The ‘Chainsaw Man’ Movie Is Hitting Theaters Even Earlier Than Expected

Animation studio Mappa‘s upcoming theatrical release of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc has bumped up its premiere date. Now, the film arc continuation of the 2022 anime will hit theaters—including select IMAX screens—a few days earlier than initially scheduled. The film will now premiere in theaters on October 24.

This date adjustment came with the release of a new English dub trailer of the film. The story, created by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Look Back), follows Denji, a down-on-his-luck young man who, after fusing with his chainsaw-headed pet dog, Pochita, gains the ability to transform into the most feared devil of all, Chainsaw Man. The series is set in a world where concepts that humanity fears, such as guns, war, and blood, physically manifest as humanoid devils. The level of universal fear surrounding these concepts determines the power of these devils.

After being lured into enlisting in the Devil Hunter Association by its enigmatic leader, Makima, Denji is thrust into a series of battles with devils as he grapples with the warped contours of his own hierarchy of needs. High on his list is chasing romantic love in a world shaped by violence, control, and the looming arrival of the Gun Devil.

Reze Arc, which picks up after the anime’s season finale, sees Denji run into a new girl on the block named Reze, sending the lover boy in a tizzy as he weighs whether he likes her more than he likes Makima. Unfortunately for Denji, his meet-cute with Reze gives way to him discovering she’s actually the Bomb Devil.

To make matters worse, she’s just as crazy about Denji as he is about her and will stop at nothing to get him to join her side with the Devils, even if it means transforming Tokyo into an all-out warzone.

The English dub of the film will see the return of the Crunchyroll voice actors, including Ryan Colt Levy as Denji and Suzie Yeung as Makima. The film will also have theme songs “Iris Out,” by Kenshi Yonezu, and “Jane Doe” by the incomparable J-Pop regent, Hikaru Utada, as well as an extended version of nu metal/hardcore punk band Maximum the Hormone’s outro song, “Hawatari Nioku Centi.”

Crunchyroll also uploaded a series recap video to get fans up to speed with the movie. The handy recap represents one effort by Mappa and Crunchyroll to ensure folks are ready for Reze Arc.

Another is a compilation release of the anime to get people hyped for the film without having any head-scratching questions about, say, why Chainsaw Man is riding the back of a shark into a typhoon to battle a lady with a missile as a head. The two compilation films are already playing in Japan, with plans to hit the U.S. and elsewhere later this month.

Japanese language fans also got something to enjoy in the assortment of Chainsaw Man news, with a new trailer for the film featuring new scenes of Denji and Reze’s battle and his date with Makima.

⠀ 劇場版『チェンソーマン レゼ篇』
＿＿ 𝟗.𝟏𝟗(金)IMAX同時公開🎬 ＿＿

　　　　夏の
　　　　　　恋は
　　　　　　　　危険 ⁉

▇ 主題歌┊
米津玄師「𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓」

▇ エンディング・テーマ┊
米津玄師, 宇多田ヒカル「𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐄」

— チェンソーマン【公式】 (@CHAINSAWMAN_PR) September 12, 2025

In the lead-up to the film’s release, Mappa president Manabu Ohtsuka and vice president Hiroya Hasegawa spoke to Anime News Network at Anime Expo 2025. In their sit-down interview, the presidents gave an update on the show’s future—sort of. It’s not yet clear whether the studio will continue its adaptation of the anime arcs in theatrical formats encompassing the manga or in episodic seasons.

“We’re always thinking about what’s the best way to deliver Chainsaw Man to the fans who love the franchise. That’s what’s always on our minds,” Ohtsuka said. “But how we’re going to do it, if we’re going to do it, we’ll announce it when we announce it. We can’t talk about it.”

“As Ohtsuka-san mentioned, [Reze Arc] is a continuation of the first season. We are being loyal to the original content. We asked ourselves, ‘How are we going to do it?’ We thought that the cinema was the best way to deliver the Reze Arc. After Reze, if we are going to create more Chainsaw Man, we’ll probably follow from there,” Hasegawa said. “And then we’ll reevaluate and think, ‘Are we going to do it as a series? Are we going to do it as a film?’ It’s another question we’ll be asking ourselves at that time.”

◣◣◣◣
劇場版『#チェンソーマン レゼ篇』
　　カウントダウンイラスト公開
　　　　　　　　　　　　◤◤◤◤

劇場公開まであと6日！

▇ Illustration ┊ 重次創太（アクションディレクター）#劇場版チェンソーマン #chainsawman
𝟗.𝟏𝟗(金)全国公開🎬 pic.twitter.com/vdSkldckEe

— MAPPA (@MAPPA_Info) September 12, 2025

The film’s credits includes the following:

Seeing as how Mappa is already busy with Jujutsu Kaisen‘s upcoming arc, Culling Game, this coming January, as well as its remake of Ranma 1/2 second season premiering on Netflix this October, and the forthcoming second season of Hell’s Paradise—a manga from Fujimoto’s Fire Punch assistant, Yuji Kaku—it’s understandable that it’d take a beat to wait and see about reception for Reze Arc before officially announcing what lies ahead for Chainsaw Man.

In the meantime, Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc hits theaters October 24.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.