We fans knew from the start that Makima was dangerous. Calm voice with soft smile. Perfect control over every room she walked into. But what Makima did to Denji goes far beyond simple manipulation. Not gonna lie, Makima is one of the most manipulative and hated characters in the entire series. Every step she took was calculated, layered, and tied to her selfishness.

Chainsaw Man Part 1 closes after 97 chapters with Denji losing Aki, Power, and even his sense of identity before finally fighting back. The damage was very severe. So what did Makima do to Denji? How things got so out of hand.

Makima Took Denji In and Made Him Her “Dog”

From their very first meeting, Makima makes Denji a Dog (like a slave). Denji will have to live under her control as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, or he will die as a devil. And here comes the “dog” dynamic in their relationship. And this is not even an erotic or symbolic dog reference.

After the Zombie Devil incident, she arrives at the warehouse where Denji stands covered in blood. She notices that he is neither fully human nor fully devil. Makima tells him his life now belongs to Public Safety, or he can die there. Denji accepts because it means food, shelter, and a steady paycheck instead of starvation. For an immature boy like Denji, who was constantly repaying debt, this was a much better option.

Once in Tokyo, Makima feeds him proper meals and places him under supervision. At the same time, she tells him that a good dog answers properly and that useless dogs get put down(referring to the fact that he will be killed if not useful). Denji’s old bondage to the yakuza debt is now replaced by losing his freedom.

Makima Manipulated Denji With Sexual Tension to Keep Him Loyal

Makima does not rely only on fear, as a control devil, she is more adopt to all kinds of tactics. She literally uses sexual attraction to control Denji by seducing him. Where sex becomes a reward, and emotional dependency becomes a hook for Denji.

In the early Public Safety phase, she feeds him, praises him, and treats him with gentlely. For someone who grew up starved and isolated, that is overwhelming. When the Gun Devil mission is introduced, she tells Denji that if he defeats the Gun Devil, she will grant him one wish. Denji instantly interprets that promise in sexual terms.

Later, when Denji feels unstable, she takes him on a long movie marathon date. He waits eagerly and studies her reactions during the films. Bro is just immature at his age.

Makima Killed Reze to Isolate Denji and Keep Him Dependent on Her

Reze died at the hands of Makima just because Denji got closer to her. A completely unnecessary death happened so that Makima could have more control over Denji.

At the end of the Bomb Girl arc, Reze chooses Denji over escape. She turns back from the express train and heads toward the café where Denji is waiting for her with flowers. He is ready to step into a normal life with her. Before she can reach him, Makima intercepts her outside the café with the Angel Devil assisting. Reze is subdued and killed at the allay.

And the saddest part is Denji never learns that Reze came back for him. From his perspective, she simply does not show up. That misunderstanding isolates him emotionally. The one person who chose him freely is removed without any hesitation. Makima again becomes the only thing for Denji to think about.

Makima Orchestrated the Gun Devil Operation and Turned Aki Into the Gun Fiend

The Gun Devil conflict became a very traumatic experience for Denji. He literally had to fight someone as an enemy who was a bother to him. Even then, he had to watch Aki die.

After the Future Devil shows Aki his grim fate, Aki asks Makima for more power to protect Denji and Power. She tells him to form a contract with her in exchange for strength, effectively claiming the rest of his life. At the same time, the President of the United States sacrifices one year from every American citizen’s lifespan to send 20 percent of the Gun Devil to kill Makima.

When the Gun Devil appeared, there was a large-scale massacre and Makima was shot through the head. It was recorded as her 29th death, yet she survives due to her contract with the Prime Minister of Japan. Which redirected damage done to her onto random Japanese citizens.

After the Gun Devil is defeated, it possesses Aki’s corpse and becomes the Gun Fiend. Makima then called Denji and claimed she failed to stop it. She sends the Gun Fiend to Denji’s apartment. Denji recognises Aki’s scent but hesitates to fight. The Gun Fiend kills civilians while hallucinating a snowball fight. Aki’s body becomes the final blow to Denji’s sense of home.

Makima Killed Power in Front of Denji to Break His Will Completely

Makima cold bloodedly Killed Power in Front of Denji to crush him at his lowest point. It was a completely unnecessary death. This made Makima the most hated character of the series. She literally killed Power just when Denji was traumatised by Aki’s Death and was trying to deal with it.

