With incredibly fast-paced action and memorable character designs, Chainsaw Man is one of the hottest new titles to come out of Shonen Jump in years. As a supernatural manga that isn't afraid to delve into bloody fight scenes or gruesome story arcs, Chainsaw Man shares a lot in common with the popular series Tokyo Ghoul. While the two series aren't exactly one-for-one equivalents there are still some parallels, such as the similarities between Devil Hunters and Ghoul Investigators, as well as both of their protagonists enduring quite a bit of phycological trauma.
But some fans think that connection runs much deeper. Pointed out by Reddit user /u/BlackStar-Sama, the interactions between Reze and Denji at the diner in Chapter #40 of Chainsaw Man are eerily similar to moments shared between Kaneki and Rize in Tokyo Ghoul. They even go as far as to call it a "tribute to Tokyo Ghoul." To their credit, this isn't the most farfetched assumption. As stated previously, the two series share a multitude of parallels and Reze is no different.
For one, the interactions both occur over a number of days, with the male protagonist continuously returning to the same restaurant after being enamored by the female character. During their interactions in the establishment, they cement a bond with the girl and appear to form a deeper connection with them. They then go on a date, until a twist reveals the mystery girl is actually one of the series' species of monster and her true intentions lead to some gruesome consequences.
If one wants to take things even further, Rize and Reze both physically bite the male protagonist as well. Admittedly this is a bit more of a stretch as Rize took a piece of Kaneki's shoulder while Reze only bites Denji's tongue. While the similarities appear to end here since at the time of meeting Rize, Kaneki was still just a helpless human as opposed to Denji, who was already a full-fledged devil man who could fight back. Still, both Reze and Rize meet similar fates in the end. Though Reze was killed by another character as opposed to Rize who had debris dropped on her, they both meet their deaths rather rapidly after their initial introduction.
This isn't to say that Tatsuki Fujimoto is a plagiarist or that these coincidences were entirely intentional but either way, it speaks volumes about that the effect that Tokyo Ghoul has on the medium. Despite ending only two years ago, the series has cemented itself as an iconic and influential manga that will be remembered for years to come.
