If you’re scratching your head wondering why Chainsaw Man is so popular, part of it might be how Fujimoto stitches together the universal language of TV and cinema in a way that still feels incredibly fresh and unrestrained. The sheer range of inspirations listed below is a great example of Fujimoto’s unique tastes. Note that this list is spoiler-free, so you don’t need to worry if you thinking about reading Chainsaw Man or watching the anime. Fujimoto said during a MAPPA 10th Anniversary event that the American story had inspired his interest in chainsaws which, eventually, led to this hit series. According to multiple sources and what is believed to be Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Twitter alias, he was inspired by one of the big final fights in Kizumonogatari – Shinobu vs Araragi – when creating a major final battle in the Chainsaw Man manga! Abara translates as ‘Ribs’ in Japanese, and the dark action series revolves around people who can create bone-like armour and weaponry around themselves. Similar to Chainsaw Man himself, Abara is filled with people who appear to have weapons bursting out of their bodies. When Chainsaw Man reached 3 million copies in circulation back in 2020, Fujimoto referenced Chainsaw Man as a ‘pop Abara’, along with the next inspiration in our list. Not only did FLCL inspire Chainsaw Man generally, but it’s rumoured that it may have inspired some of the characters, including Makima, who has many similarities to FLCL’s enigmatic Haruko Haruhara. Jin-Roh is a psychological action series revolving around Kazuki Fuse, a special-unit soldier who fails to kill a young terrorist before they blow themselves up. The incident scars Kazuki, who ends up forming a relationship with the terrorist’s sister. Jin-Roh was remade in 2018 in Korea, altering parts of the story and setting. Fujimoto has said that Jin-Roh inspired Chainsaw Man’s Reze, along with her arc in the story. Stubborn, overly aggressive and slightly deluded, Walter Sobchak was a big inspiration to Power, Denji’s arrogant, fiendish sidekick, according to interviews Fujimoto gave at Jump Festa 2021.