Following Aki’s death, Denji tells Makima he does not want to make decisions anymore. She tests him with simple dog commands and rewards him with praise. Then Makima invites Power over to their house. Denji feels something is wrong when Makima tells him to open the door.

Power was standing outside holding a birthday cake for Denji. Makima raises her hand like a gun and says, “Bang.” Power’s torso is destroyed instantly before she can speak. Makima calmly takes Denji’s cold hands and leads him back inside. Denji was so traumatised that he could not even show any emotion.

Makima Admitted She Never Saw Denji as Human

Makima’s obsession was never with Denji. It was on Chainsaw Man and the power of erasure. During her confrontation with Kishibe, she calls herself a fan of the Chainsaw Devil. She explains that Chainsaw Man is known in Hell as the “Hero of Hell” because when he eats a Devil, the Devil’s name and the concept it represents vanish from reality.

Makima tells about erased historical elements such as Nazism, World War II, AIDS, and nuclear weapons. She even mentions erased human concepts like a sixth sense and four possible conclusions other than death at the end of life.

When Denji later attacked her from behind, she got genuinely shocked. She had been mentally focused on Pochita, not him. Denji realised that Makima sees people mainly through smell and that she had been seeing Chainsaw Man the entire time. To her, Denji was only a container, nothing more, nothing less.

Makima Destroyed Denji’s “Normal Life” to Force Pochita to Fully Manifest as Chainsaw Man

Denji’s normal life was created and maintained just for show so it could be destroyed later. Makima admits this directly.

She explains that Denji’s contract with Pochita depended on him living a normal life. So she first builds that life. Regular meals, a salary, and an apartment, a family dynamic with Aki and Power. Once Denji grew used to it, she destroyed it piece by piece. She even states that any future happiness he experiences, she will destroy them all.

She forces Denji to confront the suppressed memory of killing his abusive father in self-defence. And pushed him into guilt over “opening the door” he was told not to open. When Makima asked Denji if he believed he deserved a normal life, he answered no. That emotional collapse weakens the foundation of his contract and pushes Pochita closer to fully manifesting.

Makima’s True Goal Was to Use Chainsaw Man to Erase Concepts From Reality

Behind every manipulation lies a broader ambition. Makima wanted to reshape reality using Chainsaw Man’s erasure power.

She explains that when Chainsaw Man eats a Devil, the Devil and its concept disappear from existence. Humanity forgets it ever existed. The erased examples she lists show that entire wars and disasters were removed from history.

Her plan is structured around control. If she defeats Chainsaw Man and brings him under her power, she can erase war, suffering, and even death itself. She believes her ability works on those she sees as beneath her. In her vision, controlling Chainsaw Man means controlling the structure of the world.

Denji Outsmarted Makima by Separating From Pochita and Killed Her by Eating Her Body

Makima’s defeat comes from a loophole and a blind spot. She focuses on Chainsaw Man and ignores Denji.

In the final fight, she believed she had secured Pochita. While her attention stayed fixed on Chainsaw Man, Denji rose from behind a pile of bodies wearing an oversized Public Safety uniform and sliced her down the chest. He explains that she had been fighting Pochita the entire time. He uses blood received from Power to interfere with her regeneration.

Instead of finishing her with brute force, Denji takes a different approach. Denji cuts Makima’s body into pieces, cooks them into meals, and eats her over time. He later explains that this was not an attack driven by hatred but an act framed as love. Makima does not revive after that.

Makima Reincarnated as Nayuta, and Denji Chose to Raise Her

Makima’s death does not end the Control Devil. She returns in a new body.

A young girl with the same ringed eyes and biting habit appears and is revealed to be the reborn Control Devil, discovered in China and brought to Japan. Kishibe warns that if the government takes control of her again, history may repeat itself.

Denji asks her name. She says Nayuta. Instead of handing her over, he brings her home. He feeds her, walks the dogs, and lets her sleep safely. In a dream, Pochita explains that the Control Devil once desired equal relationships. Denji chooses to give Nayuta a different upbringing. That decision closes the cycle that began with Makima.

Final thoughts.

So do you understand now? “What did Makima do to Denji?” Literally everything wrong that could have happened to Denji. When you look at everything together, Makima was a villain with her successful villain arcs. Makima builds Denji’s life carefully and then dismantles it with precision. Survival, affection, guilt, and even love become tools.

If you hate makima you are not alone. Write down your comments on what you think should have happened to Makima for her deeds.