About: Chainsaw Man
“All Devils Are Born With A Name.”
The next chapter has arrived! Chainsaw Man is back and more daring than ever! Chainsaw Man, written and illustrated by the standout Tatsuki Fujimoto, aired as an anime adaptation back in 2022.
The artistic design and unique storytelling propelled the anime into a notable sensation, thanks to a blend of dark humor and immediate emotional depth that hits instantly from episode one. Chainsaw Man topped anime charts, enthralling a loyal fanbase. Its dynamic, charismatic characters and action-packed scenes, and of course, the mix of grotesque, launched its fame.
Just as the series Chainsaw Man was produced by MAPPA, a highly respected animation studio in Japan, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is too. MAPPA, famous for its work on the ever-popular and cherished Attack on Titan (Final Season) and the breakthrough Jujutsu Kaisen, continues to provide fans with high-quality animation, dynamic action scenes, and faithful manga adaptations in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
What to Know: Cinematic Breakout
The explosive and positive reception from the breakout box-office success are a testament not just to the dark, witty anime but also to its comedic elements. Just as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle’s extended wait was a silent promise to fans, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc was another silent promise weighted toward the loyal and patient followers of Chainsaw Man. Just as Pochita trusted Denji, the fans trusted MAPPA.
As always, the storytelling is notable for its subversion of typical manga tropes, with morally ambiguous characters and unpredictable plot twists in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. The story picks up right where we left off in the series, with the anime’s cinematic debut acting as a direct sequel to the first season. There is currently no indication that it is part of a planned series of films; rather, it is a standalone feature. Fans are eagerly waiting to see whether there will be a following season or film. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc can take pride in being a cinematic achievement of a beloved series. It is an impressive performance for anime.
Summary of the film below. Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Where We Left Off
"I'll teach you! The things you don't know or can't do. I'll teach you everything."
Sometimes we need a little explosion, and that’s what we get. Bomb!
The finale of season 1 left viewers with questions surrounding the ominous future of Denji and his group of devil hunters. Most notably, there was a sense of a future confrontation and other possible growing threats. We know the Gun Devil is still out there hunting for the heart of Denji. We also begin to understand Aki’s quest for revenge and Denji’s relationships with Makima, Aki, and Power, and sense the group’s future evolution.
Opening Scenes
The dark, unpredictable nature of the series opens the layered story with Denji asleep in a dream, wandering towards a door layered with notes and papers, tempting him to turn the knob into the unknown. Before Denji reaches the mystery door, Pochita yells out for him not to.
Denji horrorily awakens from an unknown dream to a messy room, Power empowered. He questions whether the dream is reality because of Power’s elongated four horns, and she instinctively punches him. Power’s increased abilities force Makima to send Power away to have her excess blood and strength drained. Makima makes the comedic, quirky, and reckless shark fiend, Beam, his new temporary partner.
Denji grudgingly agrees to the arrangement, causing Makima to invite Denji to a movie. Both arrive early, with Makima noting the pair is having a movie marathon. As the two spend the entire day watching movies, Denji notes that Makima is cute because of her similarity to him, and both find 9 out of 10 movies underwhelming. Finally, the last film is one that the pair appreciates as it makes both of them cry.
Denji leaves, questioning his humanity and the reality of his heart. Makima lays her head against his chest to hear the beating sound, securing Denji’s naive love for her and assures him that he has a heart.
Reze
Denji is liberated and empowered by Makima’s judgment. The revelation of his heart encourages Denji to donate to the victims of devil attacks. Denji, overjoyed and emboldened by love, takes a flower before getting caught in a surprise rainstorm. The rain patters against Denji, forcing him to take shelter in a phone booth.
As he waits out the surprise forecast, he meets and befriends a charming, attractive woman with purple hair and green eyes. She immediately captivates Denji, genuinely interested in him. Denji senses an attraction and feels he needs to impress Reze.
Denji decides to perform a magic trick of a sort, pulling out the flower he took from the charity drive from his mouth. He calls it reflexes, she calls it magic. Reze is intrigued and thanks Denji for the flower as she accepts it with a sweet laugh. She asks him to visit her at the café where she works.
