On October 7, 2022, VIZ Media posted on Twitter that the Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories English translation will be released in the Summer of 2023. Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories is hopefully the first of many light novels.
It was published on November 4, 2021, and was written by Sakaku Hishikawa with illustrations by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man creator. As the title suggests, the novel focuses on buddies and will have four stories not seen in the manga.
What is Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories?
Power decides she’s a detective, and she and Denji try to solve a mysterious case! Discover what Kishibe and Quanxi were like during their partner phase.
Witness the first meeting between Himeno and Aki and their first mission. But most importantly, see the dream trip to Enoshima that Denji, Power, and Aki never got to take!
You don’t need to read Buddy Stories to enjoy the manga and anime, but it does give more context to specific events. And how can you pass up a story about Power as a detective?
Unfortunately, we don’t know how much Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories will be or how long it is, but it’s nice to see VIZ is bringing us all of the Chainsaw Man content.
Will we get more light novels in the future? I hope so, and Chainsaw Man is one of the best series this year.
Part 1 was a wild ride that barely slowed down, the anime is just around the corner, and Part 2 of the manga is fantastic. So I won’t be surprised at anything Chainsaw Man throws at me at this point.
Who is Sakaku Hishikawa?
Sakaku Hishikawa has written four light novels before Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories. He is currently working on Isshun de Chiryou Shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihou Sareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer Toshite Tanoshiku Ikiru, which is up to three volumes.
Most of his stories have multiple volumes, though there’s no sign of a continuation of the Buddy Stories. At two books, his debut work appears to be the Gamble Witch Kingdom in 2016-2017.
Saikyou Doushi ga Omiai Shita Kekka at three volumes in 2018, and Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume in 2019. Hishikawa has released books consistently over the years, so it’ll be interesting to see his next project.