Abara: Why The Manga That Influenced The Chainsaw Man Is A Must-Read
One of the biggest discussions behind the Chainsaw Man anime and manga series is author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto's biggest influence on creating the story. Almost every aspect of this dark fantasy and ultra-violent anime and manga series is so unique that even those who know manga best have trouble telling them apart.
Suddenly, however, a particular panel at the end of the first part of Fujimoto's manga looks uncannily similar to another manga artist's work. This work and this manga are Abara of Tsutomu Nihei, better known as the creative mind behind Blame! and the Knights of Sidonia.
Abara of Nihei follows protagonist Denji Kudou, a being who possesses the power of Black Gauna. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, humans mutate into a species of monsters known as the White Gaunas, Denji, and Black Gaunas in order to fight them. Black Gaunas are human-Gauna hybrids with the abilities and powers of the White Gauna, while retaining a human mind.
Denji and another girl named Nayuta were the first to be experimented on, and since she was the first to be experimented on, the latter was implanted with a control device. However, Denji was able to escape before the control device could be implanted, killing several people in the process. The Chainsaw Man inspiration and parallels are already evident.
The two protagonists, both named Denji, find themselves in a situation where someone is trying to control them, Denji Kudo's owner is Kagen House, and Denji's owner is Makima. Denji's two are also able to transform into monsters that retain human minds, becoming these monsters with the help of others.
Another major similarity between Chainsaw Man and Abara is in the form of Nayutas in both series. The latter's Nayuta is controlled by the Huiyuan family, while Fujimoto's Nayuta is the reincarnation of the controlling demon king.
Also, with Fujimoto's Nayuta being given to Taji's care, both Taji and Nayuta are linked at the end of their series or first main story part.
The character designs of each of Denji's scarier forms are also remarkably similar, and that similarity is what sends readers down this path of investigation in the first place. In fact, the panels of Fujimoto's Denji are very similar in form to Denji Kudou's Black Gauna, with almost identical positioning and illustrations, clearly in homage