Summary
Quick Links
Just as otaku are fans of anime and games, sometimes the people that create those very things are also fans of one another’s work. There have been times in the past where mangaka havedelayed a chapter of their own work due to what has happenedin another that they follow, and plenty of instances of creators stating how inspired they have been by the work of others. And sometimes, these cases of creators being fans of other works end up with something special for the regular fans, too.
That is exactly the case with a special piece of fan art that was posted on X (formerlyTwitter) just before Christmas. The fanart in question was posted byMengo Yokoyari, a name quite famousin the anime and manga world; she is the artist behind the smash-hit storyOshi no Ko. And it seems that Yokoyari is a bit of an otaku herself, because she posted fanart of characters from none-other-thanChainsaw Man, another extremely popular anime.
Mengo Yokoyari is a Chainsaw Man Fan
And She is Just as Excited as Us
The post by Mengo Yokoyari was added to her X page on December 22nd, with artwork specifically themed for the arc that will be featured in aChainsaw Manmovie. The upcoming movie, calledChainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, was announced back at Jump Festa ‘24, withnew updates this year at Jump Festa ‘25. Fans around the world were excited about the announcement, especially considering the material will be new for non-manga readers who have only watched the originalChainsaw Mananime.
Usual anime fans were not the only ones excited by the trailer, however. It seems that Mengo Yokoyari, the artist behindOshi no Ko, was equally excited by the announcement, and is clearly a fan of theChainsaw Manseries. She drew art featuring the main character of the series, Denji, along with asupporting character and namesakefrom the content of the upcoming movie, Reze. The two are sitting together at presumably a café, with Reze holding a bouquet of flowers.
The post was accompanied by the text (translated from Japanese), “I am looking forward to the movie.” She is not the only one, with the post gaining almost 2 million views now, along with almost 60,000 likes and over 6,000 reposts. There were also plenty of comments showing support for Yokoyari’s piece, sharing their excitement about the movie and praising Yokoyari’s work.
Chainsaw Man and Oshi no Ko
Two of the Biggest Names in Anime
BothOshi no KoandChainsaw Manare two of the biggest names in anime in the past couple of years, with new announcements coming out recently for both as well.Chainsaw Manhas the aforementioned upcoming movie coming out in 2025, with new visuals and a trailer released recently at Jump Festa ‘25. Meanwhile,Oshi no Kojustcompleted its manga in December, with a spin-off novel already in the works.
It is good to see creators in the anime and manga industries appreciating one another’s works, and behaving the same way that fans do. It is very humanizing, reminding everyone thatthe people making the things they enjoy are human, too. It also gives people something else to be excited about, realizing that a creator that they like also likes the same things as them. It can form a connection between fans and creators, and fans and other fans. That sense of community is something that makes the otaku community a special place.
