Makima: Chainsaw Man's Makima is one of anime's scariest villains, and her Control Devil powers have nothing to do with it

Chainsaw Man's Makima is one of anime's scariest villains, and her Control Devil powers have nothing to do with it

Modified May 31, 2024 23:30 GMT

Chainsaw Man's Makima is likely one of animanga's most intriguing characters. Initially introduced as a calm and gentle woman who saved protagonist Denji, she ended up showing an entirely different side. As the story progressed, the details revealed about her became increasingly appalling.

Makima is among the most powerful characters in the series, revealed to be the Control Devil, embodying the fear of control/conquest. Her particularly keen interest in Denji was due to him being Chainsaw Man. Labeling her actions in the series as shocking would be an understatement. There is, however, a deeper reason why she stands as one of anime's scariest villains.

Chainsaw Man's Makima is one of the most terrifying villains in all of anime

With everything that has happened so far in the story, Makima is seemingly the only one who truly understood Denji and his wants, which she has used against him. She gauged his shortcomings and successfully managed to use it all against him.

First, she rescued and gave him a chance at a proper life. She not only leveraged her physical appeal to him often but also employed him at Public Safety. Moreover, she gave him a family, Aki, and Power, who accepted him as he was. Later, she stated that she was scheming to give Denji everything before snatching it all away.

The aim of all this was to break Denji, so that he would "die" and only Chainsaw Man would remain. So, even if the boy defeated her, Denji would be nothing but a husk, unable to recover from the trauma. She furthered her plan by telling Denji that he was responsible for the deaths of his father, Aki, and Power.

That seemed to affect him a lot, as he carries that unnecessary guilt even now, despite not having anything to do with it. This is why he prefers being Chainsaw Man over his regular self. His Devil form is emotionless, with no family and talks to no one, but his human side experiences a tide of emotions, which causes him to hate it.

All in all, this relates to Makima slowly chipping away at Denji to lead him to become what he has in Part 2. The boy turns to Chainsaw Man when he doesn't want to think for himself— he uses it as the easy way out. This is also why he kept turning to Makima and was always ready as she said. A lot of Part 2 is a result of the effect Makima had.

The most recent chapters showcase Denji surrounded by people. Yet, he looks and feels alone. Asa attempts to help him up, albeit out of her personal desire, but she can barely make a dent as she is unaware of what he has been through.

Final Thoughts

Each chapter hints back to the Denji we saw in Part 1. No doubt, he has grown and developed, but inside, Denji still remains. He is strongly connected to his Part 1 self and the mature Denji shown looks to be a mere facade hiding something broken.

Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto has brilliantly written Makima. On the surface, she might appear as the biggest supporter, but underneath dwells a cold, diabolical, ruthless, and manipulative villain. She is one of the best examples of an "unconventional" antagonist, and her influence is being felt long after her passing.