FIRE FORCE #4

炎炎ノ消防隊 [Enen no Shouboutai] #4

by Atsushi Ohkubo

人工的に“焔ビト”を造り出している者がいる──！！ 犯人の手がかりを求めて、第1特殊消防隊に潜入調査中のシンラとアーサー。追いかけた先にいたのは、第１の中隊長たち！ こいつらが！？　そして判明する人類の“敵”！！　世界の危機に全消防隊結集！！　ヒーロー・シンラ出撃!! 許されざる悪をぶっ飛ばせ！！！

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Shonen, Graphic Novels, Action

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2016

About the author

OHKUBO Atsushi

Atsushi Ōkubo ( 大久保篤), also romanized as Atsushi Ohkubo, is a Japanese manga author and fantasy artist known for his work on the manga series Soul Eater, which has been adapted into an anime. Okubo worked as an assistant under Rando Ayamine, on the manga series Get Backers. He also created artwork for various cards for the Lord of Vermillion game.

Atsushi Ōkubo was not a model student and was more attracted to drawing than to learning. At the age of 20, after finishing studies at a manga school where he met Rando Ayamine, the author of Get Backers, he became Rando Ayamine's assistant for two years. Finally, he won a competition at Square Enix's Gangan magazine with his first manga series B.Ichi and it was published for four volumes. After the end of his last manga, he created Soul Eater, still for Square Enix's Gangan magazine, which brought him worldwide success.

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me disgustan varias cosas. Espero que mejore y coja ritmo.

Pero bueno, un resumen de tomo:

🔥Una vez más el protagonista estando justo en el momento indicado y siendo cool venciendo a alguien que probablemente es más fuerte que él.

🔥Tamaki (alias la-chica-más-sexualizada) ya no me la tomo enserio porque solo es material para hacer humor utilizando su cuerpo como muñeca inflable a la que todos manosean. ¿Hay maneras más inteligentes de hacer humor? La pregunta se responde sola definitivamente.

🔥Y luego pues lo del tono religioso con las hermanas ya era obvio, por lo que ahora hace aparición un grupo de fanáticos religiosos extremistas que seguro van a ser intensillos.

🔥Para terminar creo que esta historia no sabe mantener la tensión sobre la identidad de antagonistas y villanos desde que empezó. Me estoy decepcionando mucho. No sé cuándo va a arrancar esto y ponerse más serio.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually pretty good.

It starts with the usual fight between Shinra and the infernals and then we dive deep into Co. 1 and who it is thats creating these artificial infernals and we find that its Rekka and so its an all out war between the heroes and this villain, and also some awesome comedic scenes with Tamaki lol and the fight goes the way we expect.

More giant Infernals, battling in different areas, meeting of the captain and the big task to go after the Evangelist and maybe the mysteries of Adolla Burst is revealed sort of. I like how quick paced this volume is and the exposition is pretty good and loving how Shinra comes and is a hero whenever people need him and his chemistry with Tamaki is so good lol.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shitty “fan-service” in the middle of an action sequence... why?

Looks like I’m adding this to the dropped series list.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

SEGUNDA LECTURA: +3
« Ignite the light for those who are lost…envelope the earth in flames. »

Tomo cargado de acción. Ha estado bien pero no me ha enganchado como la primera vez. Aparición de nuevos personajes y empiezan a desvelarse ciertas incógnitas así nuevos misterios que resolver.

Ha estado bien pero no es el mejor por el momento.


PRIMERA LECTURA: 3.5

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welp now we've uncovered how people are becoming fire monsters, or least some of them.

Right away this volume jumps into the two undercover fire fighters trying to focus on who is doing what. Midway becomes a huge fight to near death between main hero and crazy religious folk. All pretty solid but it's actually the surprise death and ending reveal that makes this one jump to a four star. Now we're cooking!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book via Kindle Unlimited.

