Shinra Kusakabe

is a Third Generation Fire Officer of Tokyo's 8th Special Fire Brigade.

Appearance
Shinra is a young boy of average height with short and spiky dark brown hair, and glowing crimson eyes. He's first seen wearing a black suit over a white shirt, a pair of black trousers and black boots which burnt like many others when he ignited them in order to save Iris. He was later given a bunker gear, which consists of a tank top buckled at the waist with a belt, which presses a middle part that's strapped to his shoulders, and dark colored shorts. Those are later topped by protective outer jacket and trousers, and finished with a helmet. The trousers he wears with his bunker gear was specifically tailored by Maki to be three-quarter in length instead of reaching down to his feet, being advantageous so that Shinra could freely use his Third Generation ability without having to worry about burning his trousers. He was also seen wearing a grey jumpsuit.

Personality
Shinra is energetic and confident, not hesitating to act immediately when the time calls for it and is very proud of his ambition of becoming a hero, something which he had promised his mother. However, Shinra suffers from nervous laughter, which is a condition where animals naturally grin or show their teeth when nervous, stressed, angered or uncomfortable. Such things as running into a schoolgirl even made him nervous and when he saved Iris from a falling object. He was quite easily made shaky by Akitaru staring him in the face, and is naturally nervous around girls since he's been in training with males only for an extended period of time. Aside from this, he isn't easily agitated by other people's words and opinions on his ambitions, as demonstrated when Takehisa asked if he wanted to become a hero just for his reputation. Shinra also bickers often with Arthur on who are superior: heroes or knights. Though a new brigade member, Shinra has shown to have good judgement and prioritises what is important and what should be done rather than acting with personal emotions. Shinra acts selflessly toward civilians and has very high standards of what the Special Fire Brigade should represent. He respects his fellow teammates and admires Akitaru specifically for not having an Ignition Ability but being brave enough to fight in the fires.

Abilities
Shinra is a Third Generation, able to kindle, control and utilise flames he generates to his own will. So far, he has only shown the ability to ignite fire on his feet, allowing him to run longer distances with much greater speed, and multiply his kicking power drastically. The ashes he leaves on the floor in image of his footprints were noted to be called the. Shinra has shown the ability to fly using his Ignition Ability on multiple occasions, which has helped him reach places that are higher up or more difficult to get to than usual. He has also used this ability defensively to dodge Maki's attacks. Shinra is very skilled when it comes to kicking and can keep his opponents on their toes. He is noted to be able to change the trajectory of his kicks in mid-air due to his ability, which is beneficial in fighting situations as he can kick from many directions one after another. Shinra's fiery kicks have been seen to be powerful enough to launch a car, which was noted to weigh a ton, into the skies and back to the ground.

Background
In Year 186, when Shinra was only five years old, he lived with his mother and younger brother, Sho. Shinra used to always dress up as a superhero with a cape and say that he'll become a hero so that he can protect his mother and Sho, and his mother was supportive of the idea. He also used to watch TV programmes about heroes and mimic their actions. One day, Shinra woke up to discover that his house was on fire and believed a "black shadow" was present in the house which started the incident that claimed his mothers life. The incident resulted in him developing a demon-like grin and believing that his his little brother Sho had died during the incident too, as no bones of him were found.

After being rescued by the 1st Special Fire Brigade, he was labelled as the perpetrator of the fire incident, after others discovered that he was a Third Generation. After the event, Haijima Heavy Industries fitted Shinra with liquid nitrogen boots to suppress his Ignition Ability. When he attempted to move in with his grandmother, she thought of Shinra as a monster for not realising what he had supposedly done. After that day, the boy was nicknamed a "Devil", because of his kooky grin in the form of a nervous laughter symptom. During his time in the training academy, he often bickered with Arthur about who were superior: heroes or knights.

Introduction arc
On route to the 8th Special Fire Brigade, Shinra hears an alarm in a nearby train station, due the presence of a Flame Human. He readies himself to fight it, but the 8th Brigade arrives and eliminates the threat. Immediately after, he saves Iris from a falling light and introduces himself to the brigade. Later, at the brigade's headquarters, Shinra formally meets all the members and, when asked, explains his reason for joining. Afterwards, Akitaru takes his time to explain the brigade's mission of unraveling the Human Body Ignition Phenomenon to him. While settling in his new room, the brigade is notified of a Flame Human and departs to the scene. Upon entering the destroyed factory, Shinra gets caught off guard and is knocked out by the Flame Human, but is woken up by Akitaru seconds later. With works of encouragement, he overcomes his fear and resolves to fight. Launching himself at the being with his ignition ability, Shinra destroys the opponent's core and purifies her soul. Outside, he overhears spectators cheering and is praised for his actions, much to his delight.

Akitaru later informs Shinra that he will be participating in an upcoming tournament, alongside a new recruit, which makes Shinra excited, as he sees it as a chance to meet Leonardo Burns, the man who saved him. 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 her as he is unable to use his Ignition Abilities due to her control over fire as a Second Generation.

