Character Analysis: Makima (Feat Lousy)

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Background

Height: 173 cm | 5’8

Classification: Control Devil

Occupation: Leader of The Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division 4

-One of the Four Horsemen

-Owner of 5 dogs and a Denji

-Hates bad movies

Makima was born as the Control Devil under the supervision of the Japanese government. Because of her literally controlling nature, she grew up seeing all humans as beneath her. Nothing more than dogs. Makima had this sentiment not just towards humans, but most things. Until the day she saw the Chainsaw Devil. Seeing the devil devour and erase many awful concepts from existence such as AIDS, Nazism, and Nuclear Weapons, Makima saw a chance to make a new world free of such evil.

Some time during all of this, she became the head of Japan’s Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division 4, and formed multiple contracts between herself and other humans and devils. Including a contract with the Prime Minister of Japan that transfers all damage taken by her to the citizens of Japan in the form of sickness and accidents. Something that made her effectively invulnerable. All to await the day the Chainsaw Devil would appear again.

That day finally arrived when Makima met Denji, the boy who had recently acquired the Chainsaw Devil’s abilities from his beloved ‘dog’, Pochita. In exchange for being her ‘pet’, Makima gave Denji the life he never had: Food, a home, friends in the form of the devil hunter Aki, and the Blood Fiend Power, ETC. Then ripped it all away from him. 

Because Denji had made a deal or ‘contract’ with Pochita to try to live a normal life, Makima had to make Denji break the contract by convincing him to give up on life, and become her ‘dog’. Doing so revived the Chainsaw Devil, who Makima had successfully weakened by making him out to be a hero in the eyes of the general public, ultimately defeating him with the large number of devils she had made contracts with over the years. 

However, unbeknownst to Makima, Denji survived the battle and was hidden away long enough to craft a plan. Denji realized that throughout all the time he spent with Makima, she had only ever cared about the Chainsaw Devil within him. As such, her heightened sense of smell only recognized the Chainsaw Devil and not Denji.

Using this knowledge, Denji hid himself, had Pochita and the remnants of Power fight Makima, and awaited his chance to perform a killing blow. Denji achieved this killing blow and managed to bypass Makima’s seemingly invincible contract through an act of genuine love: Eating her.

Despite everything Makima had put Denji through, he still genuinely loved her, and didn’t see the act of ‘becoming one with her’ as an attack. Because of this, the contract did not allow Makima to revive or transfer the damage, and she was killed for good.

But like all devils, the Control Devil reincarnated after Makima’s death as a girl named Nayuta. This girl was left in the care of Denji, in hopes that being cared for by a human and not the government would teach her how to form an equal relationship with someone else, without the use of power or fear. Whether that will, or even can happen remains a mystery, but perhaps one day even the Control Devil will learn how to love.

Experience

-Exactly how long Makima has been around prior to Chainsaw Man is unknown, but we do know she is old enough to have witnessed WWII. Over the course of her time on Earth, she was clever enough to mind control most of the prominent devils, place them under her contract, and gain a position as one of the leaders of the Public Safety Devil Extermination Divisions.

-Makima is very cunning and ruthless, willing to use underhanded tactics to threaten and extort her way into power. Like threatening a group of yakuza bosses with a bag full of the eyes of their loved ones.

-Makima is considered a greater threat than, and was the one who ultimately killed, Quanxi. A woman so skilled, it’s stated she would win a bare-knuckle tournament held with everybody across the world.

-Makima was such a threat that all of the world’s nations had given up on trying to defeat her, save for America. 

-The degree of combat training Makima has is unknown, but she is very skilled in hand to hand, able to overpower other experienced devil hunters, and fight evenly with the Chainsaw Devil, even when decapitated.

Equipment

Longsword: While typically using only her hands and devil powers, Makima has on occasion wielded a longsword katana. 

Devil Hunter Uniform: As leader of Devil Extermination Special Division 4, Makima normally wears a Devil Hunter’s uniform. These uniforms are intended for combat situations and are fairly sturdy, though not indestructible.

Abilities

Besides superhuman strength, speed, and durability, Makima has…

Demonic Physiology

Being a devil, Makima has the standard traits and abilities seen in other devils in Chainsaw Man. 

Every devil is born embodying some kind of object, creature, or idea. The more what they embody is feared by the general public, the more powerful that devil becomes. So, something like the Tomato or Coffee Devil isn’t particularly strong, while the Gun Devil is an international threat.

All devils are capable of healing from fatal wounds and dismembered limbs by consuming blood.

Devils can possess corpses, becoming fiends in the process. The Blood devil for example, possessed a girl to become Power. Though this diminishes their abilities to some extent, so it is normally done only in desperation.

While it isn’t particularly relevant to the fight, Makima is unique among other devils in that she is one of the few who can remember the evil concepts the Chainsaw Devil has erased from existence. The only other devils who are known to have this trait are the other 3 Horsemen.

Control

Makima’s most useful ability is her control over all manner of creatures. Anybody who she sees as inferior to herself can fall under her control. This extends to people, animals, and other devils. Through this power, Makima has forced multiple devil hunters and devils into contracts, erasing their memories to avoid conflicts of interest. 

