Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action

The premiere of Chainsaw Man reminded me of my childhood days when I would sit in front of the TV, counting down the seconds before my favorite cartoon or movie aired. Episode 1 of the anime gave me a similar childish excitement despite the 18+ rated scenes of carnage.

Very few anime will leave you as breathless and pumped with adrenaline as this one did. 

You can tell from the romanticization of the blood and gore that everyone at MAPPA put their everything into the series.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man premiered on October 11 and left the anime world with a burning hunger for more. It will have 12 episodes in total, with Crunchyroll and Hulu streaming it in the US.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
Young Denji and Pochita | Source: Crunchyroll

The anime begins by showing Denji’s pathetic living conditions. Despite doing dangerous and high-paying jobs on a daily basis, all he is left with is a tiny fraction of the money he deserves. He has even sold various organs of his body to pay back the debt, which ies all but increasing every day.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
Denji’s Living Conditions | Source: Crunchyroll

Reality is brutally portrayed as Denji admits that he can live on 100 yen ($0.68) for three days. The only food he can afford is a single piece of bread for dinner which he shares with his pet devil, Pochita.

Eventually, the yakuza get greedier and make a pact with the Zombie Devil. The treacherous devil takes control of the entire gang and commands them to kill Denji since he is a devil hunter.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
Zombie Devil’s Attack | Source: Crunchyroll

The malnourished and exhausted teen is shredded in seconds, but this is when an old pact with Pochita is revoked. Their blood pact and years of friendship saved Denji by merging Pochita’s body with his. Thus, Chainsaw Man was born.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
Denji and Pochita’s Pact | Source: Crunchyroll

As Denji woke up in his new body, he tore apart the zombies as well as the devil in a gruesome display of violence. What’s left in the end is a lone half-devil half-man in a sea of blood and cut-off limbs. MAPPA has clearly not held back in portraying Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original writing.

Next, enter the Public Safety Department, and Denji agrees to be taken in by them simply to eat jam and butter on bread. Denji’s hunger and the abuse he has experienced have made him the most fierce devil-hunter who is available at the lowest price.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
Denji with Makima | Source: Crunchyroll

There’s no guarantee that the Public Safety Department will be any better, but what other choice does he have? Denji has never been shown kindness or compassion, and he can’t differentiate between bait and food.

Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man Debuts with a Frenzy of Blood and Action
The Slaughter by Chainsaw Man | Source: Crunchyroll

The beautiful theme songs complimented the episode, as both the OP and ED are headbangers. MAPPA has released the songs separately, and you can listen to them right now.

『チェンソーマン』ノンクレジットオープニング / CHAINSAW MAN Opening│米津玄師 「KICK BACK」
“Chainsaw Man” non-credit opening / CHAINSAW MAN Opening│Kenshi Yonezu “KICK BACK”

The opening theme song is “Kick Back: by Kenshi Yonezu. The anime will receive 12 ending themes, and the very first one is Chainsaw Blood by Vaundy, which is given below.

『チェンソーマン』第1話スペシャルエンディング / CHAINSAW MAN #1 Ending│Vaundy 「CHAINSAW BLOOD」
“Chainsaw Man” Episode 1 Special Ending / CHAINSAW MAN #1 Ending│Vaundy “CHAINSAW BLOOD”

Chainsaw Man is an experience, and MAPPA has made sure that fans get the true taste of an action anime via this series. From the heart-thumping music to the frenzied slaughter, episode 1 was a feast for all our senses. Let’s see if MAPPA can keep up with this level for the rest of the series.

Watch Chainsaw Man on:

About Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man is a manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto that was serialized from December 2018-2020 and returned in July 2022 with a second part. The series also received an anime series by MAPPA.

The manga’s plot revolves around Denji, an orphaned boy who has to work as a devil hunter to make a living and pay off his father’s debt.

However, his pet devil, Pochita is killed on a mission. Denji wakes up to realize he and Pochita have become a single being, Chainsaw Man. If he does not want to get killed, he has to join the government and continue hunting demons.

Aaheli Pradhan

Aaheli Pradhan

A grandma by heart who loves to knit, sketch, and swing in parks. Binge-reads a massive amount of manga from psychological to shounen-ai. Either awkward or salty, there's no in-between.

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