When you get to the end of Atsushi Ohkubo’s Fire Force, things get weird. Really weird. We aren't just talking about firemen fighting demons anymore; we’re talking about reality-warping entities that can rewrite the laws of physics with a literal thought. If you’re trying to figure out the strongest characters in Fire Force, you have to look past the cool pyrokinesis and dive into the cosmic insanity of Adolla.
Honestly, the power scaling in this series isn't linear. It’s a vertical climb into godhood.
The Absolute Peak: Shinra Bansho-Man
There is no debate here. By the end of the manga, Shinra Kusakabe isn't just a hero; he is a god. After fusing with Sho and his mother, Mari, Shinra becomes Shinra Bansho-Man. This isn't just a "power-up" in the traditional shonen sense. It’s a total fundamental shift in what a human being can do.
He can create life. He can reverse death. He literally recreates the entire world because the old one was, frankly, a mess.
Shinra Bansho-Man operates on a scale where concepts like "speed" or "strength" stop making sense. He isn't moving fast; he is existing everywhere. He isn't hitting hard; he is deleting the concept of damage. You've got to appreciate how Ohkubo took a kid who just wanted to be a hero and turned him into a creator deity who finds the world of Fire Force too depressing, so he crafts the world of Soul Eater instead. It's wild. It’s brilliant. And it makes him the undisputed number one.
The Monster Among Men: Arthur Boyle
Arthur is a weird one. If you asked him how strong he is, he’d probably give you some nonsense answer about knights and dragons. But here’s the thing: Arthur’s power is directly tied to his delusion. In the world of Fire Force, where human perception and the "Collective Unconscious" dictate reality, Arthur’s complete lack of a grip on the real world is his greatest asset.
His fight with Dragon is peak fiction.
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Dragon was an entity that couldn't be scratched. He was the embodiment of despair and durability. Arthur defeated him by becoming so delusional that his wooden sword became a galactic-level weapon. He survived in space without a suit because he basically "forgot" that humans need oxygen to breathe. While Shinra is a god by birthright and fusion, Arthur is a god through sheer, unadulterated stupidity. It’s beautiful. He is the only character who could even stand in the same room as Shinra at the end without being immediately erased.
The Hope of Humanity: Benimaru Shinmon
A lot of fans get protective over Benimaru. I get it. He’s the "King of Destruction," the hybrid who can use both Second and Third Generation abilities. For most of the series, he is the benchmark. If you can’t beat Benimaru, you aren't in the top tier. Simple as that.
What makes Beni so scary isn't just his raw output, though his Crimson Moon is terrifying. It’s his technique. He doesn't rely on the Adolla Burst. He doesn't need a Grace from the Evangelist. He is just that good at controlling heat.
When he fought his doppelgänger—a being that is supposed to be the "idealized, strongest version" of him—Benimaru won because the real him was already stronger than the world's imagination could even conceive. Think about that. He surpassed the collective human imagination of his own peak. He’s the strongest "normal" human, if you can call a man who creates localized suns normal.
Why Dragon Still Haunts the Rankings
You can't talk about the strongest characters in Fire Force without mentioning Dragon. He’s the ultimate wall.
- He tanked a full-power strike from Arthur that would have leveled a city.
- He didn't even blink.
- His "fire" is actually just his own pressure and presence.
Dragon represents the peak of what an Infernal/Adolla-influenced being can be without becoming a literal creator god. He exists as a foil to the idea of hope. Most of the cast couldn't even scratch his scales. If Arthur hadn't reached a level of meta-narrative delusion, Dragon would have ended the series right there on the moon.
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The Evangelist and the Pillars
The Evangelist is the source of everything, but she’s more of a force of nature than a "character" you can rank in a fistfight. However, the Pillars she influences are a different story.
Haumea, specifically towards the end, becomes a massive threat. When she becomes the vessel for the collective despair of humanity, she’s essentially the final boss. She doesn't fight with punches; she fights with the weight of every bad thought every human has ever had. It’s psychological warfare turned into physical reality.
Then there’s Sho Kusakabe.
Severed Universe is one of the most broken abilities in anime. Cooling the temperature of the universe to freeze time? That’s some high-level physics-based combat. If Sho had stayed an antagonist and continued to grow, he might have rivaled Benimaru. But as it stands, he becomes a catalyst for Shinra’s final form rather than the one sitting at the top of the throne.
The Overlooked Power of Leonard Burns
Leonard Burns is often forgotten when the cosmic stuff starts happening. That’s a mistake. The Captain of Special Fire Force Company 1 was a tank. His Voltage Nova didn't just give him fire powers; it turned his body into a physical furnace.
He fought Shinra and basically treated him like a fly for most of the encounter. Burns represents the absolute limit of what "Old Guard" fire soldiers could achieve. He didn't have the fancy reality-warping hacks, but he had enough raw thermal energy to vaporize almost anything that touched him. In a fair fight without Adolla hax, Burns is top five, no question.
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Nuance in the Power Scale
It's easy to just look at who has the biggest explosion, but Fire Force rewards creativity. Take Joker, for instance. He isn't the strongest in terms of raw BTUs, but his versatility and willingness to fight dirty make him dangerous to people way above his weight class.
Or Maki Oze. People underestimate her because she isn't a Pillar. But in terms of pure pyrokinetic control? She’s a genius. She can take someone else's fire and turn it into a cute little "Sputter" that she then uses to beat them to death.
Final Verdict on the Hierarchy
If we’re being honest and looking at the series as a whole, the power structure looks something like this:
- Shinra Bansho-Man: He is literally the God of the new world.
- Arthur Boyle: The Man who killed a concept with a fake sword.
- The Evangelist / Haumea (Saint form): The embodiment of human extinction.
- Benimaru Shinmon: The peak of martial prowess and flame control.
- Dragon: The indestructible butcher of the moon.
The gap between Shinra and everyone else is massive. But the gap between Benimaru and a regular soldier is also pretty huge.
The brilliance of Ohkubo’s writing is that "strength" isn't just about training your muscles. It’s about how much you can impose your will on a world that is fundamentally made of thoughts and memories. Shinra won because his will was to save everyone; Arthur won because he was too stubborn to realize he shouldn't be able to.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore, focus on the "Adolla Link" chapters. That's where the real mechanics of these powers are explained. Understanding how the Fourth Dimension interacts with the Third is the key to seeing why these characters are ranked where they are.
Next Steps for Fans:
Go back and re-read the "Arthur vs. Dragon" fight specifically. Pay attention to the background details in the art—Ohkubo hides a lot of the power scaling in the way the stars and the moon are drawn during that sequence. It’s not just a fight; it’s a shift in the universe’s geography. Once you see it, you’ll realize just how far ahead of everyone else those top three really are.