Fire Punch, Vol. 4

ファイアパンチ [Fire Punch] #4

by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Boss, the leader of the Behemdorg escapees, finds he’s at a disadvantage when fighting the soldiers who continue pursuing them. But all that changes with the sudden appearance of a mysterious spear-wielding girl and a masked man, who are willing to lend their aid. Meanwhile, will Agni have to perform that certain act once again for those who revere him?!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Fantasy, Horror, Action, Dystopia, Fiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2017

About the author

Tatsuki Fujimoto 藤本タツキ (Fujimoto Tatsuki) is a Japanese manga author, mostly known for Chainsaw Man.

Awards:
- Shōgakukan Manga Award: Shōnen category for Chainsaw Man (2020)
- Harvey Award: best manga for Chainsaw Man (2021-2022)

Chinese language profiles: 藤本樹 and 藤本树.

Reviews

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fujimoto ain't lying when he said he liked his girls unstable and irrational.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The highly impressive fight scenes and randomness help move this along quick and entertaining. I think what this story lacks that Chainsaw Man has (Same creator) is Chainsaw Man has characters you care about and root for. This has...nothing of the sort really. It helps it is funny, fights are fantastic, art is solid. But when not caring who lives or dies, it does hurt it a bit. A 3.5 out of 5.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

omg

The Ice Witch is creating a new civilization so she can see the latest Star Wars movie (that was never made because something happened during our time that made it stop production in the middle, and books and movies were banned from being created.)

Are you kidding me?

One thing though, totally did not expect one of the characters to be trans. I'll read on just to see what happens with them.

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly really liking this series now that the immature edgy stuff has been mostly left behind. The fight scene in the first half of this volume is such a joy to read. Fujimoto has a really strong sense of sequential storytelling, which is something I feel most mangaka tend to forget to make use of. I'm also a big fan of the whole "faking/forming a religion to unify people" trope, so that was enjoyable to read. This volume ends on a cliffhanger that brings up more questions than it answers, but it does open up the scope of the manga in a very promising way. Excited to see what's next.

At the midway point, I think this series is about an 8/10 so far.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another wild ride in the Fire Punch saga!

The first part of the book is a running battle à la Mad Max with snowmobilers attacking a truck convoy in a snowy wasteland. Two new people with super powers show up in time to join the battle, but are not developed at all beyond having cool powers that result in a high number of casualties. (One sort of looks like a prototype for Chainsaw Man.)

Agni is given a little time to decompress and reflect after all the recent events, but he becomes aware of the religious fervor growing around him that casts him as a savior and god and becomes all confused again. Togata continues to manipulate events. The Ice Witch pops up to reveal her secret origin and the truly twisted but delightful motivation behind her master plan for this icy world.

This is goofy fun.

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This world the Ice Witch has made, I don’t want to lose to her. That’s why, in order to save them all, I’ll play god or do whatever else is necessary. But, but is it really alright for me to say things like that? I’ve killed so many people, do I have any right?”

TW: Gore, graphic violence, death, body horror, madness, cannibalism.

Surprising no one, this volume just left me more confused than anything. However, the new things it decided to add to the story, or reveal, as confusing as they are certainly make the story all that more intriguing.

Fujimoto certainly has an immense ability to concoct the most egregious and crazy ideas that are very interesting and deep aside from all the elements that shouldn't make any sense when put together.

It's not a small fit to say that I am quite hooked on this twisted tale.

“These beautiful stars shining down on us, are the lamps of such withered civilizations!”

While the plot of the story remains a mystery to try to be untangled the characters remain solid and bizarrely interesting threads to follow. Every single one of them becomes more and more interesting with every passing page and I love it.

The character interactions and motivations are, if nothing else, much easier to wrap my head around than the plot, with all its mystifying elements, and so are a great source of enjoyment.

Although there was not quite as much action in this volume as in the previous volume, though there was still a decent amount of it, things do not remain dull or static with the further exploration of the themes and the expansion of the ideological foundations of it all. Which is all quite fascinating to see.

One of my special fascinations at the moment is the dichotomies that are being established and the interpersonal dynamics that will come into play more and more.

“I’ll carry out justice on this world. Through destruction. And regeneration. All things will eventually rot and perish. I want to finish off this world on the brink of falling apart. Be it politics, art, plants, corporeal bodies, or souls; everything that exists in this world will not be reincarnated unless it’s destroyed.”

