The 'Chainsaw Man' Manga Is Over for Now, but More Is on the Way

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man.

2022 looks like the year of the chainsaw with the highly-anticipated release of the Chainsaw Man anime. With animation by the hard-working MAPPA Studio of Jujutsu Kaisen fame, the upcoming show will probably be one of the most talked-about series of the year among anime enthusiasts. But what about the original manga? The source material is already critically acclaimed, but is the story still ongoing? The answer might surprise you.

Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a poor young man who hunts devils alongside his demonic companion Pochita to try and pay off his crippling debt. After being killed by the yakuza, Pochita sacrifices his body so that Denji may live. The process grants Denji the ability to become a monster with chainsaws on his head and arms. He is soon recruited by the Public Safety Division and continues to kill devils for an honest living.

The future holds even more chainsaw action, in both anime and manga form.

Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the original manga began in 2018 on the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japan. Throughout its run, the series received several nominations and awards for achievements in art and manga publication. In 2021, the series won at the illustrious Shogakukan Manga Awards for Best Shōnen Manga. The final chapter was published in December 2020, but it included a very enticing teaser at the end.

Chapter 97 sees Denji at the end of a long and tragic battle. After losing many of his friends in the Public Safety Division in the battle against its captain Makima, he emerges victorious and takes time to recover from the heavy losses. After a while, he decides to enroll in high school and pursue a formal education but still fights against devils with his identity known to the public.

The final chapter ends with a panel stating "Part 1: Public Safety Chapter End".

Of course, that can only mean that even after all of the intense battles and tragic deaths, Chainsaw Man will still continue. And that continuation is forthcoming. In 2021, it was revealed that the second arc of Chainsaw Man is due out in Japan in Summer 2022. The new arc will reportedly follow Denji's new school life. The new arc coincides with the start of the anime in the same year.

If you want to catch up with Part 1 by this summer, then there's no better time than now to get started. The first arc consists of 97 chapters, which equates to 11 manga volumes total. In the US, new volumes release every other month. As of writing, Volume 9 is due out on Feb. 1. The eleventh volume is scheduled to release on June 7, right before the new arc starts in Japan.

You can read all 97 chapters of Chainsaw Man officially on VIZ.