In the last volume, we followed Shinra and Arthur as they moved on assignment to Company 1 to get to the bottom of who was creating infernals, where they caught a lead that one of the Leuitenants of Company 1 was involved. When they confront one, they soon deduct that it is Rekka, the optimistic welcoming lieutenant of Company 1. When they confront him, with the help of the company, the problem is bigger than they imagined. Rekka was working on behalf of the Evangelist to find an Adolla Burst, a power Shinra holds, which is an undefiled power held by third gens. The Joker character from Volume 1 also returns in this book to tell Shinra that if he finds the Evangelist, he will also find his younger brother, Sho, who he believed dead until he joined the Fire Force.

I will admit I didn't necessarily buy into this series when I started it. I felt that the world was confusing and not very well explained but it's definitely a world that has gotten easier to follow and understand as I have continued through it. Shinra is no longer as annoying as he once was, he's actually quite tolerable now. The traits I found annoying in the first volumes I think were just his belief in what he was doing, and his belief that he was doing the right thing. I'm glad I can finally buy into the hype.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite volume so far.

My love for Captain Obi continues to grow. He is a very attractive animated character😂

I’m loving the story and the drama is only scaling up in every book. The big reveal at the end was 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯!!!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

yep this series is top tier ooh ahh brain candy

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. It is picking up my attention.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:

Fire has always been a thing of nightmares for many. In this world, people are at risk of spontaneously combusting and turning into Infernals. An Infernal wants only one thing - to destroy. They are no longer considered human. That is where the Fire Force comes into play. It's their duty to protect the people.

Shinra has gone undercover, hoping to discover the truth behind the infernal bugs. And it just so happens that he will end up in the right place at the right time. But how far does this mystery go?

Review:

I will start this review by saying that I am extremely torn here. On the one hand, the infernal mystery is captivating. On the other hand, there are elements of Fire Force Vol. 4 that made me want to scream – and not in a good way.

Let's start with the good: the whole corruption with the other Companies is pretty interesting. Likewise, it was fascinating to get a chance to see how different fire abilities work, as certain characters have gone highly specialized. It reminded me a lot of Soul Eater and is a strong reminder of these two series' connection.

Now, let's get into the frustrating part of this volume. I don't like how Tamaki Kotatsu was treated in this volume. She's the obligatory fan-service character; I get it. But there's a time and a place for that, and during a dramatic fight, is not it. Her involvement/treatment during that fight felt out of place and even out of character (she's a fighter, yet she stands frozen for most of the battle, all while showing off her fan-service glory. Ugh). I don't want to harp on this too much, but it bothered me and ruined my connection to the moment.

Fire Force Vol. 4 was an interesting volume overlooking that major complaint. I'm still eager to read through the rest of this series for various reasons.

Highlights:
Manga – Shonen
Connected to Soul Eater
Lots of Action

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[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A plot starts to emerge. Very predictable but I’m entertained enough not to hold a grudge.

Male fan service again. I’m starting to see a pattern.

[Mert · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars (%87/100)

The best volume I've read so far. We learn the secrets of human combustion (well to some degree) and one of the best fights in the series is also in this volume: Shinra vs. Rekka. We are introduced to many new characters some of them belonging to a secret organization that knows a lot of things about Shinra (having something called Adolla Burst) and the world itself. Benimaru Shinmon my favorite character in the series is also briefly presented. The fight scenes are well written and presented, we finally learn more about the world and characters, and the story is much more interesting now. I am very curious to see what happens next.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nope. Next volume will be about the backstory of the 8th force.

[vagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

denimaru sei bono

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Read as part of Omnibus vol 2)
This was good, a couple of quick fights. More villains emerge as progress is made in all the investigations.

[Katherine V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este cuarto volumen vino con todo: acción intensa, revelaciones impactantes y, como siempre, un poco de fan service para no perder la costumbre. Ya no estamos solo enfrentando infernales al azar… ahora sabemos que hay alguien detrás de todo esto: el capitán Rekka, quien resulta ser un verdadero monstruo disfrazado de héroe. Su plan es asqueroso: usar a Tamaki para atraer niños y experimentar con ellos hasta encontrar a alguien compatible con el fuego original. Lo peor es que lo hace convencido de estar haciendo “el bien”.

