Chainsaw Man has become one of the most original shonen of the last decade thanks to its mix of gonzo humor, tragedy, and an unconventional power system. But between chainsaws, pacts with devils, and a government agency that hunts monsters, it's easy to lose track of who's who. This guide walks through the main characters, explains where their power comes from, and clears up the difference between a Devil, a Fiend and a Hybrid, the three kinds of beings that hold up the entire story.
The series began as a manga in 2018, created by Japanese author Tatsuki Fujimoto, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump until it wrapped its first part in 2020. It has continued since on the Shonen Jump+ app with the second part, known as the "Academy Saga." The anime jump came in 2022 courtesy of studio MAPPA, with a twelve-episode first season adapting the introductory arc, and in 2025 Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc premiered in theaters before arriving on streaming platforms.
What are the Devil Hunters and Public Safety?
In the world of Chainsaw Man, devils are born from humanity's fears: the more a concept is feared, the more powerful the devil tied to it. To fight them there are Devil Hunters, independent hunters or ones working for public agencies such as Tokyo's Public Safety Devil Hunters, the special division where Denji, Power and Aki serve under veteran Kishibe. Meanwhile, agencies in other countries develop their own, far more brutal methods, giving the series an almost geopolitical dimension on top of its purely supernatural one.
Denji: from Yakuza debtor to Chainsaw Man
Denji begins the story as an orphaned teenager scraping by to pay off the debt his father left with the Yakuza, with only Pochita for company — a small chainsaw devil he rescued and shares an almost family-like bond with. After being betrayed and killed, Pochita fuses with his heart to bring him back to life, turning him into a Hybrid: a human who can partially or fully transform into a devil. By pulling a ripcord in his chest, Denji sprouts chainsaws from his head and arms, and in his fullest form becomes Chainsaw Man, one of the most feared devils even among other devils, since he embodies the fear of the chainsaw itself.
Power: the chaotic Blood Fiend
Power is a Fiend, meaning a devil (in her case the Blood Devil) that has possessed a corpse and regained an almost-human form, with visible horns and a tail as distinguishing traits. Selfish, loud, and entirely unbothered by social norms, her real weakness is Meowy, the stray cat she adopts and protects above almost everything else. Her rivalry-turned-friendship with Denji, forced to live together on Makima's orders, is one of the comedic and emotional engines of the series' first part.
Aki Hayakawa: revenge and dangerous pacts
Aki is a human Devil Hunter with no transformation of his own, so he compensates for his lack of physical power by signing contracts with devils in exchange for part of his own remaining lifespan. He holds a pact with the Future Devil, which lets him glimpse fragments of his own death, and later with the feared Curse Devil, far more powerful but also far costlier in years of life. His personal goal is to take down the Gun Devil, the devil responsible for slaughtering his family, a drive that pulls him dangerously close to Makima.
Makima: the Control Devil behind it all
Makima is Denji's direct superior at Public Safety, seemingly calm and protective, but in truth she's the Control Devil, one of the series' most powerful primal devils and the great antagonist of the story's first half. Her ability to dominate any being she considers "inferior" makes her a threat that even the Japanese government can't fully control, and her relationship with Denji, torn between affection and manipulation, is the emotional core that closes the manga's first part.
Reze: the Bomb Hybrid from the Reze Arc movie
Reze is a Hybrid fused with the Bomb Devil, able to turn her own body into an explosive weapon. She's introduced as an innocent-looking waitress who crosses paths with Denji outside his work as a hunter, and her story, adapted in the film Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (released in theaters in 2025 and available for streaming on Crunchyroll since April 2026), digs into the origin and motivations of the Hybrids created by foreign powers to be used as weapons.
Devil, Fiend and Hybrid: the three power categories explained
Chainsaw Man's entire power hierarchy rests on three concepts worth knowing clearly to follow the plot without confusion.
| Category | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Devil | A being born from humanity's collective fear of a concept; it lives in Hell and only crosses into the human world under certain conditions | Gun Devil, Control Devil (Makima) |
| Fiend | A Devil that possesses the corpse of a deceased person and takes on a partially human form | Power (Blood Fiend) |
| Hybrid | A living human fused with a Devil through a pact or an accident, who keeps their identity and free will | Denji (Chainsaw Hybrid), Reze (Bomb Hybrid) |
Common mistakes when following Chainsaw Man
- Mixing up Fiend with Hybrid: a Fiend is a devil in a dead body, a Hybrid is a living person fused with a devil.
- Thinking Pochita and Chainsaw Man are separate characters: Pochita is the devil that, fused with Denji, gives shape to his transformation.
- Believing Makima is only Denji's boss: her true identity as the Control Devil is one of the first part's central reveals.
- Seeing the Reze Arc movie as a prequel: it adapts an arc that happens in the middle of the manga's first part, not before the story begins.
Where to watch and read Chainsaw Man legally
Season 1 of the anime and the Reze Arc movie are available on Crunchyroll with subtitles and an English dub. The manga lets you follow the Academy Saga, the story's second part, which still doesn't have a confirmed animated adaptation beyond Season 2. If you'd rather have it in print, the collected volumes are a solid way to complete the set.
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Official trailer for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
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Frequently asked questions about Chainsaw Man
Who is Pochita, really, in Chainsaw Man?
Pochita is the Chainsaw Devil, a small demon Denji rescued as a child and shared an almost paternal bond with. When Denji dies, Pochita fuses with his heart and revives him, giving birth to Chainsaw Man.
What's the difference between Power and Denji if they're both half demon?
Denji is a Hybrid: a living person fused with a devil who keeps their human identity. Power is a Fiend: a devil possessing and reanimating the body of someone already dead, so her personality is essentially the devil's, not an original human's.
Why does Aki Hayakawa make pacts with devils if he isn't a Hybrid?
Aki has no transformation of his own like Denji, so he makes up for his lack of power by signing contracts with devils (the Future Devil, and later the Curse Devil) in exchange for years of his own life – a riskier path to power, but one any human can access.
What's Makima's relationship to the rest of the characters?
Makima is Denji, Power and Aki's superior at Public Safety, but her true nature is the Control Devil, capable of dominating anyone she considers inferior. She's the main antagonist of the first part, and her bond with Denji mixes apparent protection with real manipulation.
Should you watch the Reze Arc movie before or after Season 1?
After. It adapts an arc that takes place chronologically following the events already told in Season 1 of the anime (2022), so it's recommended to watch it once you've finished that first batch of episodes.
When does Chainsaw Man Season 2 premiere?
MAPPA confirmed Season 2, centered on the manga's Assassins Arc, is in production, but as of August 2026 there's no official release date; several specialized outlets point to a launch no earlier than 2027.
Do you need to read the manga to understand the series' power system?
No, the anime and the movie explain the concepts of Devil, Fiend and Hybrid as they appear. Reading the manga is, however, the only way to follow the Academy Saga, the story's second part, which doesn't have a confirmed anime yet.