What are the ‘Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories’ and are they canon?

The anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fijimoto’s Chainsaw Man manga led the series’ popularity to skyrocket, as anime enthusiasts from around the world jumped head-first into a gruesome world plagued by devils. The series’ debut season even made it to one of the best anime of 2022, but before it even hit the screen, though, the Buddy Stories light novel was already published.

The work consists of four side stories written by Sakaku Hishikawa, focusing on a few duos from the Chainsaw Man universe, namely, Power and Denji (Master Detective Power and Her Assistant Denji), Quanxi and Kishibe (The Taste of Nine Years), and Aki and Himeno (The Day We Became Buddies). The fourth story steps away from the duo format, however, instead depicting Aki, Power, and Denji’s dream trip (Dream of Enoshima).

Despite being written by Hishikawa, the concept idea for the light novel is credited to Fujimoto, who also participated in the project by providing bonus illustrations of the characters. Needless to say, fans greatly appreciate it.

Is Buddy Stories part of Chainsaw Man‘s canon?

It’s difficult to answer this question, as it depends on what one considers canon. Some believe that any extra content outside the source material cannot be considered canon, while others have a much broader idea of what the concept encapsulates. Thus far, Fujimoto has not commented on whether or not Buddy Stories is part of Chainsaw Man‘s canon, so fan opinions are divided.

For the most part, however, because the first three stories seem to fit into the manga’s timeline, readers seem to accept them as canon. The same cannot be said about Dream of Enoshima, since in the manga, the Power, Denji, and Aki planned on taking that trip with Makima, something that never came to pass due to the events that took place during the International Assassins and Gun Devil arcs.

Canon or not, these slice-of-life stories are well worth the read, especially for fans who are all caught up with the manga and awaiting a new chapter to fill the Chainsaw-shaped void in their lives. Those who have only dived into the anime episodes are advised to stay away from the light novel, as it includes a character that wasn’t introduced during season one.

Those who wish to read Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories in English will be able to do so starting July 25, as Viz Media has licensed the work for distribution.