Denji sells body parts for cash. His only friend is a devil that looks like a loaf of bread with a chainsaw handle. Within a few pages he gets murdered, chopped into little pieces, and dumped like garbage. Then the real story begins. The Chainsaw Man manga isn’t about heroes. It’s about a kid who never had a choice, finally getting one, and the world punishing him for taking it. Tatsuki Fujimoto built something that hurts to read and hurts worse to stop reading. If you haven’t picked it up yet, this guide covers everything you need—arc by arc, character by character, page by page.
1. What Even Is the Chainsaw Man Manga?
The Chainsaw Man manga is a Japanese series by Tatsuki Fujimoto. It started in Weekly Shōnen Jump in late 2018 and wrapped its first big chunk, Part 1, in December 2020. Then in July 2022, Part 2 kicked off on Shueisha’s Shōnen Jump+ app. Two sagas. One ruthless throughline.
Denji is the main character for Part 1. He’s a teenager buried under his father’s massive debt. To survive, he hunts devils with Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil in a tiny, round body. After a betrayal leaves him dead, Pochita merges with his heart. The boy comes back. Pull a cord on his chest, and chainsaws rip out of his arms and head. That’s the gimmick. But the Chainsaw Man manga is never just about the gimmick.
2. Denji’s Starting Point: A Kid with Nothing
Denji’s life before Public Safety is a detailed list of suffering. He sells his right eye, a kidney, one testicle. He eats plain bread for dinner and dreams of jam. He’s not noble. He’s not brave. He’s just too tired and too broke to die properly. Then the yakuza, who were using him the whole time, call in the Zombie Devil. They cut him into bags. That’s the end of the old Denji.
Pochita’s deal is simple: “I give you my heart. You show me your dreams.” The Chainsaw Man manga launches from that single moment of diabolical tenderness. From there, Makima finds him, stuffs him into a suit, and tells him he’s now government property. Denji thinks he’s been saved. He’s wrong.
3. Part 1 — The Public Safety Saga, Arc by Arc
Part 1 spans 97 chapters. It’s collected across 11 volumes. Every arc builds on the one before it, even when it doesn’t feel that way at first.
Introduction Arc (Chapters 1–4)
Denji meets Public Safety. He also meets Aki Hayakawa, a hunter whose entire life revolves around revenge, and Power, a Blood Fiend who steals cabbage and lies about everything. The tone is set: dark, dumb, and dangerous.
Bat Devil Arc (Chapters 5–13)
Power tricks Denji into saving her cat Meowy from a Bat Devil. The fight nearly drops him for good. We learn devils feed on human fear—the more scared people are of a thing, the stronger the devil gets.
Eternity Devil Arc (Chapters 14–22)
A hotel turns into a looping nightmare. Division 4 is trapped with the Eternity Devil, and Denji’s solution is so brainless it becomes genius. He cuts the devil for three days straight. It gives up. The Chainsaw Man manga never pretends finesse is the only way to win.
Katana Man Arc (Chapters 23–39)
A yakuza crew with gun contracts and a smirking Katana Man ambushes the hunters. Aki uses his sword curse and loses years off his life. Denji and Power train under Kishibe, an old drunk who happens to be the best devil hunter alive. The Gun Devil fragments become a bigger piece of the puzzle.
Bomb Girl Arc (Chapters 40–52)
Reze shows up at a phone booth. She’s sweet, she laughs at Denji’s jokes, she teaches him to swim. Then she turns into the Bomb Devil and tries to take his heart — literally. Their fight is beautiful and awful. By the end, you feel exhausted. The Chainsaw Man manga pours romance and gore into the same blender.
International Assassins Arc (Chapters 53–70)
Chainsaw Man is famous now. Assassins from all over the world flood Tokyo. Santa Claus, Quanxi, three immortal brothers, and the Darkness Devil all make appearances. The scope explodes. We’re no longer dealing with street-level horrors.
Gun Devil Arc (Chapters 71–79)
Aki’s entire story leads here. The Gun Devil confrontation does not play out how anyone expects. It is fast, brutal, and emotionally gutless—in the way only Fujimoto can pull off. There is no catharsis. There is just the bill coming due.
Control Devil Arc (Chapters 80–97)
Makima shows her hand. Everything that came before snaps into focus. The final stretch of Part 1 redefines what the Chainsaw Man manga was really about: control, love, and the quiet rebellion of a heart that keeps beating despite everything.
4. Part 2 — The Academy Saga Kicks In
Chapter 98 drops us into a high school. Asa Mitaka hates people, hates herself, and hates that she’s still alive. After a random devil attack kills her class, the War Devil (Yoru) occupies half her body. Asa wakes up with a second voice in her head and a mission: find Chainsaw Man and defeat him.
Meanwhile, Denji is going to the same school under a new name, trying to live a normal life. Part 2 is slower, sadder, and more introspective. The Chainsaw Man manga proves it doesn’t need Denji as the central POV to thrive. Asa’s loneliness and rage feel different but just as sharp.
5. The Cast That Makes the Chainsaw Man Manga Tick
- Denji — Not smart, not strategic, but unstoppable. He just wants somebody to hold. The world says no.
- Pochita — The Chainsaw Devil who chose a boy over everything else. His loyalty is the emotional core of the entire series.
- Makima — The Control Devil. She can make anyone who she sees as lesser do anything she wants. And she sees almost everyone as lesser.
- Aki Hayakawa — A revenge story that becomes a family story, then a tragedy. He uses a sword that drains his lifespan and never flinches.
