Chainsaw Man has become one of the most original shonen series of the last decade thanks to its mix of gritty humor, tragedy and an unconventional power system. But between chainsaws, devil contracts and a government agency built to hunt monsters, it is easy to lose track of who is 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 categories of being that hold the whole story together.
The series began as a manga in 2018, created by Japanese author Tatsuki Fujimoto, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump until its first part wrapped up in 2020. Since then it has continued on the Shonen Jump+ digital app with its second part, known as the "Academy Saga." The anime adaptation arrived in 2022 courtesy of studio MAPPA, with a twelve-episode first season covering the introductory arc, and in 2025 Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc hit theaters before later reaching Crunchyroll.
What are 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 becomes. To fight them, the world relies on Devil Hunters, either independent freelancers or agents working for public agencies like the Public Safety Devil Hunters in Tokyo, the special division where Denji, Power and Aki serve under veteran hunter Kishibe. Rival agencies from other countries use far more brutal methods, giving the series an almost geopolitical layer on top of its supernatural premise.
Denji: from Yakuza debtor to Chainsaw Man
Denji starts out as an orphaned teenager scraping by to pay off his late father's debt to the Yakuza, with only Pochita for company — a small chainsaw devil he rescued and shares an almost paternal bond with. After being betrayed and killed, Pochita fuses with his heart and brings him back to life, turning him into a Hybrid: a human able to partially or fully transform into a devil. By pulling a ripcord on his chest, Denji sprouts chainsaws from his head and arms, and in his full form becomes Chainsaw Man, a devil feared even by other devils, since he embodies the fear of the chainsaw itself.
Power: the chaotic Blood Fiend
Power is a Fiend: a devil (in her case, the Blood Devil) that has possessed a dead person's corpse and reclaimed a mostly human shape, marked by visible horns and a tail. Selfish, loud and completely indifferent to social norms, her one real weak spot is Meowy, the stray cat she adopts and protects above almost everything else. Her rivalry-turned-friendship with Denji, forced upon them by Makima, is one of the comedic and emotional engines of Part 1.
Aki Hayakawa: revenge and dangerous pacts
Aki is a human Devil Hunter with no transformation of his own, so he makes up for his lack of raw power by signing contracts with devils in exchange for chunks of his 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 more costly in years of life. His personal goal is taking down the Gun Devil, the devil responsible for slaughtering his family, a motivation that pulls him dangerously close to Makima.
Makima: the Control Devil behind it all
Makima is Denji's direct superior at Public Safety, outwardly calm and protective, but in truth she is the Control Devil, one of the most powerful primal devils in the series and the main antagonist of the story's first half. Her ability to dominate any being she considers "inferior" makes her a threat even the Japanese government cannot fully contain, and her relationship with Denji — caught between genuine affection and cold manipulation — drives the emotional arc that closes out Part 1 of the manga.
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 a living explosive. She is introduced as an unassuming café waitress who crosses paths with Denji outside his life as a hunter, and her story — adapted in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (theatrical release in 2025, streaming on Crunchyroll since April 2026) — digs into the origin and motives of the Hybrids that foreign powers create and use as living weapons.
Devil, Fiend and Hybrid: the three power categories explained
Chainsaw Man's entire power hierarchy rests on three concepts worth knowing cold if you want to follow the story without confusion.
| Category | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Devil | A being born from humanity's collective fear of a concept; lives in Hell and only crosses into the human world under specific conditions | Gun Devil, Control Devil (Makima) |
| Fiend | A Devil that possesses a dead person's corpse and takes on a partially human shape | 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 and 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 who, fused with Denji, gives shape to his transformation.
- Treating Makima as just Denji's boss: her true identity as the Control Devil is one of Part 1's central reveals.
- Watching the Reze Arc movie as a prequel: it adapts an arc that happens midway through Part 1 of the manga, not before the story begins.
Where to watch and read Chainsaw Man legally
The anime's first season 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 has no confirmed anime adaptation yet beyond Season 2. If you'd rather own 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 devil 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 devil?
Denji is a Hybrid: a living person fused with a devil who keeps their human identity. Power is a Fiend: a devil that possesses and reanimates the corpse 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, then the Curse Devil) in exchange for years of his own life, a riskier path to power but one open to any human.
What's Makima's relationship to the rest of the cast?
Makima is Denji, Power and Aki's superior at Public Safety, but her true nature is the Control Devil, able to dominate anyone she considers inferior. She's the main antagonist of Part 1, and her bond with Denji mixes apparent protection with real manipulation.
Should the Reze Arc movie be watched before or after Season 1?
After. It adapts an arc that takes place chronologically after the events already told in the anime's Season 1 (2022), so it's recommended once that first batch of episodes is finished.
When does Chainsaw Man Season 2 come out?
MAPPA confirmed that Season 2, centered on the manga's Assassins Arc, is in production, but as of August 2026 there's no official release date; several outlets point to a release no earlier than 2027.
Do you need to read the manga to understand the series' powers?
No, the anime and movie explain the concepts of Devil, Fiend and Hybrid as they show up. Reading the manga is, however, the only way to follow the Academy Saga, the story's second part, which has no confirmed anime yet.