The Chainsaw Man anime has exploded into TV, film, and everywhere in between. Studio MAPPA’s fall-2022 TV series (12 episodes from Oct-Dec) faithfully brought Tatsuki Fujimoto’s visceral manga to life, and critics raved about its “rip-roaring animation” and dark. Fans instantly loved Denji as a refreshingly simple “girls and food”-motivated. Since then, MAPPA has been on a tear: they even compiled the first season into a two-part recap movie (“Chainsaw Man The Compilation”) streaming Sept 2025 on Crunchyroll (with new “Chainsaw Days” mini-episodes in tow). And the big news a full movie adaptation of the Bomb Devil/Reze arc is coming! Chainsaw Man -The Movie: Reze Arc is set to premiere in Japan on September 19, 2025 (with IMAX screenings) and roll out in 75+ countries (Crunchyroll/Sony releasing it in the US on Oct 24). MAPPA even held a special ABEMA TV event on Sept 5, 2025 to air a “digest” recap of S1 plus a brand-new short (“Chainsaw Days”) adapting the manga’s bonus. In short, Chainsaw Man’s anime ride has been nonstop: what started as a hit 12-episode series now spans recap movies, shorts, and a blockbuster film all backed by MAPPA’s top-tier production and huge fan.
Date/Period | Event |
|---|---|
Dec 2018 - Dec 2020 | Chainsaw Man manga Part 1 runs in Weekly Shōnen Jump (Public Safety arc). |
Jul 2022 - present | Part 2 runs on Shōnen Jump+ (the Academy Saga). |
Oct - Dec 2022 | MAPPA airs the first anime season (12 eps) on TV Tokyo. |
Dec 17, 2023 | Reze Arc anime film announced at Jump Festa ’24. |
Dec 22, 2024 | New trailer confirms Reze Arc film for 2025 (Jump Festa ’25). |
Sept 5, 2025 | ABEMA TV special: series recap + new “Chainsaw Days” short. |
Sept 6, 2025 | Crunchyroll begins streaming Chainsaw Man - The Compilation (Part I & II, S1 recap). |
Sept 19, 2025 | Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc premieres in Japan. |
Sept 24, 2025 | Reze Arc theatrical rollout starts internationally. |
Oct 24, 2025 | Crunchyroll/Sony release Reze Arc in US theaters. |
Manga Milestones and Hits
Chainsaw Man’s manga took the world by storm. It debuted Dec 2018 in Weekly Shōnen (with vol.1 in Jan 2019), ran through Dec 2020 for Part 1, and relaunched July 2022 on Jump+ for Part. The split-story pays off big: Part 1 ends on the epic showdown against the Control Devil (Makima), while Part 2 (the “Academy Saga” with Asa Mitaka) is ongoing.
The numbers are mind-blowing. As of late 2024, the series had sold over 29 million copies; by October 2025 that had climbed past 31 million. Every new volume is a mega-event recent Japanese Oricon charts show volumes routinely shifting hundreds of thousands of copies on release. These sales (with ~22 volumes by Sept 2025) translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from manga alone. Chainsaw Man has also racked up major awards: it won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award (shōnen category) in 2021, and famously took Best Manga at the Harvey Awards three years running (2021-2023). (It also snagged accolades at Manga Barcelona and Japan Expo.) Fans point to its wild mix of horror, humor, and heart Denji’s story of demons and debt has become a cultural touchstone. As an Indian media roundup put it, Chainsaw Man “isn’t just a shonen anime it’s a cultural phenomenon that defies expectations”, redefining what a Jump series can be.
Box Office & Franchise Revenue
Chainsaw Man’s big-screen debut delivered blockbuster results. In Japan, Reze Arc opened to about ¥1.251 billion (≈US$8.5M) in its first weekenden.wikipedia.org, debuting at #1. It went on to earn roughly ¥6.5 billion (≈$43.1M) domestically, topping the charts for weeks. In North America, Crunchyroll/Sony reported an estimated $18.03M opening weekend (3,003 theaters) boxofficemojo.com. Altogether the film has grossed on the order of $68.2 million worldwideboxofficemojo.com a huge win that cements Chainsaw Man as one of anime’s latest box-office champions.
