Tatsuki Fujimoto is one of the most visionary people in the contemporary manga sphere, who has a deep understanding of the history of the film and animation that imparts breath to every single chapter of Chainsaw Man. Instead of merely blending in all the classic tropes of the shōnen genre, the creator relies on an impressive array of different influences that spans decades of artistic development. The fandom tends to be impressed by how such a peculiar and disordered world could be so deeply rooted in the customs of the medium, mixing high-concept horror with unforeseen references.
Fujimoto sensei has succeeded in breaking down the works of his predecessors so that his narrative can be seen as a collision of the various artistic periods at high speed. The community values the fact that these references are never mere superficial Easter eggs, they are actually embedded in the structure of the characters and the rhythm. The following seven anime are the keys to understanding the inspiration process behind the creation of Chainsaw Man.
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Here's what you need to know about the main cast of Tatsuki Fujimoto's masterpiece, Chainsaw Man.
7 Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm!
It may appear farfetched to associate a colorful and sometimes not-so-family-friendly comedy with the blood-filled streets of Chainsaw Man, but Fujimoto has mentioned the Crayon Shin-chan films as one of his main sources of reference when it comes to anime movies as a TV series. To be more specific, the Kasukabe Boys of the Evening Sun movie made a colossal impression on him concerning the manner in which it is possible to work out high-stakes drama in a surreal, almost play-like setting. The Reze Arc, its blend of childish amazement and harsh, abrupt reality, has caught the eye of the community, reflecting the bitter-sweet atmosphere these movies are known to have.
Lorewise, the fact that the framing of these specials is more of a movie allowed Fujimoto to dictate the pacing of his own story lines, so that the moment when an episode of a slice of life turns into an episode of life or death can pass without a hitch in the movie. The ability of the series to laugh and cry in one and the same chapter, according to the fans, is the literal descendant of this very brand of Japanese anime. That is what makes the world of Chainsaw Man seem to be less of a typical battle shōnen and more of a fever dream created by a master of the craft.
6 Aim for the Top! (Gunbuster)
In case you have ever wondered why the action in Chainsaw Man is so punchy and loud even on a silent page, there is no need to look further than the high-energy feel of Gunbuster. Fujimoto stated clearly that in the chaotic car scenes in the manga, he was attempting to portray the pure volume bursts of music in the background of this classic mecha series. The fandom acknowledges that the frantic, nearly overwhelming sensory overload of Gunbuster gave the template to the scenes in which Denji is losing control of the battle and the world begins to turn into pure motion.
In addition to the sound itself, the impact of Gunbuster can be traced in the manner the series approaches the "weight" of the combat. The way the devils and hybrids relate has a certain mechanical roughness to it, and this reflects the high-stakes, bare-knuckle action of the mecha genre. To the viewers, it is not only the issue of who hits harder, but the rhythm and the bursting energy that is released, a trick that Fujimoto mastered through learning how Gunbuster could make its giant robots feel as though they were actually tearing through space and time.
5 Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
The creation of the Bomb Devil, in a gesture that perfectly sums up the individual sense of humor of the author, was in fact inspired by the character Torpedo Girl. Fans adore the fact that this slick and frightening villain bears the same silhouette as the gag character, literally a high-heeled torpedo. This makes it clear how the creator can make something bizarre or even ridiculous seem fully legitimate by playing it with such sincerity that it becomes really intimidating and iconic.
This link emphasizes Fujimoto's "pop" aesthetic, in which he takes a ridiculous idea and plays it straight to see how it impacts the drama. He created one of the series' most menacing and beloved antagonists by removing the funny aspect of the "bomb-headed girl" cliché. It is a reminder to the fandom that the best sources of inspiration may be found in the most unusual places, provided that the creator knows how to get influence from it. The comparison of the humor of the inspiration and the tragedy of the real character gives that human touch that makes the world of Chainsaw Man so interesting.
