A large part of the reason Chainsaw Man is so popular is its characters, which means that fans want to know as much as possible about them. For instance, how old is Makima in Chainsaw Man?
As an enigmatic and sinister character, Makima raises some questions. Little is known about her past before Public Safety.
Besides, she's kind to Denji, but also controlling, expecting unquestioning, dog-like obedience from him, making fans wonder if Makima is evil.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers from the Chainsaw Man manga, so if you've only watched the anime, venture cautiously.
How Old Is Makima in Chainsaw Man?
Makima's exact age is never stated in the Chainsaw Man manga and anime so far, but she appears to be a young woman in her early or mid-twenties.
Her young age adds sinister undertones to Makima's character. Of course, she's not the first youthful anime character to be in a position of power and she won't be the last.
This convention of absurdly powerful young characters in shounen anime is partly due to the age of the target audience.
Fans need to identify with the main characters or else consider them interesting and attractive, so a much older cast could alienate younger viewers.
Even so, at first, it's hard to understand why a young person such as Makima is in command of visibly disorderly subordinates.
Moreover, she has complete control over Denji and Power who aren't much younger than she is, and even Aki, a similarly-aged human Devil Hunter, defers to her and obeys her every order.
In Episode 3, Makima convenes with the higher-ups, who do have some concerns about her special division, which include Denji and Power, a Hybrid and a Fiend, respectively sent out to hunt their own kind.
Still, it seems that Makima has a lot of freedom to arrange her special project as she sees fit.
Given how even high school students are sent to patrol against Devils in the Chainsaw Man universe, one might assume that Makima managed to distinguish herself in that regard at a young age.
Such a backstory could explain her present power. But what else is going on?
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How Old Is the Control Devil?
Later chapters of the Chainsaw Man manga reveal Makima to be the Control Devil.
Devil ages aren't discussed all that much in Chainsaw Man so it isn't possible to provide an exact number.
One thing is certain; Makima has been around for a long time, far beyond her supposed 25 or so years.
What we do know is that once a Devil is killed in the world, they get reincarnated in Hell, and vice versa, in a vicious cycle.
No Devil can be destroyed completely, as long as the fear for what they represent still exists.
The fear of being controlled or losing one's freedom has been around for much longer than Makima has.
This, along with the very concept that the Control Devil represents, explains why Makima is so powerful at such a young age.
How Old Is Nayuta?
When Denji finally manages to defeat Makima, the Control Devil gets reincarnated as a young girl named Nayuta.
The manga doesn't disclose her exact age either, but she confirms that Devils don't age like humans.
At the end of the Public Safety arc, Nayuta appears to be a little girl, but she's quite a bit older, possibly around 12 in the next arc.
Nayuta seems to be aging faster than a normal child. The manga doesn't specify if she was born as a baby or if she first appeared as an older girl.
It's also unclear if she has any control over her aging process. We would expect her to have some form of control over her appearance, though the Four Horsemen look quite similar so far.
We also assume that any Devil who has the form of a child would age faster than usual, then stay in young adult form indefinitely, as is the case with Makima.
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