10 Best Chainsaw Man Manga Covers, Ranked

Warning: Contains Spoilers for the Chainsaw Man Manga

Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto is an incredible artist, and there are few places where that’s clearer than with the series’ many manga covers. More than just good pieces of art, each volume cover for Chainsaw Man is visually striking and do an excellent job of highlighting the characters or action at the heart of each volume. With as many excellent covers as these, it’s no wonder that Chainsaw Man became such a huge hit among manga readers.

Despite the series’ many cinematic inspirations (as can be seen in the Chainsaw Man anime’s movie homage laden opening), the manga series plays to its medium’s strengths well.

Far from being a manga that wants to be a movie, Chainsaw Man uses elements such as volume covers to convey important information in a way that other mediums can’t. That’s what makes the volume covers so impressive. Not only are they advertisements for the series, Chainsaw Man’s best manga covers actually enhance the reading experience.

10

Volume 2 Heralds the Debut of Power

Chapters 8 – 16

Power is one of Chainsaw Man’s most iconic characters, and nothing sells her debut quite like her appearance on the cover of Volume 2. This was many fans’ first introduction to the character long before they read the manga, and what an introduction it is. Fujimoto has a strong eye for characterization and that completely comes through with Power’s posing here. Her hand on her hip and and her arched back relays Power’s sassy and bombastic personality well. Volume 2’s cover conveys the chaotic energy of Power quite well.

Unfortunately, where the volume loses points is for everything other than Power. Most of the series’ other covers will use the background in interesting or creative ways, but for Power’s cover on Volume 2, the background is just a pleasant turqoise. It’s hardly bad, but fails to reach the heights of future Volume covers. Still, Power is such a distinct character that Volume 2 can get away with being slightly bland.

9

Volume 14 Gives Fami a Mysterious Air

Chapters 113 – 122

Part 2 of Chainsaw Man is well on its way to reaching the high bar set by Part 1, and an important piece of that is the enigmatic Fami. Almost like Power’s complete opposite, Fami’s posing conveys the character’s indifference with an almost bored expression. Not at all boring itself though, this posing helps sell the unclear nature of Fami. She’s Makima and Yoru’s sister and has served as an antagonist, but her intentions and morality aren’t completely clear. The mystery of Chainsaw Man’s third Horseman, Fami, is conveyed well in Volume 14’s cover.

Accompanying Fami is a beautiful pattern of stained glass decorated with floral patterns behind her. Given that Fami is the physical embodiment of famine, there is a strong irony in contrasting her with such strong signs of life. While all of that is strong and relays a great deal about Fami, her less interesting and dynamic posing does hurt Volume 14’s cover, if only a little.

8

Volume 7 Puts Denji in a Tight Bind

Chapters 53 – 61

Chainsaw Man’s International Assasins arc is one of the series’ most exciting, and the arc’s crux is captured beautifully in Volume 7’s cover. Denji’s terse expression and hands bound by entrails is a fantastic reflection of how restrained Denji is throughout the arc as Public Safety keeps him under constant supervision. In the spaces between the entrails are some of the arc’s key players such as Quanxi, Master, Santa Claus, and Eldest Brother.

While Denji is often at a severe disadvantage against his opponents throughout much of Chainsaw Man, it’s rare for that vulnerability to be reflected in the Volume covers. Volumes 1 and 5 both see Denji as Chainsaw Man inflicting carnage. Volume 7 though flips the script by showing Denji’s human form bound by the entrails. There’s also some foreshadowing there, as the entrails could reflect Makima’s tight control over Denji.

7

Volume 3 is the Perfect Tribute to Himeno

Chapters 17 – 25

Though her time in the series is brief, Himeno is pivotal in Chainsaw Man’s early chapters. Fortunately, her cover debut with Volume 3 doesn’t disappoint. Himeno’s posing is dynamic as she holds her face and both her jacket and tie blow in the wind, giving the piece a great sense of movement. Accenting Himeno’s excellent design is the pattern of leaves that are both behind her and incorporated into her Public Safety uniform.

While the cover for Volume 3 is not complicated, it is a great showcase of Himeno. The leaves are a brilliant touch on Fujimoto’s part, almost imbuing Himeno with their nature as a temporary thing not meant to endure. Instead of being browned with the seasons though, the leaves are a vivid green that compliments Himeno’s bright personality quite nicely.

6

Volume 9 is Aki’s Final Sendoff

Chapters 71 – 79

Aki is another beloved Chainsaw Man character, and though Volume 4 was his first cover, it’s the tragic tableu of Volume 9 that truly represents the character best. A young Aki charges toward the reader with a snowball in hand, while the Angel Devil stares and an adult Aki looks away. One nice but subtle detail here is the use of color. Young Aki is bright and in full color, the Angel Devil has a slightly more muted palate, while Aki fades into the snow completely.

