A comprehensive overview on Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of Chainsaw Man
Tatsuki Fujimoto was born on October 10, 1992, in Nikaho, a rural town in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Growing up in the Japanese countryside, far from major cities and creative hubs, he developed a strong connection to isolation, introspection, and storytelling. These early experiences are often echoed in his works, where protagonists tend to grapple with loneliness, existential dread, or emotional distance from society.
Fujimoto originally aspired not to become a mangaka but a film director. His deep love for cinema—particularly Western and Korean film—strongly influenced his storytelling techniques. Directors like Quentin Tarantino, Bong Joon-ho, Satoshi Kon, and Hideaki Anno are among his acknowledged influences. You can see the impact of these cinematic auteurs in the way he frames scenes, plays with narrative structure, and switches tones abruptly—from horror to humor, from absurdity to tragedy.
He studied Western painting at Tohoku University of Art & Design, where he honed his visual language and understanding of aesthetics. Despite being self-taught in manga, he submitted many short stories and one-shots to publishers before finally breaking through with his first serialized work, Fire Punch, in 2016. His experience in fine arts, combined with a passion for film, created a distinctive style that sets him apart from typical shonen mangaka.
Fujimoto is known for being reclusive and media-shy, rarely giving interviews or making public appearances. However, his personality comes through vividly in his works—often strange, melancholic, funny, and deeply human. He continues to push boundaries in both art and storytelling, earning a reputation as one of the most original voices in contemporary manga.
Major Works
🔹 Fire Punch (2016–2018)
- Published in Shonen Jump+
- Genre: Dark fantasy, dystopian, post-apocalyptic
- Premise: In a freezing, ruined world, a regenerative boy becomes a living torch of vengeance after his sister’s death.
- Themes: Revenge, trauma, moral ambiguity, the burden of immortality
🔹 Chainsaw Man
- Part 1 (2018–2020) – Weekly Shonen Jump
- Part 2 (2022–ongoing) – Shonen Jump+
- Genre: Horror, action, black comedy, supernatural
- Premise: Denji, a poor teen with a pet devil chainsaw, becomes a government devil hunter after fusing with his pet and gaining chainsaw powers.
- Themes: Desire, loss, freedom vs control, existentialism, absurdism
🔹 Look Back (2021) – One-shot
- Published in Shonen Jump+
- Genre: Slice-of-life, psychological drama
- Premise: A gifted art student and a reclusive prodigy form a friendship through manga. The story follows their growth, their creative relationship, and the grief of sudden loss.
- Themes: Art and self-expression, creative envy, loneliness, death, healing through creation
- Notable for: Real-world resonance (interpreted as commentary on the Kyoto Animation tragedy), emotional depth, minimalist but powerful pacing
The Kyoto Animation tragedy occurred on July 18, 2019, when an arsonist set fire to the studio’s main building, killing 36 people and injuring many more. It was one of Japan’s deadliest attacks in decades and devastated the anime community. Kyoto Animation, known for works like Violet Evergarden and A Silent Voice, lost many of its top talents. The tragedy inspired tributes across the industry, including themes of grief and artistic legacy in Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back.
🔹 Goodbye, Eri (2022) – One-shot
- Genre: Psychological, metafictional drama
- Premise: A boy coping with the loss of his mother creates a controversial documentary, then meets a mysterious girl with a blurred past. The narrative questions what’s real and what’s film.
- Themes: Grief, memory, narrative truth, emotional manipulation through art
🔹 Just Listen to the Song (2022) – One-shot, co-authored with Oto Toda
- Genre: Satire, social commentary
- Premise: A boy writes a song in memory of a classmate, only to become the target of online backlash for insincerity.
- Themes: Performative grief, online outrage, authenticity in art
🔹 Futsu ni Kiitekure (Listen Normally, 2024) – One-shot
- Genre: Surreal slice-of-life
- Premise: A day in the life of a seemingly normal woman with unusual perception; blends psychological depth with humor.
- Themes: Subjectivity, modern isolation, social masks
Art Style
- Rough, gritty linework: His illustrations often appear raw and sketchy, but this enhances the unfiltered, visceral atmosphere of his stories.
- Unpolished panels: He intentionally uses “messy” or asymmetrical composition to heighten intensity or realism.
- Film-like framing: Fujimoto’s background in film heavily influences his visual storytelling—many panels resemble movie stills or are paced like a film montage.
- Abstract violence: Gore is stylized to be shocking but meaningful, not just for spectacle.
- Minimalist facial expressions: Often understated but emotionally heavy, making emotional moments hit harder.
Writing Style
- Subversion of tropes: Fujimoto loves to up end expectations—what starts as a typical shonen setup often derails into emotional or philosophical chaos.
- Dark humor & absurdism: He blends grotesque violence with comedy in a way that feels irreverent but purposeful.
- Existential themes: Identity, loneliness, the meaning of life and death, and the absurdity of desire are central to his narratives.
- Unpredictable plotting: Major characters may die suddenly; story arcs shift tone drastically. This keeps readers constantly uneasy and engaged.
- Meta-narrative elements: Particularly in his one-shots (Goodbye, Eri, Look Back), Fujimoto explores storytelling itself—truth, memory, perspective, and creativity.
Why So Edgy and Eerie?
- Influence of Trauma and Real-World Events
- Look Back was inspired in part by the Kyoto Animation arson tragedy. His stories often reflect on how people process grief, violence, and tragedy—through art, detachment, or madness.
- Nihilism with empathy
- Unlike many dark authors who dwell on despair for shock value, Fujimoto uses edginess to dig into emotional truth. He acknowledges life’s horror but also finds humor, beauty, and purpose in chaos.
- Film and media influence
- Inspired by directors like Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick, and Bong Joon-ho. You can see this in the cinematic violence and sudden tonal shifts that evoke movies like Pulp Fiction or Parasite.
- Commentary on humanity
- His devils, monsters, and protagonists are rarely purely evil or good. They mirror real human emotions—desire, insecurity, survival instincts—making them both eerie and relatable.
- Love of contradiction
- Fujimoto often writes characters who embody opposing forces—Denji wants a simple life but is caught in a supernatural war; Fire Punch’s Agni is both savior and destroyer.
Summary: What Makes Fujimoto Unique
| Aspect | Fujimoto’s Approach |
|---|---|
| Storytelling | Unpredictable, nonlinear, genre-blending |
| Tone | shifts between absurd humor and deep despair |
| Themes | Death, identity, artistic expression, trauma |
| Characters | Flawed, selfish, but emotionally authentic |
| Appeal | Engaging for readers who enjoy subversion, depth, and raw emotion |
💭 What’s your opinion on the works of Fujimoto? Share your thoughts on the comments below.
Image credit MAPPA
