Spoilers

Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained

Makima was the main villain of Chainsaw Man Part 1. She was the leader of Special Division 4 in Japan’s Public Safety, the devil hunters in this world.

But later, it was revealed that she was actually the Control Devil and everything that happened up until her death was part of her plan.

How Did Denji Meet Makima?

Denji was working as a devil hunter to pay off his dad’s debt to the Yakuza, but he died on a job. That is when Pochita chose him as a host, turning Denji into Chainsaw Man.

Makima took him in, gave him a home, and even gave him a family, Power (the Blood Devil) and Aki, who became like a brother to him.

  • Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained
  • Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained
  • Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained
  • Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained

Denji always thought he was just a normal devil with chainsaws, and he truly believed Makima cared about him. But the truth was, she was just using him.

She had much bigger plans because Denji was not just any devil, his true powers were unknown at first, and Makima knew his powers so she had to make sure she could control him so she could control Chainsaw Man. To do that, she destroyed the family she gave him.

At first, she made a deal with Denji, if he killed the Gun Devil, she would grant him one wish. The Gun Devil was hyped up as the biggest threat in Part 1.

What Happened to Aki?

Makima was manipulating Aki too. Aki had a crush on Makima, but in Chapter 74, Angel Devil asked him why he liked her, and Aki could not even answer.

It was not directly said, but it was most likely because of Makima’s control ability. Aki did not want Denji and Power to suffer the same fate as his little brother, so he decided to make a contract with a devil Makima would approve of.

Whatever happens, I want Denji and Power to survive… and be happy… My brother’s death was my fault. I want the strength to change things this time…

Makima then told Aki to make a contract with her, give her everything, and she would give him more power.

Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained
Aki and Makima Contract, Credits: Manga Plus

But the moment Aki disagreed, she forced him into the contract using her control ability. He even started forgetting his past.

Meanwhile, the U.S. President made a deal with the Gun Devil, he sacrificed one year of every American citizen’s lifespan in exchange for the Gun Devil killing Makima.

This was when it was confirmed that Makima was the Control Devil. The Gun Devil appeared in Japan and instantly killed every adult male and child within a 1.5 KM Range.

As the Gun Devil’s full form was revealed, he shot Makima in the head, Makima activated her power and used all the devils she controlled against it and survived.

Aki Became Gun Fiend

At the same time, Denji heard a knock on his door, but Pochita told him not to open it. Denji hesitated, and his phone rang, it was Makima.

Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained
Gun Fiend, Credits: Manga Plus

She told him the Gun Devil had appeared, and the person at the door was Gun Fiend (a body possessed by the Gun Devil).

Denji opened the door and saw the Gun Fiend, but he did not realize at first that it was Aki. Power, on the other hand, recognized Aki’s scent immediately and ran away with their cat.

Chainsaw Man: Makima Manipulation and Death Explained

Fujimoto made this scene even more heartbreaking by showing Aki’s perspective, while Denji was fighting him, Aki saw it as them playing snowball fights.

Meanwhile, Aki, in real life, was killing innocent people. Denji begged him to stop, but Aki shot him in the stomach. Denji had no choice but to kill Aki, and he never even got to say goodbye.

But in Aki’s final moments, his perspective showed him playing snowball fights with his little brother, Taiyo. It was a way to show that he thought of Denji as his little brother too.

Credits: Manga Plus

After Aki died, his will went to Denji and Power. Even though they got money from it, Denji was not happy at all.

Control Devil Arc

Denji fell into depression, and that is when Makima showed up at the perfect time. She took him to her place, introduced him to her dogs, and for the first time in a while, Denji felt at peace.

Makima then asked him what he wanted as a reward for defeating the Gun Devil. Denji, completely broken at this point, said he wanted to be her dog.

He did not want to think anymore, did not want to deal with guilt, he just wanted to follow her blindly.

Another Knock, Another Death, Power!

Denji started acting like her dog, doing whatever she said. Then, the door knocked again, just like before with Aki.

Makima told him straight up that she was going to kill Power, but Denji was not in the right state of mind to even process what she said, so he just ignored it.

When he opened the door, Power was standing there, holding a cake for his birthday. And right then, Makima killed her.

Denji was in complete shock. His brain just refused to accept what happened. He kept thinking it was all a bad dream. But Makima made sure he knew the truth.

Makima kills Power in front of Denji, Credits: Manga Plus.

She then revealed something even worse, when Pochita gave Denji his heart, It was a contract. Makima had to break that contract, and to do that, she gave Denji a normal life… just to take it all away. She warned him that if he ever tried to live normally again, she’d kill anyone else he got close to.

Then she hit him with something even worse. She told him she knew the truth about his father. While the world thought it was a suicide, Makima knew that Denji had killed him (even though it was self-defense). She used this against him, making him feel even more guilty, and breaking him down completely.

At this point, the ‘Anti-Makima Squad,’ led by Kishibe, attacked her house. They were ready to take her down.

The squad even sacrificed themselves to summon the Hell Devil, hoping it would drag Makima to hell. Kishibe had his gun pointed straight at her head, but Makima was not even worried.

Makima’s Contract With Prime Minister

She revealed that she had a contract with the Prime Minister of Japan, and the attack on her would just get transferred to a random Japanese citizen instead.