[Monica ✧♬•* · Rating 5 out of 5]

this story proves anything can serve as character motivation. As long as it makes sense to the character, it will make sense for the reader. I can understand who decides to stop it here but for me, the tree girl *spoiler* made everything better.  It's refreshing, to say the least, having a manga that tries to go this big with such simple motivations and for me, it works.

[Alberto Palomino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues otro número muy entretenido, donde tenemos otra escena de acción dinámica y vibrante donde observamos a los supervivientes ex-esclavos y seguidores de Agni huyendo en camiones de prisioneros de Behemdorg y como una última pequeña porción de soldados de Behemdorg les sigue en persecución. Conocemos a mas bendecidos que han oído hablar de Agni y sus poderes y le toman como un Dios y ayudan a nuestros protagonistas. Togata cada vez cae mejor y la conocemos mejor, al principio parecía la típica psicópata enferma y fría y ahora vislumbramos una Togata diferente, muy diferente. Y Agni bueno, sufriendo sus ataques morales y filosóficos sobre si hace lo correcto, dejándose llevar por la situación y siendo “manipulado” en favor de los demás, Agni es buena gente, espero que le vaya bien “JA”.

También se ha abierto aquí una nueva subtrama donde ya vislumbramos al siguiente malo a quien derrotar y que tiene unos motivos un poco… digamos que bizarros, tan bizarros que me ha sacado un poco de la lectura. A ver, este manga ya de por si es muy loco y friki, pero puede llegar a niveles un poco absurdos que los tienes que leer con los ojos en blanco. Es más, si pudiera hablar con la villana le diría que no cambie nada, que total, para lo que se estrenó mejor que no hubiera salido “guiño guiño”, solo quien lo haya leído entenderá.

[M.Hadi.Ahmadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

مد مکس ورژن یخی. :دی
تا حالا کاراکتر اصلی به عذاب کشیدگی این آگنی ندیدم!!! این حجم از درد محاله! نمی دونم چی بگم... ولی احساس میکنم فوجیمیتو تا این بدبختو نابود و نیست نکنه ول نمیکنه.
و دیالوگی که خیلی ازش لذت بردم. نمیدونم چرا این بود:
where do people go when they die?
a movie theater.

[Aimé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este manga es estremecedor.
Algo que me está gustando mucho es que esta historia está llena de gente destrozada y loca. Hay personas a las que podemos llamar buenas o malas, pero si algo tienen en común es que el mundo en el que viven las ha trastornado por completo.
Un mundo trastornado donde nada tiene sentido y el más tonto de los deseos es suficiente para seguir adelante.
Por eso la gran motivación detrás de los actos del antagonista me ha hecho sentir tan incómoda.
Lo que hace Fujimoto aquí es reducir el final de los tiempos a un mero capricho.
Y eso es francamente terrorífico.

[p. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to take this slow because I do not think it is great for my mental health, to be very honest.

[Olly · Rating 4 out of 5]

è tutto così assurdo da fare il giro e risultare magnifico.

[Varvara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Наверно, на этом всё-таки закончу. Если бы читала всё сразу, может быть, ещё пошло бы - но с каждой новой книгой я всё больше теряю нить повествования и утомляюсь от всяких отвратительных подробностей %)

[elif sinem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is roughly around the time when the manga starts to go off the rails. Astute observations and killer paneling, but it's the start of the spiral out of control.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Character development for Togata and another change for Agni. Great.

Villain with the shittiest motivation ever? Not so great.

Also, the timeline is so confusing. When exactly is this series set? How far in the future? 300 years I could believe but 1000+ years? The hell it is! Harry Potter and Star Wars might get superseded by other media in the future and lose relevance.
And hey, even if it is set in such a distant future and let's assume that the movies remain hits for a long time, surviving a world where watching or even making movies was prohibited, how can there be a working Sony camera that has lasted so long? The camera company should use this comics as their sales pitch!

[etatheta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot’s still strong and the storytelling is engaging. I can really see the scenes being played out like a movie. However the reveal at the end that the ice witch’s motivation is to see Star Wars finished is so dumb. Even if it’s a joke, it’s not a funny one. Like Vic said, fire punch is good if you take it seriously. Book 5 had better reveal some deeper motivations

[Gabriel Josko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author really likes movies

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Everything eventually decays. The world itself is already rotting away. I just want to finish it off. … My goal…is to end this world…and make its successor warmer.”

Congratulations, readers of Agniism! We’ve officially reached the halfway point of this series. And in true Fujimoto fashion, I have no idea what’s going on.

