Few other anime series have ever built the sort of hype and anticipation that surrounded Chainsaw Man in the months leading up to its premiere. It's rare that a series creates such noise years before its anime adaptation is even announced, but the original manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto became a sensation during the final stretch of its masterfully crafted Part One. Word spread by mouth and on social media, and even fans who had never before picked up manga rushed to the series to see what the hype was all about.

Only three months after Chainsaw Man's manga returned for Part Two, the anime adaptation by director Ryu Nakayama and Studio MAPPA premiered, and instantly stirred controversy. Reception was largely positive, though there was a large and loud portion of the anime community who didn't hesitate to voice their criticisms. Nearly three years later, its follow-up film, Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc is only months away. However, there's no indication a second season is anywhere on the horizon—which raises an important question: is MAPPA dropping the ball?

Chainsaw Man Finally Makes Its Return This Year

The Reze Arc Film Is Set to Land in US Theaters in October

Following the completion of Chainsaw Man's first season, which teased the arc to come in its follow-up, news regarding the series went relatively quiet. It wasn't until an entire year later, in December 2023, that fans were given their first look at the Reze Arc movie in a short teaser trailer. Not much was revealed about the film, though director Ryu Nakayama announced that he had since left MAPPA to start his own animation studio, and Chainsaw Man would be left in other hands.

At Jump Festa 2025, another, more in-depth trailer was released, and it was announced that Tatsuya Yoshihara would be taking over as director. Yoshihara previously worked as a director on Black Clover, and lent his talents as an animator on series like Frieren, Jujutsu Kaisen, and several episodes of Chainsaw Man.

From the trailer alone, it's clear the series will be adopting a new visual style more reminiscent of its source material, and the production value appears to be sky-high. Fans have already begun embracing the changes, as much of the criticism surrounding Chainsaw Man's first season had to do with its visual style and CGI action sequences. In only three months, the trailer has sured the 10 million view mark, showcasing a lasting demand for the anime. However, nearly three years on from Season One's finale, it seems as though its built-in hype is fading.

Is MAPPA Dropping the Ball With Chainsaw Man?

The Studio Continues Taking On Countless Projects Each Year

Studio MAPPA is somewhat infamous for its less than stellar work conditions. Jujutsu Kaisen's second season led to heavy backlash from animators and staff who worked on the series, and the entire ordeal became very public on social media platforms. No one wants MAPPA employees to be overworked for the sake of receiving more anime, especially in an industry where expectations have only risen over the better part of the last decade. At the same time, it's fair to believe that the studio is taking far too long to adapt one of its top titles.

It isn't that the Chainsaw Man staff aren't working quickly enough, either. Rather, MAPPA has taken on and continues to take on numerous projects with each ing anime season. The studio has had to direct resources to series like Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Ranma 1/2, and several more all within the past two years, while debuting countless new shows, like Lazarus and Zenshu, just this year.

While different staff obviously take on different projects, it's difficult for a studio to direct their focus and resources on any one given title at a time when so many are in production at once. MAPPA may be one of the biggest names in the industry, but money is finite, and more often than not, there isn't enough to go around. This can cause production on a series to slow to a crawl, and given Chainsaw Man's need for a new director and intensified pressure to succeed following a controversial first outing, it was never going to be a quick turnaround.

Fans Shouldn't Hold Their Breath For Chainsaw Man's Second Season

Nearly Three Years After Its Premiere, There Are No Signs of a Second Season

When Chainsaw Man's anime was announced, the manga had reached 97 chapters in its completed first part. In such a case, an adaptation wouldn't want to rush things and catch up to its source material too soon. At that point, a slower production wouldn't have been such a bad thing. However, in the nearly three years since its premiere, Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man has now reached the 200-chapter mark, and aside from the Reze Arc film, its anime has shown no signs of returning.

Some fans have held out hope that an announcement for Season Two might coincide with the movie's release, but that's where MAPPA's hefty backlog comes into play. Jujutsu Kaisen is far and away the studio's current most profitable title, and its second season ended in December 2023. There is practically no chance that Chainsaw Man returns to TV before Jujutsu Kaisen does, and as of right now, there is no official release date for the series' return. It's been heavily speculated that Season Three will debut in 2026, but it's all simply speculation.

Chainsaw Man finally returns with its first big-screen outing later this year, and fans have expressed their excitement about being able to see Denji and company animated once more. Unfortunately, a future second season may be further off in the future than anyone would like it to be. Nevertheless, the Reze Arc movie is set to adapt one of the series' fan-favorite arcs, and every piece of promotional material released thus far suggests that fans are in for quite a treat this October.