English Dub Review: Fire Force “Beyond Prayer’s End”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The battle between Shinra and Burns reaches a fiery end.

OUR TAKE

Well, the arc’s not QUITE over since there still needs to be some wrap up, but we’ve definitely hit the climax as Shinra finally manages to make use of his training with Benimaru to unlock stronger flames and break through Burns’ defenses. And just like I, and probably many other, people thought, Burns did not do a total heel turn just for the hell of it, but rather because he wanted to be a test for Shinra to show he was ready for the fights to come. Though while Burns may have been able to survive that and continue possibly helping from the inside, he is then killed by a seemingly random appearance by an Infernal, which is probably his doppleganger, who then takes his dying body…somewhere. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of that specific Infernal, but as an exit for Captain Burns, this was a hell of a way to go. He even got a big flashback that flashed his life before our eyes, so that’s probably a clear sign that he’s dead now. What this means for Company 1 is unclear, since we’ve never seen someone take over as a new Captain before, but the church may still want to keep up appearances with the Fire Force for the time being, so we’ll see.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the fight, Dragon manages to overpower Maki and almost kill her…but Iris manages to intervene, seemingly using Divine Grace to do so, right when a new Pillar supposedly emerges. The Pillars are something that the story has been keeping track of since at least late in the first season, with Haumea being designated the Second, Shinra’s brother Sho being Third, Shinra himself being Fourth, White Clad Inca being Fifth, and a boy at Haijima named Nataku being Sixth. They apparently need two more to begin their next Great Cataclysm, so this emergence would put them one step closer, and all signs point to it being Iris, who previously has not been shown to have any flame abilities, so I guess we’ll see what getting these new ones means for her and her place on the team. In the meantime, Company 8 gets a sudden surprise ally in their escape: the mysterious Moonlight Mask who is definitely not Company 7 Captain Benimaru Shinmon. Well, this story is already kind of a hodgepodge of Full Metal Alchemist and Bleach elements, so why not throw in Sailor Moon as well? Anyway, next time is the proper end to this arc and some diving into some of the remaining mysteries.