Chainsaw Man release date: Trailer, characters for anime series
Everything you need to know about new anime Chainsaw Man - who we don't think will be using his power to prune hedges...
The countdown for Chainsaw Man is officially over! The anime has hacked onto our screens, finally introducing viewers to Denji (voiced by Kikunosuke Toya), a killer chainsaw-human hybrid who was brought back from the dead as a demon who can change his head into a chainsaw.
The MAPPA-produced series has drummed up quite the buzz among fans of the Japanese studio's previous work, including Attack on Titan, and the Tatsuki Fujimoto manga it's based on.
Those who have already streamed episode 1, titled Dog and Chainsaw, will know it's not one for the faint-hearted, with plenty of gruesome and gorey scenes. Luckily, they're cut with plenty of comedy to soften the blow.
Want to know more about the series, including when you can watch Chainsaw Man's second episode? Read on.
Chainsaw Man release date
Chainsaw Man premiered on Tuesday 11th October on streaming service Crunchyroll. Episode 2 will release on Tuesday 18th October. The season is comprised of a total of 12 episodes.
The platform, which is available in the UK, offers a 14-day free trial before viewers can buy subscriptions starting from £4.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
While the show is dropping at different times across the world, those in the UK will be able to watch episode 1 from 5pm BST. The same applies for episode 2.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Chainsaw Man characters and cast
MAPPA recently announced the central voice cast for the series, which will include Kikunosuke Toya (Tokyo 24th Ward) as Denji, Tomori Kusunoki (Tiger & Bunny) as Makima, Shogo Sakata (Pokemon anime & My Hero Academia) as Aki Hayakawa, and Fairouz Ai Kadota (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean) as Power.
Meanwhile we know that there is an impressive team of anime veterans behind the camera, including director Ryu Nakamura (Jujutsu Kaisen), scriptwriter Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan) and action director Tatsuya Yoshihara (Black Clover).
We also know that Kensuke Ushio (Devilman Crybaby) will compose the score, while Kazutaka Sugiyama (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) and Kiyotaka Oshiyama (Devilman Crybaby) will design the characters and devils respectively.
Here are all the main characters, devils and human-devil chainsaw hybrids we know will appear in the series:
Kikunosuke Toya as Denji
Chainsaw Man is set in a world where devils are born from human fears, but can form contracts with humans to allow them to use a portion of their power.
Young, depressed teenager Denji is attempting to pay back his deceased father's debt to the yakuza by working as a devil hunter, with a little help from the dog-like Chainsaw Devil Pochita. However, after the yakuza beray Denji and allow a devil to kill him, Pochita forms a contract, sacrificing himself to revive his dead friend and also gift Denji his powers.
Denji can now pull a cord on his chest and become Chainsaw Man, a human-devil hybrid with a chainsaw for a head and two chainsaw blades on his arms, and becomes a Public Safety Devil Hunter for the government.
Tomori Kusunoki as Makima
Makima is a mysterious woman in her twenties, who also works as a Public Safety Devil Hunter. Denji is in love with Makima - which she is well aware of, using her attraction to him to control him and using Chainsaw Man for her own ambiguous ends.
Shogo Sakata as Aki Hayakawa
Aki is a Public Safety Devil Hunter also, working with Denji in Makima's special Division 4 squad. Like Denji's contract with Pochita, Aki has a contract with the Curse Devil and Future Devil, allowing him to use a powerful spike in exchange for his lifespan and see a few seconds into the future.
A dependable devil hunter, Aki begins to open up to Denji while the two are alone and later proves he cares about deeply about him and Power, despite frequent arguments.
Fairouz Ai Kadota as Power
Good friends with fellow Public Safety Officers Denji and Aki, Power is a young woman with pink hair who can turn into a blood fiend with red horns. Power is extremely violent and self-motivated at first, not caring for anyone other than her cat, but eventually forms a bond with Denji and Aki who become her first friends.
Chainsaw Man trailer
A trailer for Chainsaw Man was released in August 2022, giving us a brand-new look at the series before it became available in October.
Chainsaw Man began airing on Tuesday 11th October 2022 on Crunchyroll. Check out the rest of our Sci-fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
