The month after Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc was announced, it was revealed that the Chainsaw Man TV anime’s director Ryu Nakayama had founded a new studio, making it clear that the former freelancer wouldn’t be returning for the movie. Today, a new teaser trailer provides the first good look at the anticipated film, while also unveiling Nakayama’s successor and a 2025 release date.
That successor is Tatsuya Yoshihara, previously the action director for the TV series. Beyond Chainsaw Man, Yoshihara was series director for shows like Black Clover (later switching roles to chief director), Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san, Yoru no Yatterman, and the recent Wistoria: Wand and Sword (which is getting a second season).
Surrounding Yoshihara are various familiar faces from the Chainsaw Man TV anime: character designer Kazutaka Sugiyama, screenwriter Hiroshi Seko, costume designer Aya Yamamoto, music composer Kensuke Ushio, devil designer Kiyotaka Oshiyama, background art director Yusuke Takeda, color designer Naomi Nakano, and compositing director Teppei Ito.
There are also some notable new names, like the sub-character designers Sota Yamazaki (co-chief animation director on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, character designer and animation director on Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines‘ second ED animation) and Shun (Chainsaw Man co-chief animation director). Also in the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc credits are:
• Main animator: Shoichi (Chainsaw Man key animator and Ep 12 co-animation director)
• Action animation director: Sota Shigetsugu (Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 key animator)
• Devil designer: Riki Matsuura (Fire Force Season 2 co-main animator)
• Color script: Riku (Eve “Kororon” music video director, character designer et al. [as Ligton]
• 3DCG director: Daiki Watanabe (Chainsaw Man 3D setup and animation staff)
• 3DCG director: Masahiro Tamai (takt op.Destiny 3DCG modeling director)
Aside from the teaser trailer and staff unveiling, there are also two visuals, one of Denji in his Chainsaw Man form and another, more peaceful illustration of human Denji and Reze at a café.
Chainsaw Man and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc are based on the Shueisha-published supernatural action manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, which began serialization in 2018. Viz Media describes it as:
Denji’s a poor young man who’ll do anything for money, even hunting down devils with his pet devil Pochita. He’s a simple man with simple dreams, drowning under a mountain of debt. But his sad life gets turned upside down one day when he’s betrayed by someone he trusts. Now with the power of a devil inside him, Denji’s become a whole new man—Chainsaw Man!
Meanwhile, the synopsis for the movie reads:
Denji became “Chainsaw Man”, a boy with a devil’s heart, and is now part of Special Division 4’s devil hunters. After a date with Makima, the woman of his dreams, Denji takes shelter from the rain. There he meets Reze, a girl who works in a café.
The first part of the Chainsaw Man manga ran from 2018 to 2021 in Weekly Shonen Jump. The current second part began serialization on the Shonen Jump+ app and website in July 2022. There are 19 tankoubon volumes as of December 2024.
The anime series premiered in October 2022 and ran for one cour, with Crunchyroll, Bilibili, and Ani-One ULTRA streaming the MAPPA-produced show.
Update: Added the synopsis for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
Cast
• Kikunosuke Toya as Denji
• Shiori Izawa as Pochita
• Tomori Kusunoki as Makima
• Shogo Sakata as Aki
• Fairouz Ai as Power
• Kobeni as Karin Takahashi
• Natsuki Hanae as Beam
• Yuya Uchida as The Violence Fiend
• Maya Uchida as Angel Devil
• Reina Ueda as Reze
Source: @CHAINSAWMAN_PR
