The Chainsaw Man anime is now streaming, and fans are already obsessing over one main character. If you haven’t guessed, we are talking about Makima, who is the female lead in the anime and has everyone inside and outside the world of Chainsaw Man obsessed with her. But there might be a sinister secret hiding behind her friendly face. Want to find out? Let’s dive deep and explore everything you need to know about Makima in Chainsaw Man. From her secrets to her strength, we have it all covered!
Makima in Chainsaw Man: All You Need to Know
Spoiler Warning: This guide has the biggest spoilers for the plot of Chainsaw Man’s Public Safety Arc (up to Chapter 97). We suggest you watch the Chainsaw Man anime or read the manga first, at least till chapter 97, to avoid wrecking your experience.
Who is Makima in Chainsaw Man
Makima is one of the main characters in the first arc of Chainsaw Man. Early in the story, we learn that she is a senior member of the Public Safety Devil Hunters and leader of an experimental unit Tokyo Special Division 4.
This leads us to her first appearance, where she finds Denji after he first transforms into the Chainsaw Man (first anime episode) and offers him to join her squad. To Denji, Makima appears to be the most caring and friendly person in his life, the first one to treat him as a human. He even develops romantic feelings for her right after their first encounter.
Unfortunately, for Chainsaw Man, Makima turns out to be the control devil and has the power to control any other being. But to control someone, she first needs to convince herself that she can defeat that being. So, Makima uses Denji’s romantic feelings to trap him in her plan and slowly weakens him to attempt to take over Chainsaw Man’s powers.
What is the Goal of Makima?
When the control devil is initially introduced, we learn that Makima aims to control Pochita and use the Chainsaw devil’s power of devil erasure to create an ideal world. In her ideal world, the element of fear, death, and conceptually bad movies don’t exist.
But in Chapter 96 of the manga, after believing to have defeated Pochita, Makima shares that she wants to spend a happy forever with him. She even claims it will be an honor to get eliminated by him if she gets defeated.
Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man
Similar to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Christian mythology, the Four Horsemen in the Chainsaw Man story refers to a group of dangerous devils. As revealed in Chapter 87 of the manga, they are the only devils that remember the names of the devils that are erased by Pochita. This group of devils consists of the following:
- Control Devil
- War Devil
- Hunger Devil
- Death Devil
We already know that Control Devil, or Makima, is the antagonist of the first arc of Chainsaw Man. Interestingly, the War Devil (or Yoru), as revealed in Chapter 98, is the main villain of the second arc. So, from the looks of it, the Four Horsemen are the “big bad” in the story of Chainsaw Man. Though, it won’t be surprising to see new villains show up later in the story. All the movie and pop culture references in the Chainsaw Man opening theme were proof that it always does the unexpected.
Chainsaw Man Makima Abilities
Compared to all the other devils we have seen so far, Makima has the most diverse set of abilities. To understand them, we are covering all of her abilities in two separate sections.
Common Powers
These are some of the common abilities of Makima:
- Regeneration: Like any other devil, Makima can heal all her wounds by consuming blood.
- Strength: In terms of direct combat, Makima is one of the strongest and most skilled characters in Chainsaw Man manga and anime. As revealed in Chapter 96, she has even defeated the Chainsaw Devil once.
- Devil Contract: All devils can make a contract with humans to lend them their powers in exchange for some sacrifice. Makima truly takes this ability to the next level by making a contract with the Prime Minister of Japan. Due to this contract, all fatal damage inflicted on Makima is passed down as random illnesses to Japanese citizens.
Special Powers
As for the special abilities that differ from one devil to another, Makima has the following powers:
- Command: Fitting right with her personality, the most iconic ability of Makima is controlling every being that she sees as inferior to her. Earlier in the manga, it was thought that she could only control rats, birds, and other small beings. However, we later learn that it is not the case, and this ability of hers extends to humans as well. She can even force people to make devil contracts with her. But the people under her control don’t even remember doing anything for her.
- Stealing Abilities: Showing the extent of her powers, the control devil can even use the powers of her victims. In Chapter 95 of the manga, she uses the abilities of the snake devil, angel devil, and others by keeping them on a leash and controlling them. As shown in Chapters 66 and 67, Makima can use rats, birds, and other lower-life forms to hear conversations from afar and spy on people.
- Invisible Projectiles: In Chainsaw Man, Makima can use her index finger to shoot invisible force-based bullets that inflict heavy damage. She usually “Bang!” while using this ability.
- Manipulation: In the later chapters of the manga, Reze, Quanxi, and Katana Man, who were former enemies of Makima, become friendly towards her due to her manipulating their minds.
- Remote Destruction: Makima has the power to attack anyone remotely with an invisible force. But this power works only with a certain ritual. We see in Chapter 27 that Makima asks some human to say the name of her target while everyone around her is blindfolded. Then, both the person with that name and the person who spoke the name dies. At the moment, this power only appears to work against humans.
- Corpse Control: Even dying doesn’t allow you to escape from Makima’s grip. In Chapter 66, she uses her power on a dead person to contact the devil the deceased was in contract with.
Chainsaw Man Makima Weakness
Makima was practically not killable due to her contract with the Prime Minister of Japan, which transmitted all fatal damage to Japanese citizens. But Denji was able to ultimately take her down by being able to game her heightened sense of smell, which she used to recognize people. He interrupted the benefit of her contract by stopping her from regenerating using the devil’s blood.
Is Makima in Chainsaw Man Dead or Alive?
In the 96th chapter of the manga, Pochita and Denji cleverly defeat and kill Makima after deceiving her with a duplicate body of Chainsaw Man. But that’s only the end of Makima’s story. The control devil lives on. Unless consumed by Pochita, every devil is sent to hell after death. Then, if they die in hell, that devil is reincarnated in the human world.
Since Pochita didn’t consume Makima after killing her, she soon gets reincarnated back onto Earth. Fortunately, after each death, devils don’t have the memory of their past. So, it is revealed in Chapter 97 that the reincarnated version of Control Devil is Nayuta, an innocent young Chinese girl with no bad intentions. At least for now. Not to forget, she is just one of the Four Horsemen that Pochita has to worry about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Makima a villain?
Makima is the main villain of the first arc of Chainsaw Man.
Who is the love interest in Chainsaw Man?
Even though Makima is faking it, Chainsaw Man, aka Denji, shows serious romantic interest in her. Or it could just be Denji’s dream to be able to be in a relationship with a woman.
Who killed Makima?
Makim dies multiple times at the hand of a bunch of people, including the Chainsaw devil. But she kept getting automatically revived until she finally got killed by Chainsaw Man with the help of the blood devil (Power).
How old is Makima?
Makima appears to be in her 20s, but as a devil, her age is probably in centuries if not more.
Control Devil in Chainsaw Man: Explained
And just like that, you are ready to witness and explore Makima in all her glory in Chainsaw Man. But she isn’t even the most important character in the anime. So, we suggest you explore our guide to meet Denji in Chainsaw Man. There is no one like him in any anime, and you will see how he’s the perfect person to fight Makima. Having said that, do you agree with Makima’s motives? Tell us in the comments below!
