Shinra Kusakabe

**Shinra Kusakabe** (森（シン）羅（ラ） 日（クサ）下（カ）部（ベ）／日（クサ）下（カ）部（ベ） 森（シン）羅（ラ）, *Shinra Kusakabe/Kusakabe Shinra*) is a former Third and Fourth Generation pyrokinetic in the service of Special Fire Force Company 8. After his mother's death, and supposedly his younger brother's as well, Shinra joined the Special Fire Force to achieve his goal of becoming a hero, saving people from Spontaneous Human Combustion, and uncovering the truth behind his family's death twelve years ago.

## Appearance

Shinra is a teenager of average height, with a slim muscular build with short and spiky black hair, crimson eyes, and especially sharp teeth. His eyes are also noteworthy as his pupils are white instead of black. When he was introduced, Shinra wore a dark jacket with a button on his collar shaped like a cross-like insignia over a light shirt, dark trousers and a belt. He also wore dark shoes which he burnt through via his Ignition Ability and was noted to have done multiple times.

He was later presented with bunker gear, which consists of a dark t-shirt buckled at the waist with a belt, dark offshore trousers that have light patches on the front leg and pelvis area, which are strapped over his shoulders. Those are later topped by a protective outer jacket, trousers, a neck protector, protective gloves and a helmet with the number 8 on it, signifying his brigade. The buttons of his protective jacket are in the shape of cross-like symbols. Shinra's bunker gear trousers were specifically tailored by Maki Oze, so that they only reach below his knees instead of his feet, being advantageous so that he can freely use his Ignition Ability without having to worry about burning through his clothing. Parts of his outfit are coated with blue lines.

When not on a mission, Shinra is commonly seen wearing an orange coverall and white t-shirt underneath. His outfits contain patches with "8" on them, signifying his affiliation to Special Fire Force Company 8. Due to his Ignition Ability, he tends to walk barefooted or with sandals as they can easily be disposed of. Shinra's trousers generally are rolled up to just below his knees so he is able to use his ability without burning them. He has also rolled up his sleeves at times.

During the three month period that his Adolla doppelgänger took over his body, his hair was dyed white and styled in a combed-back upward flame-style. He got his ears pierced with a pair of small stud earrings. He also got flame symbol tattoos on his ankles and a devil tattoo on his left shoulder. After Shinra came back to his senses, he dyed his hair back to black and returned it to its previous style. He also stopped wearing the earrings.

After performing soul resonance with the rest of his family, Shinra becomes the incarnation of the Saviour itself, Shinrabanshō-man. In this form, he possesses several features similar to Hibachi Shinmon's doppelgänger, such as large, demonic horns, flaming circular tattoos over his body, and goat-like legs with the exception of normal humanoid feet. His skin obtains a dark-reddish hue, similar to most demon infernals, as well as gaining his brother's ashy-white hair.

## Personality

Shinra is brave, intelligent, confident, and willing to help others. He is very proud of his ambition of wanting to become a hero, a promise he made with his mother when he was five. He doesn't hesitate to act when the time calls for it, and can sometimes be impulsive in combat, but has also displayed the capability to step back and think about the situation before acting showing that generally he is level headed and intelligent, though according to Hinawa his ignition ability can make him overconfident. Sometimes to his embarrassment, Shinra suffers from nervous laughter, a condition where animals naturally grin or show their teeth when nervous, stressed, angered or uncomfortable. He developed this condition after witnessing his mother die. His grin is sometimes mistaken for a menacing smirk by others, and because people thought Shinra killed his own mother, he gained the moniker of a devil, but fights to be recognized as a hero.

Shinra respects Akitaru Ōbi as the Captain of his squad and as someone who fights Infernals without an Ignition Ability. He is shown to have good judgement and prioritizes what is important and what should be done rather than acting with personal emotions. Shinra acts selflessly towards civilians and has very high standards of what the Special Fire Force should represent. He respects his fellow teammates and admires Akitaru for having the courage to fight Infernals without an Ignition Ability. While Shinra works well with his brigade, his relationship with each member individually differs. Despite respecting Akitaru, he finds Lieutenant Takehisa scary, and bickers regularly with Arthur. He respects Maki for her strength and compassion, and Tamaki as a fellow comrade though her clumsiness irritates him. He sees Iris as a friend as well as Hibana though he is unaware of her feelings for him even though he sees her as attractive. Shinra views everyone at his brigade as treasured friends whom he wants to protect. Shinra isn't afraid to act on his own, even if confronted with multiple opponents and even when he had to take on opponents stronger than he is. This habit in turns compels him to rely on quick-thinking instead of mere brute strength or sheer speed, which in turn makes him smarter than his appearance would suggest. He can be very pushy and demanding when it comes to gathering information on both his family's death twelve years ago and the secrets of the phenomenon, showing that he deeply cares about both matters.

Due to the incident with his family's death, his promise made to his late mother and childhood aspirations of becoming a hero, he has developed an obsession of bringing his brother, Sho, back, once he learns that he is alive. While he is usually quick to be roused to angry justice when dealing with villains, he usually shows nothing but joy when he sees Sho—even if the latter holds only ill intentions for him and the world in general, disgusted with him and being eager to beat him to a pulp whenever they meet—so much so that he calls the brutal battles between them to be 'play time'. His attachment is so strong that he could easily force an Adolla Link through Sho, even though Sho is aware of and actively resists such a link. He has a habit of adding '-man' to any hero name he thought up for himself, insisting of doing so just to complete the "man" (萬) part of the Japanese idiomatic lexeme "shinrabanshō" (森羅万象), where both he and his brother are named after—yet another display of the attachment he holds towards his brother.

While not exactly perverted, Shinra has shown not to be too embarrassed when he ends up in perverted situations with women, such as many situations with Tamaki's lucky lecher lure that he eventually comes to find irritating and once when he leered at Hibana, when he accidentally looked up her dress surprising her and hoping to see a nude picture of her in the all male fire calendar. He does find the women around him attractive though he does his best to respect them and has yet to realize that Hibana and Tamaki have feelings for him.

During the three month period that his Adolla doppelgänger took over his body, Shinra became aggressive and villainous. At best, he was described as undergoing a late teenage rebellion, and at worst, he was described as having become exactly like the mother killing devil that everyone had believed him to be. He also did things that he would never do, such as changing his appearance to a delinquent-like style, something the real Shinra thought to be lame. He even went as far as to strike Sister Iris when he thought she was being annoying.

## Background

In Year 186, Shinra was five years old and lived with his mother and younger brother, Shō. As a young child, Shinra was passionate about heroism, dressing up as a superhero, mimicking heroic actions from television and aspiring to become a hero that could protect his supportive family. At one point during his childhood, his mother told him to clean up his toys, but Shinra wanted to finish the book he was reading. His mother reminded him of the urban legend that naughty little children get snatched away and taken to the Netherworld. This convinced Shinra to start putting his toys away. Another time, while his mother was preparing dinner, Shinra went to check on Shō and heard the baby crying. When Shinra got to Shō's room, he saw that a newspaper had blown over from a nearby pile due to the window being left open. The newspaper landed on Shō's head and the baby was afraid of the dark, so Shinra came over an lifted the paper away. Shinra told Shō not to worry because his big brother would always protect him.

One evening, Shinra unexpectedly woke up to discover that his house was ablaze. In the chaos, he sees some kind of Demon standing among the flames. Shinra believed the Demon was responsible for the fire, but in reality, the Demon was actually his mother turned into an Infernal. She cried out to him, telling him to run, but in all the chaos, Shinra could barely think straight. Shō's Adolla Burst influenced Shinra and triggered his Third Generation powers, causing him to fly backwards and into a wall, knocking him out. Shinra was soon saved by Leonard Burns from Special Fire Force Company 1. After the incident, his mother was stated to be dead, and none of Shō's remains were found, so it was assumed that he was also killed.

The ordeal and shock of his mother's death caused him to develop a case of nervous laughter, causing the muscles in his face to tighten whenever he feels nervous, resulting in his teeth being exposed and his mouth stretching into a smile. After the incident, Shinra's ominous-looking devil-like grin caused people to think that he was a villain who intentionally killed his own family just for the fun of it and smiled his villainous smile as he did so. This caused him to be shunned by others, as they thought of him as a devil. His grandmother refused to let him live with her out of fear and disgust for what he had supposedly done.

As Shinra couldn't control his Ignition Ability, he stayed at Haijima Industries, where they fitted him with liquid nitrogen boots to suppress his ability. During his residence there, he and the other children received no freedom, as well as zero comforts whatsoever, and the scientists only saw them as test subjects. The Skill Developing Facility did tests on him, but they were unable to confirm if Shinra had the Adolla Burst. When he turned thirteen, he moved out and joined the Special Fire Force Training Academy, with the hope that he could figure out the truth behind the fire incident that took his family, and to save other people from the despair of the flames. At the academy, he was still viewed as a devil due to his past. He learned the risks of Third Generations Overheating, and also met Arthur, with whom he often bickered and fought while their mutual friend Ogun judged. During his studies, Shinra assumed he would join Special Fire Force Company 4 upon graduating. However, he was instead assigned to Special Fire Force Company 8.

