Man ranked 58th. The series placed twelfth on the annual Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.

Sales
By August 2020, the manga had over 3 million copies in circulation; it had over 4.2 million copies in circulation by October 2020; over 5 million copies in circulation by December 2020; over 6.4 million copies in circulation by January 2021; over 9.3 million copies in circulation by March 2021; over 11 million copies in circulation by June 2021; over 12 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 13 million copies in circulation by June 2022; over 15 million copies in circulation by August 2022; over 16 million copies in circulation by September 2022; over 18 million copies in circulation by October 2022; over 20 million copies in circulation by November 2022; over 23 million copies in circulation by January 2023; over 24 million copies in circulation by May 2023; over 26 million copies in circulation by August 2023; and over 27 million copies in circulation by May 2024.

Chainsaw Man was the fifth best-selling manga series in the first half of 2021 (period between November 2020 and May 2021), with over 4 million copies sold. In 2021, it was the seventh best-selling manga with over 5 million copies sold. It was the second best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023 (period between November 2022 and May 2023), with over 4.4 million copies sold, while volumes 12–14 were among the best-selling manga volumes from the same period. Volumes 13 and 14 were among the best-selling manga volumes of 2023. Volume 14 was Shueisha's sixth highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 800,000 copies printed.

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 * July 2024: According to ICv2, Chainsaw Man was the tenth best-selling manga franchise for Q4 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the third "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. According to NPD BookScan, the first three volumes of Chainsaw Man were ranked among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2021; it was the best-selling manga series in 2022, with eight volumes featured on the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes; four volumes were among the top 20 highest-selling manga volumes in 2023. The first volume sold 18,000 copies in the United States in 2020, and the eight volumes collectively sold 623,000 copies in 2021.

Critical reception
Chainsaw Man has been overall well received by critics. James Beckett of Anime News Network ranked the first volume as a B+. Beckett commented: "[Chainsaw Man is] goofy, kinky, dark, and bizarre, which is already the kind of tonal mishmash I'm generally down for in my art," praising as well its compelling world-building and character development, adding that the volume "earns plenty of goodwill by committing to its surprisingly earnest and charming brand of ferocious bloodletting." Nicholas Dupree from the same website commented: "[i]t's a bizarre, unpredictable, and undeniably unique thrill ride, and love it or hate it, there's nothing else quite like it." Hannah Collins of Comic Book Resources gave the series a positive review, stating: "Chainsaw Man bears all the hallmarks of a standard supernatural action series, but its quieter moments are where its dark heart beats fastest." Polygon's Julia Lee gave the series a positive review, commenting: "Chainsaw Man is considered one of Shonen Jumps best new series, and for good reason. The graphic rip-and-tear fights, paired with a unique and funny story about devils makes for one great manga." Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart gave the first volume a 9/10. McNeil stated: "I did not think I was going to enjoy this manga. I'm glad I was wrong!" She noted that the series has similar elements from Army of Darkness, Devilman, Dorohedoro and inspiration from various devil-hunting series, recommending it to fans of those works.

Anna Neatrour of Manga Report gave a positive review to the first volume, calling its monster fighting, "buckets of gore", and humor "plenty amusing," and calling Denji an "incredibly damaged but potentially powerful hero." Reviewing the first volume, Danica Davidson of Otaku USA called the series "a little creepy" and "downright bizarre," adding however, that it is "a bloody, action-packed with some heart showing through the weirdness, and it's been very successful in Japan." Following her "read-a-thoning" of the series, Katherine Dacey of The Manga Critic commented that she finished it with a "grudging respect for Fujimoto's excessive, ridiculous creation, which entertained and repelled me in equal measure. Your mileage will vary." Ian Wolf of Anime UK News gave the first volume a 6/10. Wolf wrote that the main feature of the series is the action sequences, but criticized the lack of depth in writing, concluding: "Chainsaw Man has some things going for it and hopefully may well build up from a promising start."

Fujimoto's art style has also been commended. Collins praised Fujimoto's penmanship, stating that the "thickly-sketched lines on individual characters and still moments convey the rough edges of [its] world." Dupree lauded the series' art style, stating: "as the Devil enemies of the story grow more powerful, his imagination for bizarre, abstract, and genuinely unsettling visual storytelling reaches heights I've never seen in a Jump series before." Beckett called the character designs and general linework "a bit generic at first glance," but that when "the carnage comes flooding in," the series "has a clarity of style and consistency of vision that can be wondrous to behold." McNeil said that the character designs, other than Pochita and Chainsaw Man, are "not memorable," but that the art "really shines for the creepy Devils, the action, and especially the gore." Regarding the devils' designs, Dacey wrote that some are "uninspired" and that the most memorable ones are "clearly designed to elicit an appreciative 'ewww. Wolf stated that the art of the series "feels better than its writing," adding that visually, the action and fighting make the manga appealing.

