Chainsaw Man: Anime Director Blasts Studio MAPPA Over Controversial Decision, “I Wouldn’t Want to Work There”

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In 2025, Chainsaw Man is poised for significance, though the intense anime series may not be releasing its second season imminently. However, on October 24th, North America will witness the premiere of the first film from the shonen series, titled “Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc”. Unfortunately, this significant event for Denji and his cohorts in devil hunting doesn’t seem to have everyone smiling in Tatsuki Fujimoto’s world.

A two-part movie called “Chainsaw Man – The Compilation” is slated to condense the first season of the anime adaptation, but it appears that MAPPA has implemented notable alterations, which one director involved in the anime isn’t overly pleased with.

Kazuomi Koga, a prominent figure in the anime industry, has been associated with some significant works within the medium such as Pokemon, The Devil is a Part-Timer, Golden Kamuy, Fire Force, Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World, and Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible. In the latest Chainsaw Man compilation films, it was noticed that series director Nakayama Ryu’s name was missing from the credits. Although MAPPA has not yet issued a statement explaining this omission, Koga publicly shared his perspective on the issue through social media.

In certain editions of this compilation, the previous director’s name was removed, and with re-recorded audio, cuts, and alterations, it seems that anime directors do not have the right to preserve the integrity of their original works, or at least not in this particular studio. Given these actions, I would hesitate to work for such a company. If this were a live-action film, either foreign or Japanese, it would be a significant concern, but in the world of anime, such treatment is unfortunately commonplace. Moreover, failing to acknowledge the original TV staff in credits appears disrespectful, and overall, it’s a disappointing situation.

Chainsaw Man’s Return

In that anthology, the original director’s name has been tastefully removed and the episodes have been edited with new voice recordings and other modifications – this is because in animation production, directors don’t possess copyright or identity preservation rights. This means the studio doesn’t care about their directors, so I don’t feel like working there either.

— 古賀一臣@アニメ監督 (@the_red_scanner) September 6, 2025

Studio MAPPA has made headlines for contentious issues lately, particularly with allegations from animators on season two of “Jujutsu Kaisen” about demanding work conditions to meet tight deadlines. This fast-paced production method is a common issue within the anime industry and has left fans hoping for improved conditions for animators in the future.

Previously this year, our team at egmr.ru had an engaging conversation with Manabu Otsuka, president of MAPPA. Regarding the future format of “Chainsaw Man,” Otsuka expressed uncertainty. He mentioned, “We’re unsure about the direction it might take in the future; we’ll have to see.” To proceed, they plan to assess the next story and decide whether it would be more suitable as a film or as a television series. However, they haven’t made that decision yet.

What’s your take on the ongoing Chainsaw Man debate? Share your thoughts and engage with others in our ComicBook Forum discussion right away!

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2025-09-11 18:11