Episode 7

The Investigation of the 1st Commences is the seventh episode of the Fire Force anime.

Plot
The 5th and 8th cooperate after the battle between them. Through information provided by Princess Hibana, the existence of those who've been artificially created is revealed. There is a high probability that the Shinjuku area is deeply involved in this problem.

In order to investigate the involvement of the 1st Company headed by Leonard Barnes, Obi commands Shinra and Arthur to infiltrate under the ruse of a joint training exercise. Shinra goes along with the mission in order to discover what Captain Burns knows about the fire from twelve years ago.

Summary
The 1st Company, lead by Leonard Burns prepares for joint training with the 8th. Captain Burns seems well aware that the 8th regiment is making their move to investigate them. The 8th holds an informal party for several other companies for the training.

Afterward, Obi and Hibana discuss Obi's plans to extort the truth about human combustion. She explains that he might not understand her research and that she had a change of heart because of Shinra. Hibana also reveals that there is someone out there causing human combustion. They decide to work together to bring justice to those causing these fires.

All of the infernals that have tested differently from others have all been from the Shinjuku District, under the 1st company's jurisdiction. In a meeting with his subordinates, Obi reveals his plan is to infiltrate the 1st district under the cover of the rookie reassignment training system. Shinra and Arthur are ordered to go undercover into the first and learn what they can about people artificially creating infernals.

Maki guides them to the Holy Sol Obelisk, the fancy base of the 1st Company. Takeru Noto from the 2nd and Toru Kishiri from the 5th join them as "camouflage" for the operation. Karim Flam greets them inside and berates them but Shinra just takes it as redundant speech. Karim leads them outside to meet with Captain Burns and the rest o the first in the Grand Cathedral.

Shinra is excited to meet Captain Burns, anxious to find out anything he knows about the fire from twelve years ago. Maki introduces the new recruits to Captain Burns' three lieutenants: Foien Li, Karim Flam, and Rekka Hoshimiya. Shinra suddenly challenges them to a sparring match in order to assess their abilities. Rekka claims that won't be necessary but Burns decides to go along with it.

Hearing about Shinra's sparring match with the Captain, Tamaki rushes to the practice grounds. Burns decides to start with the lowest numbered company, but Takeru is too shy to want to participate. He spars with Rekka anyway, where the latter calls him Juggernaut. Takeru doesn't like using his flames, but Rekka talks him into fighting. Rekka evades all of the Juggernaut's fire missiles and Karim is forced to snuff them out himself using Thermo-Acoustic Cooling.

Toru declines to go next so Captain Burns decides to face both Shinra and Arthur at once. Arthur attacks first but his Excalibur is blocked with a single hand and exterminated in a flash. Shinra tries to apply pressure with his flaming feet, but the Captain is simply in another league of strength. Burns asks why Shinra wants to be a hero and after hearing his answer, effortlessly defeats him.

Following the battle, Captain Burns officially welcomes all the new trainees. Shinra is discouraged by the loss, but Karim admits both the rookies did fairly well and he'll be taking charge of them.

Characters

 * 8th
 * Shinra Kusakabe
 * Arthur Boyle
 * Obi
 * Hinawa
 * Maki Owe
 * Iris
 * 5th
 * Hibana
 * Tōru Kishiri
 * 2nd
 * Takeru Noto
 * 1st
 * Leonard Burns
 * Foien Li
 * Karim Flam
 * Rekka Hoshimiya
 * Tamaki Kotatsu

Locations

 * Special Fire Cathedral 8
 * Special Fire Grand Cathedral 1 - Holy Sol Obelisk

Fights

 * Rekka vs. Takeru
 * Shinra & Arthur vs. Burns

Named Techniques & Tools

 * Thermo-Acoustic Cooling
 * Excalibur