‘Chainsaw Man’ Episode 8: Recap And Ending, Explained – What Happens To Himeno And Makima?

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In “Chainsaw Man” Episode 7, the team had a little heart-to-heart, and their personalities added depth to the character build-up. They were put to the test, and their selfish desires broke out under stress. They got to know each other a little better while trying to escape the Eternity Devil, who begged for his own death after being in immense pain for days at a stretch while Denji slashed through him. After the battle, they headed for a little after-party, where Denji had his first kiss with Himeno. The episode ends with a drunken Himeno dragging a drunken Denji back to her apartment, where she makes a move on him.

Spoilers Ahead


Did Himeno Love Aki?

“Chainsaw Man” Episode 8 began with Himeno dragging Denji to her bed and leaving him there to freshen up. Still tipsy, she realized that Denji was in her apartment and offered him water by kissing him when he asked for it, which led to her propositioning him. Denji at first struggles to make a decision; he then gives his consent, only to stop when Himeno finds a candy, Chupa Chup, in his pocket. In a flashback, Denji remembers Makima and how she helped him forget the taste of vomit due to their awful first kiss. This flashback acts to jumpstart his conscience, and he rejects Himeno and keeps her from going any further. In the morning, while they have their breakfast, Himeno and Denji have a heart-to-heart conversation in which Denji comes to terms with falling in love with Makima, and Himeno confesses to loving Aki. Himeno promises to set him up with Makima if he returns the favor by setting her and Aki up. This incident and her earlier interactions with Aki from the day she met him clearly point to the fact that along the way, Himeno fell hard for Aki, and Aki, in his way, loved Himeno too. He was just not aware of his feelings.


What Happens To Makima?

Episode 8 starts with a tone of unrequited love, new friendships, and new beginnings. A peaceful tone still persisted after Denji and Himeno’s conversation. Yet, this peaceful tone only served as the calm before the violent storm. The entire tone changed in what seemed like mere seconds after the scene shifted to Makima traveling via train for a business meeting with the higher-ups based in Kyoto. While on the train, Makima is seen reminiscing about the simple and enjoyable time she spent with the team during the after-party. During her reminiscence, she was openly attacked by unknown individuals. Her assistant had no chance to retaliate, while Makima was shot in the head. This seemed to be the death of the character called Makima; however, as the anime had neglected to showcase her powers in the second episode, there is a chance that she would very well be unscathed and continue on with her life. Therefore, there is a high chance that Makima is alive. As per the manga, there will be a major confrontation between Makima and Denji later on, which is why the makers cannot kill her just yet. This incident could very well be the plot used to show off her power later on.


Introduction Of An Overpowered Character.

After the incident with Makima, the scene pans out toward a girl who looks suspiciously like Kobeni walking with another person. A gunshot rings out, and the scene leaves us wondering who was injured; manga readers would definitely know who it was; as for the anime, the next episode is going to prove pivotal for most of the characters. Power mistook the sound of this gunshot for the drumbeats in the ongoing festival; this made the entire scenario even more ominous. In the next second, an unknown man starts a conversation with the group by insulting the food as well as them in the same breath. He also seemed to know Denji from when he used to struggle to pay off his debts. This tempted the team, which included Power, Denji, Aki, and Himeno, to leave the shop, but before any of them could move, the man pulled out a gun and shot Denji point blank while coveting his heart for the elusive Gun Devil. With Denji out of the way, he shot Himeno. This immediately set Aki into action, and he immediately contacted the Fox Devil to defeat this new villain. But this only spurred the villain to reveal himself as the Katana Man, similar to Denji’s Chainsaw Man. Aki could finally subdue him with the help of the Curse Devil after he injured Katana Man with his own katana three times. However, this villain was rejuvenated when a girl came out of nowhere to help him. At a glance, the girl could pass off as a normal passerby, but the power she held was uncharted. She could contact high-end Devils with little to no effect, and all of the Devils contracted by the hunters seemed to be afraid of her. 


‘Chainsaw Man’ Episode 8: Ending Explained – Why Did Himeno Sacrifice Herself?

Even while Himeno was injured and Power tended to her by using her blood magic to keep her from succumbing to her injuries, Himeno was still worried for Aki, and she could not take seeing him hurt. She asked Power if she could help him and leave her, but the movements that the Katana Man displayed were too fast for Power to notice and take action. When Himeno realized that she would die anyway because of her injuries, she simply succumbed to powering up her contracted Ghost Devil and gave all she had to save Aki one last time. The sacrificial scene was needlessly beautifully constructed. Every single step she took toward fading out and losing herself to the Ghost Devil seemed to really hit the spot. Her life’s last tribute to save Aki as his lover and not his friend panned out because she knew that her sacrifice had the possibility of breaking him further; however, she could not bear to lose him too while she was hanging on to life by a thread due to the gunshots. As the Ghost Devil slowly took away her entire body, soul, and form, Aki’s heart broke even further, rendering him motionless while he tried to process the incident. But the makers seem to have something out for the enigmatic Himeno because the sacrifice ended up with no meaning as the Girl summoned the Snake Devil and finished off the Ghost Devil in one stroke just when the Ghost was going to finish off the Katana Man. All that was left of Himeno were her clothes and her eye patch. “Chainsaw Man” Episode 8 ended with a trembling Aki focusing on the eye patch, still trying to process her death. All this while, Denji was knocked unconscious due to blood loss, and there was no available blood nearby to rejuvenate him. Although it is not time for Aki to die, this is a very close brush with death, which will leave him even more devastated. There’s a chance that somehow, with the help of Power or by himself, Denji could regain his consciousness and go crazy enough to absolutely defeat these new villains. Although he’d need more than just strength and tenacity to defeat these newly introduced villains,


Final Words

“Chainsaw Man” Episode 8 clearly changed the entire pace of the anime. It was progressing in a mundane way, and the action in the episodes did give some fodder for discussion; however, the episodes had a few moments where it couldn’t hold onto my attention too much. This episode, though, goodness gracious, just suddenly introduced a plot twist out of nowhere. Although, as far as other MAPPA productions are concerned, I really should’ve expected this sudden attack. They just blew my brains in five minutes tops, no pun intended. There were a lot of shots fired, but it just came out of nowhere. I mean, the pacing and the talks about joy and love are not exactly in the dictionary of the Devil Hunters. “Chainsaw Man” Episode 8 really proved it. Till now, the team persisted in cooperation and the support of their partners; they also joked around and fell in love; however, even when they were desensitized to the mere thought of death and desensitized us, the audience, too, the death of what we considered to be major characters really left an impact. Even the major and important characters are not shielded by plot armor, and I think we should expect a lot more heart-wrenching moments in this anime as well. This reminded me of the discussion they had at the after-party in the previous episode about how Devil Hunters really do drop like flies. An early death always dashes their dreams and hopes of settling down. They simply cannot seem to catch a break in their lives. The episode seemed like the beginning of the actual plot, while the rest was crucial for setting up the characters and making them relatable to the audience so that their deaths hurt the most. It was as if the hunters were simply in vacation mode when suddenly, out of nowhere, they were hit by Hard Mode without warning. Episode 8 succeeded in leaving me bewildered and slightly aghast. I think a lot of you would agree with that expression.


See More: ‘Chainsaw Man’ Episode 9: Recap And Ending, Explained – Who Is Makima And What Is Her Power?


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Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has a keen interest in graphic designing, reading, and photography. Her insatiable appetite for cinema and pop culture enticed her to work as a content writer. She is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma focused in Animation & VFX to explore a new dimension in her career.

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