REVIEW: ‘Fire Force’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “Incarnation of Flame”

Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3, “Incarnation of Flame,” sees Shinra  (Gakuto Kajiwara, Blue Lock) and Joker (Kenjirô Tsuda, The Ingenuity of the Househusband) square off with Captain Burns (Taiten Kurunoki, Tekken: Bloodline) to save Obi (Kazuya Nakai, Gamera Rebirth). As they try to overcome the powerful pyrokinetic, the rest of Station 8 arrive to help, though they are met with stiff resistance and are missing their most potent weapon.

The opening shots of the battle for Obi’s life take center stage in this episode. The first blows struck do a great job of empathizing the immense task before Shinra and Joker. Despite their combined might, Burns feels unstoppable, and as Joker points out to his new comrade, he’ll only get stronger as the fight drags on.

Driving Burns’s growing strength home as much as Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3 does works fantastically for creating tension. Rather than have Burns function as a nearly unkillable foe right off the bat, the heroes are given a window where victory MAY be possible.

Personal connections add tension to the battle. 

The presentation of Burns’s powers adds another layer to the drama for Shinra personally. As the man who saved him from the infamous fire in his childhood and the one who has helped him grow within the series, Shinra is more inclined to hold back against Burns than most. Applying this new pressure to the protagonist challenges his convictions as the battle ramps up.

The way this episode visually presents this portion of the fight is surprising. Fire Force has always delivered flashy fights, leaning hard on the eye-popping spectacle much of its cast is capable of creating. Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3 chooses to cut around much of the moment-to-moment combat, leaving the exact details to the imagination and focusing its visuals less on the attack and more on the presence of its antagonist.

To say Burns is aura farming here is an understatement. As the powerhouse effortlessly repels Joker and Shinra, he becomes ever more wreathed in a churning fire that is as imposing with its fiery presence as the icy-cold glare of Burns’ singular eye chills the soul. Many an anime antagonist has tried far harder to cut an intimidating figure, with far less success.

The core team gets moments to shine in Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3. 

Interwoven with the ongoing fight are moments where we see what the rest of Station 8 and some of their allies are up to. The bulk of this time is spent with Station 8 as they race to the penitentiary, eventually arriving to confront their first major obstacle.

This side of Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3 showcases the team’s growth as they work together to overcome this new foe. Lieutenant Hinawa (Ken’ichi Suzumura, Fire Emblem: Engage), Maki (Saeko Kamijo), and Tamaki (Aoi Yûki, Sasaki and Peeps) all get moments to shine as they test the mettle of their foe. We see excellent coordination and cleverness from the crew, which creates the expectation that the coming fight may not simply be reduced to who has the higher power level but who the better fighters are.

You may have noticed an obvious omission from that list of characters – Arthur. That’s because he doesn’t make an appearance during the battle. In an eye-rolling moment en route to the penitentiary, Arthur falls out of the truck the team is traveling on. He doesn’t call out for help, and no one notices him. His absence isn’t registered until the battle is about to start.

This plot point feels contrived. The latest cheap twist by a shonen anime to elongate a fight by coming up with a ridiculous reason for a powerful character to be absent at the start. It’s nice to see other team members take center stage, but if you are going to set that up, come up with something better.

Fire Force Season 3 Episode 3 delivers powerful moments and builds up key cast members as it gets the season’s first major confrontation rolling. It establishes tension and stakes as it pulls the cast into the inferno preparing to explode. Only one unfortunate grasp at tired shonen battle storytelling keeps it from landing perfectly.

Previous Episode | Next Episode