When and Where Does Chainsaw Man Take Place?
Chainsaw Man is a manga that has caused a lot of stir since its debut. Written and illustrated Tatsuki Fujimoto, this manga built its devoted fandom thanks to its uniquely bizarre and grisly premise, while – at the same time – drawing on popular older works. Chainsaw Man is getting an anime adaptation that is going to air sometime during 2022 and in this article, as a preparation for the anime, we are going to tell you when and where Chainsaw Man takes place.
It is known that the events of Chainsaw Man take place in 1997. It is an alternative history setting in which the Soviet Union still exist and there are worldwide tensions aking to those during the Cold War. As for the place, Chainsaw Man takes place in Japan and the rest of the World; Fujimoto did not make any changes to the geography, only the history of his world.
In the continuation of this article, we are going to tell you some additional information about the world of Chainsaw Man. You’re going to find out about the setting, the situation in each of the known countries in the manga, and what the general setting of the whole narrative is. This is going to be your ultimate go-to guide for the setting of Chainsaw Man.
What is the setting of Chainsaw Man?
The story takes place in a world where demons are born from human fears. Demons are often dangerous and malevolent, their power proportional to how strongly their corresponding fear is incited into the collective human consciousness. However, humans can sign contracts with them to use their powers. People who specialize in hunting and employing demons are called demon hunters.
Demons originate from Hell and exist in an endless life cycle between Earth and Hell: they are reborn on Earth when they are killed in Hell, and vice versa. In Hell live extremely powerful demons called Primal Fears, who have never been killed. The transit between the two worlds seems to be supervised by the Devil of Hell.
A devil can, under certain conditions, inhabit the body of a dead human being, acquiring some of his memories and personality; such a creature is called a Fiend. Demons that naturally have a human appearance are said to be benevolent towards humans. The events of the story take place in 1997, in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union still exists, and many historical events such as the Holocaust appear to have never occurred.
When does Chainsaw Man take place?
In general terms, 1997 wasn’t such a big year in the history of our civilization. The Cold War was already over, a lot of the countries were transitioning into new political structures, and while the year certainly was eventful and saw a fair share of skirmishes, it’s not comparable to some major years in human history. But what if 1997 had been different?
What if it were 1997, today, and the Soviet Union was still there? What if the Cold War had never ended, and although the tensions weren’t at their peak, they were still there? What if the Holocaust had never happened (okay, this would’ve actually been a great thing!)? Well, this is the 1997 we are talking about in this article. This is the year 1997 in which Chainsaw Man takes place.
So, the answer to your question is – Chainsaw Man takes place in 1997, but it is an alternative history setting and the 1997 we remember is nothing like the 1997 we are seeing in this manga.
Where does Chainsaw Man take place?
The world, also known as the human world or earth, is the place where people live. The world is originally the home of humans, devils killed in hell, fiends, which are human corpses possessed by devils, and hybrids, which are humans with the ability to take the form of a devil. An important part of the world is Japan, where Denji lives. This is the principal setting of the whole narrative. We are now going to tell you a bit about the historical situation in some specific countries.
Japan
Japan is one of the countries of the world and the main setting of the series. Its official language is Japanese. It is ruled by a prime minister who had a contract with Makima. In exchange for working for Japan, any fatal harm done to Makima is transferred to any citizen of Japan. Public Safety Devil Hunters work for the government of Japan.
On November 10, 1984, the Gun Devil hit Japan for 26 seconds, killing 57,912 people. Aki Hayakawa witnessed the Gun Devil destroy his house and kill his family as it passed by.
On September 12, 1997, the Gun Devil appears again for 12 seconds on the coast of Kaho City in Akita Prefecture and kills several men, women, and children. However, he is defeated by Makima and then takes possession of the body of Aki. Later, he is defeated by Denji. After the defeat of Gun Devil, Public Security formed an anti-Makima unit to eliminate Makima, but they failed. Later, Denji defeats Makima by poisoning her blood and eating her piece by piece, which allows him to bypass the contract between her and the Prime Minister.
United States of America
The United States of America is one of the countries of the world. Its official language is English. It is ruled by a president who had a contract with Gun Devil.
On November 10, 1984, a major terrorist attack involving firearms occurred in America, and on that day the Gun Devil appeared for the first time. The Gun Devil hit America for 124 seconds and killed 548,012 people. Aldo, Joey, and their brother survived the Gun Devil’s attack but lost their home, father, mother, and grandmother. After the Gun Devil was defeated, America received twenty percent of its body.
On September 12, 1997, the President of the United States used the treaty with the Gun Devil to attack Makima by sacrificing one year of each citizen of the country.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union, also known as USSR, is one of the countries of the world. Its official language is Russian. It is presumably ruled by the President of the Union.
On November 10, 1984, the Gun Devil struck the Soviet Union for 210 seconds, killing 155,302 people. Later, the Soviet Union confirmed that the Gun Devil had been defeated by someone else and had received twenty-eight percent of its body.
At some point, the Soviet Union kidnapped many children and put them into a special government program to turn them into super soldiers for the country. In this program, the children were subjected to harsh military training and scientific experiments to enhance their natural abilities. Part of the bomb devil’s body was implanted into one of the children, turning him into a devil-human hybrid.
Tolka and his master are also from the Soviet Union, the latter being the true identity of “Santa Claus”.
China
China is one of the countries of the world. Its official language is Chinese. It is ruled by the General.
On November 10, 1984, the Gun Devil struck China for 32 seconds, killing 316,932 people. After the Gun Devil was defeated, China got back eleven percent of its body. Quanxi, a hybrid known as the first female devil hunter, and her harem of fiends are also from China and work for the General. After Makima was defeated by Denji, the controlling devil reincarnated in China as Nayuta, who was later found by Kishibe and brought to Japan to live in Denji’s care.
Germany
Germany is one of the countries of the world. Its official language is German. The details of the government constitution are not known, but a government official has been seen to hire a devil hunter. At some point, the Nazi movement controlled Germany, leading to World War II and the Holocaust. But all of that no longer exists because the Chainsaw Man has the ability to erase things.
One of Santa’s perfect dolls resides in Munich as a famous devil hunter with the alias “Santa Claus of Germany”.
Other countries
Other countries are mentioned only as the “victims” of the Gun Demon’s attacks. In Canada, he killed 8,481 people during a 7-second attack; in India, 29,950 were killed during an attack that lasted only 15 seconds; finally, in Mexico, the Gun Devil struck for 2 seconds and killed 6,088 people.
