Fire Force Season 2 Episode 8

Smoldering Malevolence

Fire Force Season 2 episode 8 started off strong by giving us a lot of lore to discuss. Then, the latter half of the episode took everything we thought we knew about Infernals and turned it on its head. Overall, despite not being an action-packed episode, I really enjoyed this one.

First, the existence of a woman referred to simply as the “Benefactor” was revealed to us. This woman appeared 250 years ago — shortly after the Great Cataclysm — and repaired the Tabernacle before disappearing. However, that’s not the only thing she did, and this is vital because otherwise we wouldn’t know her story.

Before repairing the Tabernacle, she taught the animals of that land how to speak and then also granted them extended (eternal) life via a flame. This is a huge bit of information for us. Not only does it tell us exactly how the animals of the Oasis learned to speak, but it also explains Scop’s fire “abilities.”

One day, however, the Benefactor disappeared and hasn’t been seen in about 250 years. The animals she granted immortality to have been protecting the Tabernacle ever since, awaiting her return. But, I don’t think we’re going to see her return in the flesh — at least any time soon.

The reason for this is that we know she’s connected to the Tabernacle in some way. Shinra hears her voice coming from within it, and he even enters into an Adolla Link with her when nearby. So what does all of this mean?

Much like how Kaguya is the progenitor of chakra in the Naruto series, I think this Benefactor is the progenitor of “the eternal flame.” We know that there’s supposedly an eternal flame housed within Amaterasu in Japan. And we know this woman used an eternal flame on the animals of the Oasis.

So while I don’t necessarily think she created the flame in Amaterasu, I think she turned her body into the flame that powers the Tabernacle. This, of course, would also mean someone similar to her (also from beyond the spacial rift) did the same thing for Amaterasu.

Tempe-sama, the Demon Infernal

One of the strangest things to come from the Chinese peninsula so far isn’t the immortal, talking animals (surprisingly). I find the existence of Tempe-sama, the Demon Infernal, to be much stranger. First of all, I believe we still don’t know exactly how a Demon Infernal is created compared to a regular Infernal, so it’s unclear how Tempe-sama got here.

But that aside, there are a lot of other strange things about him, such as the fact that he’s sentient, can converse with humans, and can even utilize strategy and planning. How can all of this be possible?

At first, I was thinking that Tempe-sama gained speech and complex thought the same way that the animals did. But that doesn’t make sense. The animals didn’t learn speech due to living in the Oasis near the Tabernacle; they were specifically taught it by the Benefactor.

As far as we know, there’s no reason for Tempe-sama to have the ability to speak or think freely. And that’s ignoring the fact that he also leads a cult of other Infernals who can all speak.

But there’s another strange thing about Tempe-sama that I was surprised to see none of the Fire Soldiers mention. Did you notice that he’s wearing the same cloak as the White Clads who follow the Evangelist? I don’t think Tempe-sama is a member of that same group, but there’s some connection there.

Maybe he was formerly a member of the group before becoming an Infernal? And if that’s the case, does it mean the Evangelist is from beyond the spacial rift like the Benefactor? Because if Tempe followed the Evangelist back when he was human, that would imply the Evangelist is very old.

The Infernal Cult

The reason I say that Tempe-sama isn’t currently following the Evangelist is that he has his own goal that he’s trying to achieve: Death. Tempe has grown tired of endlessly wandering the Earth as an Infernal and has decided that it’s time for him to move on to Heaven. But, since he’s a Demon Infernal, that’s easier said than done.

We’ve only seen a few Demon Infernals so far in the series, and they each required massive amounts of firepower to kill. To solve this problem, Tempe-sama has set his sights on the Tabernacle. He revealed that the Tabernacle isn’t a clean energy source, but is actually a giant weapon.

I wonder if this is supposed to be a commentary on the use of nuclear power? Japan has had a rough history when it comes to both nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants, so this seems likely. Also, Amaterasu and the Tabernacle are shaped like nuclear power plants.

What’s more, all of Tempe-sama’s followers revere him as some sort of deity. The way they’re willing and planning to end their lives with him is reminiscent of cult leaders who encouraged their followers to take part in mass-suicide. However, the fact that he wants his followers to serve him in the afterlife is more like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.

And, that last part is the reason why I don’t think Tempe-sama would ever agree to just allow the Fire Soldiers to kill him. He doesn’t simply want to die. He wants to be deified when he dies by leading his followers to their death as well and having them serve him in the afterlife.

In his mind, that can’t happen if he’s just killed by some Fire Soldiers.

Conclusion

What do you think of Fire Force season 2 episode 8? Were you hoping for more action, or was the lore that we were given at the start good enough? Also, where do you think the Benefactor went after repairing the Tabernacle? And what’s the deal with Tempe-sama? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of the next episode is available here.