Why Chainsaw Man is Going Theatrical with MAPPA President Manabu Ohtsuka, Vice President Hiroya Hasegawa

The familiar faces of Chainsaw Man are set to make their return in the fall with the upcoming movie: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. As a direct sequel to the first season, the story will continue from the events following the end of the season. Tatsuya Yoshihara, who was the action director of season one, will be the movie's director, and kensuke ushio will return as the movie's composer. At Anime Expo 2025, Anime News Network spoke with Manabu Ohtsuka, President of MAPPA, and Hiroya Hasegawa, Vice President of MAPPA, about why the studio decided to go theatrical and how they plan to reach more fans of Chainsaw Man.

Although no definitive news on season two has been confirmed, the two executives from MAPPA held firm that they put Chainsaw Man's fans at the forefront, and will revisit the question of 'What next?' after Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. The movie is set to come out in Japan on September 19 and in the U.S. on October 29.

In 2023, CEO Manabu Ohtsuka mentioned in an interview with Tokyo Keizai, “However, it didn't have the same level of impact as Jujutsu Kaisen, which we worked on right before [Chainsaw Man]. This leaves me feeling unsatisfied." What changes did Studio MAPPA make for this movie to make it more satisfactory than the TV anime?

OHTSUKA: This isn't a criticism of the article or Tokyo Keizai, but it was never our intention to compare Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man in any way. We just thought we could have squeezed so much more out of Chainsaw Man's IP and the manga. There is so much room for improvement, and that's something we are striving for. That's our goal. There's only a bright future, and that's what we're going for.

From ANN's interview with the MAPPA staff at Anime Expo 2022, Makoto Kimura mentioned that this series wouldn't have a committee, and this would be 100% MAPPA making it. What did MAPPA learn in this process, as this was MAPPA's first 100% investment without a production committee?

OHTSUKA: 100% is just a form, a number. When it's 100%, we have to make more business decisions on our own. At the same time, it doesn't mean that other projects, which are 100% funded, are not relevant. There is no difference in that sense. Even if it's 100% funded by MAPPA, we still work closely with Shueisha and TOHO for distribution in Japan, and Sony Pictures for global distribution.

Because of the difference in revenue generation between theatrical, home releases, and streaming, why did MAPPA decide on a movie release for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc instead of a second season on streaming?

OHTSUKA: From a business standpoint, we want to have as many people as possible enjoy The Reze Arc. When we did that, we aimed to maximize our business. It should go theatrical. However, with Season One of the series, we were able to work closely with Crunchyroll, and they've done a fabulous job. At the same time, those viewers and subscribers of Crunchyroll may not necessarily go to theaters. They might be a little more at home-based. We want to reach a different, broader audience. We're able to team up with Sony Pictures, which would be reaching such people.

In regards to movie distribution, studios normally retain a larger share of revenue in contrast to licensing a title to a streaming service. Is the financial reason why MAPPA wanted to go theatrical?

OHTSUKA: The revenue aspect wasn't really a factor at all. It's trying to deliver the product to as many people as possible. To widen our fan base, we thought it would be best to go theatrical.

Is this movie leading up to a potential second season, or is it just the movie for now?

OHTSUKA: We're always thinking about what's the best way to deliver Chainsaw Man to the fans who love the franchise. That's what's always on our minds. But how we're going to do it, if we're going to do it, we'll announce it when we announce it. We can't talk about it.

The movie opens in Japan on September 19 before the U.S. release on October 29. Why is there a large gap in the release?

HASEGAWA: There's always a problem of the footage getting leaked when it's shown outside Japan.

OHTSUKA: We considered doing a complete simultaneous release, but one-and-a-half months we think is close enough.

In terms of material for Chainsaw Man, why did MAPPA decide to go with the Reze Arc for the movie? There could have been other plot points to adapt since this is a movie.

HASEGAWA: As Otsuka-san mentioned, this is a continuation of the first season. We are being loyal to the original content. We asked ourselves, “How are we going to do it?” We thought that the cinema was the best way to deliver the Reze Arc. After Reze, if we are going to create more Chainsaw Man, we'll probably follow from there. And then we'll reevaluate and think, “Are we going to do it as a series? Are we going to do it as a film?” It's another question we'll be asking ourselves at that time.