Themes
Various reviewers have commented on the use of violence and gory scenes within the context of the story. Dupree wrote that the "irreverent tone and deliciously gory violence" are elements that make the series "really stand out from the get-go." Collins wrote that the gory scenes, instead of being gratuitous, make the story feel "refreshingly unfiltered." McNeil commented that the series is "wonderfully absurd. It's funny, gorey [sic], and violent, but also has an interesting bit of humanity at its core." Davinson called it "casually gruesome and violent," but that it fits with its theme. Lee wrote: "Chainsaw Man is gory. Extremely gory," adding that these scenes make the series different from other series, calling them "pretty gross," but "fitting for a dark manga about slashing devils down with a chainsaw." Dacey called the series a "blood-and-testosterone-soaked battle manga," commenting that its main appeal is the "outrageous displays of gore and violence," adding as well that Fujimoto "does his utmost to push the boundaries of good taste." Beckett wrote that the "delightfully ridiculous and bloody" premise runs with it in "all sorts of fascinating directions," adding however, that its reveling in crude humor and violence could be off-putting to some readers.

Regarding the characters, Adi Tantimedh of Bleeding Cool called them "sad, broken people who live outside the norms of society and haven't learned basic social skills," adding as well that the series' subtext is about "people getting abused, degraded, dehumanized, objectified, literally becoming objects." He concluded: "Society is to blame for degrading people into tools and objects; these mangas [sic] seem to be saying, though they never outright blame Capitalism or the alienating repressiveness of Japanese society. The result is one of the more unique manga out there." Collins commented that the series has a premise "loosely" comparable to Jujutsu Kaisen, adding, however, that Denji might fit the mold of a protagonist on paper, but that the mold is "only there to be broken," comparing his "life on the fringes of society" to a "Dickensian parable about the plight of the working class." Dacey called Denji "a more honest hero than the typical Jump lead; he thinks and acts like a real teenage boy, right down to his self-absorption and total objectification of women," adding that she could not say she "ever warmed to Denji as a lead character." Lee commented that the series has an "interestingly goofy contrast between the characters and what's going on," adding that Denji's simple mind and "kind-of-horny instincts" can get tiring at times, but it does not make the series bad, and with the introduction of the "extremely interesting side characters," like Power and Makima, the story "takes a turn for the better."

Its way of handling comedy has also been commented. Tantimedh stated that the series has a "unique sense of deadpan comic timing" that "makes the series unique," adding as well that the series distinguishes itself for its slapstick comedy and that a "deadly earnest" tone might have made the series unreadable. Beckett said that when he read the premise, he took the series at face value as a "goofy nonsense comic, a parody of manga that primarily exists to push out page-after-page of gross-out gags and gory action," also calling it "a mishmash of raunchy teen sex comedies, Hellboy, and The Evil Dead." Dupree stated that the "crass, crude, and purposefully lowbrow" humor is one of its defining characteristics, adding that there are multiple jokes where it feels like half the punchline is that the series, "in all its gleefully nihilistic indulgence," was published in the same magazine as other "bleedingly sincere and family-friendly" titles like One Piece or My Hero Academia. Neatrour said: "[t]here's a level of off-kilter humor in Chainsaw Man that I find endearing," and that it also has "plenty of juvenile humor." Davinson commented that the humor of the series mainly revolves around Denji trying to get a girlfriend. Wolf wrote that "the ridiculousness of the story helps to add comedy to the whole thing," although, he called the humor "rather base at best."

Reviewers have also commented the emotional aspects of the series. Dacey discussed its unexpected moments of "genuine pathos," talking about the interactions between Denji and Pochita, noting as well parallels to Denji's relationship with Makima. Davidson also stated that the emotional part of the story is about the love between Denji and Pochita. Dupree wrote that the series' "bombastic, borderline nihilistic maelstrom of gore and dick jokes" is in part a reaction to the "absurd and illogical world it takes place in," adding that the series has a "proudly beating heart. Perhaps a cynical heart, but one that nonetheless sympathizes with the struggle to find meaning or solace in a cruel and unpredictable world." Reviewing the series' 97th and last chapter published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Reiichi Narima of Real Sound commented that Denji's growth through loss is a storytelling more related to seinen manga than manga, adding that he was "deeply moved" by the inclusion of this kind of stories in the magazine, ultimately calling it a masterpiece and concluding: "at the core of bloody violence, there was a boy's sad love story."

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Chainsaw Man holds an approval rating of 97% based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Distinguished by its rip-roaring animation and serrated sense of humor, Chainsaw Man is an action anime with teeth." Mónica Marie Zorrilla of Inverse described Chainsaw Man as the standout of "demon-fighting anime" in 2022. She also praised Denji's contrast to other protagonists in his simpler motivations for "girls and food". Rafael Motamayor of IGN praised Chainsaw Man's cinematography, character dynamics and approach to its emotional moments. He also described it as a successful mix of "workplace comedy, horror, and action series", in contrast to most. IGN and Polygon praised the action scenes and its sudden tonal shifts from emotional scenes to "juvenile, 2000s sex comedy humor", while Polygon also praised its twelve different ending scenes.