The 12 Best Anime of 2025: The Year in Review
My Hero Academia took Anime of the Year and Demon Slayer became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever. The 12 anime…
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Cover: via AniList · © david production
If you have been wondering what Fire Force is about, the short answer is one of the most stylish action-fantasy premises anime has produced in recent years. Set in a scorched future where a mysterious phenomenon causes ordinary people to erupt into living flame (twisted, blazing monsters known as Infernals), the series follows the elite firefighters tasked with laying those tormented souls to rest. At its center is Shinra Kusakabe, a young recruit who can ignite his own feet and flashes a nervous grin whenever fear takes hold, a habit that once earned him the cruel nickname "devil." When he joins the ragtag Special Fire Force Company 8, he steps into a world where faith, science, and spontaneous human combustion collide.
What makes Fire Force stand out is how confidently it fuses firefighting with superpowered spectacle. Produced by studio david production, the series treats flame as choreography: every clash flickers with fluid, heat-warped animation, kinetic camera work, and a soundtrack that leans hard into its swagger. Beneath the flash sits a surprisingly thoughtful story about belief, grief, and the uneasy line between salvation and control, as Company 8 begins to suspect the epidemic of Infernals may be no accident at all. The supporting cast gives the drama its pulse, from the swaggering, monstrously strong captain Benimaru Shinmon to Shinra's self-proclaimed "Knight King" rival Arthur Boyle, whose delusions of chivalry hide a genuinely terrifying fighter.
So is Fire Force worth watching? If you gravitate toward fast, flashy shonen with a distinct visual identity (the propulsive energy of Soul Eater's creator filtered through a sleeker, modern production), this opening run of 24 episodes is an easy recommendation. It balances explosive set pieces with warmer beats of found-family comedy and a slow-burn central mystery, and it rarely lingers long enough to feel padded. Newcomers should know the tone swings widely, from solemn requiems for the fallen to broad, cheeky humor, so it rewards viewers who enjoy that classic shonen tonal range.
Overall, Fire Force is a strong pick for action fans who want their fights to look genuinely cool and their world-building to hint at something bigger lurking underneath. With a respectable community score and a premise unlike anything else on the shelf, it makes a memorable entry point into supernatural action anime, and a natural next binge if you have already burned through the genre's heavier hitters.
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The main leads of the series.
Beloved side characters and major villains: the cast audiences love.
The wider cast: side, minor and recurring characters.
Shou Kusakabe
Vulcan Joseph
Charon
Viktor Licht
Leonard Burns
Arrow
Haumea
Lisa Isaribi
Konro Sagamiya
Karim Flam
Takeru Noto
Hikage
Assault
Hinata
Rekka Hoshimiya
Asako Hague
Dr. Giovanni
Tooru Kishiri
Mari Kusakabe
Nataku Son
Huo Yan Li
Yuu
Kayoko Huang
Yona
Pusu Pusu
Mera Mera
Souichirou Hague
Gustav Honda
Mamoru-kun
Conehead
Dendou-sha
5th Angels Three
Mirage
Onyango
Raffles III
Flail
Haran
Mikako
Nise Hikage
Toujou
Kantarou
Setsuo Miyamoto
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