while i don't think makima is intended as a "sympathetic" villain, i do think it's important to remember that her story is one of cyclical abuse. the way she was raised by public safety molded how she felt it was appropriate to treat others, she wasn't just born a monster (necessarily).
Jan 27, 2026 22:13her life was stolen from her the same way she tried to steal the lives of others. even her comparison of humans to dogs comes from her superiors in public safety, it's not something she came up with on her own. they molded her into a weapon they couldn't handle, and paid for it.
you can't even really blame it on her being a devil, because we see in almost every devil (and fiend) we meet in part 1 that they aren't inherently evil, amoral beings. it's a choice they make, or in some cases a choice that's made for them. she's a victim and a monster.
there's also nayuta as very obvious evidence of this. makima didn't need to be the way she was, nurture played a bigger role than nature did. which isn't to absolve makima of her sins, but rather to emphasize how every part of the system she belonged to was rotten to its core.
public safety was (and is) a corrupt, detached organization that justified (and continues to justify) heinous acts of cruelty under the guise of keeping the nation "safe". it's as much of a monster as she was (though maybe less competent overall).
don't think i'm breaking new ground with this observation really, i'm sure this has been discussed to death, especially given how public safety behaves in part 2, but it's fun for me to analyze and talk about, especially as someone who arrived to the party very late.
there's also something to be said about how the way makima (and devils in general) was/are treated relates to how neurodivergent people can be treated by the world around them but that's maybe a bit above my level of expertise (which is admittedly, none).
