REVIEW: ‘Fire Force,’ Season 2 – Episode 3

Fire Force Episode 3 is a shonen anime produced by David Production. Having recovered his self-control Shinra informs the rest of Station 8 that he’s been told that another individual with access to the adolla burst is about to be discovered. With nothing more than that to go on it will be hard for the limited resources of one station to hunt down this individual. Can Station 8 count on the other stations for support? And how close are the Evangelist’s agents to finding this new adolla burst wielder?

The biggest thing about Fire Force Episode 3 is its continuation to grow the cast of Fire Force. Just as the last episode delivered a new threat, this episode introduces viewers to a wild card in the game. The new adolla burst wielder. I won’t give spoilers, but for me, this character lands a great first impression. The personality is going to fit in great with the rest of the cast. Plus, their particular abilities are something new, and potentially game-changing for the show. Not in a broken power level sort of way either. Just in a way that’ll bring new possibilities to the show, No matter which side they join.  Along with a lot of great introduction for the new character we are also treated to a strong character moment for Station 8’s captain.

With his resources stretched thin, the captain must make a plea to the Fire Force director to get the other stations to help him. Again, I’ll avoid spoilers, but the scene uses the captain’s heart and dedication to its fullest. Even though he doesn’t have a plasma sword like Arthur or wields the adolla burst like Shinra, he is every inch the hero they are.

Going with the theme of expanding its scope, Fire Force Episode #3 takes a moment to expand the role of my personal favorite member of Station 8, Maki. The station’s resident mechanic whips up some improvements to Maki’s signature weapons that I LOVE! Mostly because it gives the team a whole new reason to have her around. And more Maki is always a good thing.

With all this talk about character and story, we can’t neglect the continuing excellence that is Fire Force Episode #3’s visual presentation. Everything that is put before the viewer here is top-notch. The emotions on display are given plenty of weight here. The angle of shots, both in more emotional moments, as well as during the excitement, are always right where they need to be. The viewer is always in the middle of the story. This visual excellence is also applied to the newest character’s abilities. I really enjoyed how the team designed the new ability visually. Especially once the character really starts opening up with it.

With the story ending on a cliffhanger, Fire Force Episode 3 has me dying for what comes next. An interesting challenge is ahead for Shinra and the crew. And I cannot wait to see how much it’ll take for them to overcome it.

Fire Force Episode 3 is available now on Crunchyroll and Funimation.