Shinra Kusakabe

is a Third Generation Second Class Fire Soldier. After his mother's death, and supposedly his younger brother's as well, Shinra joined the Special Fire Force Company 8 to achieve his goal of becoming a hero, saving people from Spontaneous Human Combustion, and uncover the truth behind his family's death twelve years ago.

Appearance
Shinra is a teenager of average height, who has short and spiky dark brown hair, crimson eyes. When he was introduced, Shinra wore a dark jacket with a button on his collar shaped like a cross-like insignia, an over light shirt, dark trousers and a belt and dark shoes, the latter of which he burnt through via his Ignition Ability, and was noted to have done multiple times.

He was later presented with a bunker gear, which consists of a dark t-shirt buckled at the waist with a belt, dark offshore trousers that have light patches on the front leg and pelvis area, and are strapped over his shoulders. Those are later topped by a protective outer jacket, trousers, a neck protector, protective gloves and a helmet with the number 8 on it, signifying his brigade. The buttons of his protective jacket are in the shape of cross-like symbols. Shinra's bunker gear trousers were specifically tailored by Maki Oze so that they only reached below his knees instead to his feet, being advantageous so that he could freely use his Ignition Ability without having to worry about burning through his clothing. Parts of his outfit are coated with blue lines.

When not on a mission, Shinra is commonly seen wearing a orange coverall and white t-shirt underneath. His outfits contain patches with "8" on them, signifying his affiliation to Special Fire Force Company 8. Due to his Ignition Ability, he tends to walk barefooted or with sandals as they can easily be disposed of. Shinra's trousers generally are rolled up to just below his knees so he is able to use his ability without burning them. He has also rolled up his arm sleeves at times.

Personality
"I became a Fire Soldier so I could protect everyone! Fire Soldiers are heroes that battle against the terror of the flames!"

Shinra is brave, confident, and has a willingness to help others. He is very proud of his ambition of wanting to become a hero; a promise he made with his mother when he was five. He doesn't hesitate to act immediately when the time calls for it, and can sometimes be impulsive in combat, but has also displayed the capability to step back and think about the situation before acting. Sometimes to his embarrassment, Shinra suffers from nervous laughter, which is a condition where animals naturally grin or show their teeth when nervous, stressed, angered or uncomfortable; gaining this condition after witnessing his mother die. The grin can sometimes be mistaken for a menacing smirk by others, and because people thought Shinra killed his own mother, he gained the moniker of a devil; but fights to be recognized as a hero.

Shinra respects Akitaru Ōbi as the Battalion Commander of his brigade and as someone who fights Flame Humans without an Ignition Ability, and also respects his mother, finds Takehisa scary, and bickers regularly with Arthur. He 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 Force should represent. He respects his fellow teammates and admires Akitaru for having the courage to fight Flame Humans without an Ignition Ability. While Shinra works well with his brigade, his relationship with each member individually differs. Shinra isn't afraid to act on his own, even if confronted against multiple opponents. He can be very pushy and demanding when it comes to gathering information on his family's death twelve years ago, and the secrets of the phenomenon, showing he deeply cares about both matters.

Abilities
Though a newcomer in the Special Fire Force, Shinra has posed a challenge to experienced members of the force, and even defeated a Battalion Commander. Being a Fire Soldier, Shinra is experienced in rescuing people, and as such, was strong enough to carry four people out of a building before it exploded. While relying on his Ignition Ability in combat mostly, Shinra has exhibited skill in ordinary fighting, being able to pin an opponent to the ground and break their guard with a sturdy kick, as well as being capable of defending himself from ground-breaking attacks.

Shinra has displayed exceptional eyesight, being able to spot things that other characters haven't been able to see at large distances. This was shown when Shinra identified the two White Robes that were sniping multiple buildings away, as well as when he zoomed his vision in 2.0x as much as normal to recognize that it was a bug that was being placed on a pedestrian that ended up turning them into a flame person.