## Abilities

**Overall Abilities:** Shinra has proven himself to be one of the strongest characters in Fire Force. Though a newcomer in the Special Fire Force, Shinra has posed a challenge to experienced members of the force and even defeated a Captain. Being a Fire Soldier, Shinra is experienced in rescuing people, and as such, was strong enough to carry four people out of a building before it exploded. While relying mostly on his Ignition Ability in combat, Shinra has exhibited skill in ordinary fighting, being able to pin an opponent to the ground and break their guard with a sturdy kick, as well as being capable of defending himself from ground-breaking attacks. Though break dancing is one of Shinra's hobbies, he also uses it in combat, creating unpredictable movements and kicks to attack with. Shinra also possesses exceptional durability, endurance, and recovery time, being able to recover from brutal beatings and salvos of superhuman blows from characters like Charon and Leonard Burns while being able to continue fighting and withstand incredible levels of heat that would easily kill normal humans. His sturdy body can shield and repel powerful flames and withstand considerable levels of damage. During his attendance at the Special Fire Force Training Academy, Shinra had the highest marks for physical performance among all the other students.

By the end of the Fire Force series, Shinra has lost his pyrokinetic abilities along with the rest of the planet, and has since gained immeasurable physical and magical abilities as well as a tremendous courage frequency due to his immensely powerful Soul, making him one of the most powerful characters in the epilogue (Due to characters like Akitaru Obi and Benimaru Shinmon receiving immensely powerful magical and physical abilities due to their innately strong souls, it is safe to assume that Shinra also scales to them as his soul was described by several characters including The Saint as being incredibly powerful, and due to the fact that Fire Force shinra was already far more powerful than Benimaru, it is also safe to assume that he would also be far stronger in the future as well).

**Immense Durability:** Shinra possesses superhuman-level Durability. He was capable of enduring multiple relentless attacks from His brother during their fight, and was still capable of fighting with remarkable efficiency, despite experiencing severe blood loss, internal bleeding, and several stab wounds and blunt force trauma. He still managed to display the same level or persistence and endurance while fighting Charon, while his opponent had the ability to absorb and transform kinetic energy into thermal energy, practically making him invulnerable. This impressive level of durability also allowed him to withstand attacks from the incredibly powerful Benimaru Shinmon, for several hours until collapsing from overheating. He was capable of tanking blows from Leonard Burns at maximum voltage, and even attacks and slashes from the incredibly powerful Yūichirō Kurono.

**Enhanced Eyesight:** Shinra possesses exceptional eyesight, having been able to spot things that other members haven't been able to see at long distances. This was shown when Shinra identified the two White Robes that were sniping from multiple buildings away, as well as when he zoomed his vision in 2x more than normal to clearly spot an insect from far away. He could also Spot Charon from several hundred miles in the air while flying.

**Indomitable Will:** Stemming from his innate heroism and bravery, as well as his traumatic past and promise to his Mother, Shinra has always refused to give up in all confrontations. He entered the Special Fire Academy as well as Special Fire Company 8 to uphold his promise that he would be a hero for mankind. He pursued the goal of finding his younger brother and mother for his entire life, even when such task seemed impossible at times. He relentlessly sought information about his family even from members from the white clad. Even when fighting Charon and being outmatched, he never stopped trying to protect and secure the Fifth pillar. Despite being taken by surprise and savagely beaten, he still managed to get up, not willing Charon and the white clad get away again. Upon meeting his Brother he relentlessly tried to turn him over to his side and share his brotherly love, likening their fight to playing tag. He continuously got up every time he was knocked down and outmatched by his superiorly skilled brother and still managed to sway him over to his side. Shinra's complete inability to give up and his devotion towards his family and friends makes him one of the greatest fighters in Fire Force. However, even after protecting the public from a titanic infernal he was still recognized as a Devil, not a hero. Despite this, he was still willing to protect humanity at all costs, waking up from his slumber in Adolla to avenge Arthur and uphold his legacy.

### Pyrokinesis

As a child, Shinra awakened the ability of a Third Generation and gained the ability to ignite, control, and utilize flames from his feet. While doing so, he leaves ashes on the floor in the shape of feet, which are known as the "Devil's Footprints" (悪（あく）魔（ま）の足（あし）跡（あと）, *Akuma no Ashiato*). As a Third Generation, he has shown to have resistance against external flames.

Using his ability in conjunction with his fighting style, Shinra has enough force in his kick to sever a limb or destroy an Infernal's core. With his kicks, he can cause an explosion on contact to lift an object as heavy as a car high into the air. With his ignited feet, he can change the trajectory of his kicks in mid-air, allowing him to rush in with a flurry of kicks one after another repeatedly.

Shinra is noted to have an excelled proficiency in his mobility while fighting, as his Ignition Ability allows him to use the fire jets from his feet to fly through the air, glide across the floor rapidly, and jump continuously from platforms to outmaneuver an opponent before they can react. He controls his trajectory with his toes and he will fly out of control if he scrunches them up.

**Immense Speed:** Shinra’s ignition ability grants him massively increased mobility and speed, making him the fastest character in Fire Force. He can fly at speeds faster than a jet plane and break the sound barrier with his kicks, as well as generate tremendous amounts of force to enhance his (at the time) mediocre strength. His agility is also heightened, allowing him to outmaneuver even the most powerful enemies and escape their grasp. After training with Benimaru Shinmon, he learned to control the flow of his life force with Rapid, which allows him to increase his speed tenfold while reducing the amount of power he uses. The speed boost he receives is massive enough to empower him to effortlessly fly through and react to Nataku’s laser barrage, instantly overwhelm weaker pyrokinetics, fight on par with and briefly overpower a Level 2 Leonard Burns, and eventually grow powerful enough to cross immensely long distances in seconds. Since Shinra is the Pillar of Rage, his corresponding emotion can give him a boost in speed and power, depending on the stake of the situation and the amount of anger he feels. It is first showcased when he, in a fit of rage and disbelief at his brother’s catatonic state, moved fast enough to instantly overwhelm a transformed Giovanni. Another example was when he was enraged during his fight against Leonard Burns for his siding with the White Clad, approached the speed of light without his Fourth Generation abilities. During his final fight against Haumea, Shinra showcases his greatest rage feat yet, managing to briefly surpass her nigh-invincible abilities.

During his fight with Burns in Fuchū Prison, Shinra's footprints evolved further with bladed talons at the edges of his feet (the anime makes it appear that his footprints have talons from the beginning).

#### Hand Signs/Seals

Shinra was taught by Captain Benimaru how to utilize hand signs/seals in order to redirect and concentrate the energy in his body. This allows him to manipulate the characteristics of the flames he produces from his Ignition Ability.
With Tora Hishigi, he can compress his flames into a focused jet, as opposed to how his flames normally spread out in every useless direction. This allows Shinra to use Rapid, giving him an exponential boost in speed and allowing him to fly farther and faster while using up less of his fire. Using Corna, Shinra's flames manifest in an explosive nature, allowing him to attack with a lot more force.

#### Hysterical Strength

Shinra has the ability to use Hysterical Strength, an ability that gives him 100% usage of his Ignition Ability, whereas only 30% is usually used. Shinra achieves Hysterical Strength by experiencing the "Pressure of Death", a death-like sensation brought about by significant stress, triggering his survival instincts. When Hysterical Strength is active, his flames turn blue due to their intensity and higher temperature. His flames also form a more controlled claw-shape. With this ability, Shinra was able to knock Captain Leonard Burns back with only single kick, an exceptional accomplishment considering Burns is well known for his super-human strength, and possesses an incredibly powerful Ignition Ability that enhances his physical abilities. After his initial fight with Leonard Burns and after breaking out of Adolla, Shinra learned how to permanently use Hysterical Strength, massively enhancing his speed and power.

**Immense Strength:** While using Hysterical Strength, Shinra’s strength drastically increases, allowing him to force Leonard Burns on the defensive despite his ignition ability being at its maximum limit. Even without using hysterical strength, Shinra has a high caliber level of strength for a person his age. He was capable of very potent and powerful kicks as well as impressive arm strength, showcased when he broke his way out of the Pillar holding him in Adolla, and lift several people and carry them. He was capable of sending a car several meters into the air and completely shatter solid concrete when fighting Rekka Hoshimiya. After tearing his way out of Adolla, and entering an enraged state in an effort to protect humanity, Shinra received an incredible power boost, to the point of being able to instantly travel from Adolla to the surface of Japan and kick the Moon itself right back into its orbit and even managed to break Faerie’s control over its gravitational field. (Considering the distance between the Earth and Moon at the time of the event, which was about 2.5 miles, as well as the gravitational force being amplified by Faerie, the force required to move the Moon at this stage would have been tremendous. The only way to move the moon away from the earth is to continuously apply 16 million Newtons of force for 67 years straight. By measuring the mass of the Satellite; 18 sextillion tons, and the force required over that period of time, we can conclude that the amount of force Shinra is putting out is over 10 trillion megatons of TNT. 9,999,999,999,950 megatons greater than the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. To add to the insanity of such a feat, this was all achieved without using Light-speed, which grants the user infinite force generation.)

