Sony’s Crunchyroll streaming service has lined up one of the most anticipated new anime series of the year. Earlier this week, Crunchyroll announced that it will stream Chainsaw Man when it debuts later this year. The anime series is based upon Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man manga which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
With such an audacious title, it should be no surprise to learn that the title character actually can transform parts of his body into chainsaws. But not because he would have wanted it that way. The lead character’s real name is Denji, and he lives in an alternate world where the supernatural is out in the open and demons are manifested from humanity’s collective fears. After being fatally injured, Denji makes a deal with pet Devil, Pochita, to become a human/demon hybrid. As part of the deal, Denji can still have some semblance of a normal life. But when his demonic duty calls, he can transform himself into the grotesque Chainsaw Man.
The teaser trailer for Chainsaw Man doesn’t really give too much of the story away. But it does offer a few glimpses of the title character in action.
“With dark humor, dynamic characters and a sharp story, Chainsaw Man is one of the most anticipated new series this year, and we are wickedly excited to bring it to fans on the Crunchyroll service,” said Crunchyroll’s Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira. “Anime fans will be up all night thinking about the spectacular visuals and high-octane action.”
Chainsaw Man is directed by Ryū Nakayama from a script by Hiroshi Seko, with music composed by Kensuke Ushio, and character designs by Kazutaka Sugiyama and Kiyotaka Oshiyama. At the moment, the series doesn’t have a premiere date on Crunchyroll.