Maki Oze

**Maki Oze** (茉希（マキ） 尾瀬（オゼ）) is the daughter of General Oze and a former Second Generation pyrokinetic serving as Unit Leader of Tokyo's Special Fire Force Company 8.

## Appearance

    Maki is a slender and curvy young woman of slightly above average height with a fair complexion and is athletically toned. She has large violet eyes and long, dark hair reaching down past her shoulders with strands that frame her face, tucked behind her ear on the left side, and cropped bangs that falls over her forehead.

She most commonly wears bunker gear, which consists of a black, sleeveless top and long dark trousers, buckled at the waist with a belt, which presses the middle part that's strapped to her shoulders. They are also topped by a protective outer jacket and trousers. Parts of her outfit are coated with blue lines. Maki also wears a neck protector, protective gloves, black boots and a helmet. The buttons of her protective jacket are in the shape of cross-like symbols. Maki was also seen wearing a grey-colored jumpsuit. When she attended the Rookie Fire Soldier Games as a representative, Maki was seen wearing a dress uniform consisting of a black jacket and skirt, with a white belt, black shoes and a band with the number "8" on it. Her outfits contain patches with "8" on them, to signify her affiliation to Company 8. When out shopping in civilian cloths she wears shirts and jeans, feeling that due to her muscular physique she can't pull off wearing a dress.

## Personality

Despite Maki's calm and driven exterior when on mission, she is a hopeless romantic at heart. She is also very courteous to her fellow team-mates and people she meets for the first time. Maki respects Takehisa Hinawa a lot, due to them both being former soldiers. Though a kind-hearted person, she has the exterior of a capable fighter, easily defeating both Shinra and Arthur Boyle, who are both Third Generations, without hesitation in a fight. Maki also likes using her ability for fun, as she shows enjoyment in creating fire creatures. and to comically cry when they get destroyed by enemies or her own teammates. At times, when fellow Fire Soldiers tease Maki by calling her names, she mistakenly hears people call her a "gorilla cyclops", which she gets furious about. The reason for this is that Maki has a complex over her body, believing it to be too muscular and thus not as feminine as she would want though many of those around her such as Iris, Hibana, and even Shinra find her to be beautiful. Maki is very reluctant to hurt other people, a reason which led to her defection from the Tokyo Army, despite her father's wishes. However, despite her reluctance to hurt others, she will brutally kill and dispatch enemies with ruthless efficiency to defend herself and those she cares about when pushed, as seen when she mercilessly slaughtered the subordinates of Flail when confronted and single handedly defeated the powerful third generation. This also shows that she is afraid of being alone in the dark Nether but immediately feels at ease and regains her confidence with other people around even if they are enemies. Maki's powers and unique hat show that she embraces the idea of being a witch, even calling her iron owls the stutter-flare-witch combo, which is rejected by Vulcan.

## Background

Maki joined the Tokyo Army, where she became a Private and served under Sergeant Takehisa in Year 195. During her time enrolled, she worked harder than normal soldiers and went through training that was far beyond that which was required of her. Two years later, having been recruited by Takehisa to join Special Fire Force Company 8, Maki left the army as she would rather save people than fight against them. In Year 197, Maki would serve in Company 8's first mission where the Infernal would be seen wearing all white clothing and be carrying a red cross.

## Abilities

She was noted to be exceptionally skilled in combat several times and was characterized as a **Witch** (魔女, *Majo*) by Takehisa. She is also very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as evident with her being able to easily disarm Arthur, even though he was wielding a sword at the time. These skills allow her to quickly adapt in order to avoid Benimaru and her quick transition from dodging to attacking earn her some respect from the strongest member of the Fire Force. Previously a soldier in the Tokyo Military, Maki is an experienced fighter, capable of dealing with multiple opponents at the same time and able to defeat large foes with relative ease. She is a capable instructor, having taught Shinra how to effectually grapple with an opponent. She also has deceptive raw strength for her relatively slender frame, able to lift large metal pipes that men three times her size found too heavy to lift themselves.

### Second Generation

Maki is a powerful Second Generation pyrokinetic, who can control flames from an ultra-wide distance. In doing so, she can handle herself against two Third Generations simultaneously, being able to extinguish and absorb their generated flames into a giant fireball. Maki's abilities provide defense for her entire team, as she can reflect incoming fire attacks and use an opponent's flames against them. Without enough time she's unable to deflect or redirect a fire with too much driving force, she is still able to alter its shape in order to reduce its impact. With time to prepare, she is able to hold back explosions powerful enough to destabilize Tokyo's foundations before moving them deeper underground to ensure it is safely extinguished.