### Adolla Burst

Having the Adolla Burst, Shinra can be temporarily empowered with the Adolla Grace through an Adolla Link to a person who originates from Adolla, or someone who is already graced. The connection with his Adolla Burst is strengthened according to the intensity of his desire.

Under Grace, Shinra can enter a state of light speed, causing his body to split into subatomic particles in the process. The particles then surpass the speed of light, allowing them to go a few seconds back in time to the point before Shinra's body broke apart. As a result, Shinra's body is re-materialized.

Doing so enables him to circumvent the laws of physics and allow him to travel at relativistic speeds without ending up dead. Under such state, Shinra could enter Shō's Severed Universe, see images of Tempe's past in his head, and accumulate enough strength to defeat the Demon Infernal in only one second.

### Shinrabanshō-Man

\*Main Article\* -Shinrabanshōman

Resonating his soul with those of his mother and brother, Shinra transformed into a being of unimaginable power. The amplification dubbed ‘Shinrabanshō-man' was potent enough to overcome Haumea’s fusion with the Evangelist and was acknowledged as a god, when he manifested his imagination into reality and gained power over ‘All of Creation’. By the end of the series, he was powerful enough to single-handedly and effortlessly defeat the Evangelist’s strongest form, revive the entirety of the Human Race, and recreate the very Universe into his own image, single handedly making the Soul Eater world.

* **Enhanced Physical Abilities:** This transformation gives Shinra an exponential boost in physicals, enabling him to light up sizeable continent-like portions of Earth with a single stomp on the ground.

* **Creation:** Shinrabanshō-man wields the power of Adolla itself, giving him the ability to manifest his thoughts into reality at will. He is hailed by Haumea as godlike for it and this power is first demonstrated when he creates a whale out of nothing, just by recalling what he saw at Vulcan’s workshop.

* **Reality Warping:** By wielding Adolla, Shinrabanshō-man can utilise his imagination to warp reality according to whatever level he wishes; from turning flames of despair to flowers of hope to turning a beam of holy light into an entire city.

* **Time Manipulation:** Shinrabanshō-man obtained an evolved mastery of his time abilities, allowing him to effortlessly and continuously reverse, stop and fast-forward time.

* **Emotional Empowerment:** Due to his status as the incarnation of the Savior, and the personification of hope, and being the antithesis of the Evangelist, Shinrabanshō-man uses positive emotions and feelings to augment his abilities, such as using his determination, willpower, and hope along with the hope of his Family to enhance his abilities similar to Arthur. Through this ability he can also transform negative emotions into hope, such as the Despair-based abilities of the Saint.

### Intelligence

Even more than his ignition ability, Shinra relies on his quick thinking and intelligence. Though he gives the appearance of someone who is rough and hot headed, he in fact remains calm, collected and intelligent in battle, often thinking through his actions and tactics instead of relying on instinct like Arthur. This carries over to his duties as a special fire force officer where he uses deductive reasoning to investigate the Evangelist and everything that goes on inside the fire force and the Holy Sol temple. He was also capable of deducing what type of generation Charon is based off of advice given to him by Maki Oze and Takehisa Hinawa, as well as figuring out the true nature of the Great Cataclysm.

## Plot

### Introduction arc

In route to the Special Fire Cathedral 8, Shinra overhears an alarm in a nearby train station, due to the presence of an Infernal. He prepares to fight it, but Company 8 arrives and defeats the threat. Immediately after, he saves Iris from a falling light and introduces himself to the force. Later, at the force's headquarters, Shinra formally meets all the members and introduces himself. While settling in his new room, the force is notified of an Infernal and departs to the scene. Upon entering the factory, Shinra gets caught off guard and is knocked out by the Infernal, but is woken up by Akitaru seconds later. With words of encouragement, he overcomes his fear and resolves to fight. Launching himself at the being with his Ignition Ability, Shinra impales his opponent's core and purifies her soul. Outside, he overhears spectators cheering and is praised for his actions, much to his delight.

Akitaru informs Shinra that he will be participating in an upcoming rookie competition, alongside a new recruit, which makes Shinra excited, as he sees it as a chance to meet the man who had saved his life. Shinra bumps into Arthur and gets into a fight with him. When Takehisa approaches the two, he orders Maki to fight the new recruits. Shinra is defeated by Maki's Second Generation ability limiting his own powers. After eating at Ippudo Ramen, Shinra is given a battleaxe to deal with an Infernal in the Iriya District in a domestic setting. Upon arrival, Akitaru pulls the two aside for disobeying his orders to conceal their weapons and explains his reasoning. After their conversation, a burst of flames emerges from the apartment, prompting the force to storm the building and find the Infernal. Arthur volunteers to put the man out of his misery, much to Shinra's confusion, and impales his core. Immediately after, the ceiling begins to collapse and Shinra watches on as Akitaru risks his life to save a family photograph for Mikako. Afterwards, he apologizes to the man for not being of any help during the mission.

Shinra participates in the Rookie Fire Soldier Games, where he meets Tamaki. Later, he finds Leonard Burns and approaches him. After introducing himself, Leonard ignores him and leaves, and Shinra wonders whether the man is hiding something from him. When the exam begins, Shinra flies into the building where he discovers two unconscious people and Joker. After the man reveals that he knows of Shinra's past and threatens to kill the injured people, Shinra attacks him, but to no avail. Joker rewards him for his efforts and tells him Shō is still alive, baffling Shinra. The boy questions Joker and attacks him with multiple fire-enhanced kicks. When Arthur and Tamaki discover the two, Shinra tries to warn them, but Arthur ignores him. When Joker uses an unknown substance to put their lives in jeopardy, Shinra grabs the two unconscious people and tells Arthur to cut a hole through the ceiling so they can escape. In mid-air, before Shinra could save Arthur and Tamaki from falling, Leonard jumps in and rescues Tamaki while Arthur is rescued by their teammates. Later, Akitaru promises to tell him the reason Company 8 was created. The following day, Akitaru explains to Shinra how and why their force was founded and informs him that the other Special Fire Forces are hiding something on their own end. They are then provided with information of the substance Joker had used by Takehisa.

Shinra goes with Arthur to rescue a dog, who was reported to be stuck in a tree, and, after it tells the two that a trial for the release of Setsuo Miyamoto will be held soon, helps Mamoru hand out balloons to children. The two then learn of an accident in the courthouse from Takehisa, who was moving to the scene with the rest of the force. After giving Arthur a lift, the two Fire Soldiers fight the Infernal, with Shinra kicking the opponent and delivering a collaborative attack with Arthur. When Setsuo escapes, Shinra is told to catch up to him and Takehisa assures him that the threat has to be taken care of without prejudice. After Setsuo threatens to kill an innocent kid, Shinra stops him. The two then start their confrontation, with the Fire Soldier dominating the fight. When Shinra corners Setsuo and cuts off his right forearm, Hibana descends in front of the two. Hibana gazes at Shinra, causing him to collapse and orders him to lick her shoe as he is restrained by the 5th Angels Three. After noticing an innocent kid being pushed out of the way, Shinra becomes infuriated and repels the angels away. He stands and challenges the Special Fire Force Company 5 to a fight as his own force arrives. Tōru Kishiri mocks Akitaru, which leads to Shinra and Arthur jumping in, but Maki and Takehisa detain the two, and afterward the two forces depart.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 5 arc

The next day, Takehisa approaches Shinra and demonstrates his ability, informing him that they will be facing unique abilities later on. Then he begins training the Fire Soldiers on the roof and informs Shinra of Hibana's past. In the church, he stumbles upon Iris and sees her crying. At night, Maki bursts in the room and informs Shinra that Iris has gone missing. Soon after, Shinra heroically arrives at the Special Fire Force Combine 5, where he is ordered to locate Iris. During his search, he infiltrates a mansion, where the Angels of the 5th attempt to attack him, but find themselves defeated with a swift kick. As he bursts through the door claiming the hero has arrived, he finds Iris being tormented by Hibana.

He dashes towards Hibana with his ability but is cut short by her Ignition Ability, causing Shinra to feel dizzy and fall to the ground. Instead of accepting the loss, Shinra thinks the ability is nothing but simply his imagination, and through sheer willpower, manages to stand up steadily. Shinra goes in to attack, but due to his dizziness, falls to the ground and is tormented by Hibana's Cherry Blossom attack. Afterwards, he is trapped in a whirl of flames. Refusing to give up for Hibana's sake, Shinra overcomes her abilities and lands a punch on Hibana, knocking her unconscious. When she wakes up, Hibana describes how she was always relied on by her Sisters but she herself could never rely on anyone. This is when Shinra jumps up and states he will be her hero whenever she needs one, to which she blushes. A little while later, Shinra attended the dinner party held by the 5th as a backup plan for infiltrating it, allowing him to explain to the higher-ups that it was simply a late-night training collaboration.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 1 arc

Upon returning to base after defeating another Infernal, Company 8 and Hibana end up irritating Akitaru as he's trying to concentrate. Akitaru eventually decides that Shinra and Arthur need to infiltrate the 1st Special Fire Force and uncover any secrets they may be hiding. A while later, Shinra arrives at the 1st Special Fire Fighting Cathedral along with Tōru Kishiri and Takeru Noto. As he walks inside, Shinra meets Karim Flam and later encounters Leonard Burns with a sinister grin. Shinra doesn't hesitate to ask whether the newcomers can practice their own skills against those of the 1st in a practice-battle, much to everybody else's surprise.

