The Best Fire Force Characters Ranked

With two anime seasons and over 30 volumes of manga, "Fire Force" has been an immensely popular series since its release in 2015. It is written and illustrated by Atsushi Okubo and is (per Anime News Network) set to be his final manga after the final two volumes are released. In this world of the far flung future, humanity has barely escaped the apocalypse known as The Great Cataclysm. During this event, the world was set on fire and many nations were wiped out. In the aftermath, there are few places hospitable to humanity. One of these is the Tokyo Empire, which remained relatively stable throughout the disaster despite suffering losses of life and land.

Following The Great Cataclysm, Tokyo Emperor Raffles I established the faith of the Holy Sol Temple. This temple, in conjunction with Haijima Industries, have developed the immensely powerful Amaterasu power plant which sustains the country. Despite this era of peace, there are rogue agents that would see The Great Cataclysm return and humanity returned to ash. As such, eight companies of firefighters work to combat these forces of evil and the supernatural monsters that plague the country. On both sides of this battle are compelling characters whose power is only rivaled by a few.

Haumea is an extremely powerful Third Generation pyrokinetic and member of the White Clad. Like Shinra, she possesses the potent Adolla Burst and has been identified as the Second Pillar. Since becoming a member of the White Clad at an extremely young age, Haumea has been at the center of several major story arcs and is one of the most powerful characters in "Fire Force." She, along with her partner Charon, were responsible for the abduction of Shinra's brother Sho and transformation of their mother into an Infernal Demon. From there, she has only furthered the goals of the organization in seeking another Great Cataclysm.

It is likely that Haumea was driven mad by her powers due to them tapping her into humanity's collective unconscious. Over the years of hearing humanity's deepest and darkest desires, something inside the young woman snapped. To cope, she has developed a sadistic personality and takes great joy in harming others. Through the use of her electrical powers, she is able to hold her own against multiple opponents, including some of the best in Company 8. While a more recent addition to the anime, her role in the manga has only continued to grow along with her power.

Arthur Boyle is a Third Generation pyrokinetic who joins Company 8 at the same time as Shinra. Arthur is unusual in that he truly believes himself to be a knight. It is explained that this is a result of the stories his parents would tell him before ultimately abandoning him. Since then, Arthur's delusions — which are likely a coping mechanism for his traumatic upbringing –  have only grown. Despite this, Arthur's knightly qualities serve him well in Company 8. Though he may bicker with his counterpart, Shinra, over virtually anything, the 2 of them make a formidable team. In fact, it is the unlikely friendship that saves the 2 of them when things look the most dire.

Using his pyrokinetic abilities, Arthur is able to channel his flames into a plasma blade he calls Excalibur. Like many others in the series, Arthur grows in terms of maturity and power. Towards the back half of the series, he is able to go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful villains to grace the pages. Though he might not be the brightest, he is certainly one of the bravest to serve in the kingdom that is Company 8's domain.

Hibana, or Princess Hibana, is a Third Generation pyrokinetic and Captain of Fire Force Company 5. Though she initially appears as a rival to Company 8, and is sadistic in her treatment of Infernals and subordinates alike, Hibana does have a good heart. She grew up in the Holy Sol Temple alongside Sister Iris. As a child, she would use her powers to create beautiful art out of flames to delight the other children that lived there. After a tragic fire broke out at the temple and took the lives of everyone but Hibana and Iris, Hibana lost her faith and turned to science. Her zealous research into Infernals led her to attaining high-ranking positions within Haijima Industries and the Fire Force. 

It was her encounter with Company 8 and Shinra in particular that caused her to turn over a new leaf. After their battle, Hibana appeared to revert back to the kinder personality of her childhood. She would go on to work personally with Company 8 in their mission of uncovering the cause behind the recent uptick in Infernal appearances. Rather than be motivated by vengeance and hate, Hibana was able to channel her genius intellect, tactical prowess, and charms into uncovering those behind the dastardly plot.

