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Fire Force (Episode 2) – The Heart of a Fire Soldier

Fire Force Title

A new recruit has arrived at Special Fire Force Company 8 and it’s one of Shinra’s old rivals, Arthur Boyle who calls himself the Knight King! Hinawa is keen to put them both through the wringer and see what they’re made of!

What did you watch?

It’s time to look at episode 2 of Fire Force. I really enjoyed the first episode and looking back at the last review, I’m pretty sure Yomu from Umai Yomu Anime Blog did too. At the very least, Yomu has agreed to come back and discuss this one, so that’s got to be a good sign. After the image of Maki and Iris making adorable fire sprites, you can be sure to find spoilers, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you may want to go do that. It’s all right, we’ll wait.

Fire Force Episode 2 Maki Manipulating Fire With Iris

What happened?

Chief Obi tells Shinra about the upcoming Rookie Fire Soldier Games, something that he and the other new recruit will be taking part is and representing Company 8. Shinra was surprised to find out that it would only be them and also that the new recruit is an old adversary from fire soldier training, Arthur Boyle. Arthur calls himself the Knight King and is a third-generation like Shinra. They instantly continue their feud, taking to the rooftops to fight.

Meanwhile, Maki and Iris were already on the rooftop playing with fire, much to Hinawa’s disapproval. He decided to test the new recruits for the games and has them fight Maki. Iris asks if that’s fair as Maki is only a second-generation, but Hinawa tells her that Maki is a former soldier and knows exactly how to break a man. He was not kidding! Later the company are called out to another Infernal appearance, where Captain Obi reminds them of how serious a job it is that they’re doing.

Fire Force Episode 2 Arthur Boyle Slaying Infernal

Hey Yomu, thanks for coming back for episode 2 of Fire Force. Let’s get straight into it. As the guest, you get to go first and you’ll be in bold.

What did you think?

Hello again, Lynn! I think that Fire Force is wasting no time with its character development! Only on the second episode and we’ve already been introduced to another new rookie in the force, “The Knight King”, who happens to have an old rivalry with Shinra. I actually think he has a cool way to use fire in order to fight.. and overall it’s impressive how much variety there is in the various character’s fighting styles. Speaking of we also got to see a great scene of Maki and her combat prowess, as well as her abilities as a second generation… flame user?

All in all, I think this was a great episode that is setting things in motion at a fine pace.

I agree. I thought it worked really well and also was a huge fan of the Maki fight scene. She absolutely kicked their butts. If there were any doubts over her best girl status (I didn’t have any) they must have been extinguished…

I’m not too sure how I feel about there being a rookie tournament as I’d rather just see them fight Infernals and work out what’s causing them. I’d also like to know why Arthur’s plasma sword has a sheath… would it be too close to a lightsaber?

Fire Force Episode 2 Iris Maki Shinra Saying Goodbye To Arthur

What was your favourite moment?

Going with a sombre scene, I think that the scene where the captain pulled the rookies aside to explain the gravity of their job, and how they need to be considerate to the feelings of those who become devastated by their family turning into infernals was a great scene. And to follow that up with the actual Infernal they faced, who was mentally strong enough to hold back long enough to be dispatched by the fire force without hurting anyone was great too.

And as you say, following both of those scenes, it seems odd for the anime to want to move away from the Infernals towards a rookie tournament. Maybe we’ll end up seeing Infernals at the tournament though? Tournaments getting interrupted seems pretty common in anime.

I also wondered why Arthur’s sword needed a sheath because after being chastised by the captain I was thinking it’d be very easy for him to hide the hilt in his overcoat if he didn’t have that long sheath. Maybe there’s a reason for it later on, but I’m thinking it’s just cause Arthur is edgy and likes the knight symbolism.

That was a great scene, especially the burning man sitting at the dinner table fighting through the pain to control himself. I’m glad you mentioned it because it gives me a chance to mention another scene.

That was when Arthur said all were equal at the round table when talking to Hinawa. Seconds later Shinra, Maki, and Iris we’re behind the safety tap as Iris offered a prayer for Arthur. I love how they’ve got everyone terrified of Hinawa already.

What was your least favourite moment?

