Summary

• The film adaptation of Reze Arc will likely follow the manga closely, giving any reader a good idea of what to expect from the first one.
  Chainsaw Man
  film.
• The Reze arc is short and sweet, with a self-contained story enough for viewers unfamiliar with the
  Chainsaw Man
  franchise to still enjoy.
• Reze is one of the most popular characters in
  CSM
  franchise, and will certainly only skyrocket in popularity after the release of the film Reze Arc.

Chainsaw ManThe first season of was a huge success, proving that the uncontrolled chaos that is Tatsuki Fujimoto's hit shonen manga can capture a wider audience through anime. CSM Season 1 closely followed the manga's source material, only adding scenes where it would enhance the action, give the characters further development, or even foreshadow important events in future arcs. With the anime adapting the manga so faithfully, it makes sense that the next anime medium would be a film adaptation of the Reze Arc—the manga's story arc that picks up right where Season 1 left off.

The Reze Arc and its titular character, Reze, are extremely popular in CSM fandom, which makes it the perfect arc to be turned into a feature film. However, anime fans haven't received many hints about what the next arc might entail for the series, and that doesn't help. Chainsaw Man is known for being extremely unpredictable. No matter how much anime-only fans prepare, the Reze Arc will be full of shocking moments. CSM fans expect from the series, and many twists and turns that no one could have imagined.

How Season 1 Leads to the Reze Arc

The post-credit scenes after episode 12 hinted at the Reze Arc movie

Season 1 ended with Denji becoming closer than ever to Aki and Power, and the series' first main villain, Katana Man, being taken into Public Security custody. This brings a moment of peace for Denji as he settles into his new job and family. After the credits roll on the season finale, two brief anime-only scenes were added that further hint at the events to come in the Reze Arc movie. as well as in the 2nd season of the anime.

The first post-credits scene shows someone walking down a long alley in first-person view, stopping at a mysterious door. This is the same door that was shown in the first episode of CSM, which has a unique meaning of its own. When the person reaches the door, it's revealed to be a young Denji, who is stopped by Pochita, who tells Denji, "Stop. Don't open that door. No matter what happens." as he reaches for the handle. It's an ominous and chilling scene, though the mystery of the door will remain a mystery to anime fans for now.

“Tell me, Denji. If you had to choose between a country mouse and a city mouse, which would you rather be?”

The second post-credits scene of CSM The anime is most important for teasing the Reze Arc. The scene features a young woman walking down an alley, with only glimpses of her visible. Although anime viewers had never seen her before, manga fans immediately recognized her as Reze. Reze's stroll down the street is accompanied by a female voice saying, "Tell me, Denji. If you had to choose between the country mouse and the city mouse, which would you rather be?" This is an iconic line from the manga that carries a lot of meaning, especially in the immediate upcoming arc. That being the case, it was an addition that manga fans were thrilled to hear. Combined with the scene of Reze walking down an alley, the scene was immediate confirmation that a second season of the anime was inevitable.

In hindsight, fans now know that this particular set of Easter eggs wasn't actually hinting at a second season of CSM Not at all, but rather the Reze Arc movie. Notably, the voice saying this line isn't one fans will have heard so far in Season 1. Instead, it likely belongs to Reze herself, as a subtle hint at this new character who will have a major presence in the upcoming Reze Arc. The details behind Reze's line, as well as where she's headed, will become much clearer once the Reze Arc movie is released.

Who are the main characters of the Reze Arc?

Denji, Power, and Aki return, joined by a rich cast of lesser-known characters from Season 1.

As hinted at in the post-credits scene, the Reze arc introduces some interesting new characters, including Reze herself. Besides the titular heroine, there are a few other new characters in the Reze Arc who have stuck with fans even five years after the arc began publishing in Shonen Jump in 2019. In addition to the new characters fans haven't even met yet, there are a number of characters that fans of Season 1 will be excited to see take center stage.