In addition, she can see and hear from long distances away through the eyes and ears of the beings she controls. The only caveat is that strong enough memories or willpower can break someone free from Makima’s control. Though in the actual story this has only ever been done temporarily.

Damage Transference

Among the contracts Makima has, one she made with the Prime Minister of Japan makes it so any damage she takes is transferred to Japan’s populace in the form of illness and accidents. This has let her survive being fatally shot and her body being torn apart. Meaning, in theory, unless you have a way to bypass the contract, you would need to kill Makima millions of times over until she dies for good.

It is unknown if this damage transference extends to full-on disintegration of the body, but given the mystical nature of the contract, it likely does.

Telekinesis (Bang)

Presumably as an extension of her control powers, Makima can manipulate an unknown telekinetic force. This is most commonly used as a concussive blast (or ‘bang’) fast enough to reach outside Earth’s atmosphere in moments, and strong enough to punch holes in people. Outside of ‘bang’ she has used this phenomena to fight with the Darkness Devil, and cause people to bleed from the inside. Presumably, this power is also what lets her float in midair.

Portal & Rift Creation

An odd ability Makima possesses, presumably as one of her Control Devil powers. It lets her use her brain matter to form halos that can make portals to different places. These portals can be large enough to fit the Punishment Devil.

Superhuman Senses

Makima’s enhanced sense of smell lets her distinguish the scents of different individuals and creatures. It’s fine tuned enough to tell the difference between humans and devils. Her eyesight is also capable of spotting and targeting enemies even from 500 kilometers away.

Death Curses

By sacrificing several humans at a high elevation, then having the victim’s name be spoken, Makima can perform a death curse that will crush and contort the victim to paste, regardless of where they are. This ritual requires preparation to do, and Makima has never done it in live combat, but given her ability to control individuals, she theoretically could, given enough time. 

Devils, Hybrids, & Fiends

Because of all the contracts and manipulation Makima has done, she has a veritable army of devils, devil-human hybrids, and fiends at her beck and call, able to be summoned whenever she likes. Among these devils and fiends are ones thought to have been dead, like the Zombie Devil (er-well, deader than a zombie typically is). These beings include…

Aki Hayakawa

Denji’s friend turned controlled enemy. Besides possessing a special sword from the Angel Devil that lets him cut apart intangible beings, he has contracted with 3 different devils throughout his life, and has several unique powers.

Fox Devil: The main devil Aki is contracted with, who he can manifest on command. Capable of devouring entire devils with one bite.

Future Devil: A devil that lets its user see several seconds into the future to react to enemy movements. It can also let someone view their entire future by placing their head in the devil’s rib cage.

Curse Devil: Using a special Curse Spike, the Curse Devil lets the user instantly kill someone after successfully stabbing them 3 times. The ‘spike’ can be in the form of either a large sword for direct combat, or a tiny nail if the intent is to covertly injure someone.

Punishment Devil

Contracted with Yutaro Kurose, and Michiko Tendo. This embodiment of punishment wields an assortment of bladed weapons. It is implied to be able to hold its own against the Gun Devil.

Mold Devil

The embodiment of the fear of mold, who contracted with two of Makima’s agents. Capable of growing mold inside the body of any living victim, killing them from the inside.

Angel Devil

A devil with the ability to siphon the lifespan of anyone he touches. He can then utilize this stolen life to form weapons. The strength of said weapon is based on how many ‘years’ are put into it. This includes…

Usage 5 Years: Forms a shortsword.

Usage 10 Years: Forms a longsword.

Usage 100 Years: Forms a large single-edged sword.

Usage 1000 Years: Forms a throwing spear capable of piercing and defeating the Chainsaw Devil.

Violence Fiend

The embodiment of violence. Normally he has a poison mask that limits his strength so it doesn’t get out of control. But even with the mask, the fiend is capable of fighting efficiently in hand to hand, enlarging his muscles, and holding his own against Reze, the Bomb Girl. 

Stone Devil

The embodiment of the fear of stone. By standing within a ritual circle, the individual who has made a contract with the Stone Devil can blow dust at an opponent that petrifies them on contact.

Zombie Devil

The embodiment of the fear of zombies. Using corpses the devil can create hordes of zombies. Anybody bitten by one of the zombies will become one.

Katana Man

A human devil hybrid merged with the Katana Devil. Similar to Denji, he can turn any part of his body into the weapon he represents, in this case a katana.

Reze, The Bomb Girl

A human devil hybrid created from the Bomb Devil. Able to create large explosions using any part of her body, even her head. She can use these explosions in melee attacks, and to blast herself across the sky fast enough to catch a speeding car.

Quanxi, The Crossbow Hybrid

The First Devil Hunter and one of the best. Having the powers of the Crossbow Devil, Quanxi can transform any part of her body into spiked prongs to use for up close attacks, or to form makeshift crossbows. Even without her devil powers, Quanxi is a very skilled fighter, capable of effortlessly cutting apart several seasoned devil hunters.

Whip Hybrid

A human devil hybrid created from the Whip Devil. Able to alter their body parts into whips to lash at enemies.

