New Chainsaw Man movie includes a tribute to anime series Attack on Titan, which was brought to a close by the same animation studio

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is the gift that keeps on giving, as after smashing box office records, fans have spotted a small tribute to one of the best anime series ever made, Attack on Titan.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but there was a small reference to Attack on Titan in the Chainsaw Man movie," said one fan on Twitter. "When Denji and Makima are at the theater, you can see a man wearing a t-shirt with a small Survey Corps logo."

Another fan replied with a screenshot from the scene, which you can see below, showing a character wearing a navy shirt with a silver badge on the front. Although it's not super detailed, it is clear that the patch features navy and white wings, just like the "Wings of Freedom" stitched onto the Survey Corps logo worn by members of the military branch.

This doesn't come as a huge shock, as Chainsaw Man's animation studio MAPPA made the last season of Attack on Titan, so they probably wanted to pay tribute to their past work in some way. The Attack on Titan series ran for almost a decade, with the last season releasing in four parts and coming to a close in November 2023.

However, many fans are wondering how the two franchises are connected since Chainsaw Man is set in the '90s and Attack on Titan is set long before that in a world that vaguely mirrors our own. There haven't been any links between the two shows so far, so we think that this tribute is just that, a tribute.

The new anime movie, which is the first of an upcoming trilogy, continues part-man-part-chainsaw Denji's story from Chainsaw Man season 1. Based on the Bomb Girl Arc from the manga, the movie sees Denji encounter a curious girl named Reze soon after meeting the woman of his dreams, Makima, forming a dangerous love triangle.

After debuting to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has broken many records on the big screen and reached the number 1 spot at the US box office after its opening weekend.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our guides on what to watch before Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending explained.