In a world abundant with death and destruction caused by Infernals born from Spontaneous Human Combustion, the characters in Fire Force have no shortage of tragedy in their lives. While most of the tragedies they experience are a result of villainous actions taken by the White Clad and the Evangelist, some tragedies occur through no fault of the evil, cultic organization. The deuteragonist Arthur Boyle has a backstory that's a perfect example of this.

The start of Arthur's journey to becoming the strong-willed, dim-witted, self-proclaimed knight that fans know and love began early on in his childhood. During the second episode of Enen no Shouboutai: Ni no Shou (Fire Force Season 2), Arthur's backstory is revealed in a tragic flashback. The episode, titled "Flames of Madness," provides context to the source of his power, which viewers learn is connected to his deep psychological and emotional trauma.

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Arthur Boyle's Parents Imagined As Royalty

Raised by his mother and father in a financially unstable home, Arthur lived a modest life with his parents, whose income relied solely on the success of their family-owned eatery. One day, the Boyle family's restaurant went up in flames, leaving the establishment destroyed. News of the café burning down reached media outlets, and it wasn't long until speculations regarding the reasoning behind the fire were tied to customers' complaints of food poisoning.

Upon viewing the televised news segment, young Arthur voiced his concern about the future of their business to his mother. She ignored his inquiry and instead instructed him to retrieve his father for supper. Arthur met his father lying down with a hat covering his face in the next room. Arthur repeated his worries about their finances, and his father disregarded his questions as well. Arthur then showed curiosity about what was inside the cowboy-style hat that his father found so interesting. His father took advantage of the opportunity to shift his son's focus and playfully urged him to peer inside the hat, claiming it contained the whole universe. With his vision gone dark, Arthur's creative mind took over as he imagined his family as royalty, living in a beautiful castle, surrounded by luxury and nobility.

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Young Arthur Boyle and His Father Looking Inside A Hat

The following morning, Arthur woke up to find his parents gone and a note left behind to explain their absence. The letter read: "To our dear son, Arthur, Your mother and father have gone on a journey to save the world! The castle is all yours!! As of today, you are the king!!!"

Unexpectedly left to his own devices, Arthur goes on to use his childlike imagination to visualize a better life -- a coping tool his father intentionally instilled in him to make up for their neglect. With no one to guide him, Arthur leans on his parents' final words and interprets his unfortunate circumstances positively. He goes on to rely on his fantasies to shape his identity and escape his harsh reality. Blissfully unaware of his parent's use of manipulation to mask their abandonment, Arthur uses his traumatic experiences to fuel his strength. For this reason, many fans agree that Arthur's past is, by far, the most heartbreaking in the series.