Fire Force: S01, E01 | Shinra Kusakabe Enlists (recap)
Starting up a new anime is always a little shifty. You don’t know what to expect, you’re not sure if you’ll like the concept, and you’re not sure if you’ll like the opening song.
Okay, maybe that last part is just a ME thing. But, never the less when I found out the creator of Soul Eater was making another anime I decided to throw myself into Fire Force for this weekly episodic adventure to see what it brings.
Season 1, Episode 1 – Shinra Kusakabe Enlists
We meet Shinra Kusakabe, a third generation manipulator of fire. He has enlisted into Special Fire Force Company 8 with goals to be a hero. He’s the clear focal point of the story.
“Sir, honestly I just want to be a hero” – Shinra
He joins the Fire Force during a time when random spontaneous human combustion is striking citizens with no warning. Akitaru, the leader of the unit, mentions that there are no signs of when the combustion will happen and no clear reason for the combustion either.
Shinra has a history with human spontaneous combustion. His mother was a victim of spontaneous combustion when he was a child. As a result, she and Shinra’s little brother died. Shinra earned the nickname Devil’s Foot during that time because no one believed that he didn’t cause the fire, not even his own grandmother.
“I want to become a hero. No, I have to become one!” – Shinra
From his flashbacks, we can deduce that Shinra and his mother had a good relationship. He made two promises as a child. He promised to become a hero and to protect his family. Unfortunately, he could not protect his family. So now his goal is to become a hero to fulfill one promise.
During his first mission, Shinra freezes up in the line of duty and Akitaru helps to snap him back to reality. Shinra, remembering his goals, marches into the flames to put the Inferno (also known as a human who has spontaneously combusted) to rest.
It is during this mission that he reveals he saw something else besides his brother and mother in the flames the day they died. Shinra vows to find out who or what it was.