[Box Office Snapshot]
Region | Opening | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|
Japan | ¥1.251B (~$8.5M) | ~¥6.5B (≈$43M) (cumulative) |
US/Canada | $18.03M | $24.77M (Dom.) |
Worldwide | -- | $68.17M (Total) |
(Sources: Crunchyroll/industry reports en.wikipedia.orgboxofficemojo.com.)
On the home side, the anime drives big revenue streams. Crunchyroll (and in some territories Netflix) holds the streaming rights while exact subscriber/viewership numbers aren’t public, Chainsaw Man routinely ranks among the service’s most in-demand titles. Shueisha has capitalized on the manga’s popularity with deluxe editions and digital sales (each volume retails around ¥500-600, with 31M copies sold en.wikipedia.org). Merchandise is another gold mine: figurines, plushies, posters, apparel and more flood the market. Limited-edition releases (e.g. Denji/Makima figures) sell out almost instantly, and countless collabs (from fashion to fast food) have launched. In short, the franchise generates income from every angle box office, streaming deals, manga sales and an avalanche of licensed merch.
Fan Craze & Cultural Impact
The response has been nothing short of obscene (in the Chainsaw sense). Critics and fans alike heaped praise on Season 1 for its fidelity and flair. On Rotten Tomatoes the anime holds a 97% approval (avg. 8/10) en.wikipedia.org, with reviewers gushing that Chainsaw Man is “an action anime with teeth” thanks to its jaw-dropping animation and biting humor en.wikipedia.org. Media reviews highlighted everything from its exhilarating action to gut-wrenching drama and even its rock-solid comedy relief. IGN lauded the series’ cinematography and character work, and noted how seamlessly it blends workplace comedy with horror and teen romance en.wikipedia.org. Fans on social media celebrated every twist (Makima revelations, bloody battles, Reze’s tragic love story) and flooded Crunchyroll’s awards votes. Indeed, Chainsaw Man snagged Best New Series at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards (among many nominations for character, action, etc.) en.wikipedia.org.
Culturally, Chainsaw Man opened doors. Its success a hyper-violent, R-rated shonen showed that mainstream Jump titles could push boundaries. It has influenced memes, art, and even cosplay worldwide. Some critics note how Fujimoto’s dark satire (on capitalism, social anxiety, longing, etc.) hit a nerve, and anime outlets proclaim that the series “redefines the genre” with its originality. Animators and creators point to MAPPA’s work as a new benchmark: every action scene in Chainsaw Man became a mini-event (those rapid POV gore-shots, the swirling chainsaws, the haunting monster designs). In short, Chainsaw Man isn’t just another hit it’s reshaped fan expectations and helped propel anime’s popularity globally. Viewers hungry for mature stories have found in Denji a hero they can root for, and the franchise now stands as a flagship title of its generation.
What’s Next: MAPPA’s Teasers & the Road Ahead
Looking forward, official teasers promise more Denji. MAPPA has been tight-lipped about a Season 2 (adapting the rest of Part 1), but they’ve dropped hints. Studio President Manabu Otsuka said in mid-2025 that they’re evaluating each story arc’s best format film or TV before deciding how to continue comicbook.com. In other words, Reze Arc is out now because it suited a theatrical treatment comicbook.com, and MAPPA will weigh the next big battle (Makima’s final confrontation) accordingly. Otsuka stressed they “have plans” for Chainsaw Man beyond the movie, but won’t reveal details while focusing on Reze Arc comicbook.com. All this tells fans: more Chainsaw Man is coming (and MAPPA knows how to make it awesome), even if the when and how aren’t official yet.
For now, the news is exciting: a compilation recap (with new content) is out this September, the Reze Arc film hits theaters in late 2025, and every trailer/teaser drops on millions of phones. Crunchyroll has already rolled out dubbed trailers and an earlier US release date (Oct 24) in press announcements. The buildup new posters, theme-song reveals by Kenshi Yonezu & Hikaru Utada en.wikipedia.org, voice-actor interviews has fans in a frenzy. In short, Chainsaw Man’s train isn’t slowing down. Between record-breaking manga sales en.wikipedia.org, anime awards, and a roaring box office, this franchise has cemented itself as one of the biggest phenomena in modern manga/anime. Strap in, because Denji’s bloody chainsaw is carving out a place in anime history for years to come.
Sources: Information compiled from official announcements and industry reportsen.wikipedia.organimecorner.meen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org(Crunchyroll, Anime News Network, IMDbPro Box Office Mojo, etc.). Key data points are cited above for reference.