Fact Check: Does Jjk's Lawyer Scene Include a Direct Chainsaw Man Homage?
The dialogue between these two franchises runs deeper than staff rotas. In manga industry interviews dating from 2020 through 2024, Gege Akutami repeatedly acknowledged deep admiration for Tatsuki Fujimoto's fearless paneling and cinematic storytelling. Both authors emerged during an era when Weekly Shonen Jump embraced gritty, deconstructive narratives over unyielding optimism.
Higuruma himself represents Akutami's most mature character study. A thirty-six-year-old public defender broken by the systemic injustice of Japan's 99.9% conviction rate, Higuruma mirrors the weary, middle-aged salarymen and disillusioned Devil Hunters that populate Fujimoto's stories. His domain expansion does not punish characters through physical trauma alone. It forces them into profound self-interrogation. By allowing the anime team to treat this chapter like an auteur indie film, MAPPA paid respect to both authors' shared creative lineage.
