The Chainsaw Man movie is finally out in cinemas; however, since the new anime movie is canon, you may be wondering what you need to watch before Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. After all, since the film picks up straight after season 1 and even sets up the events for a potential Chainsaw Man season 2, you basically need to be caught up in the story to be fully up to speed with everything.
If you're worried about getting your shonen knowledge up the scratch before you head to the cinema to watch the new Chainsaw Man movie, or if you are just searching for the easiest way to refresh yourself on one of the best anime series currently out right now then you've come to the right place. Here is our relatively spoiler-free guide on all the episodes that we recommend you watch before Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
Below, we also go into why we recommend the episodes listed here, as well as alternative ways to rewatch the whole of Chainsaw Man season 2. Then, when you're done playing catch-up, be sure to check out our Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review and guide on the potential Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc streaming release date.
What to watch before Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
The Chainsaw Man movie doesn't have an in-depth story recap before it gets into its story, so for the best experience, I do recommend having watched season 1 beforehand. However, if you are short on time and just need a recap, I'd recommend watching these episodes:
- Chainsaw Man season 1 episode 1 "Dog & Chainsaw"
- Chainsaw Man season 1 episode 2 "Arrival in Tokyo"
- Chainsaw Man season 1 episode 5 "Gun Devil"
- Chainsaw Man season 1 episode 11 "Mission Start"
- Chainsaw Man season 1 episode 12 "Katana vs. Chainsaw"
Crunchyroll has also released Chainsaw Man – The Compilation Part I and Part II on its platform, which are two long recaps of the series condensed into two separate movies, as well as the full first season for free on YouTube. So yeah, there are a lot of choices on how you can get caught up before you watch the new movie.
I will say that as long as you've seen the first few episodes of Chainsaw Man, so enough that you know about the Public Safety Devil Hunters, and how Denji became the Chainsaw Devil, you'll be able to pick up a lot of the rest of the story pretty easily, though. The movie briefly tells you about the Gun Devil and why they are after it. It also very clear demonstrates Denji's relationships with the other characters via funny internal monologues.
But if you want more context going into the film, you'll probably want to watch episode 5, which introduces us to Gun Devil for the first time. Episode 11 also introduces us to Devils and Fiends who make an appearance in the movie, such as the Shark Fiend Beam, the Violence Fiend Galgali, and the Angel Devil. The episode is also where we see Aki get the Future Devil's power, which is also mentioned in the movie.
Finally, the first shot of the film comes from a scene from the season 1 finale (aka episode 12), which has Denji dreaming of a door in an alley, while Pochita's voice tells him not to open it. We also hear Reze's voice ask if Denji would rather be a country mouse or a city mouse. So, if you want the film to truly feel like a seamless continuation of the main story from the anime, you'll have to at least watch the last two episodes of season 1.
Luckily, if you do decide to rewatch Chainsaw Man again ahead of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, you'll be in for an easier time than other shonen series. There are only 12 episodes to watch and no other movies to check out either. Compared to our sprawling guides on how to watch Demon Slayer in order or our Naruto filler episode list, getting ready for Denji's big screen debut is a piece of cake.
For more on the new film, check out our guides breaking down the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc post-credits scene and the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ending.
