7 Bingeable Manga To Fill the Void Left By Chainsaw Man's Ending

Chainsaw Man, the Shōnen Jump dark fantasy modern classic manga series, came to its conclusion after more than seven years of near-weekly serialization. For countless fans around the world, Denji’s devil-hunting journey made up a large part of their lives, and there’s little doubt many have been left with a void that needs filling.

Few manga titles have been able to recreate the violent, though at times humorous, chaos that has made Chainsaw Man the smash-hit it’s become. However, there are a few series that are spiritually similar.

Chainsaw Man chapters became a weekly event throughout the global anime community, and its absence will be felt. But these seven manga series will help fill the void it’s left behind.

Fire Punch

Written and Illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Published on Shōnen Jump Plus

There’s no better place to look for a Chainsaw Man replacement than with its creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto. Before the artist became a household name among anime and manga fans, Fujimoto made his serialized debut on Shōnen Jump Plus with 2016’s Fire Punch.

Fire Punch contains a lot of what would go on to make Chainsaw Man such an exciting reading experience, but does it all in a much darker, and often weirder, way. For some, the series might be a bit too much to stomach, opening with one of the wilder first chapters in shōnen manga history. But there’s a lot to like in Fire Punch.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s strong character writing is on display throughout the entirety of the story, with protagonist Agni and supporting cast member Togata being stand-out presences throughout the story. Anyone who can’t get enough of Fujimoto’s manga is almost certain to love Fire Punch.

Centuria

Written and Illustrated by Tohru Kuramori, Published on Shōnen Jump Plus

Once fans run out of Tatsuki Fujimoto stories to get their hands on, they’ll have plenty to keep them busy from his former assistants. Tohru Kuramori helped Fujimoto draw the 2022 one-shot Goodbye, Eri, one of the stand-out titles in the artist’s catalog. A short time later, he made his own debut with 2024’s Centuria.

Genre aside, there aren’t too many similarities between Centuria and Chainsaw Man, with Kuramori’s series taking a more traditional approach to dark fantasy. If anything, Centuria is closer to being a spiritual successor to Kentaro Miura’s masterpiece Berserk than it is to Chainsaw Man. But there’s still plenty of gory, highly emotional story beats to keep fans satisfied.

Denji from Chainsaw Man, Okarun from Dandadan, and Julian from Centuria.

Chainsaw Man and Dandadan Creators Team Up to Recommend a New Manga, So You Best Pick It Up ASAP

Two of the greatest new-gen shonen manga artists have made the effort to recommend Centuria, and dark fantasy fans need to check it out.

Centuria follows a boy named Julian, who was held as a slave for the majority of his young life before coming into contact with an eldritch sea creature. He’s both rescued and cursed by the creature’s powers, and chooses to find a new home where he can raise another slave’s newborn daughter.

Centuria has been collected in seven volumes thus far, and is a must-read for fans of the dark fantasy genre.

Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku

Written and Illustrated by Yuji Kaku, Published on Shōnen Jump Plus

Gabimaru as seen in Hell's Paradise Season 2 — Gabimaru as seen in Hell’s Paradise Season 2

Fujimoto’s list of former assistants turned successful manga artists in their own right is rather lengthy. After lending a major hand to the production of Fire Punch throughout its serialization, Yuji Kaku debuted his second-ever series, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku on Shōnen Jump Plus in 2018.

Hell’s Paradise ran for 13 volumes, and became one of Shōnen Jump Plus‘ landmark titles before being adapted by anime industry giant, MAPPA in 2023. The series initially follows Gabimaru, a man left for execution who ultimately cannot die due to a superhuman body, and later shifts focus during its second-half.

Yuji Kaku’s breakout work is another modern dark fantasy hit that fans of Chainsaw Man should enjoy quite a bit. There are some comedic moments and banter between characters, offering some needed levity between the violent and gory sections of the series.

