From Manga to Theater: The Evolution of ‘Chainsaw Man’ The Stage

From the 2D realms to live theater, the 2.5-Dimensional Musical® (pronounced “Two-Point-Five-Dimensional Musical”) is an innovative art form that brings fan-favorite series to life. The term is used to describe theatrical presentations based on Japanese manga, popular animation, and video games. It not only refers to musicals but also to straight plays, comedies, and dramas. This term was originally coined spontaneously by fans in Japan, who use it affectionately. Although these stage plays can only be seen in Japan, some 2.5D musicals based on beloved series have recently been making their way into the Western world, including“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” The Super LiveandATTACK on TITAN: The Musical. Joining this list is “CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE, and audiences can now stream the stage play version ofChainsaw Manon Crunchyroll. 

At Anime Expo 2026,Nelke Planning, a company known for producing 2.5D musicals, hosted its first-ever panel for “CHAINSAW MAN” THE STAGEwith video highlights and video messages from the cast and creative team. Anime Trending had the opportunity to sit down and speak with producerMisato Sonoyamaabout producing“CHAINSAW MAN” THE STAGEand its next stage play, “CHAINSAW MAN” THE STAGE: Reze Arc. Sonoyama is known for producing stage plays of other series, such asTouken Ranbu: The musical, “HUNTER×HUNTER” THE STAGE, andEngekichou Itan ｢xxxHOLiC｣.

Why wasChainsaw Manchosen to have a stage play? 

Misato Sonoyama:I completely respect the originaling, but what we realized is thatChainsaw Manis not really well-suited for a stage play. So, I wanted to be able to express the aspect ofChainsaw Manthrough a stage play as a challenge to expand the possibilities of 2D musicals

Especially with the “Reze Arc,” opening in 2026, we want to build upon the 2.5D musical expression established in our premiere production to show just how“CHAINSAW MAN” THE STAGEcan evolve. We wanted to connect the previous stage play to the “Reze Arc” in order to express how amazingChainsaw Manis. With the “Reze Arc,” I am taking on the challenge of adapting Chainsaw Man for the stage, driven by the desire to showcase just how far 2.5D musicals have evolved as of 2026.

What challenges came with adaptingChainsaw Man‘s visual and action style for a live stage format? 

Misato Sonoyama:One of the biggest challenges is how to express the devils and how they transform into their devil forms. The actors have to deconstruct their visuals to transform into the devil visuals. We had a lot of challenges in terms of trying to visually show how that transformation works. For the action side of things, we used physical movement doubles, while the original actors for Denji and Samurai Sword provided the voice acting live, allowing the physical performers to focus on matching the action choreography.  In the 2026 “Reze Arc” stage play, we will have some scenes with parkour to further express the action scenes.

I saw the video highlight, and it was really great! I can’t wait to see the parkour action in the “Reze Arc.”

Misato Sonoyama:There’ll be a power-up! With the “Reze Arc,” it’s going to be even better.

What are your thoughts on seeing fans ofChainsaw Manand the reception from Western fans? 

Misato Sonoyama:We receive a lot of messages from overseas fans on social media saying that they have really high expectations because it looks so cool and that they are really excited for it. That gives us a lot of motivation to refine it and make it even better than what we originally planned. For a lot of fans, to be able to see a stage play adaptation ofChainsaw Man, a very beloved popular series, is a really great inspiration for us to be able to make the stage play as best as possible. Since we started streaming on Crunchyroll, we have received so many comments from international fans about the 2.5D musicals. For many of them, it was their first time seeing a stage adaptation after reading the manga or watching the anime series, and they were so amazed and so impressed by it. We were really happy to see that. 

What went into the decision to have Crunchyroll stream“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE? 