Tamaki, para sorpresa de nadie, se entera tarde del plan pero igual intenta detenerlo. Por suerte, Shinra entra en modo héroe y llega justo a tiempo para salvarla cuando Rekka la va a matar. En medio de la pelea, uno de los insectos que usa Rekka reacciona a las llamas de Shinra… ¡porque Shinra tiene el Adora Burst! Y eso no es cualquier fuego, eh. Según Rekka, es el fuego sagrado de los descendientes del Dios del Sol, una llama pura que puede guiar a la humanidad. Y de paso, parece que hay alguien más buscando a gente como Shinra: el famoso Pastor, una figura misteriosa que quiere llenar el mundo de gente con habilidades ígneas para “salvar” al planeta. Ajá, suena a culto.

Rekka y Shinra se dan durísimo, pero al final llega Karim y lo congela para interrogarlo… solo para que segundos después llegue un francotirador encapuchado que lo mata de un disparo, y de paso casi los mata a ellos también. Caos. Karim sobrevive, pero su compañero Foien pierde un brazo tratando de protegerlo.

Y como si eso fuera poco, el país entra en crisis: empiezan a aparecer infernales gigantes en diferentes partes del Imperio. Los escuadrones se movilizan, y acá entra él… Shinmon Benimaru 🥵🥵🥵. Primera aparición de este rebelde divino, antisistema con cero respeto por la autoridad pero poder para regalar. Fue amor a primera página.

Hibana, que ahora colabora, revela que estos infernales tienen múltiples núcleos, o sea: claramente fueron fabricados. Así que el emperador reúne a todos los capitanes y da la orden: hay que ir tras el Pastor, que ya no es solo un rumor raro, sino una amenaza nacional. Y, al parecer, también quiere a Shinra… para algo nada bueno.

Y por si no teníamos suficiente drama, reaparece Joker, que ya va pintando más como anti-héroe que villano. Le da un regalito a Shinra: dónde está el Pastor, está su hermano. Y no solo está vivo, ¡es el maldito líder de los encapuchados blancos al servicio del Pastor, los Caballeros de la Llama Cinérea! O sea… ¿qué??? Plot twist nivel: grité.

Ah, y sí: el fanservice nunca se va. En plena batalla, Tamaki termina en ropa interior (otra vez), y Shinra la mira con cara de “soy un héroe, pero también tengo ojos”. Y Arthur… se perdió en la misión. Otra vez. Porque ser guapo no le da sentido de orientación.

[Ophélie Regat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suite aux événements du tome précedent, Shinra et Arthur soupçonnent les commandants de la première brigade d'être à l'origine des combustions humaines artificielles.

Ils vont fouiller la chambre de Fulham et trouvent un insecte dans son tiroir. Celui-ci arrive et leur dit qu'il s'attendait à les voir là. Il se dit innocent et cherche également le coupable. Ils comprennent que le responsable est Rekka.

Celui-ci, avec l'aide involontaire, de Tamaki, rassemble des enfants, en leur faisant croire qu'il va les protéger du feu. En réalité, il leur injecte l'insecte et attend de voir s'ils sont "compatibles avec la flammèche". Il frappe Tamaki quand celle-ci réalise ce qu'il fait. L'un des enfants ne se transforme pas en recevant l'insecte, il est donc "compatible".

Tamaki déclenche un "signal" et Shinra arrive. Il se bat avec Rekka. Ce dernier lui dit qu'il possède l'Adora Burst, la flamme pure. Rekka dit qu'il doit trouver des enfants compatibles pour le "Grand Prédicateur" et qu'il doit également lui amener Shinra. Fulham finit par capturer Rekka mais celui-ci est tué par un sniper muni d'un masque et d'une cape blanche (ils sont deux, en réalité). Le troisième commandant de la première brigade, Foyen Lee, perd un bras.

Suite à cela, Shinra (et Arthur, bien que celui-ci est disparu pendant quelques heures) reviennent à la huitième brigade, avec Tamaki, renvoyé provisoirement de la première.

Tous les capitaines de brigade sont convoqués devant l'empereur de Tokyo. Il confirme que Shinra détient bien l'Adora Burst, la flamme de pureté, également présente dans l'Amaterasu, le générateur d'énergie thermique perpétuelle de la ville.

Les brigades sont sommées de travailler ensemble pour élucider les divers mystères qui entourent les combustions humaines.

