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Fire is that perfect example of power, if used wisely, it can be incredibly useful but if it’s used haphazardly, destruction and chaos ensue. So to be given the ability to control fire and desire to use it to be a hero, can certainly say a lot about someone. One such person is Shinra Kusakabe, a third generation pyrokinetic working for Company Eight of Fire Force. What’s a third generation? What’s Company Eight? And what’s Fire Force? Let’s find out!

Shinra Kusakabe lives in a world where an event occurred that caused spontaneous combustion to become a far more common event. Instead of killing the victim though, they were found to become demonic beings called Infernals, incapable of controlling themselves and seeking only to burn and destroy all around them. The world had to change, the scientific community, the military, fire fighters, and churches had to unite to form Fire Force, an organization that was tasked with stopping Infernals and protecting the people from them.

Another aspect of the world was that while Infernals were the first generation of pyrokinetics, others would be born with more control over the power. Second generations began cropping up, able to control fire but unable to create it of their own ability. Third generations were able to create and control flames of their own, this is what Shinra is. His power is centered on his feet, he emits fire from his soles and can use this to propel himself in the air, to fly and send out searing kicks of flame. When he uses his ability, his feet leave soot markings where he walks, gaining him the nickname Devil’s Footprints.

Before he mastered that though, he was just a young boy living with his mother and baby brother, Sho. When he was five, a fire broke out one night, Shinra swears he saw a shadowy figure in the home as the culprit who started the fire. Shinra was the only one found alive and was blamed to have accidentally used his powers in his sleep. This caused Shinra to dedicate himself to joining Fire Force so he could find out more about this shadowy figure.

By the time he was old enough to join Fire Force, he was accepted into Company Eight, the latest division of Fire Force. Unknown to most people outside the Company, Eight was formed to  not only fight Infernals but to also keep tabs on the goings on of the other Companies, effectively acting as an Internal Affairs. This is where things begin to get pretty wild for Shinra and the rest of Company Eight as they begin to unravel a vast conspiracy into the origins of the Infernals.

There you have it! Shinra and the rest of Company Eight have been through many adventures since their first appearance not too long ago, but it’s best to save those for your reading and watching entertainment. It’s a manga as well as an anime, the creator of which has estimated the series is anywhere between thirty to fifty volumes, we’ll see how that plays out. See you next time!

Suggested Reading
Fire Force

Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net