Haijima Industries

* Yūichirō Kurono (Combatant)
* Puppeteer (Combatant)

**Haijima Heavy Industries** (灰島重工, *Haijima Jūkō*) is a business conglomerate in the Tokyo Empire and major contributed to both Special Fire Force and wider society. It is currently run by President Gureo Haijima.

## Overview

The conglomerate has a major degree of influence over every industry in the Tokyo Empire; Clothing: Haijima produces the raw materials and designs. Food: Haijima produces ingredients, makes cookware, and even builds restaurants. Ultimately, with all of its subsidiaries, about 70% of Tokyo's population work at business that is under Hajima Industries. Even the Special Fire Force is heavily influenced by Haijima, as they manufacture all the equipment that Special Fire Force utilizes. This is especially true for Company 3 and Company 5. While Company 5 is meant to be an auxiliary unit underneath the armies control, it is directly controlled by Haijima.

## History

In Year 186, when Shinra was discovered to have Third Generation abilities, Haijima Industries designed special shoes for him, containing liquid nitrogen, which would allow him to control his abilities. He would live in Haijima's facilities for the next 8 years, leaving to join he Special Fire Force Training Academy. During this period of time, Yūichirō Kurono would be treated for Tephrosis at the same facility and he would demand to be allowed to work with the children. Kurono would get a job for the company's research facilities and would see Shinra on occasion but never work with him. At some point, Haijima used its influence over the Special Fire Force to appoint Hibana as the new Captain of the 5th Company in order to secure the results of her research material.

President Gureo, and other important officials spectated from the sidelines of the Rookie Fire Soldier Games as his organisation built the facility used for the games. The unknown criminal Joker manages to use a secret passage built into the building to interfere with the contest, attack multiple recruits and ultimately destroy the entire building with his explosives.

Following his Ignition Ability being awakened by Rekka Hoshimiya, Nataku Son was brought to Haijima to help him learn to control his powers with the permission of his parents. The scientists a Haijima noted that Nataku was an exceptional case among the pyrokinetics whom they mentor and deliberately hide his presence from outsiders, saying he is kept at a different facility when pressured.

Eventually, the actions of the White-Clad cause the Tokyo Empire to declare that all Companies must expand their Scientific investigations. As a result, the head of Haijima's incendiary research, Viktor Licht joins Special Fire Force Company 8 under imperial order. The actual intention of this support is not national security but to get insight into Shinra Kusakabe's Adolla Burst. Frustrated they never found any signs or usable data from the Devil's Footprints despite having him in their clutches for 8 years, they begin increasing their experiments on children in their care.

Viktor Licht's exploration of the Chinese Peninsula and the Tabernacle leads him to write an official report all but causing the company of powering the Eternity-Style Thermal Power Generation "Amaterasu" through human sacrifice. He is called to a meeting where higher-ups condemn this action and denounce these claims, while the company president Gureo Haijima just wants Shinra brought to the Development Lab. Once Licht leaves, the Haijima executives decided that Licht was too curious for his own good and that he should be eliminated once he bring them Shinra. Licht, knowing this, deliberately writes an incendiary reports and uses this as an opportunity to force Company 8 to investigate the company.

Shinra's visit to the Development Lab does end up triggering Nataku Son's Adolla Burst powers and their unique properties. The mistreatment of children cause Shinra and Licht to attempt to free Nataku from Haijima's possession while Kurono wishes to fight and crush them. While Haijima mobilises Kurono and the Puppeteer to counter Company 8's actions, the battles are interrupted by the arrival of the White Clad seeking the Sixth Pillar for their own ends.

Gureo ends up needing to call Kurono directly and order him to focus on defeating the strongest opponents instead of his normal approach of destroying the weakest foes. The battle between the 3 factions escalates until Nataku's radiation powers almost cause the destruction of the entire Tokyo Empire. Kurono manages to pacify Nataku and the White Clad end up retreating.

In the aftermath of this battle, Gureo meets with Shinra, Akitaru and Licht to organize an alliance against the Evangelist. In exchange for their cooperation against her, Gureo agrees to spare Licht and help Vulcan's efforts to create a different source of power that does not require a human sacrifice. Despite this, he still wishes to study the Adolla Burst through experimenting on Nataku and Shinra. Vulcan Joseph storms the office and promises that he will build a superior Thermal System to Amaterasu if Haijima gives him the resources.

Later on, Haijima would become proactive in the protection of Tokyo. Deploying Director Oguru and Kurono to the coastline when a massive pillar and titanic Infernal rise from the ocean depths. They coordinate in an uneasy alliance with Company 2 and end up saving Shinra after he falls into the water and almost drowns. Oguru remains under the protection of the army while he orders Kurono to deal with the Infernal first.

With the damage Company 2 and the newly arrived Company 4 manage to do, Kurono manages to dismember the creature before cutting it in half to Oguru's delight. The duo would continue this type of action for the next 3 months. Each time a new Pillar arises they unleash Kurono to destroy the giant Infernal while Oguru eases the public's fears about the end of the world through his blunt attitude and refusal to mince words.

When the Eighth and Final Stone Pillar appears near Tama Bay, Haijima's duo are once again present. Although this time Kurono leaves fighting the Infernal, a doppelgänger of Emperor Raffles I, to Shinra and Company 8.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 9, page 7
2. ↑ Chapter 1, page 17
3. ↑ Chapter 19, Page 13
4. ↑ Chapter 5, page 4
5. ↑ Chapter 51, Page 21