The correct Chainsaw Man reading order is simple: read Part 1 (chapters 1-97, the Public Safety Saga) straight through, then Part 2 (chapters 98-232, the Academy Saga) immediately after — there is no legitimate alternate order. The 2022 MAPPA anime covers chapters 1-38, and the Reze Arc movie covers chapters 39-52.
That single rule — Part 1 in full, then Part 2 in full — covers most of what you need. The harder question is where the anime and the Reze Arc movie leave off inside that sequence, and that is where most reading-order guides get vague. Below is the exact chapter-by-chapter map, verified against the manga’s official chapter and volume breakdowns, plus the one specific jump-in point that matters if you have already watched everything MAPPA has released so far.
Chainsaw Man Part 1: The Public Safety Saga (Chapters 1-97)
Everything starts here. Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Part 1, officially titled the Public Safety Saga, ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020 and covers chapters 1 through 97, collected across 11 tankōbon volumes. It follows Denji, a broke teenage devil hunter who merges with his pet devil Pochita to become Chainsaw Man, and it is a complete, self-contained story with a real beginning, middle, and end — it is not a prologue you can skip through. It is also the arc that put Fujimoto on the map as one of modern shonen’s sharpest writers; if you want to see how it stacks up against the rest of the medium, comicbookco.com’s list of the 12 best manga of all time is a useful reference point for newcomers deciding what to read next.
If you are starting completely fresh with no anime or movie under your belt, this is where you open the book: Volume 1, Chapter 1. Every later part of the series, including the anime and the Reze Arc movie, is simply this arc adapted panel by panel, so reading it in order is the only version of the story that actually makes sense. Internally, Part 1 breaks into recognizable stretches: Denji’s origin and recruitment into the Public Safety Devil Hunter division (ch. 1-21), the Katana Man arc that closes out the anime’s first season (ch. 22-38), the Reze/Bomb Girl arc (ch. 39-52), the International Assassins arc (ch. 53-70), and the Gun Devil and Control Devil arcs that close the part out (ch. 71-97) with the story’s climactic confrontation with Makima.
Chainsaw Man Part 2: The Academy Saga (Chapters 98-232) — Now Complete
Part 2, subtitled the Academy Saga, picked up on Shōnen Jump+ on July 13, 2022 and follows a new protagonist, high schooler Asa Mitaka, who becomes the host of the War Devil, Yoru, while hunting for Denji at her own school. It runs chapters 98 through 232 across volumes 12-24, and as of this writing it is finished: Fujimoto ended the series with Chapter 232 on March 25, 2026, with the 24th and final Japanese volume released June 4, 2026. That means, for the first time since 2018, Chainsaw Man can be read start to finish with no wait between chapters.
Part 2 is not a spin-off or a side story you can dip into independently — it directly continues Part 1’s cast and consequences, so it should always be read after finishing chapter 97, never before or in parallel. Structurally it is also denser: Asa’s dual perspective with the War Devil Yoru means Part 2 spends more time on split loyalties and slower-building dread than Part 1’s action-arc rhythm, which is worth knowing going in so you do not expect a carbon copy of the first part’s pacing.
Chainsaw Man Reading Order at a Glance
| Part / Arc | Chapters | Volumes | Adapted By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Safety intro + Katana Man arc (within Part 1) | 1-38 | 1-5 | MAPPA anime Season 1 (2022, 12 episodes) |
| Reze / Bomb Girl arc (within Part 1) | 39-52 | 6-7 | Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (2025) |
| International Assassins arc (within Part 1) | 53-70 | 7-8 | Not yet animated — announced as anime Season 2, Assassins Arc |
| Gun Devil + Control Devil arcs (within Part 1) | 71-97 | 8-11 | Not yet animated |
| Part 2: Academy Saga (complete) | 98-232 | 12-24 | Not yet adapted to anime or film |
Where the Anime and the Reze Arc Movie Actually Fit
The 2022 MAPPA television anime (12 episodes) adapts chapters 1 through 38 of the manga — it ends right after Denji’s rematch with Katana Man, with Aki capturing Katana Man’s controller Akane Sawatari and a brief glimpse of Reze in the final scene. That is the entire first season; it does not touch the Reze arc itself.
Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc picks up immediately where the anime left off and adapts the Bomb Girl arc in full — chapters 39 through 52, spanning roughly volumes 6 and 7. At just 14 chapters, it is one of the shortest major arcs in the entire series, which is exactly why it worked as a single feature film instead of a full season. Reze herself is also one of the better arguments for reading ahead: she is routinely ranked among the series’ most memorable antagonists, in the same conversation as the characters on comicbookco.com’s 15 best anime villains of all time list. If you have watched both the anime and the Reze movie, you have now seen everything through chapter 52.
If You’ve Only Watched the Anime and the Reze Movie: Open to Chapter 53
This is the specific answer most guides skip. After the anime’s 12 episodes (ch. 1-38) and the Reze Arc movie (ch. 39-52), the next unread manga content is Chapter 53, “In a Dream,” which opens Volume 7. That chapter begins the International Assassins arc — the storyline MAPPA has already confirmed as the basis for anime Season 2, titled Chainsaw Man: Assassins Arc. In other words, picking up at chapter 53 puts you exactly one arc ahead of the anime, with no overlap and no gap. The International Assassins arc then runs through chapter 97, closing out Part 1, before Part 2’s Academy Saga begins at chapter 98.
Do You Need to Read Buddy Stories or Any Side Material?
Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories is a prose light novel (illustrated by Fujimoto, written by Sakaku Hishikawa) collecting four short stories about the Public Safety devil hunters, set during the Part 1 timeframe. It is optional, non-canon-critical bonus material rather than a required stop on the reading order — nothing in the main manga assumes you have read it, so newcomers can safely skip it and circle back only if they want more of the cast between arcs. Readers who want more Fujimoto outside the Chainsaw Man timeline entirely, rather than more of this cast, are better served by his other one-shots; comicbookco.com covers the Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 anime anthology for exactly that.
Is There Any Legitimate Reason to Read Out of Order?
No. Unlike franchises with genuine branching timelines, Chainsaw Man is a single linear narrative told in two parts by one author, and Part 2 repeatedly relies on readers already knowing Part 1’s cast, losses, and unresolved threads to land its twists. The closest thing to an alternate entry point is watching the anime and Reze movie first for the animation and voice cast, then switching to the manga at chapter 53 as outlined above — but even that is just a different starting line on the same straight track, not a different order.
What About Anime Season 2?
MAPPA officially confirmed Chainsaw Man: Assassins Arc at Jump Festa 2026, with director Tatsuya Yoshihara returning from the Reze Arc movie, and a second teaser with staff details followed in June 2026. It is expected to adapt the International Assassins arc (chapters 53-70) — the same material this guide points you to if you are catching up from the anime. No release date has been announced as of August 2026, and industry comparisons to similarly staggered MAPPA productions suggest 2027 at the earliest, so readers who do not want to wait have the full manga available right now through VIZ Media’s official Chainsaw Man page.
Where to Actually Read It
VIZ Media publishes the official English translation, both digitally (via the VIZ app and site, chapter by chapter) and in 24 print volumes; as of August 2026, 21 of those English volumes are out with the rest catching up to Japan’s completed run. Crunchyroll’s manga library and ComiXology also carry the officially licensed chapters. Piracy sites tend to renumber or split chapters differently than the official releases, which is the single biggest reason readers get confused about where the anime “actually” ends — sticking to VIZ’s official chapter numbers, as used throughout this guide, avoids that problem entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Chainsaw Man Part 1 before Part 2?
Yes. Part 2 (the Academy Saga, chapters 98-232) is a direct continuation of Part 1’s cast and story and assumes you already know how the Public Safety Saga (chapters 1-97) ended. There is no way to follow Part 2’s stakes without reading Part 1 first.
What chapter does the Chainsaw Man anime end on?
MAPPA’s Season 1 (12 episodes) ends at chapter 38 of the manga, right after Denji’s fight with Katana Man and Aki’s capture of Akane Sawatari.
What chapters does the Chainsaw Man Reze Arc movie cover?
The film adapts the Bomb Girl arc in full, chapters 39 through 52, covering roughly volumes 6 and 7 of the manga.
Is the Chainsaw Man manga finished?
Yes. Tatsuki Fujimoto completed the series with chapter 232 on March 25, 2026, bringing the total to 232 chapters across 24 volumes in Japan. English volumes from VIZ Media are still catching up as of August 2026.
