Chainsaw Manis 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 ofChainsaw Manseems to be in competition for its best aspect, and thanks toJujutsu 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 thatChainsaw Manis still fairly young and hasn’t gone far from its roots. The manga uses the samePart-based structure asJoJo’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 theChainsaw Manfranchise beyond that, but as feels inevitable for all popular Shonen Jump battle manga, a video game is likely in the cards forChainsaw Man. The biggest question is how to best adapt it.
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A Chainsaw Man Dating Sim
Chainsaw Manis obviously suited to action, but saying that’s all it is about would be reductive.Chainsaw Manis 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 thejump to aChainsaw Mandating 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 ofTokimeki 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
With that said, a lot of fans would prefer the more straightforward approach. To that end, a hack-and-slash game would be perfect forChainsaw Man. There are tons of weak zombies, Devil spawn, and even Yakuza to populate levels with, and just aboutevery major Devil and antagonistcould 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. AChainsaw Man Warriorstitle by Omega Force also wouldn’t be out of line, but it might sell the series short.
A Chainsaw Man Action-RPG
A linear, level-based action game could work well forChainsaw Man, but so would a more deliberate approach. The setting ofChainsaw Manis 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 theYakuzafranchise 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 theYakuzateam, 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
One other genre option for a battle shonen adaptation is practically a tradition: Fighting games andarena fighters have embodied shonen seriesfor 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-acclaimedDragon Ball FighterZ, a cult classic likeKill la Kill If, or a flop on the level ofOne-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. Fighting games fitChainsaw Manjust as well as any other action genre, but it might be better if the series tries something else.
