Chainsaw Man: Did Makima kill Denji? Explained

As more and more Chainsaw Man fans switch to the series’ manga following the conclusion of the anime’s first cour, more and more questions about the manga’s events are arising. While the anime does a good job of slowing things down, the manga, written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, pulls no punches when it comes to the insanity within.

The Bomb Girl arc and the events beyond have greatly confused those switching from the anime to the manga. This is somewhat understandable, as the yet-to-be-adapted events of Chainsaw Man are where most of the series’ worldbuilding, and trademark insanity, occur.

However, one question about Makima and Denji seems to be rising above others as the most popular inquiry, and it has to do with the series’ conclusion.

Disclaimer: Heavy Chainsaw Man manga spoilers below.

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Question of whether or not Makima killed Denji in Chainsaw Man plaguing new and old manga-readers alike

During the Control Devil arc, fans learned that Makima is the arc’s titular antagonist and that she manipulated nearly every aspect of Denji’s life since meeting him for one purpose.

Her goal was to give Denji a happy life before ripping it away, thus nullifying Denji’s contract with Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil. This would allow her to bring back the true Chainsaw Man, a fully-powered Chainsaw Devil.

Following Power’s death, she has successfully achieved her goal, turning Denji into a broken individual who is essentially empty inside. The next day, she takes him to Public Safety headquarters, where she gets assaulted by Kishibe and his special squad, known as the Anti-Makima squad.

She then calls out to Chainsaw Man, asking to be saved, seeming to awaken something within Denji as his intestines fly out of his stomach and wrap around his neck. In a zombie-like state, Denji pulls his ripcord, transforming into the true Chainsaw Devil, a monstrous being with four arms and a chainsaw on each of them.

With the true form of the Chainsaw Devil (not Pochita) taking over his body, Denji loses control of himself. The Control Devil arc sees Denji, as the Chainsaw Devil, continue fighting Makima and getting involved in other exploits along the way. These other exploits also show a part of Denji still inside this now monstrous being.

Eventually, as the Chainsaw Devil’s power weakens due to the adoration of Chainsaw Man growing around the world, Makima is able to land a kill shot on the Chainsaw Devil. However, before finishing the job, Pochita speaks to the now-deceased Power via her blood she made Denji drink, which is now inside of her.

This allows Power to be reborn in her Devil state, where she rescues Denji from Makima and takes him to a dumpster to recover. Here, their two consciousnesses talk, where Denji tells Power that he’s done living since he had a good run with her and Aki. However, she eventually convinces him that life is worth living, resulting in Denji, now in his own body and form, springing out of the dumpster.

While it’s not explicitly stated here, many fans believe that Denji did indeed die when Makima landed a kill shot on the Chainsaw Devil. His death led to Pochita enlisting Power’s help, where she eventually convinced Denji that life was worth living. This seemingly allowed him to reclaim control over his body, undoing the transformation and healing him from a near-death state.

This is further supported by Makima’s comments on how Denji wills the Chainsaw Devil to sacrifice itself for Kobeni Higashiyama’s safety, with Makima calling it a hero’s sacrifice. Denji’s monologue about being fine with dying at this moment further supports this, despite the manga series never actually clarifying if and when Denji died.

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In summation

While it’s not officially confirmed, many Chainsaw Man fans believe that Denji died at Makima’s hands, being brought back to life by Pochita and Power’s efforts. However, this is unconfirmed, with no one in the manga specifically saying that Denji died at any point in the aforementioned events.

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