Chainsaw Man: Ryan Colt Levy Is Fired Up for the Reze Arc Movie

It’s been three years since the first season of Chainsaw Man debuted and the hit anime is poised to become even bigger than ever with the release of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Based on the best-selling manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the movie has the story’s protagonist Denji find love with a mysterious new character named Reze. This leads him to becoming embroiled in a fierce confrontation that has him test the limits of the Chainsaw Devil he’s bonded to, showcased in amazing action set pieces throughout the film.

As much as fans have been waiting for the eagerly anticipated return of Chainsaw Man, so too has voice actor Ryan Colt Levy, who plays Denji in the English-language dub of the anime. A fan of the manga even before landing the role of Denji, Levy was overjoyed and grateful to reprise his fan-favorite character for the English dub of the movie, taking Denji to new depths and directions. Levy sat down with Den of Geek at New York Comic Con 2025 to talk all about Chainsaw Man including what audiences can expect from Denji in the continuation anime movie now in theaters worldwide.

“I missed just being in Denji’s shoes,” Levy admits. “He’s a character that I felt so deeply connected to. When we recorded the movie, I was in such an emotional state because it’s so beautiful and visceral. As a fan first, my jaw was on the floor.”

Chainsaw Man was always an effective blend of visceral action, laugh-out-loud humor, and genuinely heartfelt moments. Reze Arc dials this up to eleven, putting Denji in the middle of a complicated love triangle that has him unveil an emotional vulnerability like never before. As a longtime fan of the manga, Levy couldn’t wait to explore this side of Denji wondering who wants him for who he is separate from his Chainsaw Devil abilities, alongside the other nuanced characters from the anime.

“That’s the best part of the show. They’re some of the most eclectic and relatably written characters. They’re so human for a show that’s so large and insane,” Levy observes. “With Denji, all the facets that make him who is, I feel like I understand him so much personally. That’s what you want out of a role. You want it to challenge you and give you every spectrum of emotion and make you feel like you’re almost living a second life.”

Despite all the drama, Denji remains the eternal optimist fans know him to be, though that aspect does get tested in the movie. Denji’s bright outlook and attitude is something that always drew Levy to the character, even just as a fan, and was an element he was happy to revisit and deepen for his performance in the movie. Levy brought a copy of the manga to his recording sessions, seeing moments where he could add more nuance to his portrayal keeping in line with the source material.

“It’s my favorite thing about him. His optimism is his greatest survival mechanism. I know I went through quite a bit in my own laugh that really resonated when I read the manga,” Levy recalls. “I don’t even know if he understands how deep his optimism and ferocity really is to survive. I think he’s just on a conveyor belt going through the motions, but he’s so resilient and it’s beautiful.”

Of course, Chainsaw Man isn’t all just romantic comedy, with the movie bringing all the fire and fury fans have come to expect from the franchise as it leaps onto the big screen. Reze Arc features a dazzling mix of 2D and 3D animation, giving a real sense of depth to the environments and making the action set pieces feel that much more intense and kinetic. NYCC attendees got a sneak peek of some of the action sequences from the movie at its panel featuring a presentation from the film’s creative team from the anime studio MAPPA. Levy hints that this is only a small taste of what fans will be getting from the full cinematic experience.

“It might be some of the most beautiful and insane stuff that I’ve ever seen and worked on,” Levy declares, noting that, as a fan, the way the story was adapted was mind-blowing. “I think that people are going to lose their minds. It’s so beautiful. It’s so much more than I even could’ve hoped for, knowing what it was going to be.”

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is coming to theaters shortly after the worldwide blockbuster success of this year’s earlier record-breaking anime movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. Levy hopes Reze Arc reaches a similar level of success and strongly believes that the movie has the potential to do so, even appealing to those who haven’t been waiting all along for Chainsaw Man’s return after the first season. More than just continuing the popular anime series’ story, Levy sees Reze Arc as when the Chainsaw Man saga truly kicks into high gear

“In so many ways, this is where the story really starts. Those first 12 episodes are like a little appetizer. This is where we really understand the depth, the violence, the heartbreak, and the insanity of it all,” Levy teases. “I think this is going to become one of things that not only hits big for people who have been waiting for so long, but I think it’s going to have an insane word-of-mouth because people are going to be like ‘You have to see this thing on the big screen!’”

Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc is out in theaters now.