Fire Force Finale Teases Possibility of More Work from Soul Eater Creator

The publication of Fire Force's final chapter comes alongside a shocking twist and the possibility of more stories from creator Atsushi Ohkubo.

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR FIRE FORCE FOLLOW:

The conclusion to Ohkubo's Fire Force was just published in Japan, and much to the surprise of his fans, the series ends by revealing that the author's sci-fi fire fighting series is actually set in the same universe and serves as a prequel to his biggest hit, the fantasy adventure Soul Eater. Ohkubo previously promised that Fire Force would be his final work, and that he planned to retire early once the manga had wrapped up its story, but the final chapter of the manga of the manga ends with the cryptic message "look forward to Atsushi Ohkubo's next work." Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, which hosted Fire Force's serialization, also posted a message that states there will be an "important announcement" regarding the future of the franchise soon. Ohkubo himself has not clarified what the message could mean, but he did post a new illustration of Shinra to his personal Twitter account, alongside a statement celebrating the end of the series' seven-year long run.

It is worth noting that the message at the end of the manga doesn't necessarily mean that Ohkubo is planning another manga series; many manga creators have ended hit series in the past and then continue to work by supervising the on-going licensing of their properties or engaging in smaller projects, such as contributing guest art work or consulting in the production of other creators' projects. Ohkubo was previously adamant that Fire Force would be his final series. The 42-year old artist stated in 2020 that "I plan for this to be my last manga, so please accompany me until the very end."

Fire Force was first published in 2015 and has achieved a circulation of over 16 million copies around the world. An anime adaptation premiered in 2019 and was produced by David Production, the animation studio behind the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime. The anime was well-received and aired a second season in 2020. A third season for the show has not been announced at this time, and it's possible that Kodansha's "important announcement" may be related to the continuation of the anime adaptation.

While Fire Force has been a hit in its own right, Ohkubo is still best known for Soul Eater, a fantasy series that was published from 2004 - 2013 and has a circulation of almost 20 million copies worldwide. Ohkubo returned to its world for the spinoff series Soul Eater Not!, which was published in 2014.

Both seasons of the Fire Force anime are available for streaming on Hulu, Funimation and Crunchyroll. The Soul Eater anime is available on the same streaming platforms. The Fire Force manga is available in English from Kodansha USA, while Soul Eater is distributed by publisher Yen Press in North America.

Source: Weekly Shonen Magazine Issue 13 via Anime News Network, Twitter

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