Despite his mental objections and sworn loyalty to Makima, Denji visits the café later that same day, even arriving before Reze. Reze turns to find Denji seated at a table. The two introduce themselves, and Reze joins Denji for a drink. Reze uses her feminine charms and innocent personality during their interactions to make Denji believe she is romantically interested in him.
Rain in the Forecast
Denji begins to be magnetically drawn to Reze, spending more time with her. She invites him to a festival where Denji realizes he is truly falling for Reze. Reze learns that Denji has never gone to school and asks him to explore a nearby school with her that night. Unbeknownst to Denji, a serial killer working with the Typhoon Devil sets a trap. The duo targets Reze to lure Denji and win his heart.
Inside the dark, empty school, Reze guides Denji through the hallways and pretends to teach him, expressing her concern that Denji is working for the Public Safety. Denji assures her that he is content with his job. Reze breaks the conversation, saying she has to use the little girls’ room.
The rain continues to pour down, and the ailing water in the school hints at trouble. When Reze begins to make her way back to Denji, she is interrupted by the serial killer, who chases her to the rooftop. He threatens to cut a part of her face to taunt Denji. Reze reveals herself, deciding to kill the killer. The innocent girl, feigning weakness, reveals a split Reze —a darker, more lethal persona. Reze knows the Typhoon Devil created the plot and demands she work for her.
Reze returns to find Denji heated. She makes a suggestive ploy, and Denji begins to wrestle with his feelings towards her and Makima. Reze’s suggestion leads the two to go swimming in the school’s pool. Reze’s sensual abilities force Denji to break his inner vow to Makima. Reze helps Denji learn how to swim and promises to teach him everything he ever needs to know. Denji is locked in.
Bomb Devil
Reze later invites Denji to a festival, leading him to a secluded spot to watch the fireworks. Reze confesses her attraction and asks him to leave Public Safety and run away with her. Denji is conflicted. He refuses. Reze, visibly surprised, instantly kisses him, but bites his tongue.
The innocent girl is no more as she smiles with his blood across her face. Reze begins to injure Denji severely, revealing that she was after his heart, not him, the whole time. Beam jumps in to save Denji just in time before forcing Reze to reveal her proper form, the Bomb Devil.
The Chase
Beam and Denji manage to evade Reze’s Bomb Devil explosives, arriving at The Division 2 headquarters, where Aki and Angel Devil are, so that Aki can train and visit old friends. Beam frantically informs all of the Devil Hunters that the Bomb Devil is in alliance with the Gun Devil and is after Denji. Reze arrives before any backup can and is ready to massacre all in order to have Denji. Aki evacuates Denji to safety with Beam and Angel Devil. Division 2 stands their ground to hold off Reze.
Reze massacres all of Division 2, catching up to Aki’s group after her bombing slaughter. Galgali and Kobeni offer a diversion that gives Denji enough time to recover and transform. However, tired of the bloodshed, he decides to confront Reze directly. Denji roars in frustration, his vexation that every woman he meets tries to kill him. Denji questions why every woman is after his heart, but what about Denji’s heart? Does Denji matter? Denji yells that he wants a woman who will see him for who he really is.
Reze tells Denji she does have real feelings, in a ploy to distract, but Aki interjects, reality shooting down Reze’s affection. The two Devils engage in an explosive battle of chains and bombs. Pops of rockets and erratic attacks that end with Reze overpowering Denji. The Devil uses her explosives to intently and repeatedly ravage Denji apart, tearing him with violent, raging, brutal blows, ultimately subduing him. However, Aki pops up from the dead before Reze can escape with Denji, attacking her from behind.
The Chainsaw Cowboy
Aki is soon joined by Galgali, forcing Reze to call in the Typhoon Devil, who immediately begins causing havoc and chaos throughout the city. Denji, rejuvenated once more with help from the Angel Devil and Beam, decides he must counter Reze by using his chains to ride on Beam’s shark form. The Chainsaw Cowboy is a comedic feat.
Denji and Beam ride back into the fray for a rematch against Reze and her minion, the Typhoon Devil. While Denji and Reze go all out against each other, the Typhoon Devil’s swarming mass of flesh tears up the battlefield like an ocean. Reze’s merciless kills from her rampage paint the streets of Tokyo in blood.