Ignition Ability
While a child, Shinra awakened the ability of a Third Generation and gained the ability to ignite, control, and utilise flames from his feet. While doing so, he leaves ashes on the floor in the shape of feet, which are known as the. Using his ability in conjunction with his fighting style, Shinra has enough force in his kick to sever a limb or destroy a Flame Humans core, and with his kicks, can cause an explosion on contact to lift an object as heavy as a car high into the air. With his ignited feet, he can change the trajectory of his kicks mid-air, allowing him to rush in with a flurry of kicks one after another repeatedly. Shinra noted to have an excelled proficiency in his mobility while fighting, as his Ignition Ability allows him to fly or glide across the floor rapidly, and jump continuously from platforms to outmaneuver an opponent before they can react. As a Third Generation, he has shown a resistance against external flames. Shinra possesses the rare trait of the Adora Burst, which allows him to create original and pure flames. He also has Adora Link.

Background
In Year 186, when Shinra was five years old, he lived with his mother and younger brother, Shō. As a young child, Shinra was passionate about heroism, dressing up as a superhero and mimicking heroic actions from television. Shinra aspired to becoming a hero so that he could protect his mother and Shō, with his mother being supportive of the idea. One day, Shinra unexpectedly woke up to discover that his house was ablaze. Watching his mother burn among the flames, she cried out to him, telling him to run. A vulnerable Shinra was then saved by Leonardo Burns from the Special Fire Force Company 1. During the traumatic incident, Shinra believed to have seen some sort of 'black shadow' in his house, which played a part in the killing of his mother. As well as this, none of Shō's remains were found, and he was thought to have died in the fire.

Shinra was labelled as the perpetrator of the fire incident, after others discovered that he was a Third Generation. Ever since that day, Shinra developed a nervous but ominious-looking grin. With the grin and supposedly killing his family, Shinra gained the moniker of a devil. Succeeding 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. As years passed and he became a teenager, Shinra attended a training academy to become a brigadier within the Special Fire Force, in hope that he can figure out the truth behind the fire twelve years ago, and to save other people from the despair of the flames. At the academy, he learned about what happens to a Third Generation when they overuse their ignition ability, as well as meeting Arthur, with whom he often bickered on who were superior: heroes or knights.

Introduction arc
En route to the 8th Special Fire Force, Shinra overhears an alarm in a nearby train station, due the presence of a Flame Human. He prepares to fight it, but the 8th Special Fire Force arrives and defeats the threat. Immediately after, he saves Iris from a falling light and introduces himself to the force. Later, at the force's headquarters, Shinra formally meets all the members and, when asked, explains his reason for joining. Afterwards, Akitaru explains the forces's mission of unraveling the Human Body Ignition Phenomenon to him. While settling in his new room, the force is notified of a Flame Human and departs to the scene. Upon entering the 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 impales his opponent's core and purifies her soul. Outside, he overhears spectators cheering and is praised for his actions, much to his delight.

Akitaru informs Shinra that he will be participating in an upcoming rookie competition, alongside a new recruit, which makes Shinra excited, as he sees it as a chance to meet the man who had saved his life. 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 Ability due to her control over fire as a Second Generation. After eating at Ippudo Ramen, Shinra is given a battleaxe. When the force is notified of a Flame Human in the Iriya District, he departs 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. After their conversation, a burst of flames emerges from the apartment, prompting the force to storm the building and find the Flame Human. Arthur volunteers to put the man out of his misery, much to Shinra's confusion, and impales his core. Immediately after, the ceiling begins to collapse and Shinra watches on as Akitaru risks his life to save a family photograph for Mikako. Afterwards, he apologises to the man for not being of any help during the mission.

Shinra participates in the Rookie Fire Soldier Games, where he meets Tamaki. Later, he finds Leonardo Burns and approaches him. After introducing himself, Leonardo ignores him and leaves and Shinra wonders whether the man is hiding something from him. When the exam begins, Shinra flies 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 Shō 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 warn them, but Arthur ignores him. When Joker uses an unknown substance to put their lives in jeopardy, Shinra grabs the two unconscious people and tells Arthur to cut a hole through the ceiling, so they can escape. In mid-air, before Shinra could save Arthur and Tamaki from falling, Leonardo jumps in and rescues the girl, while Arthur is rescued by their team-mates. Later, Akitaru promises to reveal him the reason Company 8 was created.

