Tatsuki Fujimoto just claimed the top spot on Courrier Japon’s “100 Japanese Who Captured the World’s Attention” list, and honestly, no one who’s been paying attention should be surprised. The Chainsaw Man creator didn’t just edge out the competition, he dominated it, leaving manga legends like Eiichiro Oda and Naoki Urasawa in his wake.
From cult hit to global phenomenon
The Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc movie dropped in September 2025 and basically broke the internet. We’re talking worldwide theatrical releases, sold-out screenings, and media coverage that stretched from El Salvador’s El Diario de Hoy praising its “ferocious storytelling” to France’s Le Monde getting philosophical about how Fujimoto “finds beauty in the grotesque.” That’s the range we’re dealing with here, a creator who somehow appeals to both casual moviegoers and pretentious film critics.
But here’s where it gets wild: Fujimoto’s influence jumped out of entertainment entirely. Chilean scientists discovered an extinct sawshark fossil and named it “Pochita serra” because its teeth looked like the Chainsaw Devil. When paleontologists are naming prehistoric creatures after your characters, you’ve officially transcended manga creator status.
The live-action that actually has potential
Then came the announcement that sent the community into overdrive: legendary director Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Broker) will helm the live-action adaptation of Look Back. For those who don’t know, Kore-eda isn’t some random director, he’s won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. This isn’t your typical cash-grab anime adaptation; this is a legitimate auteur bringing Fujimoto’s most personal work to life.
The 2025 manga/anime top 10 reads like a who’s who of the industry:
01. Tatsuki Fujimoto
02. Tatsuki Ryo
03. Naoki Urasawa
04. Junji Ito
05. Risa Marina Komiya
06. Kamome Shirahama
07. Makoto Yukimura
08. Gege Akutami
09. Natsumi Aida
10. Eiichiro Oda
With the Assassins Arc confirmed and the Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 anthology series on the horizon, 2026 is shaping up to be another massive year. Fujimoto went from underground favorite to cultural juggernaut, and he’s showing zero signs of slowing down.
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