Let’s Runaway
Denji manages to kill Typhoon Devil. However, Reze severely injures Beam. Denji, still holding sentiment and a sense of love, uses his loose chains to tie Reze up as they both fall into the water. The two reminisce about their time swimming together before losing consciousness. Reze, unable to use her explosion abilities, submits to her fate as they sink to the bottom. Beam later rescues both Denji and Reze, and Denji chooses to revive Reze.
As the two of them sit on a beach and Beam sleeps, Reze admits that her mission has failed. She attests that she never had feelings for Denji, that it was all a shameful ruse to capture Him for his heart. But Denji doesn’t believe Reze and interjects an offer to run away with her. Reze brushes it off. Denji is adamant and asks her to meet him in the café during lunch.
Reze walks away, leaving Denji with unanswered questions and longing.
Change of Mind
Reze, standing idly in front of the train, changes her mind about running away alone. She makes her way to the café to meet Denji, but is intercepted by Makima. Makima proclaims the tale of two mice and has the Angel Devil kill Reze.
Post-Credit
After the closing credits, an easter egg. A post-credit scene shows Denji waiting for Reze in the café with a bouquet. He seems to have finally given up his hope when Power bursts in. The slight glimmer of joy and relief disappears as Power proclaims that she has found him.
Power mistakes the bouquet meant for Reze as a gift for her return and blushes at the thought of a sweet gesture before asking Denji to give it to her. Denji ponders giving Power the bouquet. The two exchange playful glances until he decides to eat the bouquet instead. Power, disappointed and upset, tries to take the bouquet from Denji.
The story leaves a defining moment for Denji’s development, leaving many questions unanswered, especially those concerning Makima’s true intentions for Denji’s future. Viewers are left with the ticking sound of the unknown, a life fated with twists on the horizon and an eerie foreshadowing of something at work. Tick-Tock-Tick.
The film tells the fable of the city mouse and the country mouse, paralleling the characters’ choices and actions and ultimately sealing their fates. The city mouse prefers food and fun over safety. The country mouse prefers the quiet solitude of the farm, avoiding being too near danger. It is a tale of two tales playing out.
Review: 4 out of 5 Stars
I applaud MAPPA and Director Tatsuya Yoshihara for the fluid animation, which balances action and psychological drama. The moments are heightened by pops of color, making the raw intensity feel more surreal and visually stunning. There is an echo in Denji’s story, where the animation uses graphic details to capture chaotic, dark material without feeling exaggerated.
The cinematic experience is visually and narratively explosive on the big screen. Viewers are pulled into the scenes with expressive dialogue. The battle between Chainsaw and Reze is the movie’s apex, a large-scale conflict that explores the consequences of love. The confrontation forces Denji to face the fact that he can’t simply live a “normal” life.
Denji’s heartbreak is a humanizing moment that makes one ponder if it is actually a love story being told. The Reze arc is compelling and leaves viewers questioning how Denji can still trust others and do what he must to survive in the world of devils. The emotional stakes remain high as we see Denji remain the ever-idealist.
The only fault is that the action-packed scenes seem a bit dulled out from the rushing of the storyline, causing a drop in the tonal shifts. However, the ending was a surprise that closes out Reze’s future in a way not totally obvious and the emotional exploration and battle of Denji’s inner heart was beautiful. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc earns high praise for all involved in this film as a cinematic feat.
Chainsaw Man’s Future
Chainsaw Man’s future is undoubtedly promising. While no official announcements have been released, I can foresee both a continued series or a follow-up movie adaptation for the anime. The continuation of its gripping storyline is what fans crave. The emotional arcs of character development, particularly those, like Denji, that dive deeper into the complex world of devils who have the human condition.
I believe we are on the brink of seeing a darker and more nuanced theme develop as the series continues, leaving Denji standing between two worlds. Given the series’s continued growing popularity, especially post-cinematic debut, Chainsaw Man is poised to expand its following. I’d say we are about to see the solidification of Chainsaw Man as a defining modern anime.
Fans wait to see what new details will emerge about the future of the popular anime series. Until then, fans can look to the manga or stream the first season of Chainsaw Man on Hulu and Crunchyroll. As of right now, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is still in theaters for fans to enjoy.
"I only find about one out of every ten movies interesting, myself. But I've had that one movie change my life."
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