20 Of The Best Fights From "Fire Force"
I remember avoiding this anime for a while thinking it was a show about firefighters, which is not to say that wouldn't make for an interesting anime, but it just didn't grab my attention. As always I had a friend repeat to me that I needed to give it a chance because I wouldn't be disappointed and the animation is on point. So one day, I finally decided to binge and I instantly fell in love, not only with the characters and overall world that they live in but also the fights that had my jaw drop to the floor at times.
A Season 3 date has yet to be released for this pyro-centric shonen so for anybody who hasn't already binged, I recommend you stop reading and go to Hulu, Crunchy Roll, or Funimation and start now. As for the rest of you that are still reading, here's a list of my favorite fights so far through the series in no particular order. ??Spoilers?? ahead!
1.Company 8 vs. Giant Infernal
To start it off, we have the first infernal encounter that the Special Fire Force Company 8 battle with after having their roster complete. We get to see Company 8 really put all their abilities and skills on display. From Makis' "Sputter Rush Flare," to the Captain's brute strength and gadgetry, and of course Shinra's "Rapid-Man Kick." It's the perfect start to Season 2, and the reason why it kicked off my list as well.
2.Shinra vs. Princess Hibana
Princess Hibana wasn't winning viewers over with her insane treatment of her fellow Company members, or her overall condescending nature to anyone she felt was beneath her. We do get some context as to why she's the cynic and abuser she is and find out all she needed was a good whooping to break her out of her ways. After Iris disappears, Company 8 goes to save their comrade which leads Shinra and the Company 5 Captain to go toe to toe. For a while, Shinra was outmatched with Hibana using her "Heat Syncope," among other attacks, to keep him at bay but he realizes how to overcome her attacks and lands a devasting blow that not only earns him her respect, but weirdly her admiration as well.
3.Shinra vs. Rekka
With Rekka revealed to be a traitor and taking advantage of his pupil Tamaki, he readies to kill her and frame her for creating infernals. It's at this moment that Shinra flies in like a banshee and serves him up some sweet chin music to get this fight started. This battle in particular really showed how well Shinra has developed as a fighter, as he is able to take out one of Company 1's top Lieutenants.
4.Benimaru vs. Company 8
When Company 8 goes to Asakusa to make an alliance with Company 7, things go awry as Benimaru is convinced by some White Clad trickery that Company 8 is responsible for creating infernals in his hometown. This quickly infuriates Benimaru and confuses Captain Obi as he's getting chased by Company 7's Captain. After their combined efforts aren't enough to convince Beni that he's being manipulated, Konro steps in and is able to calm his friend down.
5.Benimaru vs. Demon Infernal
Shortly after Arthur and Shinra battle some White Clad members, one of them decides to eat an infernal insect to turn himself into a Horned Infernal of great strength. This, of course, calls for Beni to jump to the rescue and show his amazing 2nd and 3rd generation pyrokinetic powers. After hitting him with some blows that would put almost anybody else away, he finally decides to get the demon to the skies where he can unleash some serious power. Here he uses his buddy Konro's special attack "Crimson Moon," which immediately purifies the infernal and makes the sky blood red.
6.Lt. Hinawa vs. Arrow
As all the members of Company 8 have a different White Clad soldier to deal with, it only seemed befitting that Lt. Hinawa would face off against a fellow long-range attacker in Arrow. The duel goes pretty back and forth with Arrow seemingly getting the better of the Lieutenant, which is usually about the time we know our heroes figure out a strategy and defeat the opposition. In this case, he uses his 2nd generation ability to power up his shotgun blast with Arrow's explosive shot, which in turn combines both of their attacks.
7.Tamaki vs. Assault
Tamaki and Iris run into a White Clad assassin named Assault who initially shakes Tamaki's confidence. This soon changes when she realizes she's just as good as the rest of her Company 8 allies and exacts her attack on Assault. In typical Tamaki fashion, she doesn't necessarily beat Assault the way she would've liked, as her "Lucky Lecher" activates as she dodges his attack which causes him to grab hold of her chest in a way that a religious man doesn't feel comfortable with. This gives Iris the opening to clobber him over the head with a pipe and then finish with them stomping him out as he tries to protest that this isn't the way he will be defeated.
8.Maki vs. Flail
With yet another showdown in the Nether, Maki is forced to fight Flail, a brawny White Clad member who uses none other than a flaming flail as his weapon. Though it does him no good, as he and his soldiers are quickly dispatched by Maki's Iron Owls and hand-to-hand skills. The fight concludes though, as it seems that Flail is able to withstand her attacks. But after Flail insults her, Maki turns her anger into a final blow that finally puts him away.
9.Shinra vs. Sho
You knew that this fight was bound to happen after Shinra discovered that not only was his brother alive, but he was working for the Evangelist. Determined to save his younger brother, Shinra goes after Sho in a battle that seems pretty one-sided until Shinra is able to have an "Adolla Link" with his brother. This makes it so that the two share some memories, but also grants him "Adolla Grace," which gives him the ability to be faster than the speed of light. This makes it an even fight if only for a bit before Sho is taken away by his White Clad comrades and Shinra is saved by Company 8.