After Adolla grows much closer to the Earth, Maki's abilities grow much more powerful. With her being able to briefly hold back a giant blast of heat energy more powerful than the nuclear blast that could have levelled the entire Tokyo Empire. Her range also extends to the upper atmosphere.

### Iron Owls

By placing her fire sprits (small fires she can control) into a pair of weapons designed by Vulcan, Maki is able to control the Iron Owls by making them float. Maki shows great skill using her weapons, being able to use them either as weapons by crashing them into her foes at great speeds or as shields by crouching behind them. While the Owls are very durable their circuitry is susceptible to electronic attacks. The addition of her iron owls to her arsenal has increased her capabilities in battle tremendously. Allowing her use them both to attack at long range to cover her own close-range assault. Or her own attacks and pyrokinetic abilties to distract an enemy from her Owls before striking heavy blows her both her fists and iron weapons simultaneously.

## Plot

### Introduction arc

Maki, alongside the rest of the 8th Special Fire Brigade, arrives to save the train station from an Infernal, where she helps Akitaru Ōbi face the threat by putting out a fireball launched by the enemy. Later, at the headquarters, she takes a shower with Iris, where she asks how it was when Shinra carried the girl like a bride. In the meeting room, she is present when Akitaru delivers a speech on Spontaneous Human Combustion. Later that night, Maki notifies Shinra about an incident in a factory and tells him to get ready, taking him to the brigade's Special Armoured Fire Engine. When the brigade arrives, Maki manipulates the flames out of the team's way. She later helps Akitaru fight the threat by keeping the flames at bay so that the two wouldn't get burned. After the mission, she was happy to see Shinra with a happy smile.

Some time later, on the church's roof, Maki displays her abilities to Iris by creating a sentient fireball, but the conversation between the two is cut short when a fight between Arthur and Shinra breaks out in front of them. The former unsheathes his blade-less sword, which makes Maki question his choice of weapon, but the girl's attention is diverted when Arthur suggests the two girls to be princesses. When Takehisa arrives to see who's behind all the ruckus, he pours a glass of water on Maki's fireball creature and scolds her for playing with fire, making her upset. Takehisa then orders the girl to fight both Shinra and Arthur. Maki uses her abilities to put out the flames on Shinra's feet, easily defeating him. However, she fails to do so with Arthur's Excalibur. She resorts to using her martial arts skills and knees him in the face, which causes Arthur to call Maki, an ogre disguised as a princess. In a fit of rage, after Shinra said She had an ogre-ish face. (Shinra called Maki brutish in the English dub) Maki creates a huge fireball monster out of the flames of both Arthur's sword and Shinra's feet, ending the battle with her victory. Afterwards, much to the girl's dismay, Takehisa extinguishes the fireball creature.

When an Infernal is spotted in the Iriya District, Maki moves out, where she looks upon a gigantic flame coming from Mikako's apartment. She informs her allies that the fire is not her doing, much to their confusion. The brigade then storms the building. When Arthur impales the Infernal with his weapon, the ceiling starts to collapse, but the team manages to escape unscathed. During Arthur and Shinra's participation in the Rookie Fire Soldier Games, Maki accompanies the two, where she gets fascinated by 119. When Arthur falls to his death, Maki helps to soften his fall with a blanket.

The following day, she tells Arthur and Shinra to rescue a dog stuck in a tree. Maki later informs Akitaru that an Infernal has appeared at the courthouse. Moving out with her brigade to dispose of the threat, she apologizes to Shinra and Arthur for being the one responsible for getting the two scolded. At the courthouse, she saves an innocent girl from Setsuo's flames and returns his attack in the form of Sputter Comet☆, but to no avail. When the brigade catches up to Shinra, Maki and the rest find themselves in a confrontation with the Special Fire Force Company 5. Tōru Kishiri mocks Akitaru, which leads to Shinra and Arthur jumping in, but Maki and Takehisa detain the two. She then delivers a corkscrew punch to Tōru. A stand-off between the brigades is then catalyzed, but the two depart without any signs of struggle.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 5 arc

The next day, she is seen training with her fellow Fire Soldiers. Later, when the 8th Special Fire Brigade infiltrates the Special Fire Force Combine 5, Maki and Takehisa find themselves assaulted by Tōru, but, with their combined strength, the two succeed in winning the fight. Afterwards, the 5th Angels Three confront them and use their Ignition Ability to attempt to take the pair down, but Maki prevails with a heavy punch to the Angels. She and Takehisa then decide to search for any documents that the 5th may be hiding about the phenomenon and hope Shinra is safe. After Hibana's defeat, Maki is seen at the dinner party between the two Companies. She briefly entertains members of the 5th Angels Three with her fireballs, before Arthur (on Takehisa's orders) cuts them to pieces, to Maki's displeasure.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 1 arc

