In recent years, no animation studio has had as much widespread success, growth, and influence on the anime industry as MAPPA. On June 19th, the studio will be hosting a special 15th anniversary event where new information about several popular titles, including Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and others, will be revealed.
Studio MAPPA's beginnings were somewhat humble compared to the studio it is today. Despite its being founded in 2011, MAPPA's major rise to prominence came five years later, when In This Corner of the World hit theaters and Yuri!!! on Ice began airing within weeks of one another. In 2020, the studio saw another massive wave of success with the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen, as well as Attack on Titan's massively popular final season.
In 2025, MAPPA scored its greatest hit yet with Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which churned out an unprecedented profit at the box office, being a rare entirely self-funded production by the studio. Now, alongside new information about Chainsaw Man's next arc, MAPPA may be teasing a long-awaited adaptation of a related, controversial title.
The Long-Awaited Adaptation of Fire Punch May Finally Be in the Works
When MAPPA's Chainsaw Man began airing in 2022, CEO Manabu Otsuka expressed a desire to adapt all of manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto's works. The studio so fully believed in the project that it self-funded the entirety of its production, an unprecedented strategy in the anime industry that posed massive risk, but also opened the door for major profits. Thanks to Chainsaw Man's immediate and ongoing success, the risk paid off for MAPPA.
In the years since, however, the studio has been beaten to the punch on adaptations of Fujimoto's manga. Look Back, originally a one-shot released in 2021, was adapted into a short film in 2024 by Studio Durian, and will be adapted once more into live-action in 2026 by director Hirokazu Koreeda. In 2025, a collection of Fujimoto's short stories was adapted into a miniseries titled Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, with several studios contributing to the production.
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01
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called?
✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans.
02
Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA?
✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man.
03
Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name?
✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling.
04
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony.
05
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit?
✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey.
06
Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename?
✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story.
07
Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll?
✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform.
08
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film?
✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds.
✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller.
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There aren't many stories left for MAPPA tackle, though there is one that fans of Fujimoto's manga have been waiting a long time to see. Fire Punch, Tatsuki Fujimoto's debut serialization and arguably the darkest story to ever come from Shōnen Jump, has yet to be animated, and fans are speculating whether the mystery production from MAPPA may finally be what they've been waiting for.
The official Chainsaw Man X account posted a reminder about the upcoming MAPPA celebration event, notifying fans of coming information about the series' International Assassins arc, as well as an unspecified new project. While that project could very well be anything, the wording of the post seems deliberate in hinting that it will be Chainsaw Man-related.
Can a Fire Punch Anime by MAPPA Be in the Works?
Denji holding a chainsaw with Pochita on his shoulder with Agni from Fire Punch in the background.Custom Image by Zach Zamora
2016's Fire Punch is known for its disturbing content and off-the-wall story, and many fans of Fujimoto's works have come to believe that the series' subject matter is what has prevented a studio from tackling it. However, it's far more likely that the main character poses the biggest production risk. The series follows Agni, a man who is on fire at all times, through a snowy, dystopian future. Animating such a character will be an intensive process for any artists involved, regardless of whether the flames are hand-drawn or not.
15 Strongest Anime Characters Of All Time
With so much combat-focused content in anime, it’s no surprise that debates about who is the strongest anime character are a staple of the fandom.
Though if there is a studio with the power and funds to take a risk on a project, it's MAPPA, especially after Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man has become so profitable for the studio. Anime fans won't want to miss the upcoming MAPPA live event, scheduled for June 19th.
