First published in Shonen Jump in 2018, Chainsaw Man is one of the most hyped shonen of all time. The action-horror manga turned anime, written and illustrated by mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto, combines romance, comedy, and a never-ending parade of Hollywood references to tell a truly unique story that is worth revisiting. As such, we’ll talk spoilers for the entirety of Chainsaw Man, including touching on the ongoing second part of the manga series. If you are following along with the anime, there will be significant spoilers below.
There are nine complete arcs in the ongoing manga, four of which have been adapted in a breathtaking anime by studio MAPPA and available to stream on Crunchyroll. The first eight arcs of the manga’s original two-year run are grouped together as the Public Safety Saga, while Part 2, the Academy Saga, is well underway in its second arc. The manga is published in English digitally and in print by Viz Media.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man.
Introduction (Zombie Devil)
While there aren’t any bad arcs of Chainsaw Man, there are arcs with more and less Power, and the Introduction arc has zero Power. Characterized by Denji’s transformation into the human-devil hybrid Chainsaw Man during his battle with the Zombie Devil, the Introduction arc throws readers into the world of devils, hunters, and horny teenagers. After catching us up on Denji’s terrible, debt-ridden life, Fujimoto takes everything away from Denji — his best friend, the canine-like Chainsaw Devil he named Pochita. But Pochita offers his heart to Denji so the boy can finally try to live out his dreams in a new life, something the mysterious Makima of the Public Safety Division comes to offer him.
Justice Devil
Returning from a two-year hiatus, Fujimoto surprised audiences with a new main character in Asa Mitaka. The shy, self-defeating girl has been read as very relatable. And the mangaka has been equally unforgiving of the teen girl, who has made a pact with the War Devil in an attempt to take revenge on the now-famous Chainsaw Man. As readers, we’re starting to see the new parts of the devilish cosmology Fujimoto has drawn from in his worldbuilding for the series, and there’s sure to be a lot more hurt in store for both Asa and Denji ahead. Unfortunately, there is no Power as of yet.
Bomb Girl
The Bomb Girl arc finally starts to reveal Chainsaw Man’s complicated relationship with sexuality and the series’ larger themes of friendships, relationships, and manipulation. Featuring the iconic character design of the devil-human hybrid Reze, Denji is thrust into another battle for his life by a girl who pretends to like him only to get close enough to kill him. The arc is up next on MAPPA’s ongoing anime adaptation.
Eternity Devil
The Eternity Devil arc is our first glimpse of the true scope of power Devils can hold and of the mind-bending nature of their existence. It hints at the grand things Fujimoto is cooking up with the series as Power, Denji, Aki, Himeno, Kobeni and Arai try to escape the Eternity Devil, who has taken the form of an endless hotel a la The Shining. The solution, all thanks to Power’s, is for Denji to create a perpetual motion machine out of chainsaws and blood, fueling an endless cycle of pain that makes the Eternity Devil eventually give up and free its captives.
Bat Devil
The Bat Devil arc could be ranked number one just for its focus on Meowy, the adopted stray cat of Chainsaw Man’s best girl, Power. Power is a fiend or devil that has taken over a human corpse, working with Public Safety despite her misanthropy. Power is innocent, a feared warrior, a Nobel Prize winner, and the President, if you ask her. And when the Bat Devil captures her pet cat as a hostage, she’ll do anything to get him back, like sacrifice the annoying boy she’s assigned to work with who just so happens to be our main character.
Katana Man
The Katana Man arc does much with the series’ worldbuilding in growing the manga’s cast. The arc introduces us to the expanded Special Division 4, a collection of fiends, devils, and powerful hunters Aki must wrangle together to fight devils and hunt for the Gun Devil. But, the Gun Devil is not idly waiting for Public Safety to come find him, sending humans with powerful contracts and a mysterious hybrid like Denji after the Chainsaw Man’s Heart. The arc also features one of the most stunning moments from the series when Special Division 4 comes under a coordinated assault and loses Himeno. Meanwhile, Makima’s mysteries only continue to grow.
International Assassins
The International Assassins arc is a fan favorite for its action and many new characters, like the swordswoman and lesbian icon Quanxi. With her harem of devils and fiends, she joins the hunt for Denji in Japan as international tensions heat up. And everyone goes to Hell—literally. The arc features the grandiose appearance of the iconic Darkness Devil, whose memories linger in the minds of the surviving cast and terrifies devils to no end. But even the Darkness Devil must contend with Makima’s mysterious powers.
Gun Devil
The Gun Devil arcs sees Makima’s machinations finally come to fruition as world leaders make a desperate attempt to stop her rise to power. Nothing is off-limits to Fujimoto, who manages to pull off one of the most heart-wrenching, tear-jerking final battles in the pages of Shonen Jump. The iconic snowball fight features the death of Aki, and the arc tears into the traumatic ramifications for our few surviving characters.
Control Devil
The one where Power dies. The truth of Makima is revealed to Denji, who makes a final desperate bid to fight for his survival and make a meaningful life on his own terms. The true identity of the secretive femme fatale is revealed as the Control Devil, who has orchestrated everything in the series to hurt Denji and defeat the Chainsaw Man. It’s not for pure evil, of course. She’s really his biggest fan, and wants to use the Chainsaw Devil’s unique powers to erase Devils from history to reshape the world. Every chapter is a big-brain moment for Denji, who ends Part 1 of the series on a full belly.