The following day, Akitaru explains to Shinra how and why their force was founded and informs him that the other Special Fire Forces are hiding something on their own end. They are then provided with information of the substance Joker had used by Takehisa. Shinra goes with Arthur to rescue a dog, who was reported to be stuck in a tree, and, after it tells the two that a trial for the release of Setsuo Miyamoto will be held soon, helps Mamoru hand out balloons to children. The two then learn of an accident in the courthouse from Takehisa, who was moving to the scene with the rest of the force. After giving Arthur a lift, the two Fire Soldiers 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. After Setsuo threatens to kill an innocent kid, Shinra stops him. The two then start their confrontation, with the Fire Soldier dominating the fight. When Shinra corners Setsuo and cuts off his right forearms, Hibana descends in front of the two.

Hibana gazes at Shinra, causing him to collapse and orders him to lick her shoe as he gets restrained by the 3 Angels of the 5th. After noticing an innocent kid being pushed out of the way, Shinra becomes infuriated and repels the angels away. He stands up and challenges the Special Fire Force Company 5 to a fight as his own force arrives. Tōru Kishiri mocks Akitaru, which leads to Shinra and Arthur jumping in, but Maki and Takehisa detain the two, and afterwards the two force's depart.

VS. Special Fire Force Company 5 arc
The next day, Takehisa approaches Shinra and demonstrates his ability to him, informing him that they will be facing unique abilities later on. Afterwards, he begins training the Fire Soldiers on the roof and informs Shinra of Hibana's past. In the church, he stumbles on Iris and sees her crying. At night, Maki bursts in the room and informs Shinra that Iris has gone missing. Soon after, Shinra heroically arrives at the 5th Special Fire Fighting Industrial Complex, where he is ordered to locate Iris.

During his search, he infiltrates a mansion, where the Angels of the 5th attempt to attack him, but find themselves defeated with a swift kick As he bursts through the door claiming the hero has arrived, he finds Iris being tormented by Hibana. He dashes toward Hibana with his ability, but is cut short by Hibana's Ignition Ability, causing Shinra to feel dizzy and fall to the ground. Instead of accepting the loss, Shinra thinks nothing of the ability but simply his imagination, and through willpower, manages to stand up steadily. Shinra goes in to attack, but due to his dizziness, falls to the ground and is tormented by Hibana's Cherry Blossom attack. Afterwards, he is trapped in a whirl of flames. Refusing to give up for Hibana's sake, Shinra overcomes her abilities and lands a punch on Hibana and knocks her unconscious.

When she wakes up, Hibana describes how she was always relied on by her Sisters but she herself could never rely on anyone. This is when Shinra jumps up and states he will be her hero whenever she needs one, to which she blushes. A little while later, Shinra attended the dinner party held by the 5th as a back-up plan for infiltrating it, allowing him to explain to the higher-ups that it was simply a late-night training collaboration.

VS. Special Fire Force Company 1 arc
Shinra and the others went back to the Cathedral 8. During their time, the 8th squad and Hibana end up irritating Akitaru as he's trying to concentrate. On his last nerve, Akitaru jumps up screaming, ordering Shinra and Arthur to leave the 8th, much to their initial confusion. Shinra becomes discouraged, thinking his ideal of becoming a hero is over. However, after explaining his earlier statement, Akitaru reveals his plans for Shinra and Arthur to infiltrate the 1st Special Fire Force and uncover any secrets they may be hiding. A while later, Shinra arrives at the 1st Special Fire Fighting Cathedral along with Tōru Kishiri and Takeru Noto. As he walks inside, he meets Karim Fulham. Guided to the Battalion Commander of the 1st, Leonardo Burns, with a sinister grin, Shinra doesn't hesitate to ask whether the newcomers can practice their own skills against those of the 1st in a practice-battle, much to everybody else's surprise.

