Chainsawman is the hottest new Shonen Jump series, having become hugely popular in just a few years. Tatsuki Fujimoto has written a series that has everything from gorgeous battle panels to a bunch of famous young adults trying to make ends meet. Every part of Chainsawman seems to be in competition for its best aspect, and thanks Jujutsu Kaisenanimation studio MAPPA, this is reflected by the positive reception of the anime’s first season.
With that success, one might be surprised to find out Chainsawman is still quite young and has not gone far from its roots. The manga uses the same part-based structure as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and is only in its second segment at the time of writing. The anime has only covered the first third of part 1 and it will take a while to catch up. Not much else going on Chainsawman franchise beyond that, but as feels inevitable for any popular Shonen Jump fighting manga, a video game is likely in the cards for Chainsawman. The biggest question is how best to adapt it.
A chainsaw dating sim
Chainsawman is obviously actionable, but to say that’s all it’s about would be reductive. Chainsawman is centered around its strong cast that shifts with each arc. Combining the personal touch with protagonist Denji’s desire to feel a woman’s touch, it is not difficult to jump to a Chainsawman dating simulator. Dadlers have already teased the story, but a game about them could play off of this by thwarting Denji’s often terrible relationships in funny or dramatic ways. Something along the lines of The Tokimeki Memorialwhere Denji’s devil-hunting work is represented by state-of-the-art minigames and his time with various girls are visual novel segments, could be a unique take on a Shonen Jump property.
A chainsaw hack-and-slash
That said, many fans will prefer the more straightforward approach. For that purpose, a hack-and-slash game would be perfect for Chainsawman. There are tons of weak zombies, Devil spawn, and even Yakuza to fill levels with, and just about every major Devil and antagonist can be a boss. There are many forms that this genre can take, but ideally it would be an action game with characters similar to what Platinum Games, Team Ninja or Capcom would create. ONE Chainsaw Man Warriors title by Omega Force wouldn’t be out of line either, but it might sell the series short.
A chainsaw action RPG
A linear, level-based action game can work well Chainsawman, but it would also require a more deliberate approach. The setting of Chainsawman are as much of a character as the main characters, and exploring their daily lives in the world will add authenticity. A semi-open world game like i Yakuza franchise can do the trick, with Denji facing all sorts of odd jobs and squabbles around his main line of work. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradisea Shonen Jump adaptation made by Yakuza team, shows how well this can work. Given a longer runtime to hang with the cast, this game could become an instant classic.
A chainsaw fighting game
Another genre option for a Battle Shonen adaptation is practically a tradition: Fighting games and arena fighters have embodied shonen series for decades. There’s a visceral thrill in duking it out with one’s favorite characters, but it comes with a caveat. Because this genre can be made cheaply and quickly, there is no doubt that the result will resemble the critically acclaimed one Dragon Ball FighterZa cult classic which Kill la Kill Ifor a flop on par with One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. Fighting games fit Chainsawman as good as any other action genre, but it could be better if the series tries something different.