One of the series’ most symbolic covers, a lot can be read here about how Aki sees himself and his past. Fitting for the arc where readers are forced to say goodbye to the well-intentioned Devil Hunter, Volume 9’s cover perfectly conveys the tragedy of Aki and how we couldn’t help but ignore his present self in favor of those around him and his past.

5

Volume 5 Depicts One of the Series’ Best Fights

Chapters 35 – 43

Chainsaw Man vs. Katana Man is arguably the series’ first major fight as Denji squares off against someone with a similar power set for the first time, and that brawl truly comes to life in the cover for Volume 5. Moreso than any other cover in the series’ history, Volume 4 truly captures an intense moment that demands readers open up the volume to get the context.

More than just an intense cover though, Volume 5 stands out with its incredible color palate and fantastic character designs. The rainbow-colored Chainsaw Man logo in particular is bright and attention-grabbing. While Chainsaw Man’s anime is one of the best shonen in recent years, it is a shame that the series didn’t go bolder and bigger with its color choices as Fujimoto often does with the series’ volume covers.

4

Volume 10 Makes Makima’s Darkest Moment Look Stunning

Chapters 80 – 88

Makima is one of modern shonen manga’s best villains, and she finally gets her time to shine on the cover of Volume 10. The cover is immediately striking with the red void created by the open door and Makima’s piercing eyes immediately grabbing any potential reader’s attention. Makima’s posing is perfectly fitting for her character too as she stands confidently and points at the reader with a knowing smile on her face.

All of that is enough to make this a strong contender for Chainsaw Man’s best cover. What pushes Volume 10 over the edge though is how dark it is in context. This is the pose Makima strikes when killing Power in Chapter #81 (though Makima is wearing casual clothes and not her Public Safety uniform in the chapter). Going even further, it almost appears as though Makima is standing in the doorway Pochita desperately wants Denji to keep closed. These multiple pieces of foreshadowing are more than enough to make Chainsaw Man Volume 10 rank among the series’ best.

3

Volume 12 Starts the Series’ New Era Off With One of the Most Intimidating Covers

Chapters 98 – 103

Chainsaw Man Part 2 has been divisive among many fans of the series, but regardless of how fans feel about the continuation, it’s undeniable that Volume 12’s cover is a strong start. The cover depicts the War Devil, Yoru, standing against a salmon background with green buildings towering above her. There’s something dangerous about Yoru’s posing, as though she’s readying a powerful strike.

What sets Volume 12 apart from other Chainsaw Man covers is how it puts the reader in a spot of weakness. Rather than most of the covers which look at a figure head-on, Volume 12 puts Yoru above the reader, making her all the more imposing. It’s almost like the reader is on the ground looking up at their impending doom from the War Devil. Yoru and Asa are an easy highlight of Chainsaw Man Part 2, making Volume 12 a great introduction to the new era of Chainsaw Man.

2

Volume 1 Started The Series Off With One of the Most Attention-Grabbing Manga Covers Ever

Chapters 1 – 7

As great as every volume cover in the series’ history is, it’s difficult to beat the series’ very first offering. It’s no understatement to say that no other piece of artwork has sold people on Chainsaw Man as much as the series’ first cover. Everything strong about Fujimoto’s artwork is present here from the word go. Denji’s posing implies movement as he steps over a zombie, the green blood sells the series’ gore while also varying the background, and Denji’s iconic design is presented in all its glory.

Chainsaw Man inherently has a bit of a hill to climb due to just how outrageous its name is. However, Volume 1’s cover completely sells the series’ ridiculous premise and name. Readers immediately know who the titular Chainsaw Man is and just how gory fights involving him can be. With its strong writing and artwork, Chainsaw Man was always going to attract an audience, but Volume 1 helped send the manga into history as one of Shonen Jump’s all-time greats. Still though, as strong as Part 1’s first cover is, it’s more than matched by Part 1’s last cover.

1

Volume 11 Ended The Series’ First Part By Reafirming Denji’s Humanity

Chapters 89 – 97

At its heart, the first part of Chainsaw Man is about a woman using a young man’s insecurities and desperation to manipulate him. This is why, as over the top as it sounds, Chainsaw Man is the perfect title for the series and for Denji. From his time doing odd jobs for the Yakuza to his job in Public Safety, Denji is a tool other people use to get what they want. The only difference between how Makima manipulated Denji and how the Yakuza used Denji is that the latter was much more overt about the threat they posed.

For Chainsaw Man Part 1’s last volume, readers finally see Denji’s human side front and center. Given Denji’s heart-wrenching journey to get to Volume 11, there’s something moving about seeing Denji standing defiant with that devious smile. Despite what he went through, despite everything Makima took from him, Denji still has his humanity. It is this human side of Denji that ultimately defeats Makima, making it all the more fitting that it’s this side of Denji that’s highlighted in Chapter 11’s cover. This emotional context is more than enough to make Volume 11 Chainsaw Man’s best manga cover.

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