Everybody gathers in the training grounds, where Shinra witnesses Takeru battling Rekka Hoshimiya while Karim used his refrigeration ability to protect everyone. Afterwards, Shinra observes how powerful the Lieutenants are before preparing to fight Burns alongside Arthur. When Arthur finds his attacks effortlessly blocked by Burns, Shinra quickly jumps in with a flurry of kicks, but the Captain manages to parry them with ease. Shinra continues to rapidly attack him, hoping to defeat Burns and uncover his secrets about the incident 12 years ago, but Leonard comes out unharmed. Questioned on his reason for joining the Special Fire Force, Shinra expresses his desire to become a hero and save people from the Phenomenon. Despite previously beating Hibana, Burns proves too much for the young soldier and defeats him with a seemingly invisible blow. Shinra, annoyed at his loss, realizes how dangerous a threat from Company 1 would be.

The next day, while in the dorm talking with the other trainees, Shinra is ordered by Tamaki to assist Karim in stopping an Infernal. When they arrive at the scene with Arthur, Karim orders him to stay put and help with gathering information. While looking around, Shinra spots a figure in clerical robes injecting a man with some sort of Bug, causing him to turn Infernal. Shinra and Arthur chase down the mysterious figure, only to discover Karim and Rekka standing together. Wanting to avoid a fight against one or both of the Lieutenants, Shinra lies about his actions and returns to the Cathedral with the rest after the situation is contained. Shinra and Arthur break into Karim's room to investigate, coming across the type of Bug used earlier in his desk. Karim catches the two and calmly explains that he has also been investigating the insect and a series of bizarre Infernal sightings involving children. The trio realizes that the only possible suspect for the earlier attack could be Rekka. They then set out to find and capture the killer, despite Karim's concerns.

Later on, while looking for Rekka from the sky, Shinra comes across a sudden noise from an abandoned warehouse, and soon notices flames coming from the structure. He descends into the warehouse and stomps on Rekka's face to stop him from killing Tamaki. While trying to rescue the injured girl, Shinra is attacked by Rekka and the two begin to fight. Rekka realizes that Shinra's flames are reacting with his Bug, indicating that he's compatible with it and therefore possesses the Adolla Burst. Upon realizing how many people Rekka has killed in pursuit of the Adolla, Shinra impulsively attacks once again, only to be he is knocked backwards into Tamaki, who gently grips Shinra and begs him to stop Rekka. Determined and collected, Shinra calmly examines the situation and creates a battle strategy. Kicking Rekka into the air, Shinra jumps from wall to wall to propel himself to attack from any angle and bait Rekka into attacking. Once Rekka has left himself open with no footing to steady himself, Shinra kicks off the ceiling and strikes the killer with a fiery kick-flip, leaving his face scathed while the impact shakes the warehouse.

Shinra is exhausted from the battle and risks overheating if he continues, however Rekka rises up to battle even if it means destroying his body. Rekka's ranting reveals his master, the Evangelist's, ultimate goal of creating a second Sun, and Shinra demands to know if his group was behind Shō's disappearance 12 years ago but to no avail. Karim intervenes by trapping Rekka in a pillar of ice. As Shinra takes a breath in relief, a sudden flare of light fired by a sniper shoots through the building and pierces Rekka through the chest, killing him. Despite everyone's shock, the sniper plans on eliminating all witnesses and severs Foien's arm with a second barrage. Shinra is ordered by Karim to use his ability to create a dust-storm in the room to blind the sniper and counter their attack. Through Karim's strategy the attacker is forced to retreat and Shinra's exhaustion prevents him from pursuing. After recalling all the recent events of people turning humans into Infernals and kidnapping children to teach the ways of the Sun God, Shinra realizes the preacher was the one who kidnapped Shō.

Soon after, while still in the abandoned warehouse, Shinra informs Karim and Foien on the white hooded figures that killed Rekka. Karim then says he wants to help investigate the Evangelist, and he and Shinra shake hands to commemorate their partnership. Later on at the 1st Special Fire Fighting Cathedral, Shinra, Takeru and Tōru prepare to leave the 1st and return to their own forces. As he arrives back at the Cathedral 8, he begins to settle in, regathering his teammates strange antics. Just before he could let loose and relax, he spots Tamaki in front of him, startled. Akitaru then explains that as punishment, she has joined Company 8 until further notice. Shinra then asks about Arthur's whereabouts, to which Akitaru states he is lost. They later file a missing persons report.

### Preacher Pursuit arc

Time passes and Arthur returns home. Akitaru has Shinra and Tamaki attend a gathering of the Captains with him in Central Tokyo to discuss recent events. Upon arriving, Shinra sets eyes on the 7th Captain and accidentally offends him. As the emperor of Tokyo arrives, the conference starts, and he talks of all the forces working together to track down the preacher. Raffles then directly speaks to Shinra about his attainment of an Adolla Burst, claiming he should protect it. The Company 3 Captain steps in and suggests that Shinra receives external protection from the Evangelist, considering she wants the Adolla Burst, but Shinra refuses. After the conference on his way to purchase utilities, Shinra runs into Joker in an alleyway. Preparing to fight, Joker calms him, and reveals that Shō is affiliated with the Evangelist, before swiftly leaving.

### Asakusa arc

Upon arriving in Asakusa, Shinra's brigade meets Benimaru Shinmon and the Special Fire Force Company 7. Shinra quickly becomes angered by Benimaru's dismissive attitude before they are alerted to an Infernal. After Benimaru disposes of the threat, Shinra helps rebuild the city from the destruction caused by the ordeal. He later plays hide-n-seek with Hinata and Hikage , and then apologies to Benimaru for disrespecting him earlier. Shinra takes the opportunity to ask the Captain about Konro's condition.

Re-grouping with his company, Shinra spots flames emerging from within the city and discovers Benimaru attacking Akitaru and Takehisa. Believing Company 8 was responsible for turning people into artificial Infernals, Benimaru attacks the pair, leading to Shinra intercepting the attack and joining Company 8's combined attack against Captain Benimaru. Defeating all except for Akitaru, Benimaru prepares his final attack on Akitaru, but is stopped by Konro who collapses. After the confrontation, Shinra checks to see if Konro is alright, during which he learns how Konro damaged his body after overusing his ignition ability. Upon hearing that Konro will die for his Captain, Shinra makes him promise to ask for his help if things become that dire.

Soon after, the brigades discover that the White-Clad has infiltrated Asakusa, and posed as Hikage. Upon the discovery, the city erupts in flames, followed by the group being targeted by a Third Generation's Ignition Ability. Shinra and Arthur depart to search for the sniper, but find themselves under attack by the sniper and her partner. As Shinra and Arthur face the pair, they manage to overpower Haran, leading to him eating a Bug and turning himself into an Infernal with Horns.

### Vulcan's Workshop arc

When Shinra and the rest of Company 8 arrive back at the cathedral, they are greeted by the brigade's new chief scientist Viktor Licht. After some confusion and odd behavior with Licht and Hibana, Shinra asks the two about the Adolla Burst. While Viktor and Hibana can provide detailed descriptions about the world and the Adolla Burst's impact upon it, Hibana does not know what the Adolla Link is while Viktor deceives him, saying he has never heard of it. Akitaru sends off Shinra, Arthur and Iris to recruit Vulcan for their company, leaving Shinra happy with the responsibility. As the trio walks inside of Vulcan's workshop, they stumble upon Yū, the child Shinra earlier saved from Setsuo Miyamoto. Hearing the voices outside his workshop, Vulcan walks out, telling the Fire Soldiers to leave at once.

Soon after, they enter the workshop with Yū's admission. Shinra is jolted on the head by a soda can again, this time by Lisa. Shortly after introducing herself, they are disrupted by the loud banging of Vulcan's engineering work. After Vulcan brutally kicks his machine to test it, Giovanni suddenly arrives at the workshop and Shinra's group listens to his conversation with Vulcan. After learning that Giovanni is also trying to recruit Vulcan for Haijima, Shinra tells Vulcan that his Company is different from Haijima. After the clueless Arthur and curious Iris get into trouble with the robotic animals, much to Vulcan's delight, he decides to show them a stunning projection of world's animals and explains his goal to one day ensure the safety of all animals to the amazement Fire Force members. Shinra smiles and says to himself that Vulcan is perfect for them. After learning of Vulan's background from Lisa, the Adolla Link suddenly alerts Shinra to Giovanni's plan to kill Vulcan. After telling his peers, Shinra devises a plan to locate Giovanni's whereabouts while Arthur and Iris to protect the others in the workshop.