4 Berserk
Not a single dark fantasy series is complete without the mere mention of Kentaro Miura, but the reinterpretation of Berserk by Fujimoto is quite specific and chilling. He even cited the scene in the Berserk anime/manga where one of the members of the God Hand emerges from a mound of rats as an outright influence on the awkward movements Makima performs. The fact that Makima can hear with lesser lifeforms and finally emerge as an amalgamation of rats, is a frightening variation of this common cliché, and symbolizes a literal plague of dominance.
Chainsaw Man: Most Powerful Devils, Ranked
The Chainsaw Man manga series' beastly Devils come in various forms. Here are the strongest ones, ranked.
The fandom frequently talks of how this decision brings in an element of "purity vs. Pestilence" to the character of Makima, and makes her seem more of an eldritch god than simply a mighty human. Through the help of rats, a symbol of death and corruption, giving birth to a beautiful and calm woman, Fujimoto was able to recreate the same skin-crawling horror that made the introduction of the God Hand so infamous. It is a masterpiece of visual storytelling, which gives the audience all the information about the real nature of Makima without uttering even a single word.
3 The Eccentric Family
Fujimoto also referred to the character relations of The Eccentric Family when it came to establishing the complicated nature of the relationship between Denji and Reze. He specifically mentioned the character of Benten, a woman so much above the league of the protagonist that he is practically food to her, as the perfect model on which his female protagonists were based. The community has remarked that this manner in which Reze flirts with Denji, alternating between sincere affection and a cold predator, is a more-or-less replica of how Benten treats the tanuki protagonist in their own show.
This is what makes the Reze Arc so special with all its melancholy taste; it is a love tale where one of the partners is always a little bit higher in power and knowledge than the other. To the viewers, it brings a feeling of fear as we are aware that despite how intimate they become, there is always a feeling that the predator and prey of the situation is lurking somewhere below the surface. It is an advanced variant of romance that leaves the conventional clichés and enters the world of clumsy, asymmetrical, and, finally, tragic love.
2 Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
In the case of one single movie that can be said to be the feel of the Reze Arc, then it is the Jin-Roh by Mamoru Oshii. Fujimoto is a huge enthusiast of this psychological thriller, and he also used one of the scenes where a girl detonates herself by pulling out a detonation cord as the inspiration behind the Bomb Devil transformation. The fandom has noted that the whole arc is more or less a love letter to Jin-Roh, both in terms of setting to the urban vibe and the manner in which it employs the concept of the Town Mouse and Country Mouse as a tragic running motif through the characters.
Jin-Roh is felt all over lore-wise, particularly in how the series uses the concept of the beasts in human disguise. Reze is equally locked up by her own upbringing as the soldiers in Jin-Roh grapple with their humanity, now trapped by ice-cold, steel armor. Viewers who perceive this relationship will interpret Chainsaw Man in a new light; it is no longer a story about devils, but a very real tragedy of people being made to play a role they are stripped of the chance to live a normal, peaceful life.
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1 FLCL (Fooly Cooly)
Fujimoto has also referred to Chainsaw Man as a wicked FLCL, and the DNA of that chaotic OVA is baked into every single chapter. The FLCL influence is the backbone of the series, in the way that the weapons grow directly out of the heads of the characters as well as the coming-of-age angst that drives Denji along his path. The community tends to draw parallels between the relationship between Denji, the Chainsaw Devil, and Makima to the frantic, manipulative, and somewhat confusing dynamics between Naota and Haruko.
The evil aspect of the note comes in the fact that Fujimoto takes the kinetic, experimental animation of FLCL and bathes it in blood. Although FLCL is a metaphoric examination of the world of puberty, Chainsaw Man employs the same surrealist aspects to examine the trauma of poverty and exploitation. To the fans, this is the supreme source of inspiration since this has the perfect way of explaining why the series is so special — it is an explosion of pop culture utilizing the most ridiculous images imaginable to convey a very human, and in fact, heartbreaking story.
Chainsaw Man
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
Cast
-
Kikunosuke ToyaDenji -
Tomori KusunokiMakima (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
Chainsaw Man is an action-heavy shonen anime that follows Denji, a guy who fuses with a devil called Pochita. The show is based on a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto.
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.47
