Did Chainsaw Man copy Jujutsu Kaisen, or do they only look similar because both anime came from the same studio?
Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man were both animated by Studio MAPPA, so it makes sense that some fans notice a similar modern, violent, cinematic energy between them. But the real question is not just about animation style. The real question is about the story.
On the surface, the two shows look strangely similar. Yuji Itadori has Sukuna, Denji has Pochita, both boys survive by merging with a monster, both are pulled into a dangerous organization, both join a three-person team, and both have powerful mentor figures like Gojo and Makima.
But once you look deeper, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man are not telling the same story at all.
Jujutsu Kaisen is about heroism, guilt, sacrifice, cursed energy, trauma, and the painful cost of trying to save people. Yuji wants to give people a proper death, but the world keeps forcing him to carry more pain than anyone should.
Chainsaw Man is about survival, poverty, desire, manipulation, and a broken kid trying to experience a normal life for the first time. Denji is not trying to become a hero. He wants food, comfort, affection, and a reason to keep going.
Gojo and Makima may both look like untouchable authority figures, but their roles are completely different. Gojo wants his students to grow strong enough to change the world, while Makima controls Denji by giving him the warmth and attention he has been missing his entire life.
So, did Chainsaw Man copy Jujutsu Kaisen? Not really. They share some surface-level structure, and both have MAPPA’s intense anime style, but their emotional core is completely different.
Jujutsu Kaisen turns classic shonen heroism into tragedy. Chainsaw Man takes the same kind of setup and turns it into a chaotic story about hunger, loneliness, control, and survival.
Which story do you prefer: Yuji’s tragic hero path or Denji’s wild survival story?
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