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Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc

A ferocious, funny, and surprisingly tender action-romance that balances grotesque spectacle with a lonely coming-of-age story. It should land especially well for viewers who want stylish animation, emotional damage, and a love story that keeps turning into a trap.

96% (599,267)

Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc

Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Movie · Animation · Action · R

2025 · 1h 40m · ★ 96% (599K)

Lost Love, Flower, Chainsaw.

Director: Tatsuya Yoshihara

Starring: Kikunosuke Toya, Tomori Kusunoki, Reina Ueda

Overview

In a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into Denji's world, and he faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where survival knows no rules.

Director

Tatsuya Yoshihara

Production

MAPPA

Cast

Kikunosuke Toya, Tomori Kusunoki, Reina Ueda, Shogo Sakata, Karin Takahashi, Fairouz Ai, Natsuki Hanae, Maaya Uchida, Yuuya Uchida, Shiori Izawa, Hidenori Takahashi, Kenjiro Tsuda, Marina Inoue, Kenji Akabane, Kenji Nomura, Kenichi Ono, Yuhko Kaida, Eri Kitamura, Kento Shiraishi, Taro Kiuchi

Where to watch

Crunchyroll

Curator Review

Verdict

A ferocious, funny, and surprisingly tender action-romance that balances grotesque spectacle with a lonely coming-of-age story. It should land especially well for viewers who want stylish animation, emotional damage, and a love story that keeps turning into a trap.

Best for

  • fans of high-energy anime action
  • viewers who like romance with a dark, tragic edge
  • people drawn to stylish, expressive animation
  • audiences who enjoy messy coming-of-age stories
  • fans of violent fantasy with emotional subtext

Skip if

  • you want a straightforward romance
  • you dislike graphic violence and body horror
  • you prefer calm, plot-minimal storytelling
  • you are not interested in anime aesthetics or heightened melodrama

Overview

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc takes the franchise’s chaotic mix of gore, comedy, and emotional vulnerability and sharpens it into something more focused. At its core, this is a story about a boy who has never been loved properly meeting someone who seems to offer exactly that, only for the relationship to reveal how fragile trust can be in a world built on exploitation.

Worth noting

What makes it work is the contrast: explosive, absurd devil-fighting set pieces against a city that feels cold, lonely, and emotionally predatory. The action is the hook, but the heartbreak is the point. The film’s romance is sweet, dangerous, and deeply sad, with a tone that keeps slipping between wish fulfillment and nightmare.

Bottom line

For existing fans, it looks like a major payoff. For newcomers, it still plays as a vivid, self-contained blast of style and feeling, though the emotional impact is stronger if you already understand Denji’s hunger for ordinary happiness. It’s one of those rare genre pieces that can be both nasty and sincere without losing its identity.

Top Letterboxd reviews

tinonlyfans (5★) · 20065 likes

makima would love letterboxd

LalinPinguin (5★) · 18343 likes

Does this count as lovebombing?

mai · 11675 likes

manic pixie dream girl vs. arthouse film cinephile baddie

Niraj⚡ (4.5★) · 7728 likes

everybody wants chainsaw's heart, nobody wants denji's heart ✋🏻😔

hallie 🪻 (4★) · 7609 likes

Denji gets five big booms

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Themes

toxic romance, loneliness, coming of age, exploitation, identity, trust and betrayal, desire for ordinary happiness, violence as spectacle

Topics

anime, action fantasy, dark romance, body horror, coming-of-age, tragic, stylish animation, urban dystopia, psychological, violent

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