After leaving the workshop, Shinra waits in a tree looking for suspicious activity but is knocked down and strangled by Giovanni. After a brief fight, Shinra is electrocuted into unconsciousness and given over to the White Clad. Regaining consciousness and struggling against his fire-resistant restraints, he is taken away by White Hoods. Hibana arrives and knocks out the two escorts before freeing him from his restraints. Charging back towards Vulcan's workshop, Arthur tells him to get inside the workshop as soon as possible, during which he bypasses Flail and Mirage. Bursting through the workshop door, Shinra immediately knees Giovani in the face. Afterwards, Shinra is overwhelmed by Giovani and entrapped in Lisa's tentacle-Ignition Ability. Vulcan manages to free Shinra using one of his inventions, allowing Shinra to attack Giovani with a barrage of kicks, knocking him through a wall and outside in the process.

Shinra ventures outside to continue their battle but stops as the strange feeling in his legs returns. As he looks up to an overlooking hill, Shinra notices his brother Shō looking back at him. Overjoyed to be reunited, Shō immediately approaches and attacks Shinra in hopes of capturing him. Watching his little brother defeat Arthur and Hibana, Shinra is confused at Shō's speed, and doesn't know what to do. The workshop erupts in flames, swiftly followed by Viktor driving a truck packed with Shinra's group. Climbing aboard while carrying Arthur, the group is unknowingly protected from Shō by Joker. Taken to the hospital, Shinra reports to Akitaru and explains what happened and that Giovanni is a traitor. Realizing that Vulcan might still be in danger, Shinra suggests the best course of action would be for him to stay with them. Agreeing, Shinra is thanked for all his hard work. As Shinra attempts to hide his feeling about fighting his brother, he promises to help Vulcan achieve his dream of reviving extinct animals. While Company 8's allies gather to meet with Akitaru, it is decided that Arthur and Shinra should gain combat training by visiting the Company 7.

Upon arriving in Asakusa, Shinra and Arthur are trained by Benimaru. He instructs Shinra to focus on his speed and combat awareness, leading to Viktor explaining that it can be achieved by condensing flames in a single direction before blasting. While initially struggling to angle his flames, Shinra mimics Benimaru's hand signs and starts to more easily control them. Benimaru then explains using hand signs in conjunction with Ignition Abilities to Shinra. With the new information and a focused mind, Shinra focuses on becoming faster: fast enough to catch up to Shō. Using the Tiger Sign, Shinra is able to launch himself forward with blistering speed. When Shinra is distracted by naming his new ability, Benimaru lashes out at the pair but they are able to dodge his kick, demonstrating their heightened awareness. During the sparring match, Shinra is almost able to catch Benimaru by surprise by using the tiger hand-sign. Benimaru praises Shinra's execution and growth, telling him to use this power well and that he has to protect his only living relative. Afterwards, Shinra experiences an Adolla Link with Shō.

### Netherworld arc

Shinra has a dream in which he sees a woman, who he mistakes for Iris. Upon learning that the White Hoods are hiding in the Netherworld, the brigade enters, during which mist envelopes the group and separates the members. Shinra eventually escapes the fog and finds a Viktor being held at knifepoint, and he subdues the assailant with a kick. Later, Shinra collapses to his knees and begins hyperventilating as the Adolla Link activates. Shinra is bombarded with strange images while standing in a white void surrounded by burning bones. Shinra also sees a Demon Infernal, his mother, Captain Burns and the scarring of Sōichirō Arg. Shinra then sees an infant before snapping back to reality, only to see a path of demonic footprints. Shinra follows the footprints and discovers Shō at the end of the trail.

After Shō refuses to acknowledge their mother as his parent, the brothers begin to fight. Using the Tiger Sign, Shinra is able to keep pace with Shō and manages to avoid his brother's unsheathed blade. However, Shō activates his Ignition Ability and begins to overwhelm Shinra. Shō claims Shinra will never catch him, despite his speed, because they exist in different universes. An Adolla Link is established, during which Shinra sees the Preacher. Afterwards, Shinra is slowly able to forge a Link with Shō, enabling him to move even faster. Shinra realizes that his sudden increase in speed is partly due to the Preacher's influence and that he'd be able to reach Shō's level if he were to gain 'Divine Protection'. Despite his new found power, Shinra is overwhelmed by Severed Universe. Being granted the Preacher's 'Divine Protection', Shinra is able disintegrate to move faster than light, allowing him to match Shō. Shinra and Shō clash for the final time, during which Shinra pulls Shō into a Adolla vision of his own creation. Showing his memories to Shō, his brother becomes overwhelmed with the images and cries.

Returning to reality, Shinra accidentally rematerialized with Shō's sword piercing his body. This shocks his brother and amuses Haumea who then uses her abilities to brainwash Shō. Before she can take Shinra away, the other members of Company 8 arrive to protect him, leading to the White Hoods' retreat. Rather than pursue, Company 8 focuses on ensuring Shinra survives his injuries by rushing him to Special Fire Fighting Defence Clinic 6. There, Kayoko Huang performs surgery to save Shinra's life. Afterwards, he is approached by Leonard Burns. After sparring, the captain reveals that it was Shinra's mother that was the Demon Infernal he saw during his house fire, and that she was the one to take Shō during the incident. Unable to learn what became of his mother, he wonders if he can find her using his Adolla Link, prompting Shinra to remember his previous vision of Captain Arg and investigate him.

### VS. Special Fire Force Company 4 arc

Shinra decides to meet the Captain of Special Fire Force Company 4, Sōichirō Hague, as he has some relation to the Adolla Burst. Upon arriving at the 4th's main headquarters, he meets his old friends from the academy, Ogun and Karin. Though, a vast majority of the Company was not happy to see that the "devil" had returned. He soon ventures inside the building to meet the Captain, and Hague requests that Shinra attack him, much to Shinra's confusion.

Captain Hague explained that he had an experience with Adolla once before and perceived it as a divine paradise. He wanted to experience it again and thought he could if he was attacked by the flames of someone with an Adolla Burst, like Shinra. Shinra failed to understand why Captain Hague perceived Adolla as something good, as when he saw Adolla, it was a nightmarish hellscape. Captain Hague theorized that because Shinra had an Adolla burst, the connection with Adolla was something "mundane" to him, and thus he didn’t experience the same overwhelming sensation as an ordinary human would. Before they could continue their conversation, the Fire Force Mascots burst into the office and attacked them. Sōichirō knocks the head off one of the mascots, unveiling Karin being controlled by Haumea and chanting he wants to kill Shinra.

As Captain Hague is scolding his subordinates, Shinra hears a voice in his head manipulatively telling him to kill Karin. This voice is The First Pillar connecting to Shinra through an Adolla Link. She tells him that he needs to let out all the pent-up aggression that's he's been suppressing for twelve years. He had focused that rage against the demon that killed his mother, but finding that creature was his mother leaves Shinra without direction. The mysterious woman tells him to just unleash his anger on the whole world as punishment for his suffering. The mind control takes over as Shinra whispers to himself that he should destroy everything, getting the attention of Captain Hague. Shinra suddenly becomes incredibly aggressive and starts attacking everyone around him. Captain Hague was delighted at getting his wish of experiencing Shinra's Adolla Burst flames.

The fighting went out the office window and into the courtyard. Once there, Arthur showed up with his plasma blade ignited, saying that he sensed something was amiss. Arthur questioned Shinra about what he was doing, reminding Shinra about his dream of becoming a hero. However, Shinra, completely out of character, didn’t hesitate to say that he had tossed his hero dream aside, and that if it meant getting revenge on the demon that took his mother, then he’d gladly be a devil. Arthur reminds him that the demon was his mother, only for Shinra to tell him to shut up, logic completely sacrificed to madness. Shinra used the Rapid against the other Fire Soldiers.

Arthur gave Shinra three chances; if Shinra didn’t come back to his senses, then Arthur would have no choice but to kill him. As the battle went on, Arthur reminded Shinra of the conviction to be a hero that he had held onto so tightly all these years. Arthur's words managed to help Shinra break free of The First Pillars influence; he kicked himself in the face and proudly shouted that he was a hero. Back in Adolla, Shinra calls out to the mysterious woman and asks her what she might know about his mother. She refused, saying that Shinra should have asked before rejecting her. She disappeared into the black flames of Adolla, but before she vanished, she taunted him by saying that The Fifth Pillar would soon surface.

### Fifth Pillar arc

Shinra is seen in the company headquarters. The captain tells the director that there is a possibility of a new Adolla burst being born and they won't get help from other forces. He sees the mysterious woman again. He learns there is a fire theft. He decides to protect her whether she is good or bad. He is told to keep an eye out for her and the White Hoods. He arrives and finds her while battling Charon. He tries to persuade her from joining the White Hoods but in the end she joins them. He tries to stop Inca only to be stopped by the White Hoods. Toru and Juggernaut arrive to support Shinra. He enters another battle with Charon but is left confused by the girl's words. He catches up to her only to reengage Charon. He uses his training from captain Obi in his fight. He has a flash back of him and Maki at the company's headquarters, and comes up with a plan to overcome his opponent. The battle finally ends with Inca leaving with the White Hoods.

