Huh… The Chainsaw Man anime release date is supposedly in October 2022, the Fall 2022 anime season… Really? It seems like April Fools’ Day came early in 2022 for the anime fandom.
Such “announcements” were common during the middle of the recent Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie celebration event. The Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 release date time frame was actually confirmed for 2023. That’s exciting news, if not predictable, and yet suddenly a buzz saw sounded and people were madly buzzing about on social media proclaiming that the Chainsaw Man cometh.
Some social media posts on Twitter and other platforms were even claiming that Studio MAPPA staff made the Chainsaw Man anime announcement in the middle of the Jujutsu Kaisen event!
But why on multiverse would the anime production committee ever announce the Chainsaw Man release date time frame now of all times and risk the newer TV show series being overshadowed by JJK hype? After all, Studio MAPPA is on the production committee for both Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, so they have a vested financial interest in ensuring that both anime TV series are given maximum exposure and succeed internationally.
There was even one Twitter profile calling itself “Anime News Network” that had everyone excited. But one glance at the actual Twitter handle should have instantly carved up anyone’s excitement since it was actually @lgbtbeam, an account known for trolling with fake news. Some people were purposefully retweeting the claim with the intention of trolling their friends in the anime fandom.
It didn’t help at all that official accounts like @CHAINSAWMAN_PR and @MAPPA_Info were saying nothing at all about the supposed Chainsaw Man October 2022 release date, never mind the official website.
No matter how you sliced it, these supposed Chainsaw Man anime news announcements didn’t pass the sniff test. And I say this as someone who was groggy from staying up all night to cover the Jujutsu Kaisen event in Japan while working in the United States (curse you, 14-hour time difference!).
Regardless, some anime news sites rushed to publish this breaking news without fact-checking first. The fake news even made its way onto Spanish and French news sites.
The 2022 Chainsaw Man anime release date really is official
The main reason that the fake news went viral so quickly is that it’s actually believable based on what’s officially been announced in the past:
In December 2020, Studio MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man anime adaptation was first announced. On June 27, 2021, the first Chainsaw Man trailer preview was released. On December 18, 2021, it was confirmed that MAPPA planned on a Chainsaw Man 2022 release date.
At this point, releasing Chainsaw Man in Spring 2022 is out of the question, and it would be odd for MAPPA not to announce a general time frame only 4.5 months ahead of Summer 2022. Logically, that leaves only Fall 2022 as the only realistic Chainsaw Man release date target.
Based on MAPPA’s works page, their plan to release in 2022 still hasn’t changed. Heaven forbid, but there’s always the possibility that the increasingly busy animation studio will have Chainsaw Man delayed to 2023 so none of the animators need to be (metaphorically) chained to their desks.
Chainsaw Man trailer and MAPPA staff
The previously released Chainsaw Man anime trailer gave anime fans an idea of what to expect from the animation quality.
The Chainsaw Man anime project is being helmed by director Ryū Nakayama (Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 episode director). Tatsuya Yoshihara (Black Clover) is the action director. Writer Hiroshi Seko (Ajin, Attack on Titan Season 4) is handling the scripts.
Artist Kazutaka Sugiyama (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) is the human character designer, whereas Kiyotaka Oshiyama (DEVILMAN crybaby, Space Dandy) is the devil character designer. Makoto Nakazono (DARLING in the FRANXX, Little Witch Academia) is the chief technical director. Composer Agraph/Kensuke Ushio (DEVILMAN crybaby, A Silent Voice) is creating the music.
Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait until 2023 for the Chainsaw Man release date. Stay tuned!