Later on, everybody gathers in the training grounds. As time goes on, Takeru and Rekka Hoshimiya initialise the practice-battle, which leads to Karim using his ability to protect everyone from harm of the fiery missiles Takeru launched, which surprised Shinra, observing the ability to change fire into ice for the first time. As their fight ends, Shinra takes note of the three Priests' abilities and becomes aware of how powerful they are. Afterward, Leonardo prepares to fight Shinra. Arthur interrupts and fights against Leonardo instead, but to no avail. Shinra quickly jumps in with a flurry of fiery kicks aimed at Leonardo, but the Commander seemingly deflects all of them with ease. Shinra continues to rapidly attack him, furiously insisting he spills out information about the incident 12 years ago, but Leonardo comes out unharmed. Questioned on his reason for joining the Special Fire Force, Shinra expresses his desire to become a hero and save people from the Phenomenon. Angered at his naivety, Leonardo tells the boy that he still has a very long journey till he becomes a hero, and before Shinra could react, launches the boy backward to his defeat. Shinra, annoyed at his loss, realises the threats they're dealing with.

The next day, while in the dorm, Shinra discusses with Takeru, Tōru and Arthur about their reasons for joining the force. Tamaki bursts in, falling flat on Shinra's head in one of her lewd accidents. As the bells go off alerting the appearance of a Flame Human, Tamaki informs Shinra that he'll be attending the mission alongside Karim. When they arrive at the scene, Shinra insists on going to help with the purification of the Flame Human, but Karim orders him to stay put and help with gathering information. While looking around, Shinra mysteriously spots a hand down an alley injecting a man with some sort of Bug, and the man suddenly bursts into flames. As Shinra chases down the mysterious figure, he comes to find Karim and Rekka standing together. Unaware that Shinra chased them to capture the suspect, Karim questions his position in the mission, to which Shinra states he got lost due to not coming to this part of Tokyo often. A little while later at the Cathedral, Arthur gets mad at Shinra for not confronting the Priests there and then, but Shinra explains it would have been naive and dangerous to do so at that point. After coming up with a plan, together they sneakily break into Karim's room to investigate. They come across the same Bug used to turn the man into a Flame Human, but at the same time, Karim catches the two in the act. He explains that he put the Bug there on purpose as he knew the newcomers would infiltrate, but the real criminal is Rekka. Shinra persists on going alongside Karim to confront Rekka, and is told to do as he pleases.

Later on, while looking for Rekka from the sky, Shinra comes across a sudden noise in an abandoned warehouse, and soon notices flames coming from the structure. As he descends into the warehouse, he rescues Tamaki from Rekka by stomping on him. Recovering from the surprise attack, the priest begins attacking Shinra, and the two start exchanging Ignition Ability blows. Shinra's flames causes a reaction with the Bug in Rekka's pocket, indicating that he's compatible with it. As Rekka tells Shinra about Adora Burst, and about how he has killed many children to find a compatible match, Shinra impulsively goes in for the attack once again, though repeatedly falls to Rekka's fiery punches. After he's backed up into a corner, Tamaki gently grips Shinra from behind, crying, begging him to put an end to Rekka. Now determined, Shinra takes a step back to think about the situation instead of rushing in, and soon realises how to defeat him. Jumping from wall to wall to propel himself in such a way that Rekka couldn't keep up with, he was able to swiftly dodge Rekka's attacks as he couldn't keep up with Shinra's speed. Finally, leaping from the ceiling, Shinra delivers a fiery kick-flip to Rekka's face, leaving his face heavily scathed. As Shinra tells him to put an end to his actions, Rekka continues to persist, and begins attacking Tamaki and the children as they try to escape.

