‘Fire Force’ Season 3 Unveils Takanori Nishikawa’s Opening Theme and Hideyoshi Otsuka’s Casting

David Production escalates the pyrotechnic saga of ‘Fire Force’ with a third season that ignites explosive confrontations against the Great Cataclysm, centering the 8th Special Fire Brigade’s desperate stand. Shinra Kusakabe’s third-generation pyrokinetic powers clash with infernal adversaries in arcs adapted from Atsushi Ohkubo’s manga volumes 18 through 24. The premiere arrives on January 9, 2026, within MBS, TBS, and CBC’s “Animeism” block at 1:53 a.m. JST, marking the final chapter’s serialization from Weekly Shōnen Magazine since 2015.

Takanori Nishikawa performs the opening theme “Ignis,” a track fusing orchestral swells with electronic pulses to underscore the brigade’s fervor amid apocalyptic flames. The ending theme “Speak of the Devil” falls to Survive Said The Prophet, whose alternative rock style echoes the series’ blend of supernatural peril and human resilience. These musical choices follow Season 2’s “veil” by Mrs. Green Apple and “SOS” by Aimer, which propelled streaming views to 1.2 million hours on Crunchyroll in the first week of 2020.

Hideyoshi Otsuka voices the new character Shinmon Benimaru’s father, Hibachi Shinmon, a formidable second-generation pyrokinetic who commands the 7th Special Fire Brigade in Asakusa. Otsuka’s gravelly timbre, honed across 40 years with roles like Batou in ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ infuses Hibachi with authoritative menace during turf wars and family revelations. The promotional video, unveiled on November 30, 2025, depicts Shinra’s awakening in a vortex of blue flames, Arthur Boyle’s Excalibur slicing through infernals, and Maki Oze’s iron pillars repelling white-clad cultists.

The PV’s 90-second runtime highlights the Cataclysm arc’s escalation, where the Evangelist unleashes pillar flames across Tokyo, forcing alliances between rival companies. Animation director Tatsuma Minamikawa, returning from Season 2, employs 3D CGI for fluid combustion effects, building on the 2020 finale’s 4K remaster that garnered 500,000 YouTube views. Voice cast mainstays include Gakuto Kajiwara as Shinra, Yusuke Kobayashi as Arthur, and M.A.O as Iris, with 15 returning brigade members.

Ohkubo’s manga, serialized across 34 volumes with 8.5 million copies in circulation by 2023, culminates in themes of faith versus science, mirroring influences from ‘Soul Eater.’ Season 3 spans 24 episodes across two cours, the second debuting post-April 2026, aligning with the manga’s 2022 conclusion. Crunchyroll secures simulcast rights for North America, following 2.3 million global streams for prior seasons.

Production leverages David Production’s expertise from ‘Cells at Work!’ in physiological visualizations, rendering pyrokinetic awakenings with particle simulations exceeding 10,000 emitters per frame. Key episodes tease Tamaki Kotatsu’s ninetailed fox ignition and Takehisa Hinawa’s bullet-hell marksmanship against Adolla Burst manifestations. The brigade’s hierarchy—Captain Obi Aobara’s strategic oversight—faces scrutiny as prophecies unravel familial ties.

U.S. audiences, comprising 40 percent of Crunchyroll’s 13 million subscribers, anticipate dubs within 30 days, voiced by Derick Snow as Shinra. Merchandise ties include Bandai’s February 2026 figure line of 20 brigade variants at 1/8 scale, priced $120 each. The season’s narrative pivot to the Holy See’s Vatican-inspired dogma probes religious extremism, with infernals numbering over 5,000 in Tokyo’s outbreak.

As the Great Cataclysm engulfs the skyline, Shinra’s velocity of 1,200 km/h propels him through gravity-defying chases, while Obi grapples with 11th company betrayals. Survive Said The Prophet’s ending visualizes post-battle reflections, intercutting brigade bonds with Adolla’s void. This installment cements ‘Fire Force’ as a cornerstone of shonen action, blending kinetic choreography with existential dread in a world where fire births both salvation and oblivion.