### Chinese Peninsula arc

The Special Fire Force, consisting of Fire Soldiers from Companies 2, 4, and 8, Shinra being among them, are going on an excursion to the Chinese Peninsula to investigate the Tear in Space. They set out by boat and on the way, they see an old volcano that formed during the Great Cataclysm. Upon reaching the Peninsula, Shinra met Juggernaut's family, who as it turns out had been having a problem with an unknown thief stealing potatoes from their farm. The expedition team set out into the Chinese badlands to reach the Tear in Space. The natural gas that leaked up from underground had a strong euphoric effect and caused the whole group to go nuts, except for Licht, who had the good sense to wear a gas mask.

Halfway through their journey, they met a talking mole named Schop, who coincidentally was the thief that had been stealing potatoes from Juggernauts family. After the Fire Soldiers rescued Schop from a gigantic worm, he told them that he came from an Oasis that was a paradise for him and his fellow animals, but it had recently been taken over by a group of hostiles. He also told them about the mysterious Woman in Black who created the Oasis and taught them how to talk. The group then ran into another animal from the Oasis, a crow named Beauty. Once they reached the Oasis, Shinra flew up over the surrounding mountains and saw what the animals called the Tabernacle. A structure that was nearly identical to the Amaterasu power plant.

The Fire Soldiers then discovered that the hostiles that had taken over the Oasis were Inferals, some of which were dogs. To make matters worse, Schop revealed that the Infernals leader, Tempe, was a Demon Infernal. Shinra connected to the Woman in Black though an Adolla Link and asked her to help him protect the forest by giving him an Adolla Grace. The Woman in Black replied that her once immense power was depleted and that she could do no more than keep the forest alive. If she did give him a Grace, it would only last for a single second. Shinra assured her that this would be more than enough time and received the Grace. He then used his ability to surpass the speed of light to take down the Demon Infernal. After sailing back to Tokyo and making his report, Shinra was surprised to hear that the top brass wanted to keep the information secret. Apparently it would undermine the authority of The Holy Sol Temple and cause civil unrest.

### Haijima Industries arc

Returning to the Skills Development Laboratory with Victor, Shinra has an Adolla Link with Nataku Son and learns the boy is at the compound and wants someone to help him. Agreeing to a combat test in order for the scientist to get data on Adolla Burst, he is pitted against Yūichirō Kurono, during which he struggles against his opponent. As they fight, Victor learns something is happening with Nataku, leading to him shout out to Shinra to get to him and stop the experiment. Leaving and coming to Victor's aid, the pair venture into the facility to find the boy. Discovering the boy is in Kurono's possession, the two resume their fight, and are discovered by the Company 8 after they broke into the compound.

Demanding Kurono stop torturing Nataku, Charon launches into their confrontation in an attempt to capture the Sixth Pillar. Questioning how the White-Clad would know an Adolla Burst user would appear at the compound, he spots Inca, who he thought might have predicted the appearance. Engaging both Kurono and Charon in battle, Shinra and Arthur manage to grab the boy, but lose him after Inca attacks the pair with fire. While the different factions attempt to capture Nataku, a giant Infernal engulfs the boy in its core, prompting Shinra and Kurono to team up against the creature. Nataku goes loses control, attacking everyone with radiation beams. As a beam is about to hit Shinra, Charon intercepts the attack. While Charon covers him, Shinra attacks the giant with a kick that is ineffective. He tries to tell the boy to calm down, during which the two have another Adolla Link together. Afterwards, he watches Charon redirect a massive laser and Kurono slice apart the giant Infernal. With Nataku subdued, the White-Clad retreat, ending the battle. Following the incident, Shinra, Ōbi and Victor meet with Gureo Haijima.

### Operation Nether Investigation arc

With Company 8 being requested to enter the Netherworld with Special Fire Force Company 2 to expose what experiments the White-Clad have been up to, Company 8 members are divided up amongst Company 2's search teams, leading to Shinra being assigned to Hebio's squad. Upon entering the Netherworld, his squad comes under attack by Infernals, leading to many deaths, during which he is attacked by Giovanni. When a Fire Soldier comes to his aid, Shinra saves him from Giovanni, and is soon joined by Arthur. During their fight, Giovanni informs Shinra that an Adolla link can only be made with another Adolla Burst user or someone who has had contact with Adolla, leading Shinra to recall him having an Adolla Link with Konro. Afterwards, Arthur bisects Giovanni. Surviving the cut, Giovanni uses his bugs to distract to pair while he escapes. Exiting the Netherworld, Shinra wonders how he had an Adolla Link with Konro.

### Stigma arc

Wanting to know why he experienced an Adolla Link with Konro, Shinra and Hibana go to Asakusa. There, they discover Konro being attack by a White-Clad whom he defeats. Making their presence known, they begin to talk, and Konro informs the pair that he experienced an Adolla Link two years ago after killing the Demon Infernal he faced. Afterwards, the three return to the town and tell Benimaru that Konro is being targeted. Dodging Benimaru's hit, he notes Shinra is a better fighter. Informing Benimaru that some White-Clad are strong enough to withstand his strong attacks, Shinra asks him how he would fight them, and is told to use Hysterical Strength. He then tells Shinra to bring members of his company so he can train them together. The next day, he brings Arthur and Tamaki to train. As Shinra and Arthur engage Benimaru in battle, he instructs the two to go beyond their limits, and subsequently hazes the two. Resuming their fight, the two exhaust themselves over five hours, and eventually Shinra learns Hysterical Strength, during which he has an Adolla Link with Sōichirō Hague and sees him being killed.

### Ōbi's Rescue arc

Upon Ōbi being arrested, Company 8 decides to become traitors to the empire in order to rescue him, leading to Victor taking the company to Joker. After being taken to Joker's secret hideout, Shinra has an Adolla Link with Burns and discovers he intends to use a bug on Ōbi, prompting him and Joker to leave for Fuchū Prison. There, they find Burns who has Ōbi chained up, and Shinra and Joker attack him together. Shinra questions Burns and his newly awakened Hysterical Strength. The increased strength of his flames and his new blades let Shinra knock Burns back, combining his attacks with Joker’s to gain an advantage but Leonard quickly activates Voltage Nova Stage 2 to blast them away.

Shinra explodes with anger over Burns constantly refusing to explain anything and how his stubbornness costs people like Shō or Ōbi everything. Burns simply states that he is a disciple of God and having found 'a conclusion beyond his prayers' knows what to do, while Shinra is still looking for answers and has yet to achieve any of his goals. If the Evangelist is his god then Leonard Burns must follow her orders and he orders a White Clad agent to sting Ōbi with a Bug. Shinra’s panic and rage turns to surprise as Ōbi manages to break out of his chains and uses his steel-like body to dissuade the bugs from stinging him. Shinra and Joker attack with renewed desperation, eventually slamming him through the entire building and down to the ground floor. Burns increases his firepower again and tells Shinra that his desire to be a hero and change the world means he'll need to destroy everything Burns has represented his whole life. As the fight continues Shinra focuses on constantly raising his speed to overcome Burns' raw power. While clashing Shinra yells that Burns just wants the young to blindly follow orders and the establishment, only to be shocked when the single-minded veteran's anger; Burns actively encourages Shinra to follow his own path and to fight for his own beliefs. Thinking over everything he’s heard over the fight, Shinra’s determination allows him to finally achieving an Adolla Link with the distant Shō to unlock his fourth generation powers. Shinra collides with Burns for the final time vowing that heroism and his desire to save the world means he will fight the whole world and defeat God to save it. He finally defeats Burns by combining his Rapid-Man Kick and Hellfire blast into one light-speed attack.

Shinra collapses to the floor dripping with sweat. Burns commends Shinra for his strength and asks him to defy the world with this youthful hope. Something a dogmatic veteran could never achieve. Shinra is helped to his feet by Joker and panics as he senses another Adolla Link. Only to stare in horror as Burns is attacked by his own Doppelgänger. Shinra plans to rescue Burns but the captain orders him to stay back. With Burns’ prompting Joker gets Shinra up to the roof to save Obi while Company One’s Captain disappears into the darkness while grappling with the doppelgänger. Shinra collapses again and is carried on Akitaru’s back, noting that his warmth and compassion should be the norm of the world. Captain Ōbi tells Shinra that Burns has entrusted him with the future. Company 8 manage to escape the White Clad forces with the help of Benimaru (in disguise as Moonlite Mask) and rest in Asakusa. In the aftermath Shinra is framed for the murder of Captain Leonard Burns and Company 8 are labeled traitors to the Empire.

### Stone Pillar Arc

Recovered and impatient from his battle at Fuchū Prison, Shinra decides he needs to try to establish an Adolla Link of his own to reach out to Shō and his mother. Benimaru teaches Shinra how to awaken his Third Eye: a meditation that allows people to connect with the realm of gods. He theorises that if the Evangelist is God and the Adolla is her realm then it should allow Shinra enter her space. Shinra relaxes his body trying to awaken his sense, briefly thinking about Iris' connection with the First Pillar before falling asleep. In his dreams Shinra appears before Shō Kusakabe in the Adolla. This brief encounter causes Shō to remember everything Haumea had caused him to forget and inspires him to track down his older brother before the end of the world.