Spear Hybrid

A human devil hybrid created from the Spear Devil. Able to form a spear from their spinal cord and any other part of their body to pierce foes.

Longsword Hybrid

A human devil hybrid created from the Longsword Devil. Able to form blades on any part of their body.

Flamethrower Hybrid

A human devil hybrid created from the Flamethrower Devil. Able to burn through a swarm of corpses.

Shark Fiend

A fiend formed from a corpse and the Shark Devil. Able to transform his head and parts of his body into that of a shark, and can phase through walls.

Spider Devil

A devil embodying fear of spiders. Able to phase through surfaces, attack with her spider legs, and create portals across dimensions by unzipping the zipper on her head.

Snake Devil

A devil embodying fear of snakes. Capable of devouring other devils. Anything devoured by the Snake Devil then spat out can be used and controlled by it.

Mantis Devil

A devil formed from the fear of mantises. Able to create large mantis arms capable of slicing fiends apart.

Cosmo

Note: Makima is not shown or confirmed to have the Cosmos Fiend under her control, but given she took control of Quanxi, who was part of the same group as the Cosmos Fiend, and both died at the same time, it’s very likely she does.

The Fiend of the Cosmos. By simply uttering the phrase ‘Halloween’, she can trap a target inside her mind, and give them the knowledge of… Everything until the only thing they can think about is Halloween, rendering them effectively catatonic. Even the Doll Devil, which could transfer its consciousness from one mind to another could not stop this effect.

Feats

Strength & Destructive Power

-Makima’s ‘Bang’ is strong enough to punch holes through people. (Chapter 26, Page 26)

-Decapitated Quanxi and her friends in one strike. (Chapter 70, Page 15)

-Impaled the weakened Chainsaw Devil with the Angel Devil’s 1000-Years Spear. (Chapter 89, Page 22)

Speed & Agility

-Summoned several allies, and prepared a counterplan against the Gun Devil in seconds. (Chapter 76, Page 6-8)

-’Banged’ Denji out of Earth’s orbit. (Chapter 88, Page 10)

Durability & Survivability

-Survived a bazooka explosion that blew up part of a building. (Chapter 83, Page 3)

-Thanks to her contract with the Prime Minister, can survive decapitation, and having her limbs severed. (Chapter 95, Page 6)

Scaling

Who Does Makima Scale to?

Makima should scale to just about every devil, fiend, and devil hunter with relevant feats in Chainsaw Man. Aside from controlling and commanding most of them, she traded blows with the Chainsaw Devil fairly evenly during the finale of Part 1 of Chainsaw Man. Said Chainsaw Devil moments earlier tore through most of the previous devils and devil hunters Makima had under her command. Add to that the other devils and fiends Denji has fought, and he and Makima are de-facto top tier characters in terms of power. Makima is also heavily implied to have defeated, or at least stalemated, the Gun Devil when it confronted her.

Fox Devil

-Bit through a building. (Chapter 23, Page 14)

Reze

-Blew up most of a building. (Chapter 46, Page 11)

Angel Devil

-Blocked a bullet with his wings. (Chapter 34, Page 14)

Gun Devil

-Decimated a row of buildings while killing over a million people. (Chapter 13, Page 10)

-From 500 kilometers away, moved an unspecified distance, then fired bullets that reached Makima in seconds. (Chapter 76, Page 8)

-Moved across the world to kill over 1 million people across different nations. (Chapter 13, Page 10-12)

-Can fire a bullet into the head of every child within 1500 meters. (Chapter 75, Page 13)

Typhoon Devil

-Made a city-spanning storm. (Chapter 43, Page 15)

Denji/Pochita/Chainsaw Devil

-Chainsawed the Muscle Devil apart early on. (Chapter 2, Page 17)

-Lifted a car. (Chapter 8, Page 14)

-Lifted a large chunk of ground. (Chapter 94, Page 4)

-Survived the Bat Devil’s screech. (Chapter 8, Page 18)

-Survived crashing through multiple buildings. (Chapter 87, Page 9)

-Tanked a blast that punched through several sheets of stone. (Chapter 48, Page 3)

-Chucked his heart from orbit back to Earth’s surface in seconds. (Chapter 88, Page 13)

Weaknesses

-Makima’s senses are not perfect and can be fooled. If she does not deem the scent of someone to be ‘important’ she won’t recognize or take note of it. This is how Denji was able to sneak up on and ultimately kill her. Because she only recognized Pochita and the Chainsaw Devil’s scent, not his.

-While the healing and damage transference afforded by Makima’s contract is impressive, it can require time to fully heal her. Meaning continuous damage from something like the Blood Fiend wrecking her insides can keep her stunned.

-Her contract with the Prime Minister transfers any physical damage done to her, but there’s no reason to believe it would save Makima from an attack made against her soul or mind. And any damage to her physical body that isn’t perceived as an ‘attack’ by the attacker will bypass this contract, the same way Denji was able to ultimately kill her by ‘becoming one’ with and eating her.

-Makima can, in theory, try to perform a death curse ritual in live combat. However, this has never been done without prep, and may be difficult if a foe is actively trying to kill her.