Chainsaw Man

It's like this guy is part of a Pokemon evolution chain with Leatherface and Ash Williams. He lives as a devil hunter with Pochita, the "Chainsaw Devil." He worked as a devil hunter to repay the debts left by his parents. However, he was betrayed and killed. He then made a contract with Pochita and became "Chainsaw Man," a being with the heart of a devil. The first time I heard of Chainsaw Man was someone favorably commenting on the outstanding job the English version did translating the manga's sound effects. I maintained a low-level awareness of the series, hoping it would come to [adult swim], but it wasn't until Super Eyepatch Wolf turned his enthusiastic gaze on the property that I finally watched the first season. The show's great, and naturally I wanted toys of it. Recognizing that, even outside of Japan, collectors are a thing, Bandai has started a mass-market line called Anime Heroes. It's available at Target and Walmart, as well as online retailers, and features toys based on all sorts of shonen anime: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen... and now Chainsaw Man. Sure, there are both Figma and Figuarts Chainsaw Men available, but you can't impulse-buy those at the same store where you're buying dish towels or gum; you've got to either specifically order them or go to a specialty shop to get them. Anime Heroes, though, is right there in front of you, and that deserves support. "Devils," in the world of Chainsaw Man, are personified spirits of fear - the more people fear some specific thing, the more powerful the devil is. So for instance, the Gun Devil is one of the strongest and most destructive beings around, while the original Chainsaw Devil was small enough to carry in your arms. When Denji bonded with the Chainsaw Devil, he became an odd hybrid. His body remains mostly human, but his head changes into something that looks like a cross between an actual chainsaw and a high-tech motorcycle helmet, nearly robotic in its overall design. In the art, you can sometimes see his eyes glowing through the vents on the sides. We can tell this isn't something he's wearing, it's something he becomes. As further evidenced by the chainsaw blade jutting a full arm's length out of his forehead. Okay, that could just be a decorative feature - otherwise people wouldn't be able to cosplay as Denji, right? But the cosplay chainsaws don't move, they're static. And sure, the toy's are, too, but you understand what we're saying. In-universe, Denji's chainsaws spin, despite being integrated with his body, allowing him to chop up his enemies without somehow also maiming himself. The ones that emerge from his arms would be particularly gruesome, otherwise. He wears a dress shirt, tie, and black pants, but adds his own flair to the Public Safety uniform by way of big chunky sneakers. He wears his sleeves pushed up to the elbows, because otherwise turning into his Devil form would shred them. The construction and articulation aren't as good on this figure as they would be on a higher-end import figure, but that's like saying a Mezco One:12 Collective figure is better than Mattel's Movie Masters: "duh." We're not judging Anime Heroes by Figma standards, we're judging it on its own. Like, the imports are going to have stiff saws with very sharp teeth, right? But as this is a mass-market product and therefore subject to US safety regulations, all the saws here are soft and flexible, so no one gets hurt. Also means you don't have to worry that they might snap if the toy happens to fall over. CM has a balljoint head, balljoint neck, balljoint/hinge shoulders, swivel/​hinge elbows, a double-hinged torso, balljointed waist, balljoint/​hinge hips like GI Joe Classified, swivel thighs all the way at the top like McFarlane, double-hinged knees, and swivel/hinge/swivel ankles, like Revoltech. Presumably other Anime Heroes would have wrist joints of some sort, but Chainsaw Man's chainsaws preclude that. The shirt is a rubber piece that slips over the hard plastic frame within, so the joints can't be seen - it's better for maintaining the sculpt, but I always worry about stuff like that cracking apart with age. Still, Chainsaw Man is a hugely dynamic series, and this figure can get some truly wild poses. Love it! The figure is done in a 6"-ish scale, so he'll be similar to what you'd get from an SH Figuarts or something. He can hang out with Marvel Legends easier than, say, McToys' One Punch Man. Anime Heroes Chainsaw man isn't the most impressive action figure ever, but he also only costs 20 bucks, and you're getting a decent amount of toy for that money; the "real" Denji toys may cost four times as much, but I'm not sure they'd be four times better. It's really nice to see some "value" anime figures available to buy, and even with a few flaws, this is still a line worth keeping track of. It's a great choice for a character you'd like a toy of, but not necessarily the toy of. -- 02/16/25