Chainsaw Man’s first movie sets new action shonen anime standards with a stunning spectacle of blood, guts, and heartbreak.

“I’m going to start falling for this girl…”

It’s become the new normal for ongoing anime series to tell some of their biggest stories as cinematic adaptations instead of devoting part of a standard season to this narrative arc. This storytelling approach can have mixed results, but it draws astronomical returns when it’s successful. Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc trumps Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Demon Slayer: The Movie – Infinity Castle, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and the myriad of compilation films that have littered the market. Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc is the real deal and a pitch-perfect adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s signature work that’s even more successful than the first season’s take on the material. It isn’t just the anime’s pinnacle, but it’s a rejuvenating wakeup call of what animation can accomplish. Chainsaw Man’s first movie is a modern classic that hits cinemas with a bang – literally.

Chainsaw Man exists in an extremely hyperbolized universe that’s drenched in violence and viscera. It’s a world that’s perpetually on the precipice of the apocalypse, and yet so much of the movie is a beautiful celebration of life’s simple pleasures and the things that make living worthwhile, whether that’s a day at the movies, a good breakfast, or a bashful crush. Denji and the film have such modest aspirations, yet these simple, human experiences are filtered through endlessly surreal action and blood-soaked brutality.

Fujimoto’s love of cinema becomes a major component of Chainsaw Man’s first movie. There’s a pseudo-meta angle to the film’s presentation, which really feels like two separate movies, intentionally so, as it takes advantage of the opportunity to indulge in some of cinema’s most tried and true tropes. It’s the type of movie that both Denji and Reze would walk away from feeling satisfied, which the film proves to be no small feat.

Reze Arc keys into the volatile emotions that are so often associated with teen dating and someone’s first love. These heightened situations can feel like they’re life-or-death, but this feature literally turns them into a grueling battle where Denji’s life is literally on the line. It’s a story of star-crossed lovers, in the most extreme sense, by way of Chainsaw Man’s unpredictable and absurdist storytelling.

© 2025 MAPPA/CHAINSAW MAN PROJECT ©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHAv

Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc really feels like two different movies, but in a way that perfectly reinforces the film’s themes. The first twenty minutes could easily stand on their own as a slice-of-life short film that doesn’t even need to work Devils into its narrative. It’s the sort of grounded character development and storytelling that Fujimoto does so well. These humble character beats, where Denji learns more about himself, are just as rewarding as the ones where he viscerally tears through Devils. This first act is all about the transformative power of cinema and how cathartic it can be to find that “life-changing” movie.

Reze Arc effortlessly conveys the invincibility that comes with young love, validation, and the feeling that anything is possible. Denji’s wins are the audience’s wins, and they’re viscerally felt. We get that Reze is more than just some manic pixie devil girl, and why she lingers in Denji’s mind. The film is rich in meet-cute moments that feel so innocent and natural, but are also tinged with dread. Chainsaw Man: The Movie finds humble pleasure in normalcy, like grimacing after bitter coffee, or getting caught in the rain. It’s these non-moments between the bigger milestones that make life what it is, all of which hit even harder when this story descends into apocalyptic violence and all these luxuries threaten to be ripped away. It teases a nihilistic alternative where Denji is a blunt tool whose only purpose is to kill, rather than a living being – with a heart – who wants to love.

Reze Arc fluctuates from cute to cruel at a moment’s notice. It’s the perfect distillation of the film’s extremes. It’s tour de force storytelling that knows how to juggle arthouse rom-com sensibilities with brutal, terrifying combat. All these intense feelings push Denji to reckon with his humanity, identity, and feelings. He’s paralyzed over not knowing how to act because of the normal experiences that he’s been robbed of in life, which have left Denji feeling like he’s abnormal. 

