The Fire Hunter – Season 2 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Roaring Thunder

Episode 2 of The Fire Hunter Season 2 starts with Hibari questioning Koushi about the lightning cannon for a bit. Then, Koushi asks Hibari about his affiliation with the Gods and Spiders. Hibari says the humans, Spiders, and the city (in general) mean nothing to him. Hibari tells Koushi he hopes his lightning cannon plan succeeds. Additionally, Hibari says he wants to monitor Koushi’s foster father for the time being. In a factory, a female comforts Touko and asks her where she came from. 

Other people ridicule Touko, so the female takes Touko outside so they can chat in private. During this time, we hear the same people gossiping about the fire hunters, Gods, and the Spiders. An elderly worker tells the teens to pipe down, but they’re insistent on leaving this factory behind to fight off the Spiders themselves. Touko and the girl chat for a bit and hear a strange noise in the distance. One of the boys is thrilled that the Spiders arrived, confusing Touko’s new female companion. 

The boy says his parents told him that the gods are responsible for leaving factory poisons behind. Additionally, he was told the Spiders would help them learn how to use fire like in the olden days, which would make them stronger than the Gods. The elderly man from before tells everyone to get inside. Meanwhile, Koushi visits the food plant to pick up Kanata and Kun because he needs their help. At the lightning cannon, Koushi tells Kun that everyone might die when he uses this cannon. 

With Kun’s assistance, Koushi fires the lightning cannon and everyone from the factory notices it, including Touko. After Koushi tells Kun to load more ammunition, a female Spider confronts him about killing her allies. Kanata and Roroku’s wolf companion attack the woman before she can murder Koushi. Roroku arrives to finish the woman off. Roroku catches up with Koushi afterwards and asks him what happened to the crew at this place. 

Koushi tells him the Gods chased them off so he had Kun and Kanata assist him in firing the lightning cannon. Roroku relays more details about what the Spiders and hunters have been up to. Simultaneously, Koushi informs Roroku that Akira went to the divine palace and Touko’s in town somewhere. The woman named On moves and Kun shares brief details about his history with On to Roroku and Koushi.

On tells Kun that the Spiders will be heading somewhere they once called home and suggests Kun head there too. On tells Koushi that the Spiders were once members of the Fire Clan, who were known for having control over the Ancient Flame. On says the head clan’s in charge but no longer can wield nor approach flames. Furthermore, she says the Spiders want to give humanity fire and believe attacking the capital’s divine clans will assist in that endeavor. 

Elsewhere, a woman plans to take Touko to the Okibi Estate since she’s familiar with Koushi. During this time, several factory workers cheer the Spiders on because they believe their actions will free them from the pain they’ve endured as factory workers. At the Okibi estate, Mr. Okibi tasks someone with escorting Ms. Ibushi to her property. The two women escort Touko inside Mr. Okibi’s mansion and they bump into Kira.

Before Kira takes Touko to her room, she runs into her mother. Her mother tells her to fetch Touko some proper garments and tells Kira to not have vulgar feelings for Koushi. Kira leaves the Okibi Mansion to see if Koushi, Hinako, and Kanata are at the factory still. Suddenly, her mother and Touko see a lightning bolt strike the manor and head outside. They spot a man named Kouhachi holding Kira. He tells the two that he and his allies plan to use Kira as a vessel so that the Flickering Flame can be the new Lady Goddess. 

A butler named Takimi stops Kira’s mother and says the Okibis have been chosen by the Gods to keep the human world from ending. Kira’s mother calls out to Kira but gets knocked out by Takimi. Kouhachi departs with Kira and the episode closes with the Flickering Flame telling Touko telepathically that she’ll take her to the two dogs’ location. 

The Episode Review

The battle between the hunters, Spiders, and Gods continues in The Fire Hunter. From Koushi, Kun, and Kanata’s marvelous teamwork to the tidbits we receive about the Spider’s “Fire Clan” origins, some folks will enjoy the way this series builds upon its world and its concepts. At the same time, outside of the fanciful art stills we receive promptly, the Fire Hunter’s animation continues to disappoint. 

As mentioned in prior recaps and reviews, it would’ve been stellar if the animators opted to go for the animation and visual style akin to the imagery found in its picturesque stills and marvelous first season’s opening theme. It would have enticed more people to give this series a shot. Animation issues aside, the developments involving Kira’s character were heartbreaking to watch. 

While it would’ve been great to spend more time with Kira to give that Kouhachi abduction scene more impact, it’s saddening to hear that they plan to use her as a vessel for the Flickering Flame. Hopefully, someone will rescue her from that fate. By and large, this is an okay chapter of The Fire Hunter. It ha decent lore, drama, and action, but still fails to deliver a solid viewing experience from an animation perspective. It can also be a bit tough to track at times, too. Hopefully, episode three will produce more satisfactory results.