The next day Captain Ōbi explains in a meeting that Company 8 can rely on Companies 4. 5 and 7 as allies while Captain Honda of Company 2 is willing to offer personal support. While Hibana manages to complete her report on St. Raffles. The casual meeting between allies is interrupted by Scop making a sudden appearance. Happy to see Shop but uninterested in his travel stories Shinra is surprised to hear it is the Woman in Black's final message. The Second Cataclysm has already begun and unlike the First, The Evangelist is more likely to succeed as she has the Eight Pillars, the Decoded Pi sequence and Sumire's power. With another earthquake, Schop shouts that is happening. Near the Tokyo coastline, a mysterious stone pillar rises from the ocean and so does a giant Infernal that makes its way towards the coastline. Shinra flies with Shop to the scene and is told that destroying the Stone Pillar like Company 2 plan to do will cause a tremendous amount of damage. Arriving on the scene moments before Juggernaut can unknowingly make the situation worse, Shinra blocks the shot with his own body and is knocked unconscious and into the waters below. He is saved from drowning by Kurono diving into the ocean and is then protected by the now independent Shō and Arrow when the gravity defying Faerie attempts to abduct him. Shō leaves Shinra at the port for Ogun to look after.

Shinra finds himself in the Adolla Realm while he is unconscious and meets Inca. She manages to convince Shinra that they should use his ability to see past memories with Adolla to give them both insight into the original Great Disaster as a way of helping them understand what will happen in the Second. Traveling back gives Shinra and Inca visions of the world before the Adolla fundamentally altered reality. A place where humans were similar but fundamentally different. The uncanny atmosphere and the site of a different type of reality causes Shinra to break down, barely holding his mind together as he is flooded with images.

Waking up chained to a bed in Asakusa, Shinra is very confused that three months have pasted and that Obi and Hinawa tied him down after three months of violent behaviour. The last straw was attacking Sister Iris, which lead to his confinement. Arthur enters the room and notices that the real Shinra is 'back'. While Shinra had been unconscious, a spirit possessed his body and acted like a violent criminal; violating orders, fighting with Arthur and changing his appearance. Shinra and Arthur talk about the experience of the past, with Shinra still being disturbed by the past. Arthur believes that Shinra was replaced by a doppelgänger. A version of Shinra created from 12 years of rumors about him being a grinning devil who gleefully murdered his family. Iris comes to speak to Shinra in private. Shinra is deeply apologetic about his other self's actions but Iris forgives him instantly. Iris explains that more and more Infernals have appeared as the Adolla moves ever closer. With the news reporting on a 5th Pillar appearing. Additionally the pyrokenetics have become more powerful as well, which caused Iris' own weak Third Generation abilities to fully manifest and her to develop a feeling of discomfort: the feeling she is copy of another person. The Other Shinra lashed out at her because he has confused about why she was 'here' as well. Shinra realizes that Iris' personality is exactly what the entire empire believes Amaterasu to be like and that she is actually a doppelgänger of the First Pillar.

### Asakusa Showdown arc

Hibana, Licht, and Schop theorise about the nature of Adolla and Shinra's recent possession. Meanwhile Shinra and Ōbi discuss the recent changes in the world. That Company 2 working alongside Haijima Industries have been able to defeat each of the giants over the past few months while Oguru's blunt demeanour has been enough to quell the public's fears. All Pryokinetics can feel that their powers have been increasing since the stone pillars emerged. Powerful Third Generations have been effected by the changes in the world more than anyone else. Benimaru suffers from realistic dreams about his master and his strict training. Meanwhile Joker has been having re-occurring dreams of the Demon that killed Leonard Burns rising above the Infernals in Adolla. When Benimaru recognises the 7th Stone Pillar has risen along with the doppelgänger of his master and foster father he tells Company 8 to stay out of it because this is his fight.

### Final Pillar arc

When the eighth and final pillar emerged off the coast of Tokyo, a Doppelgänger of the Empire's supposed founder Raffles Smith appears along with a Titanic Infernal. At first, the people were overjoyed to see him decanting from the sky in a ray of light, believing that he had once again come to save them from the uncertain future they were currently facing. However, the bizarre star-like Infernal launches devastating attacks at the mainland. Believing this to be divine judgement, people begin to wail in misery and beg for forgiveness from their Messiah.

Company 4 move to protect the Empire by forming a defensive dome while Company 2's assault fails and Hajima's Kurono is very ambivalent about the situation. Company 8 decide to make their move in the Matchbox while Shinra flies in at top speed. His confrontation with the false saviour is interrupted when Shinra finds himself under intense gravitational pressure as Faerie attacks him. Shinra is blown into the air with no control over is trajectory but is caught and saved by the sudden arrival of Shō. It takes a moment for Shinra to recognise that he has been reunited with his little brother and is overjoyed but quickly refocuses on his mission as Faerie disappears from view. The Doppelgänger fuses with the Titan Infernal and shouts to the world that it will show mankind the path to salvation and return them to the great fire. The Doppelgänger was defeated by **Shinra Kusakabe**, but seeing the 'saviour' killed before them is traumatic to the general public. The result is that people to see Shinra as a devil who had killed their saviour, despite 'Raffles' trying to destroy them mere minutes earlier. Among the crowds screaming that Shinra is the devil, he disappears from the world along with the other seven Pillars to await to Cataclysm in Adolla.

### Great Cataclysm arc

Shinra is sealed into a stone pillar as the Cataclysm begins. While seemingly unconscious he is still aware that he is within Adolla. His pillar is part of a gigantic eye structure that bridges Adolla and reality. He remains trapped until Arthur Boyle manages to overturn the White Clad plan by defeating Dragon in single combat and extinguishing the fire that burns the world. Arthur’s final attack slices the eye and he orders Shinra to awaken. His friend’s actions cause brings Shinra back to reality. He pulls himself free from the stone and looks out at a world in chaos.

Faerie's indignation that a fool foiled his plans pushes him to pull the moon out of orbit and drop it onto the Tokyo Empire. The plan to compensate for Dragon’s absence by instilling mass despair in the population is thwarted by the sudden arrival of the Kusakabe brothers. Shinra, using his desire to save people and the reality wrapping powers of Adolla, manages to completely stop the Moon's descent and push it back into what he considers a safe orbit. Shō defeats Faerie but he summons the strongest Doppelgängers in existence as he dies. This perturbs the brothers but Shō convinces Shinra to leave those battles to their comrades. Their task is to enter Adolla and defeat both Haumea and The Evangelist to permanently resolve this conflict and reunite with their mother. Shinra carries Shō to the eye looking down on Tokyo. It is all mankind's thoughts of despair and madness given semi-physical form, acting as a gate into Adolla where Shō believes they can destroy it from within to stop the Cataclysm.

The brothers crash into the world of perception, where they are bombarded with images of human suffering from before the original Cataclysm. Haumea, Inca and Sumire approach them when they each Adolla. Haumea addresses Shinra as The Saviour, her calm and rational demeanour unnerving him. He and Shō are stunned when the Holy Maiden removes her crown, revealing gentle eyes that weep for the world. Transfixed by their enemy’s compassionate aura, the brothers watch as Sumire and Inca are killed by Haumea's embrace. Shinra is horrified by both their deaths and that Haumea is pained so much by her own choices. Shō agrees with Shinra that Haumea's belief that salvation comes from death is a contradiction. But Haumea cannot lie and has absorbed all human consciousness to become a god. Shō believes that this contradiction is the truth of god.

Haumea explains the root of this struggle is an unbroken cycle of salvation despair endlessly birthing each other. With the only conclusion that breaks the cycle is death, the purpose humanity created The Evangelist to cause. While Shinra protests, the saint tells him that death is inevitable. She reveals the lifeless bodies of Amaterasu and Sister Iris, explaining even the embodiments of life accepted death instead of the perpetual suffering of mankind. Shinra immediately attacks Haumea for Iris's murder, shouting he can solve everything by killing her. Haumea blows him backwards, stating Shinra is trying to find salvation through death. Believing her death will save him this despair and heartbreak. Shinra struggles against his rage but it flairs up whenever he gaze’s at Sister Iris. Shō attempts to reason with him. The Saviour decides the Cataclysm's resolution and that Haumea is trying to control his rage to generate enough despair to doom mankind. Shinra clings to his higher ideals and mission to save the world. But his and Shō’s combined efforts are cannot harm the godly saint as she possesses the abilities of each fallen Pillar. Under Haumea's probing questions Shinra admits to himself that his reasons are excuses, justifications for his primal desire to kill her. Calling him a poor liar, Haumea blasts a hole through Shinra's chest, an attack he only survives due to Captain Huang using her Adolla Link to heal him at the cost of her own life.

Kayoko’s voice reaches him and focuses Shinra’s mind away form his impulsive want. He finally forces Haumea to react to his punch. Proving Shinra can exert control of the situation and despair is not all-powerful. With rebuild confidence he says The Evangelist fears the change he can cause within the collective unconscious. But before he can act Haumea forces Shinra to look back to the Earth where he witnesses the violent murder of Captain Obi. Seeing another beloved comrade die pushes Shinra into the depths of rage and despair. The Saviour's blind, inconsolable fury triggers the destruction of mankind. Adolla completely merges with Earth as its black flames consume the entire globe. The planet is transformed into a dark sun. Leaving Shō, Shinra and Haumea the only humans left on the surface.