Agni and the others have escaped Behemdorg, but a new problem immediately arises - one Agni is, sadly, very familiar with. People are still projecting what they want to see in Agni (god; warmth; hero), but all he has done is come full circle. He’s right back to feeding people and sacrificing his own body. On top of that, we learn Doma is actually still alive and had left Behemdorg before Agni burned it to the ground. Will Agni leave the followers he's gained to pursue revenge once again?

Elsewhere, the Ice Witch finally makes her appearance and fully explains her plans for the world she plunged into cold and madness. Honestly, her motivation is so ridiculous I can’t even wrap my head around it. The plan itself isn't much better. ("...A tree?" "A tree.") But at the same time, it makes sense because who in their right mind would want to keep living in a world like this? It seems even before the world was plunged into ice, it was already declining.

This world and these characters are so ridiculous it's almost hard to keep up - but only because logic just doesn't apply here. But that's par the course for Fujimoto, so I'm ready to sit back, relax, and see where the rest of this series takes me.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 estrellas.

QUÉ TOMO, POR FAVOR.

A medida que avanza esta historia se va tornando cada vez más turbia, y sorprende con sus revelaciones.

La profundida que hay en la mirada de los personajes en algunos paneles es envolvente, te llevan y llenan de sentimientos.

También, me encanta el hecho de que está lleno de referencias de cine, y que también juegue un papel importante al parecer con este final, algo muy propio de Fujimoto.

Sigo recomendando esta obra 🔥

[kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

el mejor volúmen hasta ahora. es interesantísimo ver que tiene los temas recurrentes que están presentes en otras obras de fujimoto, el amor al cine y la exploración de la adoración de las masas. me sorprendió el saque de closet de togata porque no se me hubiese ocurrido tal manera de hacerlo, entiendo porqué se alaba tanto su trato para con los pjs queers

[エミリア · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep thinking what a great dystopian story this is. Of course people will cling to the slightest sliver of hope in such a grotesque society. Humans are crazy and gross.

Why does does Fujimoto love suffering so much and why do I love him for hurting me.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is mostly stupid, but I’m going to finish it because of how quick these are to read, how much hype I’ve seen this series get, and because the longer story of this world actually has me interested in seeing how it resolves.

[Raymond W · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best volume so far. Heart wrenching and really sad.

[Luc Retour · Rating 2 out of 5]

I see the brilliance in Fujimoto's work but it's just too weird and unhinged for me. Consider me envious if this clicks for you but I just find it rather abrasive!

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este volumen tiene mensajes tan difusos, tan diluido, que no vale la pena sobreanalizarlo y expresar mi descontento con las bases de esta misma.

[Cyndel]

Quelle dinguerie

[Suhail Mohammed · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately, this has changed from being a miserable and tragic story into being an action-comedy manga. Not that I hate action-comedy, but the tragic theme suited this series more.

The main villain's motive is so silly. In additon to that, We already have a character with a similar motive and it suited that character very well, why the repetition? (Even those remaining soldiers had better reasons and motives). Apart from that, I'm enjoying Agni's plot and I'm interested to see the end of his story.

(*My Review after finishing the manga*):

Fire Punch is a bizarre manga with a tragic story that takes place in an apocalyptic messed up icey world. The art was beautiful. The story was interesting and the writer delivered some crazy ideas that were handled in a good way (not all of the ideas though).

Most of the characters were introduced and developed very well, but some others had stupid reasoning and silly motives. The writing had great depth, but at some points in the story the plot was all over the place and it was not well-organized. The ending wasn't to my liking, and yet I somehow feel it suited the series very well.

I think that Fire Punch is a 3/5 manga, and I can say that it definitly not for everyone.

[Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes several heel turns to the point that you question if Fujimoto actually has the story mapped out or is just flip-flopping to what interests him in the moment. In lesser hands, this would be incredibly obnoxious, and yet he pulls it off weirdly well. Feels like an indie comic more often than not, but that's what makes the series so charming. Fujimoto isn't afraid of blatantly mocking traditional story structure and going the path less traveled if only out of sheer curiosity for where it may bring him and his characters.

[Melanie Rodriguez Sosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seré breve, ahora si estoy perdida porque no se donde rayos está Agni con Judah y que sucedió con el resto. Solo eso, seguiré leyendo, pero por ahora estamos en un punto muy medio y en la cuerda floja porque siento que vamos para mal.
La muerte de Togata, triste enserio porque me gustaba bastante el personaje y esa explicación de Doma y el enojo de Agni fue fuertísimo, en el buen sentido.
Los personajes me gustan, pero la historia está un poco flojita.