Synopsis

Broke, parentless, and drowning in his dead dad's yakuza debt, Denji is reduced to selling his own organs just to survive. His only friend is Pochita, a tiny devil-dog with a chainsaw sticking out of its face. When the yakuza betray him and leave him for dead, Pochita merges with Denji's body, turning him into a human-devil hybrid who can sprout chainsaws from his limbs. That's where things get interesting. This two-part ONA is a recap of the Chainsaw Man TV series, compiled by MAPPA with some bonus manga omake chapters adapted for the first time. If you watched the original 12 episodes, this is a tighter repackaging with a few extras thrown in. If you haven't seen Chainsaw Man at all, this honestly works as a solid entry point: you get the core story of Denji joining the Public Safety Devil Hunters alongside Aki and Power, all condensed down. The vibe is grimy urban fantasy with a protagonist whose biggest ambitions are eating good food and touching a girl. It's dark and bloody but weirdly sincere underneath the gore. The animation still holds up: MAPPA went hard on the action choreography, and the Devils-as-human-fears concept gives every fight real weight. If you liked Jujutsu Kaisen's monster hunting or Devilman Crybaby's raw intensity, this hits similar notes. Fans of Tokyo Ghoul's human-monster identity crisis will find familiar ground too. Just know going in that this world doesn't pull its punches.