Consumed by his rage, Shinra barely acknowledges the situation and charges to kill Haumea. Before he can, Shinra is called a fool and struck from above by an unseen attacker with a giant blade. Shinra turns to see Arthur, fully healed as promised, furious that Shinra lost his heroism to become this devil. With the support of his Guardian, Shinra picks himself back up and commits to his role. Telling Haumea The Saviour can defy the will of humanity and find a better solution through his resolve and his hope. Shinra turns to his mother rise up being him: the Infernal Mari Kusakabe who is revealed to be The Evangelist’s Doppelgänger. Their Reunion is full of apologies as Shinra regrets not saving his family but he is proud to have meet the people he has, promising introduce them to his mother. The united Kusakabe family launch an attack against Haumea but it remains a stalemate. Realising that The Evangelist, despair’s embodiment, has merged into Haumea, Shinra realises that Mari should be capable of doing the same. But as she embodies humanity’s belief that gods inspire hope, Mari should be able counter The Evangelist. Joining hands Shinra, Shō and Mari combined their abilities and form. Creating the unstoppable Shinrabanshōman. The combined entity loudly introduces himself to the weeping Maiden of Despair and effortlessly endures her attacks. Refusing to bend to the supposed desire of humanity, Shinrabanshōman instead focuses on those who loved life and how humanity's survival instinct gives them incredible power, proving the species desires life instead of death. Unable to accept his defiance, Haumea surrenders the last of her humanity to completely fuse with The Evangelist, giving herself over to the will of man to become the maiden of despair, the vessel for all humans.

Unperturbed by his enemy's new form, Shinrabanshōman instead uses his incredible strength and divine powers to transform Adolla's black flames into living things. Stomping the ground to create flower fields, water, mountains and recreating animals lost in the original cataclysm. Despite Haumea's protests that he will only restart the cycle of suffering, Shinrabanshōman continues to use her destructive energies to rejuvenate the world, recreating an atmosphere through her blasts. His joy at using Adoola's power to heal the world is interrupted when his attempts to show a beautiful world reduces Haumea to tears. The world being healed will inevitably bring back all the suffering that has tormented her and humanity. Stunned as she beings praying and begging him not to continue, Shinrabanshōman feels despair from all around him and from within himself. Understanding no paradise can remain perfect for long and realising that it is not enough for the strong to seek their own path. Shinrabanshōman realises he needs to give the weak to cope with their fears so their worries will not bloat into the despair that created The Evangelist. Although frightened by his apparent godhood Shinrabanshōman refuses to stop. He uses Haumea's next attack to recreate architecture from across human history, using his various time abilities to ensure the process works. Lights emerge from Haumea's tears and spread across the world. These tears contain the wills of individuals, their souls, as Shinrabanshōman gives them life again.

Shinrabanshōman reveals he not only revived everyone but also changed the values of life and death. In this reborn world, the world of madness according to Licht, the value of life is lessened and changed death into something more personal. Changing everyone’s outlook and reaction to reduce their fears and despair. Terrified by the implications, Haumea curls up behind her veil and begins to embrace her despair again. Despite Shō's worries, Shinrabanshōman is confident Haumea will make a different choice as the revived Charon approaches to coax her out of hiding. Blushing, Haumea steps out finally having the strength to defy the despair of mankind and live her life in this new world of death. Without its vessel, the despair built up across all human history still exists in a physical form. Shinrabanshōman declares it is not needed in this world and destroys it with an explosive final kick. After seeing how things resolved the dead pillars make their choices, free from that misery Iris and Inca are restored to life once more.

The celebration is interrupted by the arrival of a giant figure: the skeletal God of the new world. Shinra reveals he manifested a being to act as god in this world, something tangible worthy of worship to support people in need. God removes the powers from the six living pillars and Benimaru claiming they are too dangerous to be left alone. With her powers gone Iris realises this means all pyrokenetics are now powerless and SHC has been removed. God quickly departs much to everyone's confusion, a confusion exacerbated by Inca’s insistence she and Iris are Shinra’s girlfriends, but Shinra quickly moves to have their group return to Company 8's Cathedral. Looking up at the sky to thank his friend for protecting this world, Shinra turns to Company 8. Surrounded by his friends, Shinra announces his return and that the world is safe. In their merriment Shinra remembers his first true smile since the fire 12 years ago came from the hope he felt upon joining the Fire Force and surrounded himself with compassionate people.

### Epilogue arc

Having recreated the world, Shinra's popularity soared. After the Fire Force was disbanded, Shinra alongside other members of the World Heroes Force partakes on an expedition outside of Tokyo in the world Shinra created, during which he encountered large animals and chased after Inca. Reuniting with Ogun, Arthur and Excalibur on their expedition, the boys are approached by the mischievous Inca now dressed as a witch. Shinra, exacerbated by her asking again, refuses to have children with Inca. He insists that he is already with Iris and even tries to get Inca to accept Arthur as a substitute. Inca finally tries to explain her motives more tactfully, claiming she can finally enjoy life in this new world and she would like children who can carry on after her in this world of death. While Shinra refuses and she promises to keep causing him trouble before leaving, Inca still thanks Shinra for saving her and making a place people can enjoy. He smiles as she waves goodbye.

By the age of 42, Shinra would become Supreme Commander of The World Heroes Force and still use Company 8's Cathedral as his headquarters. He is nervous upon receiving word that his child has finally enlisted in the Force, claiming it is natural to worry about your children's safety. Despite his fears Commander Shinra is excited for the future. He simply tells his subordinate that life should be enjoyed to the fullest. Smiling as he explains that living without regret frees them from the fear of death and will let their souls will burn bright.

## Etymology

* The name **Shinra** (森羅) is derived from the Japanese idiomatic lexeme "shinrabanshō" (森羅万象), which, when translated, can mean either "all creation" or "all things in nature". Shinra’s new form is a direct usage of the lexeme, which also explains his reality bending and life creating abilities.
* Nevertheless, his name contains the Go-on'yomi reading for "forest" (森, **shin**) and "light silk, lightweight fabric" (羅, **ra**).
* Shinra's surname **Kusakabe** means "sun, day" (日) (**kusa**), "under, below" (下) (**ka**) and "part, department, category" (部) (**be**).

## Trivia

* The superhero he is inspired by, the pose he does as a child, and his kicks allude to the tokusatsu superhero Kamen Rider Ichigo.
* Shinra was ranked 1st in the first Character Popularity Poll.
* Shinra's fighting style seems to take many pointers from the Brazilian martial art capoeira.
* Unlike most of the other characters, the religious references regarding Shinra follow a visual motif rather than a naming convention: the motif being that of the devil from the Abrahamic religions.
	+ Interestingly enough, in Christianity, the religion the series borrows from most heavily, Satan is sometimes identified as Lucifer, a fallen angel, which coincides with the angelic motif that Shinra's younger brother, Sho, carries.
* Shinra, as well as his brother Shō, were born from a virgins womb.
* According to his Character Profile in Fire Walk with Me:
	+ Shinra's favorite foods are ramen, hamburgers, and fried chicken. He doesn't dislike any sort of food in particular.
	+ Shinra's favorite type of music has a fast-tempo and a cool tune.
	+ Shinra likes fast animals and his favorite is a leopard or a panther.
	+ Shinra's favorite color is red.
	+ Shinra prefers beautiful people.
	+ Shinra respects Commander Obi and his mother.
	+ Shinra has trouble around pretty girls and Arthur.
	+ Shinra is afraid of Lieutenant Hinawa.
	+ Shinra's hobbies consist of soccer and futsal.
	+ Shinra's daily routine includes break-dancing.
	+ Shinra's dream is to become a hero.
	+ Shinra's foot size is 27cm and his eyesight is 2.0.
	+ Shinra's favorite subject is mathematics, while his least favorite is national language.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 9, page 3
2. ↑ Chapter 0, page 40
3. ↑ Chapter 0, page 45
4. ↑ Chapter 12, page 11
5. ↑ Chapter 12, page 11
6. ↑ Fire Walk with Me (Volume 1)
7. ↑ Chapter 12, page 9
8. ↑ Chapter 11, page 3-4
9. ↑ Chapter 0, page 46
10. ↑ Chapter 1, page 17
11. ↑ Chapter 132, page 8
12. ↑ Chapter 132, page 13
13. ↑ Chapter 40, page 16-17
14. ↑ Chapter 2, page 11
15. ↑ Chapter 93, page 7
16. ↑ Chapter 28, page 19-22
17. ↑ Fire Force Manga: Chapter 2, Page 23
18. ↑ Chapter 0, page 30
19. ↑ Chapter 11, page 16
20. ↑ Chapter 11, page 10-15
21. ↑ Fire Force Episode 1
22. ↑ Chapter 168
23. ↑ Chapter 120, page 18
24. ↑ Chapter 121, page 10-11