© 2025 MAPPA/CHAINSAW MAN PROJECT ©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA

Denji must ultimately choose between the comfort of his country mouse old life and the exciting fear of the unknown that’s associated with the hypothetical city mouse lifestyle that awaits him if he runs away. It’s a simple dilemma, but a rich one that easily sustains the film. Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc juxtaposes this with the equally overt message where Denji is conflicted that nobody wants his heart in a figurative sense, while everybody wants Chainsaw Man’s heart, in a literal sense, which has understandably shattered his sense of self. There’s something so beautiful about Denji’s innocence and his desire to see people as people so that they can stop feeling like weapons. Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc acts as if it wants to tamp down this message as it continues to punish Denji for his humanity. Many of these cathartic moments are played for laughs, but there’s a true melancholy nature to Denji and Reze’s saga.

Chainsaw Man has been fortunate enough to showcase plenty of unforgettable villains. That being said, Reze Arc’s Typhoon and Bomb Devils are just built differently. The Typhoon Devil moments are genuinely unnerving, which is saying something for a series that’s as dark as Chainsaw Man. These scenes feel like they’re ripped out of Saw. They’re considerably more vicious and deranged, right down to their lighting and scene composition. It’s a smart way to highlight these villains’ truly evil nature. Additionally, the Bomb Devil taps into a different level of terror that comes from the monster’s near-naivety to the destruction it causes. The Bomb Devil also feels invincible in a way that past Devils haven’t, which naturally leads to a fight that’s rather satisfying, both on an action and visual level. It should come as no surprise, but the battle choreography in this film is out of this world. There are such intricately detailed and ridiculous fight sequences that defy reality and delight in eye-popping spectacles. Chainsaw Man: The Movie is truly gorgeous and among 2025’s most visually impressive cinematic spectacles.

Aki and the Angel Devil aid Denji against these monsters. They receive significant arcs that rival Denji’s, which helps put a little more meat on the movie’s bones so that the entire thing doesn’t rest on Denji’s shoulders. The Shark Fiend is also such a gonzo sycophantic sidekick for Denji to have while Power takes a step back. The Shark Fiend is effectively weaponized, and he’s the perfect sort of nonsense that works for a movie, but might wear thin over a full season of the show.

© 2025 MAPPA/CHAINSAW MAN PROJECT ©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA

To the above point, the film’s visuals are in a league of their own and some of MAPPA‘s most impressive work to date. All of these visuals take advantage of the film’s cinematic scale. This movie seriously begs to be seen in IMAX if the opportunity is available. Reze Arc continues to feature such radical, kaleidoscopic bursts of color that play by their own rules. These rainbow-colored spectacles are juxtaposed against rupturing organs and entrails. The film has such a precise visual language that bombards the viewer with parallel images that find themselves at an inflection point. 

This visual storytelling subconsciously reinforces the movie’s central themes and the two worlds that Denji is torn between. It’s such a powerful way for Chainsaw Man to assert its personality and the punk rock, anarchic way in which Fujimoto tells these stories that, on some level, are meant to be formulaic due to their ongoing, serialized nature. There’s an extended sequence in which Chainsaw Man rides the Shark Fiend like a demonic stallion as he storms a castle. I’d say it’s as if Takashi Miike directed an MCU film, but that’s just Fujimoto’s unpredictably chaotic style. It’s Junji Ito meets M.C. Escher. Fujimoto’s work is distinctly original, which helps every element shine, even if it falls short in some areas. Kensuke Ushio’s iconic music also kills it. It drip-feeds frenetic chaos that elegantly underscores each scene and amplifies the necessary tone and emotions, whether that’s suspense, terror, or affable levity.

Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc is the crowning achievement that it deserves to be, and the anime’s definitive statement on this epic property. It’s guaranteed to impress its audience through revelatory action sequences, but the same is true for its earnest breakdown of Denji’s flawed nature and how he’s far from some shonen hero archetype. It’s a relentless experience at a tight 90 minutes, yet it feels like it accomplishes twice as much as some of the year’s significantly longer cinematic anime endeavors. During a time when cinematic anime accomplishments are increasingly common, Chainsaw Man: the Movie – Reze Arc opts for something with greater substance that’s as emotionally rich as it is brutally violent. 

Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc releases in theaters, in premium formats and IMAX, on October 24, 2025.