Maki is seen with her fellow company members. Hibana entertains her and Iris. The female members borrow the men's shower, where Maki tells Hibana and Iris it must be nice to have flexible and girly bodies. Hibana compliments her and tells her that her company could learn from her. The girls get yelled at by Takehisa. When Akitaru shouts that he wants Shinra and Arthur out of his company, Maki and Iris protest the notion until the Captain explains his plan to have Shinra and Arthur infiltrate Company 1 to uncover their secrets. As Maki has been a part of Company 8 for over a year, she can not partake in the training assignment system to freely transfer to Company 1, however she can still escort Shinra, Arthur, Tōru and Noto into Special Fire Grand Cathedral 1. When Shinra requests a sparring match with Captain Burns, Maki tries to stop him, but Burns accepts the challenge. When Lieutenant Huo Yan Li questions Shinra's aggression, Maki attempts to explain as his excitement is getting the better of him. When Karim Flam demonstrates his ability to turn heat into cold, Maki is initially confused as to what his Ignition Ability was until the Lieutenant explained it to her. Maki also expresses awe at the sheer power Burns demonstrates in his matches against Shinra and Arthur.

### Preacher Pursuit arc

Company 8 begin to search for anything connecting to the newly emerged White-Clad terrorists by going through all their prior cases and reports. By the half way point Maki is unsure if they are able to figure out what they are even looking for anymore. Deciding to take and a break, Maki and Tamaki try to cook lunch for the team. This plan is quickly ruined when Tamaki somehow manages to slip out of her jumpsuit while still wearing her apron, leading to Maki taking her away to get changed while being completely baffled by this event. Lunch is prepared by Shinra and Hinawa. As Takehisa and Akitaru recount their decision to form Company 8, Maki is moved to tears that Takehisa asked her to join them because of her work ethic and because he viewed her as kinder than anyone else. Maki is also present when Shinra finally reveals what Joker told him and his brother's potential involvement with the White Hoods.

### Netherworld arc

As the 8th Company enters the Nether, Maki expresses her fear of the mythical location. Once inside, Maki produces a sprite to illuminate the path forward. The group are confronted by Princess Hibana, begging for help before being pulled screaming into the darkness. While Akitaru quickly deduces that this was the work of Yona, mist envelopes the group. Maki is separated from her allies as the ground underneath her collapses, leaving her in a lower level of the Nether and obstructing her path back to her starting point.

While contemplating her situation, Maki is confronted by Flail and a number of White Hoods. Despite their attempts to intimidate her, Maki is simply relieved that none of them are ghosts as she readies her Iron Owl and dons her witches hat. Through the use of her Second Generation abilities and her Iron Owls Maki is able to defend against all long-ranged attacks by Flail's subordinates. This forces many of them into close range, at which point Maki is able to subdue them with brutal efficiency. Flail strikes, attempting to crush her with his weapon. He is attacked by Maki's Iron Owls, followed by the girl attacking him herself. Immediately after, Maki attacks Flail with her Iron Owls again. The injured Flail rants that her attacks won't work, before an enraged Maki delivers a final strike to his skull, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unconscious. Maki quickly begins her search to find the others.

Maki eventually reunites with Iris and Tamaki. As the trio continue their search for their allies, Maki simply hopes that their friends are alright. Maki later joins the assault on Haumea, although the mysterious woman effortlessly deflects her Iron Owls and seemingly destroys their electronic mechanisms with her ability. In order to save Shinra's life and escape the danger of the ongoing earthquake, Maki and the rest of Company 8 flee from the underground lair, allowing Haumea to escape with Yona and Sho.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 4 arc

Maki welcomes Shinra back from hospital as soon as he enters Company 8's Cathedral and apologizes for not visiting him in hospital. She oversees the male members of Company 8 preparing for the annual calendar, finding the Twin Cobra pose absolutely hilarious. Her and Iris' laughter convince Captain Obi that the pose is popular with the female audience, which Shinra desperately tries to correct as it being an inside joke beloved by two women does not represent the entire population. This falls on deaf ears and Company 8 end up in last place once more.

