Mirza Aaqib Beg
Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Japanese manga series of the same name, ‘Chainsaw Man’ is a dark fantasy anime. The show follows a destitute teenager named Denji, who hunts devils with his chainsaw devil pet dog Pochita in order to make ends meet and pay the debt he owes to the yakuza following his father’s death. Despite his cruel conditions, he continues to dream of living an ordinary life with a beautiful girlfriend by his side. But things take a turn for the worse when he is killed after being betrayed by his debt collector.
Luckily, Pochita fuses with his body and gives Denji a new life following which he joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters to fight dangerous devils that pose a threat to civilian life. The action-packed and gory fight scenes coupled with its dark themes have made the anime a huge hit. As it continues to grow in popularity, it’s natural that viewers who like the show wish to watch more shows similar to it. In case you are looking for the same, then we have got you covered. You can watch most of these anime similar to ‘Chainsaw Man’ on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll, or Funimation.
8. Blue Exorcist (2011 – 2017)
‘Blue Exorcist’ recounts the story of Rin Okumura, a seemingly ordinary teenager who learns the shocking reality that he is the son of Satan who has been sent to Assiah so that the Demon Lord can one day use him to conquer the human world. Determined to save the Assiah, Rin vows not to let the king of Gehenna (the demon world) use him as his vessel and starts training with his brother Yukiot to fight for the greater good. Although ‘Blue Exorcist’ does not have a lot in common with ‘Chainsaw Man’ plot-wise, fans who wish to watch an action-packed series with fun characters will surely enjoy it.
7. Witch Hunter Robin (2002)
Just like Denji, Robin Sena is a teenager who works for an organization that employs hunters to eliminate deadly beings. Exactly like the unassuming and carefree hero of ‘Chainsaw Man,’ Robin’s life also changes in expected ways while carrying out her responsibilities for the STNJ. The story of the young protagonist risking her life and fighting for the greater good may sound interesting to ‘Chainsaw Man’ fans, so they should add it to their watchlist.
6. No Guns Life (2019)
Berühren Corporation after years of research and hard work manages to develop a technology to create powerful cyborg soldiers. However, when they release it for public use, things soon begin to get out of control. People who use this technology to add robotic parts to their bodies are called Extended. Interestingly, a man named Juuzou Inui, with no memories was created as a soldier using the same technology by the Berühren Corporation and is now running his own business in the post-war era.
The story of Inui’s life as he explores the world of Extended and its many mysteries is somewhat similar to Denji’s story who ends up at the Public Safety Devil Hunters without realizing the many secrets of the organization and the people he is working with.
5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019 -)
‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ or simple ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba’ is a dark fantasy series inspired by Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga series of the same name. The show follows a kind-hearted teenager named Tanjirou Kamado who returns to his home one day to find all of his family butchered by a demon except for his sister Nezuko who is no longer a human. Determined to do something for his sister and to avenge the death of his loved ones, Tanjirou joins the Demon Slayer Corps which fights against the demons to protect ordinary civilians.
As you may have already noticed by now, Denji’s life is quite similar to Tanjirou’s as the former too ends up joining an organization that fights devils (demons) in a world fractured by the constant conflict between the desire of dark forces to dominate and human optimism to survive. In addition, ‘Chainsaw Man’ and ‘Demon Slayer’ both have similar dark themes and action-packed fight scenes that make them special.
4. Parasyte: The Maxim (2014 – 2015)
Shinichi Izumi is an ordinary high schooler whose normal life turns upside down after a parasitic alien (who is eventually named Migi) ends up in his right arm after failing to take control of his brain. Now forced to depend on each other for survival, the eccentric duo learns that the human race is being targeted by parasitic aliens like Migi that has taken control of people after attacking their brain and are using them to influence the world from the shadows in order to multiply and feed themselves.
Just like Denji, Shinichi’s life changes when a supernatural organism or entity fuses with his body granting him superhuman powers. Both ‘Parasyte: The Maxim’ and ‘Chainsaw Man’ have gory fight scenes and a captivating plot that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. So fans of the latter should definitely add the former to their watchlist as well.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen (2021 -)
Yuuji Itadori’s life as a student comes to a dramatic end after he swallows the cursed fingers of the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, who is also known as the “King of Curses.” He then learns about the dangerous world of curses that are born out of people’s negative emotions and has to get admitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School to learn to control his newfound powers. Just like Denji who fights devils after fusing with one himself, Yuuji also faces a similar dilemma after eating Sukun’s cursed fingers. With identical dark themes and gory fight sequences, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ makes for a great watch for the fans of ‘Chainsaw Man’ who are looking for a somewhat similar series.
2. Dororo (2019)
Daigo Kagemitsu is a greedy samurai lord who makes a pact with 12 demons for the growth of his prefecture. While this does fulfill his desire, his son is later born without limbs, eyes, skins, or ears. Although he still somehow survives, Daigo decides to dispose his son of in a river. But once again he miraculously survives thanks to the help of a medicine man who gives him prosthetics and medicines.
Despite his bad luck and other disadvantages, the boy continues to live and starts fighting demons to regain parts of his body that belong to him. He is later joined by a boy named Dororo on his journey as they continue to challenge the odds and survive every hardship. The story of survival and tragedy sounds quite similar to Denji’s early life story before he fused with Pochita. The dark themes of ‘Dororo’ coupled with the identical premise of fighting demons/devils make it a great watch for ‘Chainsaw Man’ fans.
1. Devilman: Crybaby (2018)
Akira Fudou’s life changes forever when he ends up at an immoral party called Sabbath after agreeing to help his friend Ryou. Suddenly, devils attack the place turning people’s bodies into grotesque monsters one after another. With no better idea to stop the ongoing bloodshed, Akira turns into a Devilman after fusing with the devil Amon. While he manages to save the partygoers, Akira must now take the responsibility of fighting for the greater good with his newfound powers.
Just like Denji fused with the Chainsaw devil, Akira goes through a somewhat similar transformation that changes his life. The thematic similarities coupled with exciting fight scenes make the dark fantasy anime a much watch for anyone who likes ‘Chainsaw Man.’
Read More: Best Fantasy Anime