Shinra, unable to use his Ignition Ability due to Overheat, connects the events of Rekka causing fire accidents revolving around children, and questions whether he was the one who intruded in his home twelve years ago to kidnap Shō. Karim then intervenes and prohibits Rekka from attacking by subduing him in a pillar of ice. As Shinra takes a breathe in relief, a sudden flare of light shines through the building, and pierces Rekka through the chest, leaving everybody in shock. As it's revealed a sniper is shooting from long-range to eliminate everyone in the building, Shinra is ordered by Karim to use his ability to create a dust-storm in the room to blind the snipers and counter their attack. As Shinra offers to chase after them, Karim reminds of him of his state of exhaustiveness, and tells him to be patient and wait till the attackers, even if they are the prey in the situation. After recalling all the recent events of people turning humans into Flame Humans and kidnapping children to teach the ways of the Sun God, Shinra realises the preacher was the one who kidnapped Shō.

Soon after, while still in the abandoned warehouse, Shinra informs Karim and Foien on the White hooded figures that killed Rekka, and they were amazed by his ability to see so far away. Karim then says he wants to help the 8th investigate on the Preacher, and so Shinra thanks him as they shake hands. Later on at the 1st Special Fire Fighting Cathedral, Shinra along with Takeru and Tōru prepare to leave the 1st and back to their own forces. As he arrives back at the Cathedral 8, he begins to settle in, regathering his teammates strange demeanours. Just before he could let loose and relax, he spots Tamaki in front of him, startled. Akitaru then explains that as punishment, she has joined Company 8 until further notice. As Shinra begins to nag at her, she trips and falls onto him seductively, and he finally questions on Arthur's whereabouts, to which Akitaru states he is lost and is being searched for.

Preacher Pursuit arc
Time passes by, and Akitaru has Shinra and Tamaki attend a gathering of the Battalion Commanders with him in Central Tokyo, to discuss the recent events that occurred. Upon arriving, Shinra sets eyes on the 7th Battalion Commander, and accidentally offends him. As the emperor of Tokyo arrives, the conference starts, he talks of all the forces working together to track down the preacher. Raffles then directly speaks to Shinra about his attainment of Adora Burst, claiming he should protect it. The 3rd Battalion Commander steps in, and suggests Shinra receives external protection from the Preacher, considering he wants the Adora Burst, but Shinra refuses. After the conference on his way to purchase utilities, Shinra runs into Joker in an alleyway. Preparing to fight, Joker calms him, and reveals that Shō is affiliated with the Preacher, before swiftly leaving.

Asakusa arc
Upon arriving in Asakusa, Shinra's brigade meet Benimaru Shinmon and the Special Fire Force Company 7. As they are alerted to a Flame Human, his brigade watches Benimaru dispose of the threat. Afterwards, Shinra helps rebuild the city from the destruction caused from the ordeal. He later plays hide-n-seek with Hinata and Hibana, and then apologies to Benimaru for disrespecting him earlier. Shinra takes the opportunity to ask the Brigade Commander about Konro's condition.

Re-grouping with his brigade, Shinra spots flames emerging from within the city, followed by discovering it was from Benimaru's attack on Akitaru and Takehisa. Believing Company 8 was responsible for turning people into artificial Flame Humans, Benimaru attacks the pair, leading to Shinra intercepting the attack, and the his brigade stepping up against the Battalion Commander. Defeat all but Akitaru, Benimaru prepares his final attack on Akitaru, but is stopped by Konro. After the confrontation, Shinra goes to see if Konoro is alright after collapsing in the process of stopping Benimaru's attack, to which he learned how Konro damage his body after overusing his ignition ability.

Soon after, the brigades discovers that the Ash Flame Chivalric Order has infiltrated Asakusa, and posed as Hikage. Upon the discovery, the city abrupt's in flames, followed by the group being targeted by a Third Generation's Ignition Ability. Shinra and Arthur depart the scene to search for the sniper, but find himself attacked by the sniper, and also by her partner. As Shinra and Arthur face the pair, they manage to overpower Haran, leading to himself eating a Bug and turning himself into a Flame Human.

