Iris goes to the 5th’s headquarters to meet with Princess Hibana. Instead of being moved by Iris’ attempts, Hibana uses her as a plot to lure in the 8th. But Shinra and the 8th are not easily lured in, as they arrive and wipe out the entirety of the 5th’s fighters! This is the first time we have seen the 8th fighting against other fire brigade members, and it was impressive to see how they worked together in their various strengths to subdue the much larger company.

Though Shinra’s fight with Hibana was also memorable and meaningful, we chose this scene specifically because it gave all the members a chance to shine—well, except for Captain Obi!

Initially, we see the Infernals as these horrible monsters, almost as if they’re a plague. But this episode allowed us to see the sad truth of their nature—as humans who are suffering. Obi is serious about his task to find the reason behind human combustion, and we see it by how he takes this second mission. He asks Arthur and Shinra to hide their weapons, respects the enduring victim enough to give him a swift ending, and even saves a picture for the victim’s child. It was truly an emotional scene.

Up until Joker’s appearance, Shinra has always believed his brother Sho to be dead, but Joker opens a new door for him. Joker does not explain much to Shinra whenever he meets up, preferring instead to plant the seeds of doubt and then watch everything unfold from the shadows. He seems to be a chaotic character, but also not totally a bad person, despite his attacking with Infernal ashes.

We love Joker for the amount of unpredictability he brings to Fire Force, although this initial introduction was the best. The question of what he is going to say or do next is part of what makes the intrigue behind this series so good!

It isn’t until much later that we learn more about Obi and Lieutenant Hinawa’s past when Hinawa tells of how the 8th came about. Hinawa was serving in the military when one day his friend became an Infernal in front of him. Hinawa was scarred by his inability to act at this moment, and he then ran into Obi, who was unusually compassionate toward Infernals. The two worked together to put a forgotten Infernal to rest and decided they would form the 8th together.

This moment stuck out to us as a change in the perspective of humanity. Hinawa and Obi saw the Infernals more as human beings who needed to be helped, whereas others in the fire brigades only seemed to see them as monsters or numbers to add to their kill list. The telling of this story made us emotional, and we love both of these characters even more now!

Shinra and Arthur are investigating the 1st, and they are convinced that someone on the inside is causing people to become Infernals. They learn that it was actually Lieutenant Rekka, who is fighting on the behalf of some mysterious organization, one that desires for the gifted fire users to inherit the world. It is a shocking moment, made more shocking by Rekka’s suddenly altered personality as he tortures Tamaki and attempts to turn children into Infernals.

This is an epic fight scene, as Shinra leaps out of the sky to Tamaki’s aid! Though Shinra emerges victorious, the win is bittersweet, as Rekka is swiftly murdered by more members of the secret organization, leaving his comrades wondering where he had changed along the way. Not only does this scene have some of the most beautiful animation, it also brings about some of the most poignant emotions in the series so far.