While waiting for Company 4's request for a meeting, Maki, Tamaki, Iris and Shinra go shopping to buy better clothes for Hinawa. Spending the day in Downtown Shibuya, Maki marvels at how cute her co-workers are and begins looking for clothes she wants to put the Lieutenant. Unfortunately Maki picks a shop specializing in absurd and bizarre clothing, leading to the girls wanted to push the boundaries of what Hinawa will absentmindedly wear without questioning it. She and the others remind Shinra to stay strong because they will help find his mother and reconnect with Sho. When Obi sees just how ridiculous his right-hand man is dressed the next day, he angrily summons the girls and Shinra to his office to find out who shows such a naked disrespect for their superior office. Scared to the point of tears, Maki and the others pin the blame on Shinra.

### Fifth Pillar arc

With the awakening of the Fifth Pillar comes wide spread fires and a number of Infernals appearing. Company 8 mobilizing and discuss the reputation of Inca's fire thieves and her bizarre power they believe comes from being an Adolla Burst user. **Maki's** Iron Owls are used to scan the area from above and see both the spread of the flames and the number of Infernals. With a minimum of 8 Infernals, Akitaru concludes that the White Hoods are using the Bugs in order to create this disaster. As a result, Company 8 spread out to control the situation to the best of their abilities. Maki manages to spot Haumea on a rooftop and uses her Owls to allow Arthur to attack her form above.

With the crisis growing out of control, Obi is able to call upon members of Companies 1, 2 and 5 for support. While the are able to deal with the majority of the Infernals and evacuate the civilians, this alliance is tested by the arrival of a Demon Infernal. Licht realizes that the only way to destroy the Demon Infernal is to create a massive explosion. With nobody having the power to individually create such a blast, Licht creates a plan to resolve the situation and put out the surrounding fires through teamwork. The Second Generation members of the Fire Force use their abilities and the winds flowing into the town center to pull the city's fires into a single location, creating a Firestorm that **Maki** is able to control. Vulcan and Akitaru manage to force the Demon into the vortex and Hinawa fire a mortar shell into the storm. Using the heat surrounding his attack to increase its power, Hinawa's attack instantly destroys the Demon upon impact. Before Maki loses control of the Firestorm, Karim is able to freeze the storm instantly. Through Licht's plan, the alliance is able to destroy their opponent and save the citizens in a single stroke.

### Haijima Industries arc

Following the investigation into the Chinese Peninsula and Joker's alliance with Benimaru revealing the Holy Sol has no connection to the White Clad, Maki is part of the discussion about Company 8's plans to investigate Haijima.

### Joint Investigation arc

Maki appears in this arc. In the aftermath, Maki is promoted to the rank of Unit Leader. While the others think this is a good thing, Maki quickly realises that Company 8 is so small it doesn't have any units for her to lead. Therefore nothing has changed and she finds it hilarious.

### Ōbi's Rescue arc

Learning that Akitaru was arrested by Tokyo Army, and that they were in league with the White-Clad, Maki and her brigade decide to rescue him at the cost of being branded traitors to the empire. Viktor takes the brigade to Joker, leading to the criminal taking the fire soldiers to his underground secret base.

## Etymology

* The name **Maki** means "white jasmine" (茉) (**ma**) and "hope" (希) (**ki**).
* Maki's surname **Oze** means "tail, ridge" (尾) (**o**) and "swift current, rapids" (瀬) (**se**/**ze**).

## Trivia

* According to her Character Profile in Fire Bugs (the English edition as printed in The Flowers of Edo):
	+ Maki's favorite foods are strawberries, flan and chicken breast, and her least favorite food are ones that remind her of the ocean such as sea urchins.
	+ Maki's favorite genre of music is Pop.
	+ Sloths are Maki's favorite animal.
	+ She prefers pastel colors.
	+ Her type are cheerful and funny people.
	+ She respects Captain Ōbi and Lieutenant Hinawa, although she is also afraid of Hinawa. She struggles with those who stare at her body.
	+ Her hobbies include fortune-telling and sewing, and her daily routine involves stargazing while doing sit-ups.
	+ Her shoe size is 26cm and her eyesight is 1.2.
	+ Maki's favorite school subject is Language Arts, while her least favorite is Math.
	+ Her dream is to be a beautiful bride.
* Maki was ranked 3rd in the Character Popularity Poll.
* Maki's pointed helmet and powers give her a witch motif, something that the lieutenant has commented on that she herself embraces from time to time.
* Maki's epithet Witch Queen (魔女, *Majo*) may be a pun on マッチョ, *Macho*, in reference to her muscular body.

## References

1. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 21, Page 13
2. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 0, Page 38
3. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 2, Page 25
4. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 2, Page 7
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fire Force Manga: Chapter 15, Page 9
6. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 69
7. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 36, Pages 4 - 7
8. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 38, Page 4
9. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 153, Page 19
10. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 183, Page 15
11. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 106, Page 10
12. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 85, Page 14
13. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 86, Page 3