Chainsaw Man and the Trouble with Homage

Released on October 24, 2025, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc debuted at number one in the US box office and has earned almost $150 million worldwide. This has made it one of the biggest and most successful anime films in some time.

However, this was not an overnight success for Chansaw Man. Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the character began as a manga in December 2018 and made the jump to an animated series in 2022. 

Over much of that seven-year run, fans have noted similarities between Fujimoto’s and various other works. This includes similarities between Chainsaw Man and both the manga Dorohedoro and the anime FLCL. 

But these similarities have largely been brushed aside. Fujimoto has repeatedly acknowledged his inspirations and never denied being influenced by these works. 

However, with the new film and the broadened attention comes a new allegation. As reported by Zach Zamora at ScreenRant, viewers have noted the similarities between the character Reze and an obscure adult film.

Fortunately for Fujimoto, this doesn’t appear to be a case of plagiarism. According to Reddit user LMN3_, Fujimoto already explained his inspiration for the character, and it had nothing to do with the film. As Zamora pointed out in his article, the outfit in question was popular at the time the Reze story arc was first being published, making it a likely case of mutual inspiration rather than plagiarism.

But the story illustrates how difficult homage is, especially when you present a work to a new audience that may have different expectations and a different understanding of the material.

The Story so Far

By all accounts, Fujimoto is a creator who is very open about his influences. This became especially important in 2020, shortly after the Chainsaw Man anime was first announced.

Interviewers drew attention to similarities between Chainsaw Man and Dorohedoro, a Manga that started in November 2000. According to an article by Joshua Furr at Dualshockers, the two series shared many similarities, including their aesthetics and the presence of devil-human hybrids.

However, since both works shared the same studio, there was never going to be a legal dispute. Furthermore, the two works also shared enough differences that most felt there was room for both. Even Furr referred to the similarities as, at most, “light plagiarism.”

Fujimoto, for his part, has acknowledged the similarities and even joked that it is a “copycat of Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen” in interviews. 

One of Fujimoto’s most famous examples of homage was a manga panel that deliberately imitated Sharknado, a film that Fujimoto has professed to loving. 

But this is par for the course with Fujimoto. He is widely known for inserting film references into his work. As such, his fans have made it something of a game to try to spot his often obscure references. 

That, in turn, brings us to the current controversy over Reze. In the film (and the works that precede it), Reze wears a white sleeveless shirt with a black tie and black shorts. This looks similar to an adult film actress named “Hazel Roze” who wore the outfit in a 2013 film.

However, this isn’t a case of plagiarism, nor is it likely a case of inspiration. The outfit was fairly common at the time, and the original Reddit post was most likely shared as a joke. But that didn’t stop others from taking the allegations seriously and repeating them as a serious infraction.

So, while this isn’t an example of plagiarism, it is an example of why homage is often a difficult thing to nail down.

The Problem with Homage

The problem with homage is very simple: it relies on the audience being aware of the homage rather than being deceived by it. 

For example, an audience of hardcore manga and anime fans would likely catch references, even subtle ones, to other works in the genre. As long as the use doesn’t violate the reuse and citation norms of the genre, it is little more than a cheeky reference that delights those who catch it.

However, when you publish the work to a broader audience, such as a major movie release, the new audience may not be as aware of the references. To make matters worse, they might not know about Fujimoto’s history of open inspiration and referencing. 

In that light, copying or similarities that are innocent to one group can look a lot like plagiarism to another. That’s because homage requires context, and that context is often lost when a work is put in a new format or sent to a new audience.

As we saw in 2019 in the case involving YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, developers can intend to pay homage to a source but do so in a way that crosses into plagiarism. In that case, it involved copying lines from an unrelated book. Even fans of both works were unlikely to spot the reference.

That’s not to say there aren’t ways to do homage well. In many ways, making the homage more obvious keeps it from being plagiarism. Plagiarism is all about deception, and an obvious homage is not going to make your audience feel deceived.

But it is still a tricky balance and a tough one to get right. Even someone like Fujimoto, who is a master of homage and reference, still runs the risk of being called a plagiarist. 

Unfortunately, it’s a risk endemic to homage, which is why one should always be careful when using it as a creative device.

Bottom Line

One of the things that has helped Fujimoto is that he has always been transparent about his influences when asked. He’s never been coy about his inspiration and has even joked that his work is similar to others’. 

He’s never tried to present himself as a divinely-inspired creator whose work is entirely original. He’s always presented himself as someone whose work is the offspring of the things he loves.

While that may be more true for Fujimoto than some, it is at least a little true for everyone. Acknowledging our inspirations is a positive thing. It gives credit and love to the works that inspired newer works and, for the new creator, helps them avoid allegations of plagiarism.

After all, plagiarism is about deception. If you are honest and don’t deceive, you aren’t a plagiarist. There may be other issues, including copyright infringement, depending on the nature of the use, but being free with credit also frees you from the charge of plagiarism.

This is why, when pressed about citation, I’ve always encouraged others to overcite and overshare. No one was ever dragged over the coals for over-citation. Plenty have been for the opposite.