How did Makima survive the gunshot in ‘Chainsaw Man?’

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for episode nine of Chainsaw Man.

Chainsaw Man continues delivering banger episodes one after the other. With only three episodes left until the end of season one, new mysteries keep taking shape, and Makima might be the biggest of them all.

This character became an instant fan-favorite upon the anime’s premiere, to no one’s surprise. There’s no doubt that Makima is an extremely interesting character, especially because of how little we know about her. As we inch toward the end of the season, though, this seems to be about to change. Makima’s powers are slowly being peeled back, and with it, her true identity will soon follow. If you’d like to avoid spoilers, this is your last chance to turn back.

Warning: Spoilers to follow.

After Makima was shot in episode eight, viewers were left to believe the character was dead. The gruesome image of Makima’s lifeless body and the bullet hole on her forehead could not have been more clear in their portrayal. However, in episode nine Makima appears again on screen, seemingly unaffected by the situation, and with no traces of injury.

When questioned by other Devil Hunters, she claimed to not have been shot at all, and that the blood staining her clothes is not hers. A scene showing the bloodied dead bodies of Makima’s attackers confirms part of her statement — it’s the men’s blood on her clothes, not her own. But how is that possible?

How is Makima still alive?

Makima’s survival is pretty simple to explain: she is not human. Later in the story, it’s revealed that this character is the Control Devil, one of the most powerful in the series. Because of this, Makima can exert control over anyone she has made eye contact with, including forcing them to make Devil contracts. Since she is a Devil herself, Makima has made a contract with the Prime Minister of Japan, to ensure her own survival. In exchange for working with the Japanese Public Safety, Makima requested in the contract that all fatal attacks against her shall be transferred to a Japanese citizen, in the form of an illness.

This means that when Makima was shot, the bullet’s damage simply disappeared after a while, thanks to the magic of the Devil contract. Unfortunately, some poor random person will have to pay the price for Makima’s life, but that’s no concern of hers. For the foreseeable future, Makima will remain untouchable, but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be the case. Sooner or later, death comes for us all.

Until then, though, Chainsaw Man‘s story will continue. New episodes are released every Tuesday on Crunchyroll and Hulu.