Fire Force Season 3

Episodes 1-3

The first few episodes of Fire Force's long-awaited return are — if you will pardon the terribly self-indulgent pun — a bit of a slow burn, though that isn't really a bad thing. After all, the first episode of Season 3 has to catch viewers back up on a story they might not have revisited since 2019. Then, once we're all caught up on the current state of Company 8 and the war against the White Clad, Fire Force has to set up the biggest conflict our heroes have yet faced. In the wake of his life-changing experience in the realm of Adolla, Captain Burns has defected to the White Clad to lend his strength in their apocalyptic endeavors. This leads to Obi being kidnapped and threatened with Insect transformation, which forces everyone in Company 8 to become rebels against the Empire and team up with the likes of Licht and Joker to free their beloved leader. The stakes have never been higher, so it stands to reason that it would take a few episodes for the show to put all of the pieces back onto the board and set this story's grand final game into motion.

Here's the good news: Fire Force is still a damned fine example of action-adventure anime goodness, and Studio David is reclaiming the mantle of adapting Atsushi Ohkubo's opus without missing a beat (well…mostly). Like I explained in my Preview Guide coverage of the premiere , absence has most definitely made my heart grow fonder of these ridiculous dorks and the equally ridiculous story that they are a part of. Shinra and the rest of Company 8 feel like familiar friends at this point, and my excitement at getting to simply spend time with them while they bicker and scheme and blow stuff up with their magic fire powers makes it a lot easier for me to overlook things that once felt like significant bugbears.

Does the story's juvenile humor still sometimes clash with its increasingly ambitious storytelling goals? Sure. Do I still roll my eyes at the equally sophomoric treatment of its fanservice moments and the outlandish costume designs that Fire Force foists upon its female characters? Yep. The difference between the James Beckett of 2019 and the James Beckett that writes these reviews in 2025, though, is that 2025 James just can't be bothered as much by those issues when he's still having this much fun. Maybe a part of it is the overwhelming deluge of bland, soulless light novel adaptations that I've had to cover as I've gotten deeper into my 30s. At this point, even a willfully stupid and over-the-top personality is preferable to a cartoon that uses precision-engineered, algorithm-fueled science to drain itself of any recognizable personality whatsoever.

Plus, Fire Force is simply reaping the benefits of being a well-considered action anime that has finally reached the final stages of liftoff as it approaches its ultimate narrative climax. After so many episodes of breadcrumb dropping and drip-fed exposition, the show is starting to cut loose and raise the stakes to an appropriately thrilling level. The descent into the Nether in Season 2 was great fun and all, but Company 8 becoming the “dark hero” vigilantes that must fight against the empire itself feels so much more personal and impactful. Not only does the plot itself feel like it is brimming with potential, but the cast of Company 8 has never felt more like the scrappy family of weirdos that Fire Force always posits them to be. Licht and Joker feel like long-lost, slightly dangerous uncles that these kids are going to need to teach them how to really blow things up, and you know that I loved seeing Hinawa dive headfirst into his new role as the de facto leader of a band of seditious treasonists. “Blow up the prison!” indeed.

All of the anticipation and buildup is worth it, then, when the gang finally does arrive at the prison to blow it the hell up and prevent Burns from turning Captain Obi into some horrific Infernal. It's the perfect action-movie setup, with Shinra and Joker taking on Burns on the rooftops while the rest of the crew deals with the creepy Gold and her goons on the ground (except for Arthur, who has naturally wandered off somewhere right when he's needed most). For as exciting and engaging as this first major battle of the season is, though, I do have to voice my only major complaint with this batch of episodes, which is that the editing and production values take a noticeable hit once the sparks start to fly between the White Clad and Company 8. It's nothing so bad as to ruin the episode completely, but there is a very palpable sense of the timing of the edits just being…off, especially when Tamaki and Maki launch their first assault against Gold. The character modeling and movement cuts also lack the usual polish that Studio David can deliver when they're really cooking, too.

My hope is that this is just a case of the team sacrificing some of the quality control for Episode 3 because they're giving that much more attention Episode 4 as an animation showcase. It wouldn't be the first time that Fire Force intentionally cooled its jets before boosting into overdrive. So, while the rough presentation here is regrettable, it may just pay off in the end.

Rating:

Stray Embers

• Crunchyroll has reunited the English cast from past seasons for these new episodes, and they're all doing just as good a job as always with capturing the essence of these deeply stupid yet very lovable heroes. Derick Snow plays Shinra's feisty earnestness very well; Jeremy Inman retains Obi's grit and determination; Jad Saxton excels at delivering Tamaki's layers of self-consciousness and snark, which is a much needed contrast to all of the meatheads she is surrounded by; and Eric Vale does wonderful work in channeling the sheer, overwhelming dunderheadedness of Arthur, everyone's favorite delusional LARPer who kills fire monsters with his badass sword. I'm interested to hear more of Caitlin Glass' work as Haumea, since this season seems to be giving her much more screen time and prominence now that the White Clad are out in the open and, you know, trying to explode the entire planet.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.

Fire Force is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Fridays.