Shinmon Benimaru (新門 紅丸 しんもん べにまる) is the strongest man in Fire Force. Here’s some facts about him, profiles, ability, personality background and more!
Profile
- Class: Captain
- Ability: Combined with Second and Third Generation
- Hight: 170cm
- Weight: 62kg
- Date of birth: Feb. 20th
- Age: 22
- Zodiac sign: Pisces
- Favorite food: Sukiyaki, Rice, Sake
- Favorite type: A funny person
- Dream: I want to see the world where Everyone in Asakusa can feel safe and get drunk.
For more profiles of other characters, see my article →【Fire Force】 Character List And Profiles-All About Japan Anime
Background
Master Hibachi was like his father
He was raised in Akakusa (浅草 あさくさ), Tokyo by his master Hibachi Shinmon (新門 火鉢 しんもん ひばち) who was the captain of the firefighters in Asakusa back then though they were not blood relatives. According to Benimaru, he used to be like a stray dog and Hibachi “picked him up”.
How Hibachi met and “picked up” Benimaru is not explained in the story, but I guess Benimaru had lost his family in the fire. Why I thought so is Hikage and Hinata, the little twins who are always with Benimaru and Konro. It looks like they live with Benimaru and Konro together, but we’ve never seen or heard of their parents. So, the fire fighters in Asakusa take cares of kids who have lost their family in fires.
Konro is Benimaru’s mentor
Konro Sagamiya (相模屋 紺炉 さがみや こんろ) is Benimaru’s best friend and he works as a firefighter with him in Asakusa. He understands Benimaru’s overwhelming strength, charisma, and even internal conflict about if he was good enough to take over Hibachi’s position. Benimaru couldn’t be the captain without Konro’s support.
Konro said about Benimaru,
He is a child of flames, “Kagutsuchi”.
All flames are on Benimaru’s side.アイツァ 炎 (ほのお) の申 (もう) し子 (ご)
Source: Atsushi Okubo 『Fire Force』vol. 26
あらゆる炎 (ほのお) が紅丸 (べにまる) の味方 (みかた) をする
Kagutsuchi (加具土命 かぐつち) is the god of fire in Kiki Shinwa (記紀神話 ききしんわ), Japanese mythology.
Ability
Combined ability
Benimaru is the only firefighter who has a combined ability of the Second Generation and the Third Generation. Actually, no one (even in the White Clad) has a combined ability except for him so far.
Overwhelming power
As his best friend Konro said he is Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, he is incredibly strong. He can even kill a “Demon (demon-like infernal)” by himself. Killing a “Demon” requires enormous firepower and other firefighters had to make a huge fire pillar to defeat a “Demon”.
Fighting Style
Iai Hand Sword
The Shinmon clan uses their own fighting style called “Iai Hand Sword (居合手刀 いあいしゅとう Iai Shuto) which has 7 forms (型 かた kata). The 7th form Sun Wheel is the strongest.
Sorry, I don’t have the English version, but I hope it would help. From the right of the top panel,
- First form: Fire Moon (一ノ型 火月, いちのかた かげつ, Ichi no kata Kagetsu)
- Second form: Moon Light (二ノ型 月光, にのかた げっこう, Ni no kata Gekko)
- Third form: Dawn (三ノ型 曙 さんのかた あけぼの, San no kata Akebono)
- Fourth form: Red Sun (四ノ型 赤日, しのかた せきじつ, Shi no kata Sekijitsu)
- Fifth form: Sunset (五ノ型 仄日, ごのかた そくじつ, Go no kata Sokujitsu)
- Sixth form: Sun Shadow (六ノ型 倒景, ろくのかた とうけい, Roku no kata Toukei)
- Seventh form: Sun Wheel (七ノ型 日輪, しちのかた にちりん, Shini no kata Nichirin)
Crimson Moon (紅月 あかつき Akatsuki)
The Crimson Moon is Konro’s Special move. Though it is not included in the Forms of Iai Hand Sword, its fire power is so tremendous that a huge red moon-like flame remains in the sky after one uses it. Benimaru and Konro each defeated the “Demons” with the Crimson Moon.
Sun Wheel and Crimson Moon
Since the Sun Moon was the esoteric form, it is so hard to use it perfectly. When Benimaru fought with the doppelgänger of Hibachi, he used the perfect Sun Wheel which was incomplete back then. But he said to Konro that he still preferred the Crimson Moon to the Sun Wheel.
The Sun and the Moon are often compared to the positive (陽 よう) and the negative (陰 いん) (Yin and Yang). Compared to the Sun Wheel which stand out the most out of other forms, the Crimson Moon is not even included thought its power is almost equal of even stronger. So, the Sun Wheel and the Crimson Moon are literally like Yin and Yang.
Benimaru combined the Sun Wheel and the Crimson Moon to defeat the doppelgänger of his master. I think this means Benimaru now has achieved some sort of transcendent power combined Yin with Yang.
Personality
He is not friendly
He always looks angry and talks roughly. He took an offensive attitude even in front of the emperor and drew anger from the Captain of the Company 2. According to Benimaru, he doesn’t have to act nice because he doesn’t believe the Sun God.
He is a destroyer
How he fights with infernals is unique; he destroys the houses all around. He explains he is paying a tribute for an infernalized person. He means that since the infernalized person never comes back, he wants to make their last scene like a big event.
He is rowdy
When Joker approached him to attack the Holy Sol Temple, Benimaru was easily in. He says he likes to fight and tends to solve problems by fighting.
But he is a hard worker
He is unfriendly, destructive, rowdy but not a bad guy. He has his own conflict inside and has been working hard on the Iai Shuto for long. He wasn’t sure if he was a right one to take over the leader of the firefighters in Asakusa because he was a “stray dog”, and his master Hibachi was strict.
However, by his effort and with Konro’s support, he finally has overcome his conflict and defeated his master by his own form.
He speaks Edo dialect
Not only Benimaru but people in Asakusa speak Edo dialect. Edo dialect sounds bluffy but warm because of its straight expression, so it touches one’s heart directly. The members of the Company 8 also were attracted to it and tried to imitate how Asakusa people for a while after they visited Asakusa. However, this part is omitted in the Anime series (comic vol.7).
He likes gambling
He likes gambling but always lose.
He likes sake
He always looks grumpy, but he can’t help smiling when he drinks. Shinra couldn’t stop laughing when he saw Benimaru’s smiling face.
Tamaki’s Lucky Lewd Syndrome doesn’t work for him.
Tamaki’s Lucy Lewd Syndrome attacks anytime and everywhere, of course in Asakusa, too. Her clothes were fell out in front of Benimaru but he wasn’t fazed at all. Assault should learn from him.
Bits of knowledge about the Benimaru style
Firefighters in Asakusa
It looks like the idea of Asakusa in Fire Force is from Asakusa in the Edo era. Back then, there were many fires in Edo (Tokyo) because so many houses were built in the small area, and they were all made of wood. Therefore, firefighters were like heroes for people.
Breaking style
He beaks houses around him when he defeats infernals. It looks kind of crazy, but this way was really used in Edo, just not for paying tributes for dead people. Since the means of firefighting back then were not good as those of today, the firefighters broke the houses around the burning house to avoid spread of fire. The people in Edo just had the same thought as the people in Asakusa in the Fire Force world; houses can be rebuilt but lives never come back.
Matoi
What Benimaru rides on to fly the sky is called “Matoi (纏 まとい)”. Firefighters in Edo worked in teams, and they were all competitors. All teams had their own matoi just like flags. Once a fire occurred, they all rushed to the scene and the one who first arrived put up the matoi of their team to show “this scene is taken care of by our team!”.