Shinra Kusakabe

is a Third Generation Fire Officer at the 8th Special Fire Brigade of Tokyo.

Appearance
Shinra is a young boy of average height with short and spiky dark brown hair, and glowing red 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 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 real life 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 prioritize what is important and what should be done rather than acting with personal emotions.

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.

Background
Twelve years ago in Year 186, when Shinra was only five years old, he lived with his mother and little brother Sho. Shinra used to always dress up as a super-hero 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 this. One day, he woke up to discover that his house was on fire. The aftermath resulted in his mother being incarcerated and burning in front of him, and believing that his little brother Sho had died too as no bones were found of him. Shinra was rescued by the 1st Special Fire Brigade. Shinra was labelled as the perpetrator of the fire incident after others discovered he was a Third Generation. According to him however, something he described as a "black shadow" was present in the house, which lead to his mother being incinerated along with their house. After the ordeal, Haijima Heavy Industries fitted him with liquid nitrogen boots to suppress his flames, and when he attempted to move in with his grandmother, she thought of him as a monster for not realizing what he had done. After the day he was nicknamed a "Devil" by his grandmother and other people as they heard about what he'd done, he developed a kooky grin. During his time in the training academy, he often bickered with Arthur about which were superior: heroes or knights.

Introduction arc
On route to the 8th Special Fire Brigade, Shinra bumps into a girl and afterwards, 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, realizing that he's the new recruit, and instantly gets into a fight with him, which leads the two to the church roof. When Takehisa approaches the two, he orders Maki to fight the new recruits. Unable to use his ignition abilities against her, he is easily defeated and falls off the roof, but manages to survive the fall. When he makes it back to the roof, Maki uses the flames of the two Third Generations to create a giant fireball, which intimidates them into submission and makes Shinra want to become stronger.

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. Shinra attempts to catch up to him, but accidentally gropes Tamaki in the process. He pleads for the man to listen, only for him to wonder if he's hiding something when the man says that he doesn't remember anything. 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 the 8th 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 unknown explosive 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.

Trivia

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