Misato Sonoyama:For the originalChainsaw Manmanga and anime, international fans were so impressed and inspired byChainsaw Manthat they even went to visit theaters in Tokyo and Kyoto in order to experience what they saw [in the series]. Especially in Kyoto, they have a strong connection in terms of tourism and brought a lot of visitors, and we wanted to have this confidence to be able to bring“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGEto international audiences so they can further their desire to be a part of theChainsaw Manuniverse. We wanted to be able to stream it to those international fans. That is why we approached Crunchyroll to somehow be able to bring it to the Western or international audience. We think that by having this connection and bringing“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGEto a broader audience, this would be a great promotion forChainsaw Man.

How did the response from international viewers

Misato Sonoyama:This might be a bit similar to how I answered the previous question, but with the 2.5D musical, we thought we could try to express the quality and different aspects of a Japanese stage play to an international audience. We thought that with the international fans being able to watch“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE, we were afraid that people would be disappointed because it is different in the way that certain aspects are expressed in the stage play, but conversely, a lot of people showed really great enthusiasm and appreciation for the stage play version because it’s a different way to enjoyChainsaw Man. Because of things like the actors’ ability to express or capture the characters’ essences, people were able to enjoy the musical. We are really proud of this aspect.

What made the team decide to cover the “Reze Arc” for the next stage play? 

Misato Sonoyama:We wanted to continue to pay respect to the original source materials and base our next stage play on one of the next arcs in theChainsaw Manseries. However, in order to continue to evolve the series, we deliberated on which arc to adapt. There is the“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGEdigest moviethat’s uploaded on YouTube, and it’s gotten 2,880,000 views. We didn’t expect such a huge response to the video. Because so many people are interested in the stage play — and we also heard some weren’t able to watch or catch the premiere production — after all these different considerations, we decided, “Let’s adapt the ‘Reze Arc’ for the next stage play.”

You talked a bit about how the “Reze Arc” will be a power-up, but how does the production scale or approach differ from the first stage play? How much of an impact will the “Reze Arc” have?

Misato Sonoyama:This might be a different answer from what you might be expecting, but for the “Reze Arc,” it’s really focused on the relationship between Denji and Reze. They are young and trying to figure out their emotions like teenagers, so we wanted to really focus on the emotional aspect between them. Because of this different way of approaching it, we wanted to be careful in taking the time and effort for these scenes. So, we createda promotional videothat specifically focuses on Reze — how she moves and how she thinks — to ensure her portrayal is handled with a lot of care and detail. 

As I mentioned before, we also want to elevate the overall quality of the stage play. With the action scenes of Chainsaw Man climbing up on a beam, attacking, and going through all the action battle scenes, we wanted to continue in that realm by increasing the techniques and skills to show how the characters have become a lot more powerful and stronger in the “Reze Arc.”

Will Western fans get a chance to see “CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE: Reze Arcon stream in the future or even live? 

Misato Sonoyama:We would actually love to be able to perform it in the U.S. or internationally if allowed, but I think first we must try it out in Japan this July and August. We will see from the domestic reception in Japan. If it’s a success, then maybe we can continue to bring it to international audiences for both streaming and,maybe, in person.

Anime Expo is one of the biggest anime conventions in the West. For fans who are experiencing “CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGEfor the first time through this event, what do you hope they take away from the highlight screening and the video message from the cast and creative team? 

Misato Sonoyama:Coming to Anime Expo and being able to show things is really important to me, and it really makes me so happy. A lot of people knowChainsaw Manand love the series, but there are also a lot of people who haven’t seen it yet. For them, we want to be able to make sure that if their first encounter with theChainsaw Manseries is through the stage play, then we want to make sure that it is as impressive and as impactful as possible. Through the highlight screening and the video messages from the cast and creative team, we want to ensure that people feel excited and really motivated to check out“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE. We want to continue to bring the momentum of 2.5D musicals. If everyone could look forward to seeing the next evolution of “CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGE, that would make me really happy.

Special thanks to Nelke Planning for assisting in organizing this interview. Interpretation assistance by Momo Cha. 

“CHAINSAW MAN”THE STAGEis currently streaming on Crunchyroll.