Later, Akitaru treats Shinra and Arthur to some food at Ippudo Ramen, strengthening their friendship. Back at the church's armory, Shinra is given a battleaxe to use by Takehisa. When the brigade is notified of a Flame Human, they depart to the scene and Akitaru instructs the new recruits to conceal their weapons in public. Upon arrival, Akitaru pulls the two aside for disobeying his orders and explains his reasoning. Their conversation is cut short when flames emerge from the apartment, leading the brigade to storm in, where they are welcomed by the conscious Flame Human. Arthur volunteers himself to kill the harmless threat, much to Shinra's confusion. After completing their objective, the building's ceiling begins to collapse, while 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 Fire Officer Newcomer Tournament, where he meets Tamaki. Later, Shinra finds the man from the 1st Brigade, who he met previously, and approaches him. After introducing himself, Leonardo ignores him and leaves and Shinra wonders if he's hiding something from him. When the competition begins, Shinra uses his ability to fly into the building and inside, 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 Sho 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 explain them the situation, but Arthur thinks that Shinra is trying to trick him, leading to them attacking the "Flame Human". As they try to capture Joker, Shinra notices an unknown substance and rescues Tamaki before it explodes. Before the intruder leaves, he challenges Shinra to save everyone and releases all his powder, offering Shinra the chance to join his cause. Shinra grabs the two unconscious people and tells Arthur to cut a hole through the ceiling, so they can escape. As the substance detonates, everybody grabs onto Shinra. Before Shinra could save Arthur and Tamaki, Leonardo jumps in and rescues Tamaki, while Arthur is rescued by their team-mates. Later, Leonardo thanks Shinra for saving his newest recruit and Akitaru promises to reveal him for what purpose was the 8th Brigade created.

The next day, Akitaru explains to Shinra how and why their Brigade was founded and tells him that the other Special Fire Brigades are hiding something on their own end. The two then learn more about the substance from Takehisa. Shinra goes with Arthur to help out Mamoru, who was reported to be stuck in a tree, where the dog informs Shinra that the trial for the release of Setsuo Miyamoto will be held. After that, Mamoru meets his fans, with Shinra and Arthur helping it with giving out balloons. The two then learn of an accident in the courthouse from Takehisa, who was moving to the scene with the rest of the brigade. After giving Arthur a lift, the two Fire Officers fight the Flame Human, 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. Setsuo threatens to kill an innocent kid, but is stopped by Shinra. The two then start their confrontation, with the Fire Officer dominating the fight. Shinra corners Setsuo, using a launched vehicle to frighten the Flame Human. Shocked by his abilities, Setsuo admits defeat and pleads Shinra to allow a real sister to pray for him, using such a request as a distraction to attack the Fire Officer from behind his back, but Shinra makes quick notice and cuts off his opponent's hand with one of his kicks. Afterwards, Princess Hibana intervenes to dispose of the Flame Human.

VS 5th Special Fire Brigade arc
Princess Hibana gazes at Shinra, causing him to collapse on his knees, then approaches him for being disrespectful and orders him to lick her shoe as he gets restrained by the 3 Angels of the 5th. After noticing the boy he saved previously being pushed out of the way, an infuriated Shinra delivers a twirling fire kick, setting himself free. He stands up and challenges the 5th Special Fire Brigade to a fight as the 8th arrives. As Tōru from the 5th Special Fire Brigade mocks Akitaru for not having abilities, Shinra and Arthur jump in to pick a fight with the him, but Maki and Takehisa carry them away. All this ends up causing a heavy tension between the two brigades.

The 5th retreat back to there headquarters, though conflict is still felt in the air. As time goes by, everybody gathers for a meeting, which was held-back due to Shinra noticing just how odd the members of the 8th really are and calling them out on it. Naming Iris as the only regular person there, she thanks him and walks toward him to pick something out of his hair, to which he grins excessively about because she's so close. Takehisa, using his pistol, shoots Shinra in the leg, though damage was not received on his end. He explains just how his ability as a Second Generation works and that everybody will be confronting unique abilities such as this in the future, and to be wary of so. As the fire officers and company commander do training on the rooftop a little while later, Shinra questions Takehisa on Hibana's background in the Special Fire Brigade. Not able to get over the fact the 5th joked about burning innocent citizens, Shinra is determined to unravel the secrets the 5th are hiding even if it means malice. As he walked back down to retrieve something, Shinra spots Iris executing her purifying ritual in nothing but a wet towel, winning a captivated grin on his face. As Iris spots him and puts a towel on, Shinra apologises for walking in on her. Realising she was crying, he asks if she's okay, only for her to put on a fake smile to ensure that she was. At night, still iffy about the whole situation, Shinra asks Arthur for his opinion about Iris, though he doesn't see any problems with her. Maki later bursts through the door declaring that Iris has gone missing, much to Shinra's surprise. As time goes by, Shinra appears outside the 5th Special Fire Fighting Industrial Complex with a loud entrance, asserting that he has arrived to crush the 5th Brigade and save Iris. After the other members of the 8th Brigade show up, Shinra is ordered by Takehisa to go ahead of them retrieve Iris. By using his Igntion Ability, Shinra agilely avoids the 5th Brigade grunts and moves toward Hibana's whereabouts.

Trivia

 * is derived from the Japanese word, which, when translated, can mean either "all creation" or "all things in nature".