Denji’s ongoing saga in a world full of devils, Chainsaw Man, is coming to an erupt end with next week’s Chapter 232. In a move that has left fans in a abit of a shock, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man manga is set to close off its Part 2 saga in the very next chapter. On March 10, the series officially announced that its second part, the “Academy Saga,” will conclude with Chapter 232, currently set to release on 24th March.
This announcement has sparked a familiar sense of déjà vu for long-time readers, as the series’ first part was also hit by a sudden, heart-stopping finale.
The news came via an editorial note at the end of the latest chapter, which was released on Shueisha’s Jump Plus and the international Manga Plus platform. The chapter itself took a dark turn, featuring a back and forth between Denji and Pochita that ended with Pochita seemingly erasing his own existence to give Denji a chance to “keep on dreaming” in a world without him.
While the ending date of March 24 is confirmed for the “Academy Saga,” speculation is already high on whether this is a total series finale or a set up to a potential “Part 3” a few years down the line.
To understand why fans are so caught off guard, you have to look back at the chaotic publication history of the series.
Chainsaw Man originally debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump back in December 2018. It immediately stood out for its very out there concept and intense drawings as well it’s over the top gore, but the anime really was the aspect that put it on the map on a global scale.
In December 2020, Fujimoto pulled a similar stunt with Chapter 97 when it was announced as the “final chapter,” seemingly ending the series just as it reached a peak of global popularity. However, the very same issue announced that the manga was merely “transferring” from the print magazine to the digital Jump Plus app for a second part.
Following the end of Part 1, Fujimoto took a nearly two-year break from Chainsaw Man. During this time, he cemented his status as far more than a one hit wonder mangaka by releasing two critically acclaimed, award-winning one-shots with Look Back in 2021 which was a poignant story about art and tragedy with two young aspiring female mangakas and then again in 2022 with Goodbye, Eri (2022). A mind-bending meta-narrative about filmmaking and grief.
Part 2 of Chainsaw Man launched on July 13, 2022, introducing a new character as the focus, Asa Mitaka, a socially awkward high schooler who finds herself the host for the War Devil itself as they both wanted the legendary Chainsaw Man dead. This shifted tone towards psychological horror and “slice-of-life” around Asa and just life in general in this horrific Devil filled world, it also eventually brought in focus on Denji’s desperate desire for a normal life versus his addiction to being a hero.
When Part 1 ended in 2020, it felt like a complete story told with the Control Devil defeated, and a new status quo being established. While in contrast to Part 2, the March 2026 ending feels abrupt. With so many major plot points, including the ultimate fate of the Four Horsemen and the looming “Pochita-less” world being left behind it stands to reason Part 3 will be a very different and much more horrific world to come back to when Tatsuki Fujimoto returns to it.
Fans of the Chainsaw Man franchise do still have lots to look forward to though, with the huge success of the recent movie adapting the Reze Arc and Season 2 now in heavy production for a hopeful late 2027 release, we have plenty of content to keep us occupied between the gap of Part 2 and Part 3.
Check out the Chainsaw Man anime over on Crunchyroll now!