10.Shinra vs. Captain Burns
Season 1 wraps up with Shinra having recovered from his showdown with his younger brother Sho, and hearing from Captain Burns that he's willing to finally share what he knows about the fire that happened 12 years prior. There is of course a caveat to all this, which is that Shinra must prove to Burns that he is strong enough to hear the truth and can only do so by showing his strength in battle. The showdown isn't necessarily fair, as Shinra is still recovering. Burns is levels above Shinra in power, but of course, Shinra manages to earn Captain Burns' respect and the truth.
11.Shinra vs. Arthur
I feel that every shonen has a moment where the main character is being mind-controlled by some baddie and their friends have to battle them to try and snap them out of it. This fight was no different, as an Adolla Link between Shinra and The First Pillar occurred causing him to unleash all the rage he's had pent up from the tragedy he suffered 12 years prior. Arthur holds back his fatal attacks as he doesn't want to hurt his comrade, but warns he can only do that for so long. It's the moment Arthur questions Shinra's goal of being a hero that allows Shinra to finally escape The First Pillars' influence. The devilish look on Shinra's face is the stuff of nightmares.
12.Shinra vs. Charon
It was good to see Charon's power finally on display with his 2nd generation ability to absorb the kinetic energy he is attacked with and use it against his enemies. The look on Shinra's face when Charons getting attacked by his own men was classic. We see a rare moment of defeat for Shinra, as he is not only beaten up by Charon but he also isn't able to convince the Fifth Pillar, Inca, that being with the Fire Force is in her best interest.
13.Ogun and Shinra vs. Demon Infernal Tempe
When Ogun was introduced I knew I wanted to see him battle immediately, and although the little skirmish with the Giant Worm showed us a glimpse, the battle against Tempe really gave me what I wanted to see. Not only did his powers impress, but the will and sheer determination to give Shinra the time he needed made his first demon infernal battle that much sweeter. I also can't forget to mention Shinra using the "Adolla Grace" to travel at light speed and finish the old Demon Infernal after discovering the truth about the Tabernacle in Oasis and the Amaterasu in Tokyo.
14.Joker vs. Sol Commander
Joker battling his former Commander from the Holy Sol's Shadow assassin group was pretty satisfying after seeing the kind of treatment he had to endure. Although we already knew how powerful he was from previous episodes, it was this fight that really put his skills on display. Something about the way he was able to exact his revenge against his former oppressor was great to see, it was like something out of a Mortal Kombat fatality.
15.Maki and Vulcan vs. Puppeteer
The battle for whose tech was better was on full display here, as Vulcan's "Tekkyo" went against Puppeteers robotic "Dominions." The combination of Vulcan's tech knowledge and Maki's fighting skills showed just how good of a duo they make. Their efforts might have ended up futile as you see that Puppeteer has a lot more in store but I hope this pair teams up again as I loved the dynamic between the two.
16.Shinra vs Kurono
While trying to infiltrate Haijima and rescue Nataku, Shinra gets a chance to fight back for the weak that Kurono seems so content beating down. Shinra quickly realizes just how powerful he is and makes every attempt to prove himself and also play along as a test subject. After seeing just how far Kurono will go, Licht, who had been overseeing the test along with other Haijima scientists, pulled the plug and gave Shinra the escape.
17.Everybody vs. Nataku
With 3 different factions trying to get him, Nataku eventually finds himself absorbed by a Flaming Giant as well as being driven crazy by an imaginary Rekka who is telling him to destroy everything. This leads to an epic war where an unlikely alliance happens as Charon stops a devastating attack from Nataku that would've destroyed the whole city and killed the very people he's sworn to protect. Also, Kurono quickly dismantles the Flaming Giant husk to free Nataku and return to Haijima. The rescue plan didn't go as planned for Company 8, but it seemed to have bettered Nataku's situation for the time being.
18.Juggernaut vs. Orochi
Making their return to the Nether, Company 8 teams up with Company 2 which has Juggernaut teaming up with Tamaki to take on Orochi from the White Clad. After Tamaki was taken down, Juggernaut came back to summon the courage that he sometimes lacks to rain down a massive bomb on Orochi, which we see in slow motion just absolutely destroy her. It was cool to see the bravery in Juggernaut as he chooses to survive and fight for his comrade.
19.Giovanni vs. Arthur and Shinra
Giovanni coming back as this insectoid monster was something unexpected but great to watch. There's always a level of comedy when Shinra and Arthur team up, but it was even funnier in contrast with Giovanni trying to invoke his insect fear into the duo. Arthur came through, as always, by using his lack of intelligence to beat the super-intelligent Giovanni. It was one of those moments that made me legitimately laugh out loud.
20.Benimaru vs Shinra and Arthur
Nothing better than seeing a season wrap with Shinra, Tamaki, and Arthur receiving training from the very best that'll inevitably lead to these characters being even more ridiculously badass in the next season. Unfortunately for Shinra and Arthur, it comes at the cost of getting their butts absolutely handed to them by Benimaru, who is trying to extract the power he believes hasn't been tapped yet. Season 3 is sure to be another exciting ride!