- Power — A Blood Fiend who treats the truth like a suggestion. Annoying, filthy, and impossible not to love.
- Kishibe — A veteran hunter, an alcoholic, a man who has seen too much. He trains Denji and Power without sugarcoating anything.
- Reze — The Bomb Devil. She gets one arc and leaves a scar that never heals.
- Asa Mitaka — The lead of Part 2. Awkward, bitter, fiercely guarded. She shares a brain with a devil who demands war.
- Yoru — The War Devil. She wants Chainsaw Man erased and her own fears buried.
6. Where to Read the Chainsaw Man Manga Legally
You don’t need to hunt for pirate sites. The official paths are easy.
- Viz Media app/website — Free for the latest three chapters. A two‑dollar subscription unlocks the whole Chainsaw Man manga archive.
- Manga Plus by Shueisha — Every chapter releases same day as Japan. Free, once per chapter.
- Print editions — Viz Media sells individual volumes and box sets. The deluxe hardcovers look great on a shelf.
- Local bookshops and comic stores — Chainsaw Man sits face‑out in most shops for a reason.
Reading through official channels pays the creator and gets you a clean translation every time.
7. Awards and Recognition: This Thing Has Teeth
The Chainsaw Man manga hasn’t just sold well. Critics and award panels keep handing it trophies.
- Harvey Award for Best Manga — Won three years straight (2021, 2022, 2023)
- Shogakukan Manga Award (Best Shōnen) — 2021
- Eisner Award nomination — 2022
- Kono Manga ga Sugoi! #1 for Male Readers — 2020
- Kodansha Manga Award recognition — Placed among the best shōnen manga of its generation
These wins aren’t marketing fluff. They’re proof the story connects on a level most series only reach for.
8. Sales Numbers That Demand Attention
By the close of 2025, the Chainsaw Man manga had pushed past 34 million copies in worldwide circulation. In a single month—September 2025—it sold over 172,000 copies in Japan alone. That’s while Demon Slayer volumes were selling around 75,000 in the same stretch. Volumes keep hitting the top five in both Oricon and NPD BookScan charts. Long‑term buyers, not just one‑time curious readers.
9. The Anime and Movie: How They Fueled the Fire
MAPPA’s 2022 anime gave the Chainsaw Man manga its biggest spike. The 12‑episode season adapted the early arcs cleanly and drew millions of new eyes. Then in September 2025, the studio dropped Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, a feature that zeroes in on the Bomb Girl storyline. The film landed hard. Bookshop sales jumped again. People who’d only watched the anime rushed to catch up on the pages. Both versions have their own flavor, but the source material always runs deeper.
10. What Makes the Chainsaw Man Manga Hit Different
You can’t pin this series down with one label. The Chainsaw Man manga punches past the usual brackets. The fights are sloppy and desperate. Characters die mid‑sentence. Romance doesn’t resolve—it detonates. The humor is childish and the horror is genuinely grown‑up.
Fujimoto doesn’t ask you to root for anyone. He asks you to stick around and see what happens when hope and cruelty collide inside the same panel. The art style constantly shifts. Scribbled lines in one panel, movie‑level detail in the next. That jolt keeps your eyes glued.
11. All the Key Facts in One Quick‑Reference Table
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Original title | チェンソーマン (Chensō Man) |
| Creator | Tatsuki Fujimoto |
| Magazine (Part 1) | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Magazine (Part 2) | Shōnen Jump+ |
| Part 1 length | 97 chapters (Volumes 1–11) |
| Part 2 length | 134+ chapters, ongoing |
| Japanese volumes so far | 20+ |
| English volumes so far | 19+ |
| English publisher | Viz Media |
| Translator | Amanda Haley |
| Anime by | MAPPA |
| Season 1 | 12 episodes (Oct–Dec 2022) |
| Movie | Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (Sept 2025) |
| Global copies | 34+ million |
| Awards | Harvey Award ×3, Shogakukan Manga Award, Eisner nomination, Kono Manga ga Sugoi! #1 |
| Rating | T+ (16+) |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is the Chainsaw Man manga over?
No. Part 1 finished at Chapter 97. Part 2 is running right now, with fresh chapters every Tuesday on Shōnen Jump+ and Manga Plus.
2. How many volumes exist for the Chainsaw Man manga?
Japan has more than 20 volumes printed. English readers can get 19+ volumes from Viz Media, with new ones dropping regularly.
3. What’s the best way to start the Chainsaw Man manga?
Start at Chapter 1, Volume 1. Don’t skip Part 1. Read through Chapter 97, then jump straight into Part 2 at Chapter 98.
4. Does the Chainsaw Man manga differ from the anime?
Yes. The anime leaves out some brutal details and reframes certain scenes. The manga’s pacing and art hit differently. Both are worth your time.
5. Why do people love the Chainsaw Man manga so much?
Because it doesn’t treat readers like kids. The pain feels real, the jokes land wrong in the best way, and the main character’s goals are so basic that rooting for him becomes personal.
6. What age group is the Chainsaw Man manga meant for?
Viz Media labels it T+ for Older Teen, so 16 and up. There’s plenty of violence, body horror, and adult themes.
Grab a Copy and See For Yourself
The Chainsaw Man manga doesn’t wait for you to catch your breath. It takes a boy who wants toast with jam and throws him into a world that tears him apart—literally and emotionally. You’ll laugh at the dumbest jokes and then sit in silence for a while after a chapter ends. That’s the deal. Find Volume 1, crack it open, and meet Denji and Pochita. If the first few pages hook you, the rest won’t let you go.