Dandadan

Written and Illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu, Published on Shōnen Jump Plus

Dandadan is likely the most popular manga series by a former assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto. Yukinobu Tatsu worked alongside the artist on both Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, having a major impact on the visual aesthetic of the latter. Tatsu’s art style is instantly recognizable, and can be spotted throughout many major sections of Chainsaw Man Part 1.

Before he could lend his help to Part 2, Tatsu’s own Dandadan debuted on Shōnen Jump Plus in 2021, and has since amassed an impressive 22 volumes. The wacky, off-the-wall supernatural rom-com doesn’t quite have the edge that made Chainsaw Man so famous, but it sure does have the chaos.

Dandadan is much more of a light-hearted affair, but it has no problem venturing into darker subject matter when the story calls for it. The series gained immense popularity after its anime adaptation by Science Saru premiered in 2024. Chainsaw Man fans won’t find many of the series’ darker aspects in Dandadan, but there’s still plenty to like about the series’ unique brand of chaos.

Dorohedoro

Written and Illustrated by Q Hayashida, Published in Monthly Shōnen Sunday

Dorohedoro made some noise in 2020 when its anime adaptation by studio MAPPA premiered during the winter season. However, it didn’t quite make the major impact readers expected. At first glance, the series might be a tough sell, with a protagonist that has the head of a reptile. Though fans who have given Dorohedoro the chance it deserves often walk away loving the series.

The sci-fi-heavy dark fantasy series follows a man named Caiman, who, following a run-in with a sorcerer, loses his memories and gains a reptile head. It’s a striking look, and one that is certainly unique within the shōnen manga scene. His journey involves hunting down sorcerers in hopes of finding the one who cursed him and reversing the spell.

Dorohedoro has all the action and absurdity that fans have come to love about Chainsaw Man, and should be the perfect replacement for any manga fan looking to fill a particular void the series has left behind. The anime’s second season is finally slated to premiere on April 1st, 2026.

Ajin: Demi-Human

Written and Illustrated by Gamon Sakurai, Published in Good! Afternoon

Ajin manga panel showing the black ghosts shambling around.

Ajin: Demi-Human is arguably one of the most underappreciated dark fantasy manga and anime series ever. Following the series’ debut in 2012, Ajin was adapted into both anime and live-action on a number of occasions, and there’s an argument to be made that it still does not get the love or attention it deserves.

The original manga, in particular, is a thrilling, dark story that makes the most of its unique concept, universe, and power system. What will attract readers most, however, is the often otherworldly quality of its art. Ajin: Demi-Human, at its best, can give some of the best looking manga a run for their money.

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The series follows a student named Nagai Kei, who is involved in a fatal traffic accident, only to find that he cannot die. He is one of a very small number of humans called Ajin, people who have regenerative abilities that prevent them from dying. The world is not kind to Ajin, viewing them as inhuman threats to the public.

Ajin: Demi-Human concluded in 2021 after nine years of serialization. The complete series has been collected in 17 volumes.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Written and Illustrated by Gege Akutami, Published in Weekly Shōnen Jump

There’s a pretty good chance that the majority of Chainsaw Man fans around the world are already fans of Jujutsu Kaisen. The two titles ran alongside one another throughout the former’s time in Weekly Shōnen Jump, and seem to have remained attached at the hip ever since.

Both have similar premises, and have been adapted by studio MAPPA on their way to becoming massive global successes. Despite their similarities, however, the two fan bases seem to have formed a sort of rivalry with one another in online spaces, each side doing their best to convince the other their favorite series is better.

Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori, a high-school student who becomes entangled in a supernatural world after eating a cursed finger. Unknowingly to him, doing so made him a host for Ryomen Sukuna, an outrageously dangerous ancient sorcerer. Fans won’t have to stretch their imagination much to draw connections between two of today’s most popular battle shōnen titles.

In what can likely be dubbed as shōnen anime’s “Demon Slayer era”, Jujutsu Kaisen has managed to make a significant impact on the mainstream anime and manga scene. MAPPA’s adaptation certainly helped, but the series established itself as a major presence long before it ever hit screens.

Jujutsu Kaisen reached its finale in 2024, and has been collected in an impressive 30 volumes.