If there is a recurring pattern in the Chainsaw Man manga, it is that almost every enemy, including the Gun Demon, is determined to win Denji's heart.
But why would a powerful being like the Gun Demon want the heart of Denji—a seemingly insignificant human?
The answer lies in Denji's heart, or more specifically, in Pochita, the Chainsaw Demon. So when the Gun Demon aimed at Denji's heart, he was actually aiming at Pochita, the real Chainsaw Demon.
At first glance, the Gun Demon is introduced as the ultimate all-powerful enemy, so it seems odd that it needs Denji's heart.
However, if we consider the Shounen manga genre, where the main character usually possesses some form of hidden, extraordinary power, it's easy to deduce that the Chainsaw Demon could be one of the most terrifying entities in this world.
By this logic, the Gun Demon's interest in Denji's heart is not about Denji himself but about exploiting Pochita's incredible power.
So, seems simple right? ? The Gun Demon wants Denji's heart because it craves the power of the Chainsaw Man.
But this assumption only holds true until the Gun Demon's true fate is revealed in the manga.
While Chainsaw Man's immense power is undeniable, the Gun Demon's pursuit of Denji's heart turns out to be a giant red herring.
Want to know why? Keep reading!
PS: Major manga spoilers ahead!!
Makima reveals that the Gun Demon was actually defeated in the past and that various countries are now in possession of its parts.
The demons don't even have sentience, let alone command their minion demons to follow Pochita, or Denji's heart.
PS Read about what happened to Gun Devil by checking out the article linked below! It will help understand what comes next in this post!
RELATE TO:
What happened to the gun demon in the chainsaw man?
But then, everyone from the Eternal Devil, who has a piece of the Gun Demon's flesh, and Akane Sawatari, who claims to have made a contract with the Gun Demon, chase after Denji's heart.
Exactly these people, especially Akane and the Eternal Devil, work for if not the Gun Devil. Who is pulling the strings from the shadows?
Let me say this: Fujimoto is a master storyteller. And the whole Gun Devil thing about chasing Denji’s heart is just a red herring. Ultimately, it all boils down to one character – Makima!
Take it one step at a time, starting with Eternal Devil.
The Eternal Devil is very suspicious:
On the surface, it seems like the Eternal Devil is acting for his own benefit. And the reason behind Denji's actions is revenge. Well, that part might be true considering his dialogue in the manga.
As Denji is busy sawing apart the Eternal Devil, the latter mentions that Chainsaw Man is getting weaker, suggesting that they fought each other at some point in the past.
The Eternal Demon was presumably killed by the Chainsaw Man in Hell, causing it to reincarnate on Earth.
While that assumption may be correct, let me draw your attention to something else. How did the Eternal Devil get a piece of the Gun Demon?
If you read the previous article about what happened to the Gun Demon, you would understand that it is very possible that the Eternal Demon might stumble upon a piece of the Gun Demon's flesh that was left behind.
Suspicions first arise in chapter 13 of Chainsaw Man, when Himeno questions whether the demons consumed the gun blocks themselves or whether they were fed piece by piece by someone.
This person is definitely a master manipulator, someone with the ability to control!
So this whole thing happened to Akane Sawatari.
What happened to Akane Sawatari?
Let's get something straight right away: Akane is the mastermind pulling Katana Man's strings. She's the one who turned him into a hybrid and made the deal with Gun Devil so enticing.
From the moment Akane entered the picture, the name of the Gun Demon began to appear more frequently.
However, looking back, we know that the Gun Demon was not sensitive enough to form a contract with her. So who is Akane really working for?
The deeper you dig, the more it becomes clear that this whole situation reeks of Makima's influence. Stay with me as I sift through the manga's contents and put things into perspective!
The key to understanding all of this is the ambush of the Special Forces members.
Initial suspicion towards Makima arises when Madoka questions her knowledge of this ambush in Chapter 28.
Even Kishibe, thanks to his sharp instincts, sensed that something was amiss about the attack on Public Safety. In fact, he questioned Makima about this in Chapter 32, further raising the suspicions surrounding her.
But after capturing Katana Man, Makima reports to his superiors that Akane had a contract with Gun Devil. Akane herself seems convinced of this fact. As part of her supposed contract, Akane has armed her terrorists with guns.
So does this mean Akane is working directly for Gun Devil? Not exactly.
