Makima is one, if not the most complex and multifaceted character in Chainsaw Man. She is a powerful and cunning leader who commands respect and admiration from unknowing subordinates. However, later in the story, the author made a surprising revelation about Makima’s true nature. As it turns out, Makima is not just a simple devil hunter—she’s actually a devil herself! But what devil is Makima? Her real intention is to take control of the Chainsaw Devil and use his powers to eradicate all other devils.
If Makima’s character still baffles you and you’re looking for some explanation, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will uncover the truth behind Makima’s character and answer the most important question about her: what devil is Makima?
Who is Makima?
Makima was first introduced as the leader of the experimental devil hunter unit called Tokyo Special Division 4. She first encountered Denji during her mission to exterminate the Zombie Devil. After finding out that Denji beat her to it and killed the Zombie Devil himself, Makima took him under her wing as a “pet”. She initially stood as a motherly figure and even an ideal girlfriend to Denji, making an effort to cheer him up when he’s feeling down by inviting him to a movie date or letting him stay at her house when he fell asleep on a park bench.
At work, Makima is serious and unrelenting, rarely showing any kind of emotion. Despite this, she is respected by a lot of devil hunters including Aki Hayakawa, who, according to him, owed Makima deeply as she was the one who saved him from a dark and tragic past.
As a devil hunter, Makima can be extremely ruthless, even to her own subordinates. For example, she had no reluctance to threaten Denji or treat him like a devil every time he defied her orders. Apart from that, Makima is revealed to be a somewhat shady individual, as she worked with other bureau officials to further the interests of the Japanese Government, particularly the mission to collect several Gun Devil fragments.
What Devil is Makima?
Chapter 75 reveals that Makima is indeed the Control Devil—a devil that embodies the fear of control or conquest and is one of the most dangerous and powerful devils in the series due to her ability to control and manipulate others—even the dead. Makima is well aware of how convenient and powerful her ability is, and she often uses it to manipulate others into forming contracts with her and using them as pawns.
Makima’s Abilities
Immortality
In battle, Makima is definitely a force to be reckoned with due to her seemingly immortality. Thanks to her contract with the Prime Minister of Japan, any fatal wounds inflicted on her will be immediately transferred to a random Japanese citizen in the form of a severe illness. This is why no matter how many bullets she takes, it will be nothing but a scratch since Makima can quickly regenerate and recover from any injury.
Manipulation
As the Control Devil, Makima uses charisma and manipulation to brainwash other people and use them as tools in order to get what she wants. She can control the minds of other people and coerce them into forming contracts with her without the person’s knowledge. She can even alter their personalities, such as when she causes Quanxi and other enemies to feel affectionate towards her. Moreover, Makima can tamper with someone’s memories by making them forget about a particular event or making them believe that she was their savior. Even Denji himself was unaware that Makima’s kind facade and affection towards him were only parts of her manipulative tactics to gain his trust.
Teleportation
Makima has the ability to teleport to any location by controlling small life forms, such as rats, and using them to move from one place to another. This ability was demonstrated during her encounter with Reze, wherein Makima teleported herself to Reze’s location using the rats.
Telepathy
By placing her hand on a person’s head, Makima can transmit her voice into someone’s mind and send them a message using telepathy. She can also use this ability to communicate with the dead, but she primarily uses it to communicate with other devils.
The Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man
One thing you need to know about Makima or the Control Devil is that she used to be a part of the Four Horsemen in Chainsaw Man. Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Christian mythology, the Four Horsemen refers to the group of four powerful devils who can still remember the names of devils which have been erased by the Chainsaw Devil. The members of the Four Horsemen include the Control Devil, the War Devil, the Famine Devil, and the Death Devil. Their combined powers are implied to be almost as powerful or even on par with the Primal Fears.
Even though they once worked together as a team, the Four Horsemen are revealed to have different goals and have a falling out. In fact, Makima’s primary goal is to take control of the Chainsaw Devil and use his powers to eliminate the other Horsemen. The War Devil, on the other hand, intends to kill the Chainsaw Devil and make him throw up the Nuclear Weapon Devil and revive him.
The War Devil currently resides in the body of a high school girl named Asa Mitaka. At the same time, the Famine Devil masquerades as another high school student at Fourth East High School where Denji and Asa are currently attending. Not much is known about the Death Devil since they haven’t made an appearance yet in the manga, but all we know is that it is likely one, if not the strongest of all devils, considering that death is the most fundamental fear that human beings have.
What Happened to the Control Devil?
After a long and intense battle, Makima finally meets her end in Chapter 96 as Denji finishes her off using a blood chainsaw. However, it’s not the end for the Control Devil. Unless they are devoured by the Chainsaw Devil and erased from existence, devils who die on Earth are only sent to hell after death. Then, if they die in hell, that devil will be reincarnated in the human world.
In this case, since Pochita did not devour Makima after Denji killed her, the Control Devil will be reincarnated once again. The only good thing is that devils won’t have any memory of their previous lives; hence, they can start anew and the Control Devil’s reincarnation may not turn out exactly to be like Makima.
In Chapter 97, it was revealed that the Control Devil was reincarnated in the form of an innocent young girl named Nayuta. To make sure that she won’t turn into someone like Makima in the future, Nayuta was taken by Kishibe and raised as Denji’s younger sister.
Although Makima’s role in the story has already ended, the Control Devil lives on, and we cannot deny that Makima was an intriguing and captivating character who played a crucial role in the first part of Chainsaw Man.