Anime fans are very familiar with the work of Tatsuki Fujimoto, whose Chainsaw Man manga has been adapted into both a hit anime series and film, and whose Look Back manga has been adapted into both an anime movie and a live-action movie. Fujimoto’s unique blend of scathing social commentary, explosive action, and memorable characters has made him one of the biggest names in anime right now, but there is one popular manga from the Chainsaw Man creator that still hasn’t been adapted into an anime; Fire Punch.

While Chainsaw Man is Tatsuki Fujimoto’s most popular work, I would argue that Fire Punch is his best. The shorter run (just 8 Volumes) gives it a much more focused narrative. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic, frozen Earth where humanity is trying to rebuild itself. There are themes of nihilism, the inherent corruption that comes with power, and the futility of revenge. 

Agni was born into this world with the power of regeneration, allowing him to heal from any injury. This turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing, as he also spends much of the manga on fire. Due to his propensity for punching anyone who causes him problems, he is referred to as Fire Punch. 

That is a massive simplification of a complex and, honestly, bonkers plot, but I don’t really want to spoil anything if you haven’t read the Fire Punch manga. This was Tatsuki Fujimoto’s first serialized manga and is him at his most unhinged and uncensored, which, in this case, means including some really dark content. I know that Chainsaw Man goes places, but that is nothing compared to what happens in Fire Punch – and that is one reason why it hasn’t been adapted as an anime yet.

One big hurdle for any studio attempting to adapt Fire Punch as an anime is the content that the story holds. It starts with cannibalism (a whole village is cutting off pieces of Agni for food while he regenerates, but it is cool because he consents to it) and goes downhill from there. There is a faux-incestuous relationship, intense gore, copious sexual assault, and an absolutely bonkers ending that slips into weird, meta territory. Fire Punch pushes the shonen definition, which typically refers to any anime or manga that is marketed at young boys, to its absolute limit. Despite its sterling drawings and excellent writing, it is tough to recommend Fire Punch to fans who aren’t prepared to read some messed-up stuff.

However, I would argue that that isn’t the biggest hurdle to seeing a Fire Punch anime. While there are some intense scenes in Fire Punch that will be tough to explain to someone who walks in on you watching it, that isn’t exactly new for anime fans. No, the biggest challenge is going to be that Agni spends most of the story on fire. It is worth remembering that Agni doesn’t have fire powers; he just regenerates so quickly that being on fire is merely painful rather than deadly. Fire effects like this are a pain for animators because flames tend to have a mind of their own on screen. And it isn’t like they could try to cheap out on the fire since it is a pretty crucial part of both the story and the imagery of Fire Punch. It is right there in the title, after all.

None of this is to say that there is no chance for a Fire Punch anime being made. Manabu Ohtsuka, CEO of anime studio MAPPA, said in 2022 that he would be interested in adapting all of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. This was before the first season of the studio’s Chainsaw Man anime came out and became a huge hit, so I can only imagine that the appetite for an anime based on Fire Punch has only grown over the years. However, the studio is already working on hits like Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, and the Ranma ½ remake, so it may be a while before they can dedicate the resources to a story like Fire Punch.

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