# Chainsaw Man (TV series)

Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン, Chensō Man, Chainsaw Man) is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga series Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto.
Directed by Ryū Nakayama, with Masato Nakazono as chief episode director, the series features scripts by Hiroshi Seko and character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama. The demon designs are by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, while Tatsuya Yoshihara serves as action director. The music is composed by Kensuke Ushio. The opening is "Kick Back", performed by Kenshi Yonezu, while a different ending theme plays at the end of each episode.
Crunchyroll streamed the series outside of Asia. Medialink obtained the licensing for Southeast Asia.

## Synopsis

Denji, a young man who shares his life with Pochita, a chainsaw demon, is forced to survive by killing demons and selling their parts to pay off the debt he inherited after his father's death. His existence has been a succession of hardships until a fatal betrayal leads to his death. In an unexpected turn, Pochita makes a pact with him, allowing him to resurrect as "Chainsaw Man," a hybrid entity with the heart of a demon.

## Production and release

In December 2020, it was announced that the manga would be adapted into an anime by the studio MAPPA. The theatrical presentation at Jump Festa '21, as part of the online theatrical presentations of Jump Studio, took place from December 19–20, 2020.
The first trailer for the anime was presented during the "MAPPA Stage 2021" -–10th Anniversary event, held on June 27, 2021. The series premiered on October 11, 2022 on TV Tokyo and other channels.
Regarding the 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.

## 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.

## Reception
### Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series 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 Shōnen 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 shōnen. 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.

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2022 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Hot Animation | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 9th place |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards [ja] | Best Work Award | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Nominated |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards [ja] | Best Anime Song Award | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Won |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards [ja] | Lyrics Award | "Chu, Tayōsei" by Ano | Nominated |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards [ja] | Composition Award | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Nominated |
| 2022 | Reiwa Anisong Awards [ja] | Arrangement Award | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Nominated |
| 2023 | Annecy International Animation Film Festival | Best TV Films Production | Chainsaw Man – Episode 1: "Dog & Chainsaw" | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Anime | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Director | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Action Anime | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Original Soundtrack | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Opening | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Won |
| 2023 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Ending | "Hawatari Nioku Centi" by Maximum the Hormone | Nominated |
| 2023 | 45th Anime Grand Prix | Best Theme Song | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 5th place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Character (Male) | Aki Hayakawa | 6th place |
| 2023 | 13th Newtype Anime Awards | Best Mascot Character | Pochita | 5th place |
| 2023 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Hot 100 | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 4th place |
| 2023 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Most Streaming Songs | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 4th place |
| 2023 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Most Downloaded Songs | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 8th place |
| 2023 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Hot Animation | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 2nd place |
| 2023 | Billboard Japan Music Awards | Top User Generated Songs | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | 12th place |
| 2024 | 51st Saturn Awards | Best Animated Television Series or Special | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Anime of the Year | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Action | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Animation | Chainsaw Man | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best New Series | Chainsaw Man | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Character Design | Kazutaka Sugiyama | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Cinematography | Teppei Ito | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Art Direction | Yusuke Takeda | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Score | Kensuke Ushio | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Main Character | Denji | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Supporting Character | Power | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | "Must Protect At All Costs" Character | Pochita | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Director | Ryu Nakayama | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Opening Sequence | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Ending Sequence | "Hawatari Nioku Centi" by Maximum the Hormone | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Anime Song | "Kick Back" by Kenshi Yonezu | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Japanese) | Kikunosuke Toya as Denji | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (English) | Ryan Colt Levy as Denji | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Spanish) | Emilio Trevino as Denji | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (French) | Zina Khakhoulia as Power | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (German) | Franziska Trunte as Power | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Portuguese) | Luisa Viotti as Makima | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Castilian) | Joel Gomez Jimenez as Denji | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Castilian) | Maria Luisa Marciel as Power | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Italian) | Benedetta Ponticelli as Makima | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best VA Performance (Italian) | Mosè Singh as Denji | Won |