The gun demon never appeared in the movie:
To understand why, we need to look at chapter 73 where Makima reveals the truth about the Gun Demon.
Although people claim that they get their guns by making contracts with the Gun Devil, in reality it is the governments that circulate their own manufactured guns in secret.
This proves that Gun Devil was never part of the equation.
But that's not the best part. Makima's involvement in this whole mess is confirmed in chapter 76, when we see Akane connected to her with a chain.
This proves beyond doubt that Makima is the one pulling the strings.
If that was the case, why did Akane believe she was working for the Gun Demon? Was she just lying to fool everyone? It doesn't seem like it.
Akane truly believes that she has a contract with the Gun Demon. This is also a side effect of being controlled by Makima!!
Let's review the chapters where Makima's true identity is revealed.
Her power made the Demon Angel forget what he had actually done in the past. In fact, he had been under Makima's control the whole time without even realizing it. The same could happen to Akane.
She doesn't realize that she is being controlled by Makima, instead believing that she has a contract with the Gun Demon and continues to take the entire incident as a failure.
There are a few more incidents in the Chainsaw Man manga that build up to our case. Akane's death is one of them.
No matter how you look at it, the Gun Demons had no valid reason to eliminate Akane. Akane was killed because the real mastermind of the incident wanted to stay in the shadows. They didn't want their names to be exposed.
And now that we know it was Makima who was behind all of this, Makima's death makes much more sense.
While describing the incident to her superiors, she talks about the unintentional suicide pact that Akane may have had in her contract, which resulted in the Snake Demon beheading her.
Makima includes such a term, because it completely eliminates the possibility of her involvement coming to light.
Then there's the little detail of Makima knowing the names of all the people who were killed. involved in the ambush. And instead of detaining them for interrogation, she just straight up killed them all, leaving no clues behind. Remember that strange plaque at the Kyoto shrine?
The Katana man was the only one captured alive. And we don't see any mention of him, until chapter 86, where he became one of her pawns, showing that she also has dominion over him.
So to sum up and answer in short, Akane is under Makima's control and she is the one who orchestrated the whole thing. The gun demon never wanted Denji's heart. It was all Makima's giant setup.
But why? Why is Makima doing all of this? What does she gain by doing so?
Makima's reason for arranging the ambush:
To understand this better, let's rewind to the conversation between Makima and Kishibe.
During their meeting, Makima explains why she wants the campaign against Katana Man to succeed. But Kishibe, in his usual straightforward manner, calls her a liar.
However, not everything she said was wrong.
Makima's ultimate goal behind staging the incidents with the Eternal Devils and the Katana People was to give Squad 4 more freedom to operate. And in that regard, her plan worked perfectly.
By eliminating key members of the Special Forces, Makima created a personnel shortage, which worked to her advantage.
This allowed her to form a new Team 4, filled with odd and powerful members, including monsters and demons like Spider and Angel, all under her control. This restructuring was crucial in setting the stage for her ultimate plan.
Akane and Katana Man never intended to succeed in kidnapping Denji. They were pawns from the start—set up to fail so Makima could gain more influence in the Demon Hunter division for Public Safety.
By doing so, she minimized resistance and positioned herself to move forward with her true agenda.
Active reporting as part of the plan:
Makima didn't lie about the massive media coverage either. This was also part of her long-term strategy to defeat Chainsaw Man.
By thrusting Denji (Chainsaw Man) into the public spotlight, Makima has cleverly turned him into an icon—a hero of the people. But this has a hidden consequence.
The more people see Chainsaw Man as a hero, the less they fear him. And as the fear surrounding Chainsaw Man diminishes, so does his power.
Makima understands this very well and, in Chapter 89, she clearly states that weakening Chainsaw Man is essential to her plans.
Her cold and calculating actions all lead to one goal: to win Denji's heart for herself.
By weakening him through public adoration and building the right environment within Division 4, she sets the stage to eventually confront him.
The gun demon was merely a smokescreen—a diversion used to divert attention from the real coordinator behind the scenes: Makima.
She flaunts its name to focus the story on a larger threat while keeping her goals hidden.
Ultimately, this entire operation was meticulously planned by Makima, with every action contributing to her ultimate goal. Her calculated strategy, from the ambush to the restructuring of Team 4 and the manipulation of public perception, allowed her to get closer to the Chainsaw Man and execute her plan with precision.
