Chainsaw Man is the hottest new Shonen Jump series, having grown immensely popular in just a few short years. Tatsuki Fujimoto penned a series that has it all, from gorgeous battle panels to a cast of relatable young adults trying to make ends meet. Every part of Chainsaw Man seems to be in competition for its best aspect, and thanks to Jujutsu Kaisen’s animation studio MAPPA, this is reflected by the positive reception to its anime's first season.

With that success, one may be surprised to find out that Chainsaw Man is still fairly young and hasn't 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 as of this writing. The anime has only covered the first third of Part 1, and will take a while to catch up. Not much else is happening with the Chainsaw Man franchise beyond that, but as feels inevitable for all popular Shonen Jump battle manga, a video game is likely in the cards for Chainsaw Man. The biggest question is how to best adapt it.

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A Chainsaw Man Dating Sim

Split image of Himeno, Reze and Makima from Chainsaw man

Chainsaw Man is obviously suited to action, but saying that’s all it is about would be reductive. Chainsaw Man is centered around its strong cast of characters that shift with each arc. Combining that personal touch with the protagonist Denji's desire to feel a woman’s touch, it's not hard to make the jump to a Chainsaw Man dating simulator. Dates already pepper its story, but a game all about them could play off this by thwarting Denji’s often-awful relationships in funny or dramatic ways. Something in the vein of Tokimeki Memorial, where Denji's Devil-hunting work is represented by stat-raising mini-games and his time with various girls are visual novel segments, could be a unique take on a Shonen Jump property.

A Chainsaw Man Hack-and-Slash

Chainsaw Man Bloody Fight

With that said, a lot of fans would prefer the more straightforward approach. To that end, a hack-and-slash game would be perfect for Chainsaw Man. There are tons of weak zombies, Devil spawn, and even Yakuza to populate levels with, and just about every major Devil and antagonist could be a boss. There are a lot of forms that this genre could take, though ideally it would be a character action game akin to what Platinum Games, Team Ninja, or Capcom would make. A Chainsaw Man Warriors title by Omega Force also wouldn't be out of line, but it might sell the series short.

A Chainsaw Man Action-RPG

Denji fighting Kishibe in Chainsaw Man

A linear, level-based action game could work well for Chainsaw Man, but so would a more deliberate approach. The setting of Chainsaw Man is as much of a character as its protagonists, and exploring their daily lives within the world would add authenticity. A semi-open-world game like in the Yakuza franchise could do the trick, with Denji encountering all sorts of odd jobs and scuffles around his main area of employment. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, a Shonen Jump adaptation made by the Yakuza team, shows how well this could work. Given a longer run time to hang out with the cast, and this game could become an instant classic.

A Chainsaw Man Fighting Game

Denji fighting Katana Man in Chainsaw Man

One other genre option for a battle shonen adaptation is practically a tradition: Fighting games and arena fighters have embodied shonen series for decades. There is a visceral thrill to duking it out with one's favorite characters, but that comes with a caveat. Because this genre can be made cheaply and quickly, there's no telling whether the result will resemble the critically-acclaimed Dragon Ball FighterZ, a cult classic like Kill la Kill If, or a flop on the level of One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. Fighting games fit Chainsaw Man just as well as any other action genre, but it might be better if the series tries something else.

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