The usual suspects like Denji, Aki, Power, and Makima play important roles in the Reze Arc, but there are also characters who had a smaller impact in Season 1 who will also gain prominence in the Reze Arc. In particular, the Public Security Hunters of the 4th Special Division play a much larger role than before, in addition to making her introduction at the end of Season 1. Beam, the Violence Fiend, and Angel are the highlights of the arc, and Kobeni will continue to provide plenty of comic relief as well. Ultimately, Reze will end up being the star of the show and likely a new favorite character among anime fans when all is said and done.

Why is Reze so popular?

Reze has ranked near the top in every Chainsaw Man character popularity poll

Any Chainsaw Man Any fan who spends even a moment on the series' social media pages will surely come across the name "Reze" at some point. Reze has become something of a meme on CSM fandom, to the point that fans insist on talking about her with each new chapter of the manga—regardless of whether she's actually involved or not. Due to her character design, personality, and relationship with Denji, Reze made a strong impression on CSM manga readers that never disappeared.

In the first two popularity polls carried out Chainsaw Man manga, Reze was voted the fourth and fifth most popular character in the series coming in only behind characters like Makima, Aki, and Power, and ranking above even Denji himself. On the popular anime ranking website MyAnimeList, Reze remains the fifth most popular character in the entire series among fans. This places her above other beloved main characters in the series, such as Himeno, Pochita, and Kobeni, and only behind the main cast of Season 1, Denji, Makima, Power, and Aki. This unprecedented popularity for a character who wasn't even introduced in the first season of the anime may be surprising to anime-only fans, but it's certainly not unjustified for manga readers.

Reze is an enigmatic figure whose appearance and personality are as fascinating to fans as they are to Denji himself, making her an unforgettable presence at the beginning of the series. Reze's relationship with Denji is also particularly important and shapes who he will become forever. A character who is so important to Denji will certainly be important to CSM fans, which at least partly explains why Reze has left such a lasting impression on the fandom. As popular as Reze already is, her popularity will likely only increase tenfold when the Reze Arc movie is finally released.

When will the Reze Arc movie be released?

The Reze Arc movie does not yet have a confirmed release date.

There is no release date for the Reze Arc movie yet, but many fans are hoping for it to be released near the end of 2024 or early 2025. It is likely that the existence of another movie being adapted from one of Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, Look Back, has prevented any concrete release date from being announced for the Chainsaw Man movie. Given the release of the first trailer for the Reze Arc movie on December 17, 2023, fans can be sure that the film is very likely already in the final stages of development.

The film will be produced by MAPPA, and the VA cast from the original anime is expected to return.. In the role of Reze, Reina Ueda will be the Japanese VA, while Alexis Tipton will take on the English role. The trailer's visual style was quite different from the anime, leading fans to expect the art direction to take a dramatic turn from that used in Season 1. The scenes shown could have been just early concepts. If the trailer is any indication, however, the Reze Arc's art style may follow Tatsuki Fujimoto's original art from the manga much more closely. Considering how beloved Fujimoto's art is, this would certainly be a welcome change for manga readers, keeping the film even closer to the source material than the first season already was.

The Reze Bow is short but explosive

The Reze Arc is the perfect storyline to adapt into the first Chainsaw Man feature film.

The Reze Arc is a fan-favorite manga story arc, so the upcoming film adaptation is, unsurprisingly, highly anticipated. Like a bombshell with a short fuse, the Reze arc unfolds quickly, but it leaves an impact on Denji that he, and the fans, will never fully recover from. The Reze arc follows Denji as he meets a beautiful girl named Reze, who seems to like him. Even though he wants to remain faithful to Makima, Denji can't help but be captivated by Reze—but giving her his heart brings with it far more baggage than he bargained for.

The Reze Arc covers chapters 39 to 52 of the Chainsaw Man manga, making it relatively short compared to other major arcs in the series. Even though everything happens relatively quickly, the Reze Arc is full of humorous moments, surprising plot twists, and action-packed scenes that make every panel of every page count. Furthermore, its story is very self-contained, making the Reze arc the perfect story to be turned into a film. While it does have a grasp of the overall premise and characters of Chainsaw Man of course it will help to enjoy the film, the story is concise and straightforward, potentially allowing fans who have never seen or read Chainsaw Man to enjoy the movie.