En revenant à la huitième, Shinra tombe sur l'homme qu'il a affronté lors du tournoi des nouvelles recrues. Ce dernier lui dit que son frère est vivant, et que si il cherche le Grand prédicateur, il le trouvera.

Sho Kusakabe est le chef des chevaliers de la flamme cendrée.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen the anime, but it still surprises me that this series includes mature and complex themes, such as grooming and religious extremism. I’ll give this volume 5/5 stars for the way the story has begun to unravel.

Lt. Rekka grooming Tamaki is probably the most disturbing part of this volume, followed by the child kidnappings and forcing them to become infernals to fulfill the Evangelists’ goals. Ohkubo outdoes himself in this volume. Though the Evangelists are still a faint mystery at this point of the series, I’m impressed with Ohkubo’s ability to make them threatening. If someone as strong as Rekka is among them, then it’s expected that Shinra’s future enemies will be as strong as Rekka, or stronger.

My only complaint is the fan service that happens whenever something serious comes up. Although this volume touched on Tamaki’s traumatic experience with Rekka, it’s disappointing to see that Shinra’s interactions with her during the rescue were reduced to the ever unnecessary “lecher lure.” Tamaki is brushed off as eye-candy and it’s tiring. I’m aware that Tamaki’s worth will be raised later in the story; however, my impression of her character is still what it is now.

On a final note, one thing I noticed is the similarities between Fire Force and Chrono Crusade by Daisike Morimiya. They have a similar premise but with distinct settings, characterizations, and outcomes. If you like Fire Force, you might like reading Chrono Crusade.

[urushihara-san · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally a volume that doesn't end in the middle of an arc!

i didn't really expect this arc to add much to the overarching plot but it proved me wrong and revealed a couple key pieces of information. firstly, Shinra has Adolla Burst - a pure flame that marks him as a descendent of the Sun God. and secondly, Capt. Hoshimiya was working for someone known as the Preacher who is part of a mysterious organisation that may be behind the accident that caused his mother's death and brother's disappearance. these revelations once again reinforce the religious and scientific themes of this series that i just gorge myself on.

i also think the action in this volume was drawn really well. the fight between Shinra and Hoshimiya is probably my favourite to read in the series so far which is no small feat as they're both melee fighters. and unlike the fight from the previous arc, the conclusion was more believable.

easily, the best part of Fire Force Vol. 4 (Kindle Edition) is the way the stakes continue to rise, the tension continues to grow, and the world continues to expand (with the debut of the 7th Company).

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohne zu spoilern kann man hier kaum noch etwas schreiben. Die ganze Sache um denjenigen, der hier die Strippen hinter den Feuermonstern zieht, geht in diesem Band einen entscheidenden Schritt nach vorn. Welchen möchte ich hier nicht sagen. Ich mag an der Reihe, dass bisher in jedem Band ein entscheidendes Detail zum Ganzen freigelegt wird und es trotzdem weiter sehr spannend bleibt. In diesem Band kam aber bisher das meiste heraus und man lernt neue Charaktere kennen.
Es gab eine Sache, die ich nicht ganz verstand. Warum Arthur da eine Zeit lang verschwunden war, fand ich merkwürdig. Sollte das nur witzig sein oder hat es noch eine Bedeutung. Ich weiß es nicht. Ansonsten war wieder alles richtig schön entwickelt und spannend.
Der Zeichenstil gefällt mir weiterhin mega gut. Ich liebe vor allem den Hauptcharakter, sowohl von seiner ganzen Art als auch von der Art wie er gezeichnet wird.Vor allem bei seinen komischen Grimassen, die er zieht wenn er nervös und aufgeregt ist, könnte ich mich vor lachen wegschmeißen. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band.

Story 5,0/5
Zeichenstil 5+/5
Charaktere 5+/5
Gesamt 5,0/5

[Tuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really do believe this volume will forever be the one that contains one of the best, if not the best, fight in the entire series. The drama surrounding the one who was in fact making people into infernals, the characters star personality taking their obsessions with the followings of the white robed followers of the sun god and turning the earth into a sun, as well as betrayals was simply fantastic. Like everything about it and the implications it gives for the future are simply mind boggling and mind numbingly amazing. Really.

