Broadcasted in late 2022, the Chainsaw Man anime met with widespread commercial and critical success. Owing to the wonderfully dark storytelling of its creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, coupled with the fantastic animation of MAPPA, Chainsaw Man’s story has captivated a broad, devoted audience.
One of the anime’s main appeals (and mysteries) derives from one of the central characters: Makima, a high-ranking official of the Japanese government’s Public Safety Devil Hunters. From her fixation on the protagonist, Denji, to her array of intense, powerful abilities, Makima’s behavior ranges from curious to sentimental and from gruesome to controlling. From this range of her actions, here are some of Makima’s best moments that Chainsaw Man has to offer.
10 Assigning Power Some New Roommates
After Power tricks Denji into rescuing her pet cat Meowy, Episode 4, “Rescue,” features the repercussions of Power’s deceit. Makima asks Aki about how Power and Denji went beyond the limits of their curfews, possibly to punish Power for nearly-killing Denji; after Aki justifies their actions—on the grounds that two Devils and zero humans were killed—Makima ultimately does not punish (or kill!) Power.
The next day, however, Aki and Denji find that they have a new, loud roommate: Power. In the evening, Aki visits Makima at the headquarters and reports about Denji and Power. Makima calls Aki, explaining that he will now be babysitting both Denji and Power. This is more of a “Power moment” than it is Makima’s, but Makima is still the driving force.
9 Meeting Denji
At the end of Episode 1, “Dog & Chainsaw,” Denji defeats the Zombie Devil after he combines with his pet Devil, Pochita. As such, Makima meets Denji while he is in his Devil form and covered in blood.
Despite Denji’s horrific appearance, Makima deduces that Denji is fundamentally human. Showing him a kindness he has never received before, Makima hugs him and offers to feed him (or, as she casually notes, she could simply kill him). With the prospect of food—especially bread with butter and jam—Denji enthusiastically agrees to come with this strange woman.
8 Feeding Denji Udon
After he gains his powers and meets Makima, Denji is exhausted from the fight and enamored with this nice (but somewhat frightening) woman. In the subsequent and second episode, “Arrival in Tokyo,” they stop at a rest area to order udon when Denji briefly passes out on her.
Once he wakes up (the second time), Makima, apparently concerned for his well-being, asks if he can even eat the udon by himself. Initially, Denji states that he could eat it by himself, but quickly pivots once he realizes what’s being offered. What follows is Denji slurping up the udon that Makima gives him, much like a dog. More than anything, this is a small, funny scene showcasing how low Denji might go for her.
7 Outdrinking Her Coworkers
After Denji successfully defeats the Eternity Devil, Division 4 of Public Safety gets together for drinks towards the end of Episode 7, “The Taste of a Kiss.”
At one point, Aki brings up how Devils with pieces of the Gun Devil are growing in number—and that they seem to be after Denji for some reason. Curious about what the reason could be (and why Makima is also interested in Denji), Aki considers the possibility that Makima knows something about Denji that he does not. After Aki asks her, Makima tells the table that she’d unveil her secret if anyone could outdrink her. Even though Aki, Himeno, and Makima all pound back innumerable beers, Makima seems perfectly fine at the end of it. This scene is fairly funny, but it also suggests even more mystery behind Makima’s character.
6 First Red Flags
At the beginning of Episode 2, “Arrival in Tokyo,” Makima takes Denji for a ride into the city to join Public Safety. While she initially comes off as kind and caring, she tells Denji that she anticipates only “yes” or “woof” answers to her questions—that she does not “need a dog that will say no.”
Not only is there a literal dog fused to Denji’s heart, but Makima’s language (referring to him as an obedient dog) reflects her expectations of him as a Devil Hunter: someone who will say as he’s told or someone who will otherwise die like a dog. This is the first small moment where the complexity of Makima’s character becomes apparent to the audience.
5 Denji’s First “Indirect” Kiss
At the beginning of Episode 8, “Gunfire,” Denji finds himself in Himeno’s apartment after Division 4 goes out for drinks. Since Himeno vomited in his mouth during his first kiss, he also has reservations about losing his virginity to Himeno as well. When she takes off his clothes, however, she finds a Chupa Chups lollipop in his pocket, which triggers Denji’s memory of how he got it.
Back when everyone was leaving the bar, Denji confides in Makima about how he thinks every kiss in the future will remind him of the taste of vomit. Putting her own lollipop in his mouth, Makima assures him that he could recall the taste of his first “indirect” kiss as well: the sugary cola from the Chupa Chups lollipop. Giving her assuring sentimentality, this is one of the softer, kinder moments of her that Chainsaw Man depicts.
4 Persuading Denji to Kill the Gun Devil
At the beginning of Episode 5, “Gun Devil,” Denji laments to Makima that touching Power’s breasts is not as fulfilling as he thought it would be. While taking his hand in hers, Makima tells him that anything sexual is better with someone whom you know — the intimate physicality of the scene grows as Makima bites his finger and moves his hand onto her chest.
Being an inexperienced teenager, Denji immediately becomes flustered. With him totally in her control, Makima makes her moves — she asks him to kill one of the strongest Devils, the Gun Devil. She effectively seals this deal by promising him “anything” for killing the Gun Devil. As such, this scene hints at Makima’s plans for Denji—and the means by which she is willing to manipulate him for those plans.
3 Train Ride Survivor
Halfway through the eighth Episode, “Gunfire,” Makima and other members of Division 4 are suddenly shot dead on a train to Kyoto. In the subsequent Episode, “From Kyoto,” a blood-stained, smiling Makima stands up in front of the gunmen.
Kurose and Tendo, two other members of Public Safety, are waiting for the train when they hear that their comrades have been killed. To their surprise, Makima appears and explains the situation in a completely calm manner. Since her powers are yet-unknown, her surviving a direct attack and defeating her attackers is a sudden, deeply mysterious testament to Makima’s potential power that lies in wait.
2 Yakuza Meeting
During Episode 11, “Mission Start,” Makima investigates Katana Man’s and Akane Sawatari’s recent attacks on Devil Hunters. She finds the yakuza boss affiliated with Katana Man after meeting with the boss and his subordinates by herself. The boss is initially helpful to her, giving Makima the names of yakuza members aligned with the Gun Devil; however, he refuses to give up the names of those in other crime families, as that could cause conflict between yakuza families.
In response, Makima produces a bag filled with eyes—the eyes of the family members and loved ones of the yakuza members in the room. She calmly states that she can return the eyes if the boss cooperates. When one of the yakuza members attempts to fight her, he suddenly starts bleeding and kneels over. Despite being alone in a room full of criminals, Makima clearly holds more control and power than several yakuza families combined; by extension, she makes this clear in the most unnerving, direct manner possible.
1 Makima’s Ability, Unveiled
Episode 9, “From Kyoto,” entails one of Makima’s most iconic moments—perhaps the most iconic—where she finally displays her true power and unflinching severity. Immediately after surviving a gunshot on a train, she summons 30 convicts who are serving a life sentence “or worse.”
The convicts are transported to a shrine at a high peak, which would make for a breathtaking view on its own. Meanwhile, the yakuza members who assist Katana Man and Akane suddenly have their bodies erupt into bloody pulps, seemingly out of nowhere. Back at the shrine, Makima asks each inmate to invoke a name as she makes a crushing movement with her hands. The blindfolded convicts fall as the yakuza members fall, as Makima effectively kills the convicts to kill the distant yakuza as their names are invoked. With a calm demeanor and piles of dead bodies, this scene clearly and severely showcases Makima’s immense power and sheer lack of hesitation.
