Recommends – Chainsaw Man, a Hero Who Only Wants Breakfast

A broke teenager, a devil dog with a chainsaw for a nose, and dreams small enough to fit on a slice of bread.

Words by Jamie Harper 01 November 2026

Chainsaw Man: the main characters

A broke teenager, a devil dog with a chainsaw for a nose, and dreams small enough to fit on a slice of bread.

Most action heroes want to save the world. Denji wants bread with jam on it. We think that tiny dream is why Chainsaw Man hits harder than shows with far bigger ones.

The premise – A debt, a dog and a deal

Denji is a teenager paying off his late father's debt to the yakuza by hunting devils. His only friend is Pochita, a small devil dog with a chainsaw on his head.

When a job goes wrong, the two of them make a deal that turns Denji into something new: a boy who can rip chainsaws out of his own body.

Why it works – Small dreams, big stakes

Makima, a calm devil hunter from Public Safety, offers Denji a job, a bed and three meals a day. To him that is the whole world.

Because he wants so little, every loss weighs more, and his new housemates Power and Aki slowly become the family he never had.

The verdict – Twelve episodes, twelve endings

MAPPA made it in 2022 with director Ryu Nakayama, adapting Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, and gave each of the twelve episodes its own ending song.

Kenshi Yonezu's “KICK BACK” opens it. If you like your action crude, funny and suddenly sad, start with episode one.

Where to watch

Chainsaw Man was listed on Crunchyroll and Hulu in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.