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While Chainsaw Man is undoubtedly the most well-known manga by author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto, Fire Punch shows just how ingenious Fujimoto can be. This post-apocalyptic series serves as a window into Fujimoto's mind, containing some of the most twisted moments in all of the manga.
Fire Punch is Fujimoto’s first serialized work, completed in the first month of 2018, whereas Chainsaw Man began serialization in the year’s final month. The former is an absolute must-read for fans of the latter, clearly serving as the prototype for the latter in a variety of ways.
Follow along as this article fully breaks down why Fire Punch is a must-read for any Chainsaw Man fan.
Fire Punch serves as necessary read for Chainsaw Man fans in order to truly understand Fujimoto’s creative mind
If Chainsaw Man represents Fujimoto's ideas after much scrutiny before they hit the page, Fire Punch has the feel of Fujimoto simply pouring out all of his ideas, without redacting them. Fans meet protagonist Agni and learn about the setting of the series in the opening pages, which mark the beginning of Fujimoto's creation of the manga.
Fire Punch is set in a post-climate-apocalyptic future where a being known as the Ice Witch has turned the earth into a frozen, barren wasteland. Legend says that the Ice Witch was able to do this by possessing a special ability known as a "blessing," making her one of the various Blessed who lives within the series’ world.
The protagonist, Agni, is a boy who is gifted with the blessing of regeneration, as is his sister Luna. However, Agni’s regeneration takes effect almost instantly, whereas Luna’s takes some time to activate and heal her injuries. The pair help the elders in their village survive on the meat that comes from Agni’s severed arms.
The village is one day visited by a Blessed named Doma, who recognizes Agni’s powers and wants to take him to the city of Behemdorg. However, after discovering that the village practices cannibalism, he declares that they are not even human and deserve to die. Doma immolates the inhabitants with his inextinguishable flames, killing all but Agni.
This includes Luna, whose final words to Agni implore him to live on. Agni listens to his sister's words here, surviving for 8 years as his body constantly breaks down and regenerates. After this 8-year period, he’s finally able to control his body and thoughts again, beginning his quest to kill Doma and seek revenge for his sister and the villagers.
Already, the origin story is similar in essence to that of Chainsaw Man in terms of the core values and themes of the protagonist’s journey and raison d’etre. Whereas Pochita implores Denji to live out his dreams in Chainsaw Man, in Fire Punch, Luna simply asks Agni to live, allowing him to do whatever he wants with his life in the process.
Fire Punch's uniqueness extends far beyond its early stages, with over-the-top fights, characters, and events that are truly terrifying in many ways. Most of these insane events are framed by taking an unflinching look at what it means to forgive someone and the struggle that is truly forgiving someone who has deeply wronged you.
There are also some truly ridiculous moments that are very reminiscent of Chainsaw Man. In an effort not to spoil the series, these won’t be discussed in heavy detail here. However, in moments from Chainsaw Man such as Denji riding Beam’s Shark Devil form, the absurdity of the International Assassins arc pales in comparison to even Fire Punch’s less-intense madness.
In this sense, Fire Punch represents Fujimoto's writing style in its entirety, unfiltered, whereas Chainsaw Man sees it strained, boiled down, and combined with other supporting flavors. Both approaches are wildly successful in their own rights, but reading the latter without reading the former is like eating a dish without knowing what’s in it.
In other words, because it is the source of Fujimoto's dramatized chaos, Fire Punch is a must-read for Chainsaw Man fans. Doing so allows fans to understand how Fujimoto works, as well as begin connecting overarching threads across his entire body of work. While it's a fantastic series in and of itself, the fact that it's Fujimoto's first serialization alone makes it worth checking out for readers everywhere.
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