Funny you mention that… my least favourite moment was Hinawa killing the mood on the rooftop when he first showed up. It felt like they were trying a bit too hard to make him seem like the “hard-boiled” character. And that just makes me think that something is going to happen later to force him to open up more to the other characters.

He certainly is the straight-laced by the book kind of guy, but I don’t mind it. I actually kind of enjoy it. For me, it’s either the revelation that there’s going to be a tournament or the sheath. Two fairly small and insignificant things I know, but otherwise I really enjoyed that episode. There was a lot to get excited about.

Fire Force Episode 2 Maki Bye

Who was your favourite character?

Maki. I’m allowed to keep picking the same character right? It’s as you said. If she was already best girl from episode 1, then in this episode, she’s cemented that position. It’s cool to see how she fights, and how strong she is. My only worry is that they are showing Maki off as strong right now only to push her aside in favour of Shinra and Arthur, who I expect to surpass her at some point. So I worry that she will become more reliant on everyone else when it comes to battles.

I’m going to back you up one hundred percent. She is amazing. The way she took out Shinra and Arthur was excellent. I’m hoping that because her power is very different from theirs’ then there will always be a need for her. I noticed on the title screen there’s another firefighter in a bikini… no doubt another third-generation with specific outfit requirements. Someone to keep an eye out for I think. (See image below.)

Fire Force Episode 2 Who Is This?

I never noticed that! Maybe some competition for Maki? That would actually be amazing. The bar is already so high too… things can only get better from here it seems.

Who was your least favourite character?

Not surprisingly, it’s Hinawa.. again. The way he killed the mood on the rooftop seemed a bit much, but what I really didn’t like was how he chastised Maki only to give Arthur a pass after Arthur didn’t address him formally. If he’s going to be enforcing standards and rules, I’d hope he does it equally, and doesn’t just pick on Maki. Especially cause I wanted to see him knock Arthur down a peg too. it was a bit disappointing.

Very true. It was a toss-up between Arthur and Hinawa for me and I’m not sure I can decide. I quite like both characters for different reasons but they’re also kind of annoying. They may all be fairly standard character types but I’m still enjoying them and I like how they operate as a unit.

Fire Force Episode 2 Hinawa Talking About Maki

Would you like some more?

I would indeed like some more. As if I wasn’t already looking forward to more Fire Force, now you have me excited for this bikini firefighter! I hope she’s a tsundere, has a hime cut, or both.

Haha! Well, it looks like she’s shorter than Maki so from anime stereotypes I’d gamble on her being a tsundere. We’ve also barely scratched the surface with regards the Infernals so there’s still plenty to look forward to. I’m absolutely pumped for this series. Anything else you’d like to talk about? How about the guy that showed up at the fire?

Oh yeah, that edgy smoking guy? If anything his presence just confirms that there is some science behind people turning into Infernals and that it’s not always a random occurrence. We’ll probably have to wait a few more episodes before we learn more of him or whoever he is working for I think.

That was my interpretation too. It’s not necessarily random. Maybe there’s a pattern, but there’s definitely someone behind it. It was a nice little tease to keep us guessing. Hopefully, someone like that will show up at the tournament and cause all hell to break loose.

Well, it’s been great chatting with you about Fire Force again. I’m already looking forward to the next time. Thanks again.

Thanks, and see you next week!

Fire Force Episode 2 Akitaru Obi Catching Falling Ceiling

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6 Comments

  1. The announcement of a rookie tournament kind of made me roll my eyes about where this will go in future episodes but I really did enjoy this episode as there were some really good moments of world building and solidifying the character roles. It worked well. Still, very wary about where they are going as a tournament seems wholly unnecessary given the set up for this world.

    • Yes, I loved the episode, but yeah, it’s not Fire Force Academia… surely there’s got to be plenty of real fire emergencies for them to deal with.

  2. I loved Maki, she was so badass! I hope they don’t push her aside for the sake of Arthur or Shinra that would be super disappointing, especially since the Sister doesn’t seem to have any strong points and they already used her as a demoiselle in distress to highlight Shinra in the first episode. Seeing Maki as a powerful woman in the group brings a little diversity and just more fun, so they should keep it that way.

    • Indeed and it looks like another strong woman will join soon. Definitely a third-generation. I’m pretty excited with how this show is developing.

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