Best Chainsaw Man anime fights

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man This film is unambiguously a success. Directed and produced by Studio MAPPA Jujutsu Kaisen alum Ryū Nakayama, the 12-episode anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s breakout action-horror manga sets the tone of the series perfectly with its beautiful animation, brisk pacing, and ultra-violent action.

The latter quality is on full display in the climax of the series’ first episode, “Dog & Chainsaw.” In the premiere’s first showdown, Denji transforms into the human-Devil hybrid Chainsaw Man in order to face off against the show’s first major adversary, the Zombie Devil.

These are the norm. The series is based on the manga and takes place in 1997. Humanity is being preyed upon, by Devils, a race supernatural creature. The exact origin of Devils is unknown, though what is known is that these monsters are manifestations of negative feelings and emotions shared across the collective human subconscious, similar to the phenomenon of “Curses” in Jujutsu Kaisen.

At the beginning of the episode, we see Denji and his pet Chainsaw Devil dog Pochita hunt down a Tomato Devil before briefly cutting away to the aftermath of the encounter, with Denji standing triumphantly atop the creature’s giant corpse awaiting orders from his yakuza boss. It’s not until the last third of the episode, after Denji is betrayed by his yakuza employers in exchange for a contract with the so-called Zombie Devil promising power, that we get to see Denji fully cut loose to rip and tear into action.

Image: MAPPA/Crunchyroll

Denji is transformed into his own creature after being dogpiled in a mass of zombies. Chainsaw Man form for the first time — a bare-chested, yellow-eyed combatant with chainsaw blades protruding from his forehead and arms like a Hellraiser Cenobite crossed with a Home Depot hardware aisle. After a momentary pause, Denji wastes no time leaping into action, darting past the Zombie Devil’s defensive line of droning masses and propelling himself forward to pierce the Devil’s skull with his head-mounted chainsaw and arm blades.

As many anime fight scenes are notable as the drops of water in an ocean, there are just as many. From Hiroyuki Okiura and Mitsuo Iso’s work on the blistering shootout between Motoko Kusanagi and the spider-tank in 1995’s Ghost in the ShellTo pretty much any action sequence Cowboy BebopAnd My Hero AcademiaYutaka has worked on almost every anime fight. One thing unites them all is great animation direction. They are supported by skilled key animators who have been given the creative freedom, time and resources to really express their individuality in each scene.

Image: MAPPA/Crunchyroll

Director Ryū Nakamura, animation producer Keisuke Seshimo, and action director Tatsuya Yoshihara have assembled capable animators for the task of bringing Chainsaw Manto live, with the majority having either worked previously or are currently working on it. Jujutsu KaisenAnd Jujutsu Kaisen 0or series of anime and movies like One Punch Man, Fire Force, Berserk – The Golden Age ArcThe Kizumonogatari Film Trilogy. It was the culmination of a great film. Chainsaw Man’s debut episode is an exemplary feat of craftsmanship made possible only through solid production and careful planning that enables these artists and animators to do what they do best — make dope shit.

Chainsaw Man is thrown across the room by the Zombie Devil with his entrail tentacles. It’s a remarkable, dynamic sequence made possible through skillful key animation combined with impressive 3D camera mapping. It’s a stunning scene when you see it in action. This is just the beginning of many more spectacular sequences that will be featured throughout the remainder of Season 2.