This article contains spoilers from Chainsaw Man.

The world of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s  Chainsaw Man is filled with many fearsome devils that basically embody the various fears of humanity. Different from the usual villains/demons we see in other shonen anime and manga. The devils in Chainsaw Man have varied looks, and personalities, and even the way humans perceive them can be very different. Even though most of these devils are based on tangible fears such as animals or objects, some are based on intangible ideas, such as the Control Devil Makima. 

Makima, who is the embodiment of the Control Devil in Chainsaw Man is probably one of the most ruthless and honorless villains of all time. Not only is she manipulative and controlling in nature, but she treats people around her like puppets to protect herself and not like actual humans. One of her strongest abilities in this is the unfair contracts she makes with people to bend them to her will. 

How are Makima’s devil contracts different from other devils’?

The devil contracts in Chainsaw Man are a pretty popular idea that is pretty similar to the concept of a Deal with the Devil that we know. Usually, when a person enters into a contract with a Devil, they have to give up something that they treasure in order to harness their power, much like how Himeno had to give up one eye and arms in order to get the Ghost Devil’s powers. These deals are different in nature than Denji and Pochita, who exist within one body in harmony. 

However, while devils can be demanding in their contracts, they are also honorable and always keep up their ends of the contract. This is why Aki Hayakawa could summon the Fox Devil to fight his enemies and Himeno could harness the Ghost Devil’s fearsome powers. But Makima as an entity is completely different. 

Using her Control Devil powers to manipulate humans at will, Makima can make others enter unfair contracts that give her one-sided power over them. Much like a puppet master, Makima uses her powers to control people and force them to sign the contract, and then make them fight in her stead. This means that people on the other side of the contract get nothing out of them and end up being pawns in her masterplan, making Makima a deplorable and honorless character, and one of the best villains of modern anime/manga. 

Makima’s contracts make her so incredibly powerful that she is pretty much unkillable. This is due to her contract with the Prime Minister of Japan which basically states that any attack on Makima’s person would be distributed at random amongst the people of Japan. This means that despite being hit with lethal attacks, such as a bullet to her head, Makima can walk these off while her contract randomly hurts/kills the citizens of Japan in her place. 

Makima’s controlling nature is evident in her contracts

The fact that Makima is the Control Devil and a very realistic depiction of a realistic fear is evident in the various contracts that she makes with unsuspecting people. Not only that but her whole nature and demeanor are also based on this fact. Other devils are usually unmistakable in their physical forms, such as the Chainsaw Devil. However, Makima appears as a smart but normal human being who is part of the Public Safety Commission, which makes others believe in her lies and deception. 

We saw how she led Denji on with romantic promises, which is basically grooming a minor, as she thought him to be inferior to her. She also played to his need for companionship and made sure he had a found family with Aki, Power, and Angel Devil before taking it all away and leaving him completely vulnerable to her manipulation tactics. Due to this and various other instances, the reader can easily understand that Makima is a treacherous and dishonorable character through and through. 

Makima is a character who is self-aware about being completely dishonest and treacherous in her manipulation. She does not care what methods she has to undergo in order to make sure that no harm comes her way and she has power over everyone else. She manipulates and controls anyone she deems is inferior to her and makes sure they bend to her will whenever she wants. Her contracts and nature prove her identity as the terrifying Control Devil up until the point she is killed by Denji, and prove to us that being controlled by others is indeed a very valid and realistic fear.