Fans Point Out A Dizzying Number Of Film References In Chainsaw Man's Title Sequence

Fall 2022 has seen a flourish of exciting new anime titles pop up across streaming services. But by far, the most unique, gruesome, and highly-anticipated is "Chainsaw Man," which fans outside of Asia can watch on Crunchyroll. 

From the moment that all hell broke loose in "Chainsaw Man's" first teaser clip to the first episode's premiere, the animated adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's dark fantasy meets comedy horror manga has delivered. Episode 1, titled "Dog & Chainsaw," introduces Denji (Ryan Colt Levy/Kikunosuke Toya) and briefly covers the backstory that leads to him becoming the title character. We also get acquainted with Chainsaw Man's cute dog Pochita, who gives Denji his powers once he is killed fighting the zombie devil.

With the foundations of the story laid out, the premiere installment was also a feat of visual and audible wonder. The illustrations struck the right balance between light and dark, and the score was wickedly addictive. It is not surprising that some publications are predicting it to be one of the year's biggest anime (per Comicbook.com). There was also that killer main title sequence, which has since seen fans pointing out a dizzying number of movie references in the opener.

The "Chainsaw Man" opening sequence is superbly edited, but it may also inspire some déjà vu if you are a film lover. Several classic movies that wholly define the genres of horror, comedy, action, and exploitation can be interpreted from how the anime arranges the shots. Thanks to the immediacy of social media, fans of the series have already taken to Twitter to upload breakdowns and series-to-film comparison tweets. 

Fan account @ChainsawManPS uploaded a clip that includes brief montages of "Reservoir Dogs," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Big Lebowski," and many more pieces of film that match the homages in the program. Fans immediately filled the comment section with platitudes remarking on the stellar editing job. "The opening is so beautifully done," @csm_facts wrote. 

Many of the films referenced in the main title for "Chainsaw Man" span the decades of the '70s-'90s, which likely won't be immediately recognizable to all viewers. Thankfully, @peghuss tweeted a reply with a screenshot of the YouTube video and top comments underneath it that lists each movie with time stamps in the opening sequence. All of the mentioned films fit the show's style and tone, which is yet another reason why this series will be one of the most thrilling to dive into each week.