With the second season of Atsushi Okubo's (the genius behind Soul Eater) Fire Force underway, now seemed like a good time to give it credit for having one of the most unique settings and power systems we've seen in anime for quite a while. The idea of firefighters fighting fire with fire sounds like something a kid would think up, and that unique creativity is one of the reasons the series is so great.
There are different generations of fire-power users in the show known as Ignition Ability holders, among them, here are the ten that stand at the peak of all peaks.
Disclaimer: There will be spoilers and some answers to the mysteries of Season 1 so read carefully.
10 The Devil's Footprints Of Shinra Kusakabe
We would be remiss if this list didn't start with the main character themselves, Shinra Kusakabe. This plucky young hero/devil is the protag of Fire Force and always one of the most fun to watch fight. Shinra's Ignition Ability (titled the Devil's Footprints) allows him to generate flames from his feet in many different ways. He can fly, cause explosions, create jet propulsion, and even move at the speed of light in certain circumstances (a mystery that's only happened once). It's a bit unfair since Shinra is an Adolla Burst user, but for all intents and purposes, Shinra's a fantastic third-generation user.
9 Sho Kusakabe's Severed Universe
Moving right from one Kusakabe to the next, Shinra's Brother Sho is also a Third-Generation fire user who sadly works opposite to Shinra as part of the cult of the Evangelist (a cult built off the setting's mysterious religion). Unlike Shinra who relies solely on his Third Generation, Sho is so dependant on his "Fourth Generation" ability given to him by the Evangelist that fans don't really even know what his Third Gen power is. Sho can slow down time to where it almost seems to be frozen, and that's absurd enough in of itself. But, the feathers he generates are something that is even more curious, and if he figures out how to use both of these Ignition Abilities in conjunction, he might quickly become the strongest pillar.
8 Arrow's...Arrow?
Staying within the Cult of the Evangelist, Arrow is the personal bodyguard and servant of Sho Kusakabe and one of the most underrated ability users out there. Given ample time and the element of surprise, she can take down anyone with a single shot since Arrow is able to create flaming arrows that pierce even the strongest of flame retardant materials.
Arrow can change the trajectory of her arrows, fire them from any distance, and even set them up to explode at any distance. Frankly, she was almost enough to kill Benimaru, and if she didn't expose herself to the enemy so frequently she would be at the top of the food chain.
7 Benimaru Shinmon's Dual Generation Abilities
While most Ignition Ability users in Fire Force have a pretty easily understood power, Benimaru doesn't. This man is known as the strongest member of the Fire Force and was also lucky enough to be born as both a Second and Third-Generation ability user. His ignition ability allows him to create massive amounts of flame, but other than that it's pretty non-descript. But, because of his Second-Generation abilities, he can do such a diverse amount of things with the flame he creates, allowing him to seem like he has total control over fire in general. Benimaru's abilities can only be explained in one simple way, powerful.
6 Leonard Burn's Voltage Nova
Leonard Burns, the Captain of the 1st Brigade has one of the most simple Ignition Abilities out there. But, just because it's simple doesn't mean it's weak, because it really isn't. In fact, it's likely the strongest ability out there if he's allowed to progress from Stage 1 all the way to Stage 5. To keep things simple, Burns basically generates fire inside himself rather than outside, and this fire creates an aura of heat around him as well as enhancing his own bodies' durability and natural strength. The stronger these flames become, the hotter the aura is, and the more durable Burns becomes. He's basically a towering, buff, furnace that can eventually melt anything around him given enough time to generate heat.
5 Kayoko Huang's Asclepius Staff
Kayoko Huang is a very unique case, as her Ignition Ability is very likely useless in combat. But, outside of it, this power is one of the most useful in all of the Fire Force. Basically, Kayoko can generate a blue flame in the form of a snake that slithers into her patients and uses their own Ignition Abilities to heal them. This Snake also takes the form of the Asclepius Staff, a staff from Greek Mythos that is commonly associated with medicine and healing. Her power can save people from the brink of death, cure diseases, and even heal non-ability users with ease.
4 Ogun Montgomery's Flamy Ink And Forge
Ogun might not be a character that most fans think of when the idea of "most powerful ignition abilities" comes to mind, but that's only because Ogun hasn't been given the chance to show off enough yet. This 4th Brigade cool-guy is a longtime friend of Shinra and Arthur, and easily keeps up with them in battle thanks to his Ignition Ability.
Ogun is able to conjure up a variety of blacksmith-esque weapons out of fire and launch them at enemies, and he's also able to brand himself with fiery tattoo's that buff up his stats to astronomical levels. Ogun has a very versatile ability that could frankly be absurdly powerful if he was just part of the narrative a bit more.
3 Nataku Son As The Sixth Pillar
It's so sad that an innocent young child was forced to bear such deadly powers thanks to Rekka. But, after Nataku Tatsu awakened to his Third and Fourth Generation abilities as the Sixth Pillar, it became clear that his Ignition powers could one day level all of Tokyo if left on their own. Tatsu's Third Generation powers let him create a giant flaming claw from his right arm that he can use to cause massive destruction. But, even worse, when tapping into his Fourth Gen abilities, Tatsu can actually create floating Radiation Symbols that expel beams of massively destructive fire and radiation. Also, when using this, Tatsu himself expels high levels of deadly radiation. Hopefully, he grows up to use this power responsibly, because the series might be over quickly if he ever learns how to control it with precise mastery.
2 Kurono Yūichirō's Black Smoke
Kurono Yuichiro is another unique character in Fire Force. First of all, he's an awful person, spending most of his life delighting in bullying the weak. Secondly, his power is so insanely versatile it actually puts him on par with someone like Benimaru. Kurono has the Ignition Ability to create and modify Black Smoke from his body. That might not sound that great but this Black Smoke can be ridden on, can be solidified into any shape or form, let's Kurono detect any movement within it, and can be forced inside someone to burn them from the inside out. This character hasn't shown up yet in the anime (but has in the manga), but we're hoping the animation studio does him justice.
1 Dragon's Firebreathing
Lastly, there's Dragon, a villain that showed up in the previous Arc and was a massive turning point for Arthur. Dragon's power is an enigma because at first, it seems like he can breathe fire and explode it from a distance. But, that doesn't explain his scales or how he can Infernalize his body at will. Plus, it doesn't explain his "Draconic Pressure" that damages his opponent the more Dragon is attacked. All of these lead fans to believe that Dragons actually Third-Gen power has something to do with Dragons themselves, and all of these are a natural result of it. It's still unclear, but one thing that isn't is just how powerful this ability is. Benimaru himself was even apprehensive about fighting the guy.