Vulcan's Workshop arc
When Shinra and the rest of Company 8 arrive back at the cathedral, they are greeted by a new face. Victor Licht, whom is secretly working with Joker, states that the empire has issued that all Fire Force Companies buff up their science division, and so Victor personally left his duties at Haijima Industries to become the 8th's chief scientist. When Shinra is spotted by Victor, the latter becomes fascinated in the fact that the boy has the Adora Burst, and ends up diving to the ground to take a closer look at Shinra's feet, much to his confusion, and Hibana pulling the Fire Soldier away from the crazed scientist. Shinra sets the tone and questions the scientist on what exactly is the Adora Burst, and Victor explains in depth about the world and how Adora Burst has affected it. Shinra then asks him about Adora Link, but Victor deceives him and saying he has never heard of it. As the scientist and the 8th continue to talk, Akitaru sends off Shinra, Arthur and Iris to attain the legendary Vulcan for their squad, leaving Shinra happy with the responsibility. As the trio walk inside of Vulcan's workshop, they stumble upon a familiar face.

As Shinra doesn't quite remember who the boy is, Yū re-introduces himself as the child who Shinra saved a while ago against the sentient Flame Human. Hearing the voices outside his workshop, Vulcan walks out, telling the Fire Soldiers to leave at once. Soon after, they enter the workshop with Yū's admission. Shinra is jolted on the head by a soda can, to which is revealed to be thrown by a girl, and mistaken to be a robot by Shinra, he touches her boobs, and is hit on the head once more. Shortly after introducing herself, they are disrupted by a loud banging noise, to which they spot Vulcan working, to which Vulcan kicks away brutally and exclaims the machine works. Shinra mocks him for simply kicking the machine and nearly breaking it. The doorbell rings, with Lisa saying it's "that" person again. Shinra looks out the peephole, and identifies the Special Fire Force Company 3 Captain, Dr. Giovanni.

The three 8th members listen from afar the conversation that the Company 3 Captain and Vulcan have, learning that Giovanni is trying to get Vulcan for himself and to work for Haijima. After the Captain departures, Vulcan sees Shinra and implies for him to leave. Shinra states Haijima are a bigger problem, and that the 8th are different from other forces.

Out of nowhere, the head of a mechanic squirrel pops off, as Arthur and Iris begin randomly pressing buttons. Vulcan laughs at the curiosity of the 8th, and reveals to them his most beloved machine. After taking them outside, the force members are stunned to find themselves surrounded by what seems to be an ocean of animals. Vulcan explains that his dream is to revive all the animals that went extinct years ago because of the flames. The beauty of it all bringing Iris to tears, Shinra smiles, and says to himself that Vulcan is perfect for the 8th.

Shinra reiterates to Vulcan that he should join, but the engineer states that he works alone. Soon after, Lisa explains her and Vulcan's background, revealing that Giovanni was once working alongside Vulcan's grandfather as an engineer, but they had a falling out. Finally she tells the 8th to leave, and at that moment, Shinra felt a strange tingling feeling in his legs, and when Haran turned into a Demon and rushed past him. Somehow, he heard Giovanni say "it's time to kill Vulcan", and knew instantly that he was in danger. After telling his comrades, he devises a plan to locate Giovanni's whereabouts, and tells Arthur and Iris to inform the others in the workshop. Later on, he waits on a tree branch looking out for anything suspicious.

Trivia

 * is derived from the Japanese word, which, when translated, can mean either "all creation" or "all things in nature".
 * According to his Character Profile in Fire Walk with Me:
 * Shinra's favourite food is ramen, hamburgers and fried food (like chicken) while he doesn't dislike any sort of food in particular.
 * Shinra's favourite type of music has a fast-tempo and a cool tune.
 * Shinra likes fast animals and his favourite is a leopard or a panther.
 * Shinra's favourite colour is red.
 * Shinra prefers beautiful people.
 * Shinra highly respects Akitaru, his mother, dislikes Arthur and good-looking people and finds Takehisa scary.
 * Shinra's hobbies consist of soccer and futsal, his daily routine is break-dancing and his dream is to become a hero.
 * Shinra's foot size is 27cm and his eyesight is 2.0.
 * Shinra's favourite subject is mathematics, while his least favourite is national language.