What happened to her?
Chainsaw Man manga spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- Makima's death was one of the most desired events in the fandom.
- She was defeated by Denji.
- Makima never bothered to remember Denji's scent, that's why he managed to defeat her.
- She also couldn't regenerate because of Denji's weapon and intention.
Back when the Chainsaw Man anime just started airing, there were dozens of Makima memes that promoted hate towards this character. We didn't really know then why she was so hated, but we do now. We'll never forgive Makima for treating Denji like that and murdering Power.
And the story of Chainsaw Man never forgave Makima, either, as she met her end in the first part of the manga. But what happened? And how could someone this powerful die like that?
Defeated by Denji
Makima never treated Denji right, and she paid the price. Her care for him was just a clever facade that allowed her to manipulate the Chainsaw Man and turn him into a loyal puppy. But Makima never paid close attention to Denji. Pochita was the only one who she cared about, she was blind to anything but him.
Makima goes by smell, and she remembered Pochita's scent. But she never took the time to remember Denji's, he was a nobody to her. That's how he managed to hide and fool her. Makima never saw Denji coming because she had come to associate Pochita's smell with Denji's. They shared one body, after all.
After battling and defeating "Denji", Makima allowed herself to relax for a second, and this is when Denji came out of his hiding spot to strike her. It was unexpected, and this is what made it possible for Denji to put an end to Makima.
Why didn't she regenerate?
It goes without saying that Makima is incredibly powerful. Even anime-onlys who don't know that she's one of the Four Horsemen can understand that. So why couldn't she just regenerate and come back?
Denji used a chainsaw imbued with Power's blood to attack Makima. And he didn't just cut her once, the chainsaw kept on cutting from within her body, immobilizing her and leaving her helpless.
Fans think this wouldn't have worked with normal weapons, and it was very fitting that Makima was defeated like that. By a man whom she saw as nothing, and with a chainsaw, imbued with the blood of someone she killed.
Some fans also wonder why no one else tried to consume or defeat Makima before, and manga readers say that it had to be Denji; no one else would have succeeded.
In Denji's mind he wasn't just trying to kill her, and we know that the intention matters. Consuming Makima was Denji's twisted way of becoming one with her, it was not to do any harm. The conditions of the contract value intent over results and that's why it was possible for him to get rid of her.