In a medium full of terrifying villains, Makima from Chainsaw Man stands apart. She doesn’t rely on overwhelming power or maniacal schemes—her horror comes from manipulation, control, and a philosophy so twisted it makes you question everything about love and desire. She’s been called one of the greatest antagonists in manga history, and that title is well-earned.
First Impressions: The Perfect Handler
Makima enters the story as Denji’s savior—the beautiful government agent who offers him a job, meals, and purpose. To a boy who’s known only misery and exploitation, she seems like an angel. She pets his head, praises him, and gives him something to live for.
This introduction is carefully constructed. Makima appears kind, competent, and protective. The audience, like Denji, is meant to trust her initially. Only gradually do cracks appear in her perfect facade.
The Control Devil
Makima is revealed to be the Control Devil—the embodiment of humanity’s fear of being controlled. Her powers are appropriately terrifying: she can dominate anyone she believes is inferior to herself, taking complete control of their actions and even memories.
The Extent of Control
Makima’s manipulation runs deeper than simple mind control. She orchestrates deaths, manufactures emotional dependencies, and shapes people’s entire lives toward her goals. Everything Denji experienced may have been her design—his misery making him desperate enough to imprint on whoever showed him kindness.
Her control extends to Devil Hunters, government officials, and even other Devils. She’s not just using power; she’s playing an eternal game where humans and Devils are pieces on her board.
Philosophy: Love Through Domination
What makes Makima truly disturbing is her genuine belief in her twisted philosophy. She doesn’t see control as evil—she sees it as the highest form of connection. To her, absolute control over someone is the ultimate intimacy.
Her Goal
Makima wants to use Chainsaw Man’s power to erase concepts from existence—specifically, death, war, and other sources of human suffering. Her vision of utopia is a world where she controls everything, and everyone loves her because they have no choice.
This goal sounds noble until you realize what it means: erasure of free will, genuine connection, and everything that makes relationships meaningful. She wants love without the vulnerability that makes love valuable.
The Denji Manipulation
Makima’s treatment of Denji is her most extended and personal manipulation. She offers him everything he’s ever wanted—food, shelter, affection—while systematically breaking him down.
Manufacturing Trauma
Many of Denji’s losses were orchestrated by Makima. She arranged for him to bond with people specifically so their deaths would hurt more. She pushed him toward his most traumatic moments, all to weaken his sense of self until only his devotion to her remained.
Her famous scene of feeding Denji a home-cooked meal while describing how she killed his friends is horror perfected. She’s not hiding her cruelty—she’s testing whether his need for her approval outweighs his natural horror.
The Contract
Makima’s manipulation of Denji’s romantic feelings represents her greatest cruelty. She knows he’s a teenage boy desperate for human connection, and she exploits that desperation ruthlessly. Every kind gesture, every moment of apparent vulnerability, is calculated to tighten her control.
Power Level and Combat
As a Primal Fear Devil, Makima’s power is nearly absolute. The Control Devil has existed as long as humans have feared losing autonomy, making her one of the oldest and strongest Devils.
Abilities
Control: Complete domination of anyone she considers inferior, affecting Devils, humans, and even concepts.
Contract with the Prime Minister: Any attack directed at Makima is transferred to a random Japanese citizen, making her effectively immortal as long as Japan has population.
Borrowed Powers: She can use the abilities of Devils she controls, including the powers of dead Devil Hunters she’s contracted.
Weaknesses
Makima can only control those she sees as inferior. Denji’s eventual victory comes from approaching her not as an enemy to defeat but as someone whose existence he’ll consume—literally eating her so she can never return.
Impact on the Story
Makima’s presence shapes everything about Part 1 of Chainsaw Man. Every character’s arc connects to her schemes. Every apparent victory is revealed as her manipulation. The entire Devil Hunter organization exists to serve her goals.
Thematic Weight
Through Makima, Fujimoto explores the difference between love and control. Her character asks uncomfortable questions: Would you accept being controlled if the controller genuinely cared about you? Is devotion meaningful if it’s manufactured? What separates protection from ownership?
The answers Chainsaw Man provides are clear—freedom, even painful freedom, matters more than comfortable subjugation. But Makima’s seductiveness as a character shows how tempting it is to surrender agency to someone who seems to have everything figured out.
Legacy
Makima has become iconic beyond Chainsaw Man. Her design—sharp eyes, mysterious smile, business attire—has inspired countless fan works and cosplays. Her manipulation tactics are studied as examples of writing effective villain psychology.
More importantly, she represents a new type of anime villain: not a world-ending threat or a cackling madman, but a quiet manipulator whose horror comes from how reasonable her methods seem until you look closely.
Conclusion
Makima is terrifying because she makes control look like love. Her philosophy is coherent, her methods are effective, and her goals are even arguably noble—until you consider what achieving them would cost.
She represents Chainsaw Man’s central horror: not Devils or gore, but the ways humans prey on each other’s vulnerabilities. In a series full of monsters, the scariest one wears a suit and feeds you breakfast while describing how she ruined your life.
That’s what makes Makima one of the greatest villains in modern anime—she’s not inhuman in her evil. She’s terrifyingly human, pursuing connection through the only means she understands: absolute control.