Akitaru Ōbi

is the Battalion Commander of Tokyo's 8th Special Fire Brigade.

Appearance
Akitaru has short, somewhat unruly dark hair with shaved sideburns and small dark eyes. He is seen wearing the brigade's 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 pants. Those are later topped by a protective outer jacket and trousers, and finished with a helmet, which has a metal face shield, with three slots attached to it. While on missions, he often carries various weapons with him, depending on the situation. He was later seen wearing a grey jumpsuit.

Personality
Akitaru is a brave individual, being able to face Flame Humans without fear, despite having no ignition abilities. He was also shown being prone to exercise, as evident with him lifting weights during a meeting and doing pull-ups while having a casual conversation with Shinra. Akitaru is also a curious person, as he wanted to see Shinra's goofy grin with his own eyes and later asked the boy his reasons for joining the brigade. He is confident in his team-mates, as evident with him telling Shinra that he'll be cheering for him in the sidelines during the boy's participation in the upcoming Fire Officer Newcomer Tournament. Akitaru is a very good-natured person, as he was willing to risk his life to protect the memento of Mikako's family and deliver it to her safely. He is constantly working out with gym equipment whenever he has free time. Because of this continuous training, he is able to serve the people he needs. Akitaru doesn't doesn't tolerate evil-doers.

Abilities
Akitaru has a fit physique, which allows him to face Flame Humans without having ignition abilities. In battle, he is seen using different weapons, suitable for the situation, like the Core Annihilating Pile Bunker or a fire fighting axe, which he can veil in white steam and thrust at the opponent. His weapons appear to be designed in order to impale a Flame Human's core with low difficulty.

Introduction arc
Akitaru, alongside the rest of the 8th Special Fire Brigade, arrives to save a train station from a Flame Human. Once there, the man orders Shinra to get back and asks Iris to begin the prayers. He then moves in for an attack, and, with the help of Takehisa and Maki, impales the being's core, using his weapon. After the battle, Akitaru witnesses Shinra saving Iris from a falling light and comments on the boy's footprints, albeit to himself. When Shinra arrives at the 8th Special Fire Fighting Church, Akitaru greets him, whilst working out, and looks at the boy's resume picture, only to question the young man on his smile, to which Shinra replies it to be a natural face reaction. Akitaru then glares at Shinra, causing him to grin, then bursts out laughing, and later teases the boy when he becomes aroused by Iris and Maki. Akitaru then delivers a speech about the Human Body Ignition Phenomenon, quoting the abilities of each team-mate. Later that night, a siren notifies the brigade of an accident in a nearby factory, causing Akitaru to move out with the rest of the brigade. While in Matchbox, the man encourages Shinra to do his best on his first official mission.

When the brigade arrives at the scene, Akitaru fills the brigade in, regarding the situation at hand. With his comrades, Akitaru fights the Flame Human, using Maki's abilities to keep himself from getting burnt and using a fire fighting axe, but to no avail. He later witnesses Shinra defeating the threat with a blazing kick. After the mission, he is seen proud of the Fire Officer and was happy to see him with a happy smile. Some time after, Akitaru informs Shinra that a newcomer tournament will be held between the Special Fire Brigades and that their brigade will be sending both Shinra and a new member, who turns out to be Arthur. While the rest of the brigade hangs out on the roof, Akitaru, lifting weights in privacy, wonders why is it taking so long for the newcomer to arrive, though he already had arrived unbeknownst to him.

Later, Akitaru treats Shinra and Arthur to some food at Ippudo Ramen, where the three strengthen their friendship. Back at the church's armory, the man complains that the brigade doesn't have a stoker in their ranks, who would help with the maintenance. When the team is notified of a Flame Human, spotted in Iriya District, thy depart to the scene. While on route, Akitaru instructs Shinra and Arthur to conceal their weapons in public. Upon arrival, Akitaru pulls the two aside for disobeying his orders and explains his reasoning. Straight after, their conversation is cut short when a burst of flames emerges from the apartment. The whole brigade then storms into the room, where they spot Mikako's father. Arthur volunteers to take him out, which in turn leads to Shinra question his motives, but Akitaru reassures Arthur to do it. Immediately after, the roof starts to collapse, which forces Akitaru to jump in and save a family picture for Mikako, as a precious memento. Outside, he delivers the framed picture to the girl. Shinra apologizes to the man for not being able to do anything the entire time, but Akitaru assures him that all they can do is to get close to the ones left behind. Akitaru was later present during the Fire Officer Newcomer Tournament, observing the event alongside his team-mates, where he questioned the actions of a young man from the 2nd Special Fire Brigade. As the tournament came to an end, Akitaru foresaw Shinra and the others escape the building, and helped with the capture of Arthur. Akitaru was relieved to see Shinra safe and that he had helped the others escape, in which he patted him on the head. As Shinra explained what had happened with the anonymous intruder in the building, Akitaru tells Shinra the real reason behind the forming of the 8th Special Fire Brigade.

Trivia

 * The mask Akitaru wears, greatly resembles Eibon's mask from the Soul Eater series.