Why Did Makima Want Chainsaw Man? Her Plan for Pochita Explained

Major manga spoilers: This article reveals Makima's identity, her plans for Denji and Pochita, Aki and Power's fates, and the ending of Chainsaw Man Part 1. Anime-only viewers should stop here if they want to avoid future revelations.

Makima wanted Chainsaw Man because Pochita possesses an extraordinary ability: when he eats certain devils, the concepts those devils represent can disappear from existence. As the Control Devil, Makima hoped to use that power to remake the world according to her vision. But first she needed to break Denji, whose heart Pochita had become. Her kindness, promises and carefully cultivated relationships were tools for achieving that goal.

That is the short answer. The full story is more disturbing because Makima did not simply want to kill Denji or take his powers. She admired the true Chainsaw Man while barely recognizing Denji as an individual. That contradiction explains both her elaborate manipulation and the way Denji eventually defeats her.

Who is Makima really?

Makima first appears as a senior Public Safety devil hunter who offers Denji food, shelter and work after his life collapses. For a teenager raised in poverty, her attention seems like an extraordinary kindness. But she expects complete obedience and makes it clear that Denji's safety depends on following her orders.

Late in Part 1, Makima is revealed as the Control Devil. Her power revolves around domination: she can command beings she considers beneath her and use them for her purposes. Her perception of a target's status matters. Because she idolizes the true Chainsaw Man, she cannot simply treat him like another disposable subordinate.

The revelation transforms how readers understand her early behavior. What initially looks like an unsettling relationship between a boss and a desperate employee becomes a systematic attempt to remove Denji's independence. His desire for affection makes him vulnerable to the person offering it.

Why does Makima want Pochita instead of Denji?

Pochita saved Denji after the yakuza betrayed and killed him. Their contract made Pochita Denji's heart, allowing the boy to transform into Chainsaw Man. Denji sees Pochita as his closest friend. Makima sees the legendary Hero of Hell, a being whose true ability can rewrite reality.

Most devils are dangerous because of the fear associated with their names. They can die and return through the cycle between Earth and Hell. Pochita's ability is different. When Chainsaw Man eats certain devils, the associated concepts can vanish from the world and people's memories. This is not merely defeating an opponent; it is altering what reality contains.

Makima wants to direct that power against things she regards as sources of suffering, including war, hunger and death. Her imagined world might sound peaceful, but the method is terrifying. One person would decide which ideas and experiences humanity is allowed to retain. Her promise of safety depends on absolute control.

Our separate article about why devils fear Chainsaw Man explores Pochita's erasure ability in greater detail. Makima's plan asks a different question: what happens when someone believes they deserve to own that power?

Why can't Makima simply control Chainsaw Man?

The Control Devil's ability is not an automatic command that works on every opponent. Makima's own sense of hierarchy matters. She reveres Chainsaw Man, so she seeks to defeat him and establish dominance rather than casually ordering him around. Her fixation is part worship and part ambition.

She is even willing to accept being eaten by Chainsaw Man if she cannot possess him. That reveals how far her obsession goes. She does not love Denji as a person; she wants a particular powerful figure to acknowledge her, whether through obedience or destruction.

Makima also works to change how the world sees Chainsaw Man. Because devils draw strength from fear, turning him into a celebrated hero can weaken the terror associated with his name. Her plan therefore operates both in Denji's private life and through the public's perception of the hero.

How did Makima manipulate Denji?

Denji's contract with Pochita was rooted in dreams. Pochita wanted Denji to live an ordinary life and show him what happiness could look like. Makima exploited that promise by giving Denji something worth protecting before destroying it. She did not begin by taking everything away. She first taught him to hope.

At Public Safety, Denji moves into a home with Aki Hayakawa and Power. Their relationships are chaotic and frequently comic, but they gradually become a genuine family. For the first time, Denji experiences companionship beyond simple survival and begins to imagine a future that is not defined by debt.

The Gun Devil crisis destroys that fragile happiness. Aki becomes the Gun Fiend, and Denji is forced to fight someone who has become his protector and friend. It is devastating because Denji is not defeating a faceless enemy; he is losing family.

