Chainsaw Man Homages a Fujimoto One-Shot in Chapter 141
Eagle-eyed Chainsaw Man readers will spot a reference to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back in Chapter 141.
SPOILERS: Chainsaw Man Chapter 141 by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Amanda Haley and Sabrina Heep, and Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Amanda Haley and Snir Aharon, available in English on Viz Media.
Chainsaw Man is going meta in its latest chapter, if fans look closely enough.
Chainsaw Man released Chapter 141 “Normal Life Plus” on Aug. 29 where readers watched as Denji tried to navigate a normal life with Nayuta. But no matter where he turned, Chainsaw Man always seemed to be there, whether it was on half-priced curry buns at the supermarket or when the two encountered a Devil. When the two return home, they walk past their bookshelf where one particular volume stands out: Shark Kick, created by Kyo Fujino.
Shark Kick was the manga created by the two friends Fujino and Kyomoto in the one-shot Look Back. The two initially didn’t start off on the right foot with Fujino feeling a little jealous and envious over Kyomoto’s extraordinary artistic talent, but the two eventually bonded over their shared love of creating manga and their first serialization Shark Kick. As what happens in life, the two grew older and inevitably grew apart as Kyomoto and Fujino embarked on different paths. Tragedy struck on Jan. 10, 2016 when Kyomoto’s art school was attacked by an ax-wielding man. The incident hit close to many fans who knew this was Fujimoto’s homage to the victims of the KyoAni massacre as the one-shot was initially released on July 18, 2021.
Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man released on Weekly Shōnen Jump in December 2018 where its first part was serialized there until December 2020. The manga took a break before jumping into the second arc on Shōnen Jump+ in July 2022 where it focused on a new protagonist named Asa Mitaka. The second arc focuses more on Denji’s existential crisis as he wrestles with his identity as Chainsaw Man and his desire for a normal life.
The manga’s immense popularity led to an anime adaptation, animated and produced by Studio MAPPA in October 2022. The anime concluded in December 2022 with 12 episodes.
Chainsaw Man will take a break next week and resume with Chapter 142 on Sept. 12.
Source: Viz Media