Joker is the first of many controversial characters that Shinra and Company 8 encounter during the course of their investigations into Infernals. Company 8 runs into Joker several times, with each meeting putting the lives of the Company or others at risk. In a rather cruel fashion, reflecting on his own upbringing and training, Joker has been training Shinra and pushing him to grow stronger through their encounters. When Shinra has reached a new "level," Joker rewards the young Fire Force Soldier with a piece of new information. The first tantalizing secret is that Shinra's younger brother, Sho, is actually alive.

Joker, like many others in "Fire Force," is an extremely gifted pyrokinetic. Though it is never explicitly stated what generation he is, it can be speculated that he is a Third Generation because of his ability to produce flames with his fingers. But Joker's abilities aren't limited to pyrokinetics. He is an extremely prodigious hand-to-hand combatant and possesses phenomenal speed that allows him to keep up with the likes of Shinra and his fire-powered kicks. Throw in a variety of gadgets and chemical compounds courtesy of the scientist Viktor Licht, and Joker is a threat to be reckoned with.

Maki Oze is a Second Generation pyrokinetic and serves as the Unit Leader in Company 8. Known as the Fire Witch, Maki Oze is the tough but romantic heart of Company 8. She was the 3rd member to join the force, after being personally recommended by Takehisa. In her previous life, Maki served with Takehisa in the Tokyo Army. Due to her father being her Sergeant, Maki worked harder than any other cadet to prove herself. Despite family ties, Maki left the military, as she felt she could do more good working with Captain Obi and Lieutenant Takehisa at Company 8.

Despite being a Second Generation, Maki is a devastating combatant. Early on in their training, Arthur and Shinra failed to lay a hand on the Fire Witch and were promptly shut down. As the series progresses, she is shown to hold her own against other ferocious foes such as Infernals and the White Clad. Her unique abilities allow her to extinguish and absorb flames, and thus she can have a severe impact on other pyrokinetics' abilities. Once Vulcan joined Company 8, he crafted a pair of weapons for Maki that she can control with summoned fire spirits. With her joyful personality and toughness backing them, there's not much that Company 8 can't overcome.

Captain Akitaru Obi is the non-powered Captain of Fire Force Company 8. It is because of his tremendous courage and refusal to let his teammates down that he stands toe-to-toe with Infernals and other super-powered individuals. He has a strong sense of compassion and justice, which is what initially led to the forming of Company 8 with Lieutenant Takehisa. Captain Obi believes that killing an Infernal is still murder, as the individual was once human. As such, he tackles each incident with a great deal of respect for both the Infernal and their surviving family members. 

To keep up with these supernatural threats, Captain Obi is frequently shown training and takes great pride in his physical prowess. In almost every instance where the team isn't battling for their lives, Captain Obi is shown working out in some form. Despite the very serious nature of his role and responsibilities, he is a lighthearted man who enjoys spending time and joking with his subordinates. Due to his strong sense of justice and moral character, even those that stand at odds with Company 8 can't deny the quality of his character.

The indisputable hero of "Fire Force" is Shinra Kusakabe. After a tragic incident involving his powers left him as (supposedly) the only survivor in his family, Shinra enlisted in the Special Fire Force. As a child, he always wanted to be a hero — a dream became a reality. He is called a Devil because of the smile that typically adorns his face, but this seemingly malicious grin isn't one borne from evil. Instead, it is the result of a nervous condition when he becomes stressed, anxious, angered, or otherwise uncomfortable. As he becomes more comfortable with those around him and his own abilities, the smile appears less frequently.

Shinra is thrust into his destiny at a young age and plays an integral part in determining the fate of the world. He, like many others in "Fire Force," is an extremely gifted pyrokinetic. His particular ability appears as flames that burst from the soles of his feet. These allow his to travel at supersonic speeds and deliver punishing flame-powered blows. Shinra is a brash fighter who tends to rush into fights without thinking. This gets him into trouble more often than not, but his indomitable will and sense of justice almost always see him prevail. He is a flawed but engaging hero for a series where so many could have stolen the spotlight.