Overwhelmed by guilt, Denji turns to Makima and asks her to take responsibility for his choices. She exploits his surrender, then kills Power in front of him. Makima reveals that she intended to break his normal life and undermine the contract connecting him to Pochita.

That is why her manipulation feels so cruel. The friendships were real to Denji, even if Makima treated them as disposable pieces of a plan. She weaponized the best part of his new life, not merely his fear of dying.

What did Makima plan to do after controlling Pochita?

Her stated aim is to create a better world by erasing suffering. But erasing a concept is different from preventing a particular tragedy. It rewrites the conditions under which people live, remember and choose. Makima's vision gives one ruler the authority to decide which parts of existence deserve to survive.

The manga leaves room to question whether anyone could predict every consequence of such erasures. Even frightening concepts may be woven into the world in complicated ways. Makima's certainty is itself dangerous: she assumes that because she can imagine a cleaner reality, she has the right to impose it.

Her identity also connects her to the Four Horsemen, devils associated with major human fears. Our Four Horsemen guide covers their relationships; for this story, the essential point is that Makima's ambition grows naturally from her identity as the Control Devil.

Did Makima ever love Denji?

Not in the way he hoped. Makima is fascinated by the true Chainsaw Man and treats Denji largely as an obstacle separating her from him. Denji mistakes her attention for proof that he matters. Makima repeatedly shows that she is focused on the devil inside him.

The ending makes that blindness decisive. Makima identifies people largely by scent, yet she fails to recognize Denji as a distinct individual in the way that would have exposed his final plan. The boy she dismissed uses her inability to see him clearly against her.

This does not mean Makima lacks emotional needs. The conclusion suggests a longing for an equal, affectionate relationship, something her nature and actions make difficult. But a desire for connection does not excuse the suffering she inflicts. The story holds both truths together.

How does Denji defeat Makima?

Makima's contract with Japan's prime minister makes conventional attacks ineffective by redirecting their consequences into illnesses or accidents affecting Japanese citizens. Simply striking harder is not enough. Denji uses Power's blood to interfere with Makima's regeneration, then dismembers and consumes her body.

Denji frames the act as an expression of love rather than an attack. The story treats that distinction as important to bypassing the protection of her contract. The ending is deliberately grotesque, but it is not merely a contest of strength. Denji wins because he understands her blind spot and the unusual rules governing her survival.

His victory also marks personal growth. For much of Part 1, Denji wants somebody else to decide what he should do. At the end, he acts on his own judgment. Recovering that agency matters more than any individual chainsaw battle.

What happens to the Control Devil after Makima?

The Control Devil does not disappear permanently. She reincarnates as Nayuta, whom Kishibe brings to Denji. Pochita encourages Denji to give the new Control Devil the affection and equal relationship Makima could not obtain. The contrast is central: Makima tried to create closeness through ownership, while Denji is offered the chance to build it through care.

This does not erase Makima's crimes or make Nayuta the same person. It offers a different answer to the story's central problem. Relationships cannot become equal when one person insists on controlling the other.

Why Makima's plan matters beyond the fights

At the fantasy level, Makima wants a devil capable of erasing concepts. At the human level, she exploits someone who has never learned to separate love from obedience. Denji's poverty and isolation make her offer incredibly powerful, and his vulnerability is not portrayed as stupidity.

Makima does not simply order him around. She shapes his choices until surrendering control seems like relief. That is why her betrayal is effective and why Denji's eventual independence is so important. Readers interested in the wider supernatural rules can also explore our guides to devil contracts and primal fears.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Makima want Chainsaw Man's heart?

She wanted Pochita's ability to erase devils and concepts so she could remake the world according to her ideals.

Is Makima the Control Devil?

Yes. Her powers center on dominating beings she regards as beneath her.

Did Makima love Denji?

Her obsession centered on the true Chainsaw Man, not Denji as an individual. She manipulated his longing for affection.

Why did Makima kill Power?

To destroy Denji's happiness and undermine the contract connecting him to Pochita.

Does Makima come back after her death?

The Control Devil reincarnates as Nayuta, a new individual whom Denji is asked to care for.