Meanwhile, Chainsaw Man got dragged to hell, but he came back, as it is now Chainsaw Man in control. That is when she finally explained his real power.

Devils normally die and go to hell, but if Chainsaw Man eats them, they are erased completely. Not just their body, everything about them disappears, even their concept and memories.

She then revealed that some devils had already been erased by Chainsaw Man in the past, like the Nuclear Weapons Devil, the AIDs Devil, and the World War II Devil. That is why nobody remembers them.

Makima said she wanted to use Chainsaw Man’s power to create a perfect world. She even admitted that she was a fan of him.

Denji vs Seven Human Weapons

After messing around a bit, Pochita ends up on a rooftop. He looks around and spots Makima nearby. Meanwhile, Chainsaw Man is standing there, surrounded by seven Devil Hunters. Makima promised them that whoever brings her Chainsaw Man’s head gets to go on a date with her.

She then reveals something weird, these seven people aren’t humans, devils, or fiends. They’re something else, a type of creature that was completely erased by the Chainsaw Devil’s power. But even with that, they don’t stand a chance. Chainsaw Man takes them all down easily.

Then Katana Man shows up, thinking he can do something, but he fails too. Right after that, Reze comes crashing through the building, grabs Chainsaw Man, and flies up into the sky. While she’s carrying him, another devil throws a spear straight through him.

Makima does not stop there. She keeps attacking him mid-air, trying to push him higher and higher, aiming to send him into space so he’ll suffocate. But Chainsaw Man does something crazy—he rips his own heart out and throws it back down to the ground.

As he is falling, he starts healing, and the moment he lands, he doesn’t waste time. He grabs Makima, Barem (the Whip Hybrid), and the Spear Hybrid, then just rips them apart.

But then Makima reveals something, people cheering for Chainsaw Man is actually making him weaker. Before, when people feared him, he was stronger, but now, since they see him as a hero, he’s losing power.

Makima then uses Angel Devil’s ability and throws a spear at Kobeni, but Pochita jumps in and takes the hit for her. He gets pierced right through.

Power Resurrection To Save Denji

Meanwhile, Power shows up, completely covered in guts and blood. Pochita appears and tells her she’s not fully dead yet.

He tells her if she eats a part of his flesh, she can come back, but only for a little while. Power eats it, revives, and grabs Denji, then runs away. Makima tries to control her, but Power refuses and keeps running, promising that even if she dies, she has to protect Denji.

Denji wakes up, but he’s completely broken. Power tells him what will happen to her after she dies, and they make a deal—she gives him her blood in exchange for a promise. Then, this time, Power actually dies for good.

Makima vs Denji, The Final Fight

Denji meets up with Kishibe and Kobeni, and they all go into hiding since Makima is hunting them. But later, Denji decides to fight her alone.

Makima, with all her human weapons, takes him on. Denji loses, and Makima heals him with her own blood so she can fight him one-on-one.

They go at it again, but Makima wins. She rips Denji’s heart out, picks up Pochita (his heart), and tells him that she has now defeated him twice. She says that from now on, he belongs to her.

The Plan Worked

But then, another Denji walks up to Makima. She turns, confused, and before she can react, he takes out a chainsaw and slices her down the chest. Makima stares in shock, blood pouring from her body, then drops to her knees.

Bleeding from her mouth and nose, Makima asks how Denji is still alive. Denji tells her that the one she had been fighting the whole time wasn’t actually him, it was Pochita.

The real Denji had been hiding. And the chainsaw he used to cut her? It was made from Power’s blood, so it was messing up her healing.

But even after all this, there was no normal way to kill Makima. Blowing her up wouldn’t work. So Denji came up with a plan, to become one with her. He cooked her meat and ate her. Since Denji ate her, she was not erased.

Eating Makima, Credits: Manga Plus

How Denji Managed To Defeat Makima?

He tells Kishibe that because Makima’s powers do not work on things done out of love, she couldn’t heal or transfer the damage. So, instead of attacking her, he made her a part of himself by eating her.

Then Denji reveals how he tricked her. He had figured out that Makima did not recognize people by their faces, only by their smell and she did not give Denji enough value to remember his scent.

She never actually saw him, only Chainsaw Man. So, she never even realized she was fighting Pochita instead of him.

In the end, Kishibe introduces Denji to Nayuta, the new Control Devil. She does not have any of Makima’s memories, and Kishibe wants Denji to take care of her.

If the government takes her in, she will just turn into Makima again. So Denji takes her in, and eventually, they become family.

Final Words

Pochita shares with Denji that Makima’s dream was to create real, equal relationships, something she never got to experience because of her power and fear. But her methods were all wrong, as she only saw control and fear as a way to build those connections.

Pochita asks Denji to care for Nayuta and help her achieve the dream Makima couldn’t, by showing her love and care.

The Control Devil Arc concluded part 1 of Chainsaw Man, part 2 is still ongoing and Chainsaw Man Current Arc recently concluded. I have covered that arc as well.

Masab Farooque

About Author

Masab Farooque is the founder of ReplayJutsu and Waifu Pulse and a lifelong gamer, anime enthusiast, and entertainment junkie. He's been writing about tech and pop culture for over five years. When not glued to a screen, he's probably building his next gaming PC or rewatching his favorite anime for the hundredth time.

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