After almost eight years, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s hit manga series, Chainsaw Man, came to an end on March 24. Fans were surprised by the abrupt ending, which drew various reactions, including backlash.
“I felt horrible. This ending is horrible,” said fan Aakarsh Talati (‘28).
Fan Reactions
With less than three weeks’ notice, some fans thought that the ending was abrupt. It did not have the typical long-running arc finale, and many people expected a Part 3 continuation.
“ There are so many amazing things in part two [of Chainsaw Man], and I don’t think that it can be completely ruined, but it’s definitely a lot worse,” said Talati.
On the other hand, some fans were happy with the ending. Some argue that the finale’s message was well developed despite its brevity, and that a shorter run would help avoid exploiting the series for profit.
“When I first heard it was ending, I was sad but understood it. The series had gone on long enough, and there wasn’t much more plot to be made without just milking the franchise for money,” said fan Dhruv Balachander (‘28).
Fans stayed hopeful, counting on Fujimoto’s storytelling to be able to conclude the series with the final chapter. Many fans are hopeful for what is yet to come, citing Fujimoto’s past eclectic and creative endeavours.
“I think the series can be easily salvaged because the current idea of the ending that fans have is very ambiguous, so Fujimoto can go wherever he wants within that space and create something cohesive,” said Balachander.
The Future of the Series
Additionally, fans even compared the series’ ending to Jujutsu Kaisen, another popular series that received mixed reviews.
“The same thing happened with JJK [Jujustu Kaisen]. People still clown it to this day because it was very rushed,” said Jaiswal.
So far, fans don’t fully understand why the series is ending. Jujutsu Kaisen ended due to pressure from its publisher to wrap up the series, despite many loose ends still unanswered. However, Jujutsu Kaisen did have a spin-off series, making fans of Chainsaw Man wonder if a spin-off could be written to help fully tie up the series.
“My opinions have definitely improved after digesting it. My initial reaction was one of pure confusion and nothing else. I would be fine with Fujimoto doing anything as long as he had a good explanation for it, rather than just starting a new saga,” said Balachander.