Content wise, beautiful fight scenes, beautiful page spreads, could have used more Arthur as usual but for a Shinra main thing it was amazing.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

A three or a three point five.

This time we find out one of the crazies who is behind the infernal plague, and he reason for it. Plus some giant infernals show up. Some meetings. Shinra gets visited by Joker. Ends on a big, though unsurprising, reveal.

Stuff I liked: the story has some misdirection to keep readers guessing a little. Some of the action is great. Great art, especially backgrounds and some of the action staging. The plot thickens.

Stuff I disliked: characters still aren’t very interesting. Some icky fan service, really. Some panel layouts confused me a little. Fairly predictable.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shitty immature fan service is borderline unbearable in this series. I understand tits and ass shots and often don't mind them. But when you dedicate several panels per volume to do the gag over and over. In the most inopportune moments just because. It's very compounds its tastelessness.

This overshadows the interesting plot, characters (not named Tamaki Kotatsu) and amazing art. Still rated a 4 because of plot development and a great fight.

I could really have done without the repeated fan service gag in the middle of the said fight. I'm only continuing this because my friend promised that the fan service gets less and less as the series progresses.

[Jon (VICIOUS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my last review I said this series has potential but fell short with its motivations from certain characters and the dialogue suffers from repetition with most manga/anime. While it’s still true to an extent it’s much more entertaining this volume because the story is moving forward (finally, sort of). Shinra is an interesting protagonist that reminds me of Midorya from My Hero Academia but far less whiny and I like that. Ohkubo’s work from Soul Eater definitely shines more in this volume with the character designs and the fighting and I’m loving it. Glad the story picked up. Not to say I would have dropped it but now it’s really gotten my attention.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Review of Volumes 1-4*
Yeahhhhh. I'm gonna stop right here. Thank goodness so many answers were revealed so quickly, so I can feel satisfied stopping here.
The fanservice was unbearable. I liked the main character and the company 8 leader. The plot was alright. There was a plot twist concerning the cause of the infernals, but there was barely any set up, so the plot twist didn't feel impactful at all. Then, after a bunch of information about Shinra and the fire 12 years ago, I lost interest. Just seemed like religious mania. I'm mildly interested in what the joker wants, but not enough to put up with the fanservice. I did enjoy the 119 mascots at least.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to review Manga because they just keep ending with "To be continued". However, this entry into Fire Force finally get's us what is probably the first great battle of the series, which then just pops them off one after another the rest of the series. Personally, if anything this establishes who the characters are and where they are going better than the first three. It's a quick read and worth the time, I would write a full review, but I'm going to save that for when the whole series is complete.

[Avidboobenjoyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked this one better than the last three volumes. more action that i felt had a bigger impact with the plot and motivations of the MC. these chapters felt more interesting. but at this point, there is no reason to even develop or have tamaki in the story since she’s purely for cheap jokes and fanservice. that whole thing with rekka, i didnt even feel for her because otsushi is too busy using what space she uses up for jokes. meanwhile, im finally getting excited to see whats gonna go down w shinra.

[Adam Spanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

We close out the Preacher Pursuit arc and it a really surprising fashion. This was the point where I really feel in love with this series. While i've really enjoyed FF up until this point, the climax and conclusion of this arc are what really surprised me and got me SOOO excited for whats to come next. Fire Force is great and this volume is the turning point in the series for me.
Also, this volume starts up the Asakusa arc with one of my favorite characters Benimaru!

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welp now we've uncovered how people are becoming fire monsters, or least some of them.

Right away this volume jumps into the two undercover fire fighters trying to focus on who is doing what. Midway becomes a huge fight to near death between main hero and crazy religious folk. All pretty solid but it's actually the surprise death and ending reveal that makes this one jump to a four star. Now we're cooking!

[L.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

This volume contains chapters 26 - 34. The artwork is wonderful and easily conveys emotions and movement. Since I previously watched the anime, there have been no surprises so far.

The mysteries and secrets are still hiding the source of the evil and greed. The 8th, and now individuals from other groups, are starting to gather to figure out the truth behind Flame People.

Arthur continues to make me laugh!