A New Flashpoint
Who is the Fifth Pillar and how much of a threat are they going to be? Episode 3 of Fire Force Season 2 roars into action as we find out those questions in this week’s chapter. With another big cliffhanger and some decent work done to introduce our new wild-card, this action-anime doubles down on the main plot-line in the best possible way. The big reveal from the last episode continues to ripple through Fire Force. A new Pillar has been born but with no clue who it is, Obi speaks to the Fire Defense Agency Chief on the matter. He wants all the company together on this but the Chief refuses to entertain the idea. There’s plenty of politics involved and it leaves Obi frustrated and no closer to finding a solution. Given the three generational hierarchy of the Infernals, a schoolgirl called Inca may just prove to be the wildcard that offsets this balance. Acting as a self-proclaimed fourth generational, Inca’s powers are pretty unusual – and impressive. Although she can’t manipulate or control flames, she can sense and predict where they are. Unfortunately she’s using her powers for ill-gains, arriving with her two contacts, Panda and Sancho, at a burning house moments before the fire actually starts. She’s been doing this gig for a while and demands the man hand over his money. In exchange, she saves him from the burning building. As the Fire Force catch wind of what’s happening, they race to the scene as Shinra realizes she could be the new Pillar. Fires spread across town, acting as a distraction for the Force. It’s just what’s needed too as Sho get to Inca first, killing Sancho in cold blood. Outstretching his hand, he requests that she follow him. Their plan of course stems from wanting to trigger the Great Cataclysm. As they talk, Inca’s powers start to manifest and evolve into something different. Her Fire Ignition powers allow her to predict moves before they even happen. Thankfully Shinra arrives to save the day but just as he and the Sho square off with one another, the episode comes to an agonizing close.
The Episode Review
The introduction to Inca and her powers is a great inclusion this season and helps move the story along nicely. There’s a great ebb and flow to this one too and a lot of that stems from Inca’s characterisation. Alongside that, the little pockets of drama surrounding different characters helps to keep everything consistently tied together. Personally though, it would have been nice to see a bit more about Arthur’s backstory. Hopefully we return to this later in the series. So far though Fire Force has done a decent enough job in this second season but it’s here where things starts to kick it up a gear. The main plot looks like it’s going to start moving along nicely and there’s definitely going to be a big fight next episode. Who will come out on top? We’ll have to wait and see but next week is shaping up to be a must-watch!
