In my recent review of Fire Force volumes 1-10, I lauded Atsushi Ohkubo's apparently final manga series for its accomplished art, excellent character design, goofy humor, and exciting battles, while expressing frustration at the intrusive fan service mostly focusing on the character of Tamaki Kotatsu. For a long period during this second chunk of volumes, Tamaki survives relatively unmolested, to the point I hoped that this uncomfortable aspect had been put to bed. Unfortunately, this isn't the case, with a flurry of almost impressively idiotic “Lucky Lecher Lure” gags during volumes 18 and 19's climactic, chaotic, and otherwise dread-filled and dark battle in The Nether. My previous recommendations and warnings hold for this section of the story, which encompasses the chapters adapted into anime season one's final episode, the entirety of season two, and the first episode of season three.

Apart from the tonally incongruous and repetitive fan-service aspect, Fire Force continues to be a lot of fun. Even as its action becomes bloodier and more brutal (there's a very high body count and some nasty deaths and character mutilations), it remains a mostly light-hearted adventure with some extremely funny character-based and visual humor. I can tell Ohkubo had a blast drawing this, and most volumes made me chuckle at least a few times, in between, you know, people being burnt to a crisp on the regular. Volume 11's brief storyline about Company 8's preparation for the annual Fire Force nude calendar was almost enough to make me spit out my drink, and I suppose evens the scales a little bit in terms of exposed male bodies compared to the usual de-clothed females (usually Tamaki).

These volumes cover a fair few self-contained story arcs, though they build collectively towards the progression of the overarching plot. Shinra's encounter with the masochistic Captain Hague of Company 4 is deeply weird, though even this seemingly one-joke character serves a more serious narrative purpose. New character Inca is another strange creation – she's another Adolla Burst holder, which means she is sought after by the White Clad as one of their prophesied “eight pillars,” of whom Sho and Shinra Kusakabe are second and third, respectively. The storyline where both Company 8 and their White Clad opponents attempt to be the ones to retrieve Inca first is unpredictable, with a surprising ending. Inca's cute, while also already completely insane. Her reality-breaking power is a clever concept, and I'm glad she turns up again later as an agent of pure chaos.

A trip to what's left of the Chinese mainland takes Fire Force into uncharted territory, as previously the story has been confined to the borders of the Tokyo Empire (which itself is but a tiny chunk of land, as most of Japan was lost in the Great Cataclysm). China is now mostly a desolate and empty desert, with a massive spatial fault that, on the map, looks like part of the world was removed cleanly along lines of longitude, and the gap instantly stitched back together. It's a disconcerting and tantalizing chunk of world-building that doesn't get fully explained here.

This part of the fictional world allows Ohkubo to indulge in even more whimsical absurdity than usual. Gas masks are recommended to traverse large areas of the wilderness because there's hallucinogenic gas that makes people go temporarily insane. Obviously, most of our main characters don't bother, so they're drawn grinning and giggling like madmen while their more sensible mask-wearing compatriots sigh in resignation. It's so odd and narratively unnecessary, but it's these kinds of loopy asides that make me love the manga.

The loopiness doesn't stop there – during their journey, Shinra and co. make friends with Scop, a talking mole, and Yata, a talking crow, because why not? The only explanation we get for these animals' extended lifespans, enhanced sentience, and speech ability is essentially “fire magic.” There's a certain point one comes to when reading Fire Force where it's best to set aside one's critical faculties and be swept along by the pyroclastic silliness. Despite the daft whimsy, this story arc introduces the disturbing truth of what “Amaterasu,” the Tokyo Empire's all-important power source is.

Self-proclaimed antihero character Joker finally gets some backstory, and it's tragic, detailing an almost Berserk-esque history of childhood abuse. This unexpected theme is further explored in the character of Haijima Industries' Nataku, whose job is to beat children to within an inch of their lives. He's a truly hateful man whose sole motivation is the victimization of the weak, as part of Haijima's human experimentation to trigger Adolla Bursts in children. I'm a little uncomfortable with how the story leaves off with him as “guardian” of a child character, especially how it seems to justify his abusive behavior as somehow “the right fit” for this vulnerable young character. I may have to hold off judgement however, as I'm unsure what the eventual payoff for this storyline will be.

The last major story arc gives Maki some much-needed backstory, as we learn about her military father, ex-military mother, and criminal detective brother. Her family underestimates her drive to fight to protect people, and she's transferred to a desk job essentially to keep them happy. It makes her miserable. Maki is a character with both traditionally feminine and masculine attributes, in that she's an incurable romantic “with a head full of flowers and weddings” while also physically incredibly strong. She's self-conscious about her impressively muscular physique. Although she's kept out of much of the action during the climactic arc, her eventual return and incredible control of fire are instrumental in preventing an apocalyptic explosion beneath the streets of Tokyo. It's great to see her character get this much narrative attention and subsequent validation from her colleagues.

Volume 20 is comprised mostly of a fairly standard shonen training arc, though with some hilarious scenes of Shinra and terminally deluded “knight” Arthur being tortured meaninglessly by Company 7's practically sociopathic captain Benimaru Shinmon. Tamaki also gets to do something other than being objectified, which is nice. I do enjoy her cat-themed powers, which get a boost here. With the volume ending on a status quo-upending twist, I'm very much left with a compulsion to see where this crazy, entertainingly bonkers story goes next.