Chainsaw Man Ending Explained: What Just Happened? (Part 1)
🎬 Quick Recap: What Is Chainsaw Man About?
Before we dive into the wild ending, let’s set the stage.
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a broke, naive devil hunter who merges with his pet devil Pochita to become a hybrid known as the Chainsaw Man. Pulled into the secretive world of Public Safety Devil Hunters, Denji is promised a better life—but soon finds himself entangled with powerful devils and even more powerful people… especially Makima.
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING
This blog contains major spoilers for Chainsaw Man Part 1 (up to Chapter 97 of the manga and the anime’s first season). If you haven’t finished reading or watching it yet—this is your cue to catch up!
🔥 Chainsaw Man Ending Summary (Chapters 90–97)
Here’s a quick breakdown of the chaos at the end of Part 1:
- Makima is revealed as the Control Devil, manipulating Denji and everyone around him from the start.
- She wants to “create a better world”—but through complete control, not love.
- After emotionally destroying Denji by using his relationships against him (like killing Power), Denji gives up control to Pochita.
- Pochita gives Denji his heart back, allowing him to finally fight back.
- Denji outsmarts Makima—not through brute strength, but by exploiting her inability to recognize him through smell when he’s not in his hybrid form.
- He kills and eats Makima in one of the darkest, most symbolic acts in manga.
- The arc ends with Denji trying to live a “normal” life while raising Nayuta, the reincarnated Control Devil.
🧠 What Just Happened? (Ending Explained)
Now let’s dig into what the ending really means.
🔍 1. Makima’s Real Goal:
Love Through Control Makima presents herself as a savior—someone who wants to eliminate suffering by controlling all evil. But here’s the twist:
- She doesn’t understand love.
- She only understands control.
Throughout the series, Makima manipulates Denji with affection and promises of a family, only to tear it all away once she gets what she wants. Her idea of a peaceful world is one where she controls everything, removing free will entirely.
The ultimate irony is that Makima seeks to be loved, but she sees love as domination—not connection.
💔 2. Denji’s Identity Crisis and Growth:
The ending isn’t just about defeating Makima. It’s about Denji reclaiming his agency.
He starts the series wanting simple things: food, a bed, a hug, maybe even sex. But by the end, he’s been used, discarded, and forced to confront a horrific truth:
Everything he loved was orchestrated and taken away by Makima.
By eating her—not as Chainsaw Man but as Denji, the human—he reclaims control of his life. It’s a symbolic act of liberation, not revenge. He chooses not to fight her with power, but with human will.
🔄 3. Makima’s Reincarnation:
Nayuta The Control Devil doesn’t truly die—it reincarnates as Nayuta, a child. Kishibe tasks Denji with raising her in a loving, non-controlling environment, hoping to prevent another Makima situation.
This sets up a huge moral question for Part 2:
Can evil be erased through nurture? Or are devils doomed to reflect fear no matter what?
😈 4. Chainsaw Man’s Role as a Devil-Eating Enigma One of the most mysterious parts of the ending is this:
Chainsaw Man is feared even by devils.
He has the power to erase devils from existence—not just kill them. When he eats them, their concept disappears from memory and reality (like the Nazi Devil, the World War II Devil, etc.).
This sets up Chainsaw Man as a mythic anti-hero, not just a gore machine. Denji is now the bearer of a devil that literally rewrites reality. The possibilities (and dangers) are massive heading into Part 2.
Why Denji Eating Makima Matters Denji’s final act is controversial and symbolic:
- Not violent revenge, but a tragic form of closeness
- Eating = ultimate connection in Denji’s warped reality
- He still “loves” Makima, but refuses to let her hurt anyone again
It’s not triumphant. It’s not heroic. It’s sad, disturbing, and yet oddly poetic.
What’s Next? (Tease for Part 2: Academy Saga)
Fujimoto’s writing never follows shonen norms, and Part 2, aka the Academy Saga, begins with a new protagonist: Asa Mitaka, host of the War Devil.
- Denji now balances:
- Raising Nayuta
- Living as a high school student
- Being Chainsaw Man in secret
Makima’s death doesn’t mean peace. If anything, it reveals a bigger game at play—with devils, fear, and reality manipulation now front and center.
🧠 Final Thoughts:
The ending of Chainsaw Man is more than a gore-filled finale—it’s a critique of toxic power dynamics, manipulation, and the human desire to be loved at any cost.
Fujimoto doesn’t end Part 1 with a “win” or a “loss.” He ends it with:
- Consequences
- Identity
- A glimmer of hope in the form of Nayuta
And Denji? He’s not the Chainsaw Man we met in Chapter 1. He’s a boy who’s seen the worst of the world, and still—somehow—chooses to keep going.
💬 What Do You Think?
Did you love or hate the ending of Chainsaw Man Part 1? Are you excited for the Academy Saga? Drop your thoughts in the comments or share this with your Chainsaw Man squad. 🪚
Image credit MAPPA
