MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka said recently that Chainsaw Man Season 1 set a record for the highest view count on Crunchyroll at the time. (The series debuted in October 2022.) He revealed this in a discussion with writer Tokuriki; you can find his comments on the subject in full below:
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“The series’ global distribution was through Crunchyroll, a distribution service specializing in anime; it [Chainsaw Man Season 1] set the record for the highest view count at the time. With this achievement, it gave me the feeling that Chainsaw Man was a work that would be supported more globally than domestically.“
Since Crunchyroll’s viewing data is private, it’s an interesting revelation, albeit one that could refer to the view count record over a season, the all-time record, or some other measurement. Otsuka doesn’t specify. Mildly related, Sony said in June 2025 that Solo Leveling ‘Ranked #1 in Crunchyroll View Count History as of the End of March 2025‘.
You can read the rest of Part 1 of the interview with Otsuka here, where he discusses MAPPA’s decision to fully fund Chainsaw Man Season 1, referencing the influence of Cygames doing the same with Rage of Bahamut‘s (RoB) anime adaptation. (MAPPA was responsible for RoB‘s animation production.)
Otsuka discussed RoB‘s influence in more detail in an interview that we recently covered here: MAPPA CEO Opens Up on Past Fears of Going Bankrupt, Failures, Yuri on ICE, and Chainsaw Man Solo Funding. In the interview with Tokuriki, Otsuka also discusses the Season 1 compilation film’s domestic success on Netflix and how MAPPA fully funding Reze Arc unlocked new creative possibilities in Kenshi Yonezu’s “IRIS OUT”.
Note: While MAPPA fully funding Season 1 was pretty well-known, I didn’t know this was also the case for Reze Arc. That’s fun.
In Part 2, Tokuriki speaks with Otsuka and Netflix VP of Content Kaata Sakamoto about the recently unveiled partnership to distribute a select number of MAPPA titles on Netflix, how this agreement came about, and why it was felt necessary. Netflix is considering being involved in these anime as early as the script development stage, where they may create Series Bibles so all parties are on the same page, incorporating workflows similar to live-action development into the animation production process, Sakamoto adds.
Both say this is so that these anime can truly resonate with Netflix’s audience; Otsuka adds that this is more than merely gaining access to Netflix viewing data, but learning how to market to a global audience and closing the distance to Netflix members, who Netflix knows best.
- Netflix has been noted for its lack of transparency about viewing data (e.g., where viewers tend to drop out). Furthermore, a “certain global distribution provider” was called out by the Association of Japanese Animations in October 2024 for its flat licensing fees or low data transparency (Netflix is known for flat fees, while Crunchyroll uses MG + revenue shares).
- Advanced data transparency was reported as a benefit of exclusively partnering with Netflix to distribute anime. You can read about that and more here (Japanese) and Crunchyroll CEO Responds to Calls To Pay Japanese Anime Companies More Money for Overseas Distribution.
The Otsuka interviews are great, so check them out starting from here.
In addition to Chainsaw Man Season 1, Crunchyroll began streaming Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc on April 30, describing it:
Based on the hugely popular anime series, Chainsaw Man continues in an all-new epic, action-fueled adventure. Amid a brutal war between devils and hunters, another battle starts in Denji’s heart when he meets a mysterious girl named Reze. Facing secret enemies and fighting for his humanity, Denji revs up for his deadliest battle yet.
Source: Tokuriki via Yahoo! Japan
©Tatsuki Fujimoto/SHUEISHA, MAPPA
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