WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 259, written by Kohei Horikoshi and published in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Shonen manga like My Hero Academia seldom feature cameos from other properties. Each series is essentially creator-owned, and, while some manga might throw out occasional references to another work (such as when Boruto painted the Straw Hat Pirate emblem on the statues of past Hokages), rarely do we see full-blown appearances by a character from one shonen manga in another.

However, in My Hero Academia: Chapter 259, there's a brief appearance by a very different superhero. While it may have no impact on the continuity of the series, it is undeniable that the manga Chainsaw Man, in some form, exists in the My Hero Academia universe.

The Chapter

Chapter 259 takes place in the current Paranormal War Liberation Arc. A group of pro heroes amasses, along with students, to raid the villainous Liberation Front mansion in Gunga Mountain Villa. They believe the team of villains -- which itself is an alliance between the League of Villains and survivors from the Meta Liberation Army -- can be defeated, but in order to avoid a repeat of the Hosu Incident (in which Stain and several Nomu wreaked havoc) or the Bakugo Retrieval Arc (which led to All For One being captured and All Might being permanently beaten), they'll amass as large of an armada as possible.

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As they amass, we see heroes like Fat Gum and Mt. Lady alongside students like Tokoyami and Amajiki, building up to an epic, multi-tier raid. However, among the legions of heroes is a familiar face to Weekly Shonen Jump readers: Denji from Chainsaw Man. You can see him clearly on the left of the image below, right behind Fat Gum.

Is Chainsaw Man Canon Within My Hero Academia?

Chainsaw Man isn't part of My Hero Academia canon, because the two worlds are impossible to reconcile: Superpowers in Chainsaw Man are uncommon; the source of Denji's powers come from a supernatural, external source; and Denji isn't born with his powers, but rather gains them after allowing a Devil to merge with his heart and spirit (because of that, the government gives him an option: face execution or become a Devil-slayer himself; Denji chooses the latter option).

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However, it's possible that an alternate-universe version of Denji does exist in My Hero Academia, where his Quirk reflected the supernatural powers he possesses in Chainsaw Man. That, of course, opens up speculation: Do other shonen characters have alternate-universe equivalents in the world of My Hero Academia? It's possible if the hero equivalents of Goku, Luffy or the Joestar Family somehow exist in My Hero Academia, they will likely be relegated to a fleeting cameo.

It's funny that My Hero Academia, beloved by kids and adults alike, would feature a reference to such a brutal manga. The two series, tonally, are almost completely unlike one another. The only thing they really have in common is that they appear in the same publication.

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