Fire Force's Anime Returns With One of Its Worst Qualities

Fire Force is finally back with new episodes this Spring as the anime kicks off the final season of the series overall, but its return this Spring also comes with a big reminder about one of the worst aspects of the series too. Fire Force is one of the fiercest anime series to really hit high marks with fans as Shinra Kusakabe and the rest of Special Fire Force Company 8 take on all sorts of major foes. Thanks to the fiery animation also bringing it all to life, the series has shown off some very cool moments through its run so far.

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But while Fire Force has indeed been praised for everything it had done so far in the second season, there’s one element in the series that fans remain divisive on. It’s not something that is exclusive to the anime as there are elements of character sexualization for the sake of fan service in plenty of anime releases, but there’s something inherently wrong with the way Fire Force incorporates the idea as Tamaki Kotatsu’s “Lucky Lecher Lure” continues to force herself in these terrible situations as a joke. And it’s a joke that immediately returns in Season 3’s premiere.

Fire Force Brings Back Tamaki’s Lucky Lecher Lure

Fire Force Season 3 premiered its first episode as part of the now ongoing Spring 2025 anime schedule, and the first half of the episode is a great recap of everything that happened in the first two seasons. All the while, fans are getting reintroduced to the members of Special Fire Force Company 8 as they spend some time training to get ready for whatever could be coming next. Within the first five minutes of the episode, however, Tamaki is immediately falling victim to her Lucky Lecher Lure as she’s thrown into the sky and out of her jumpsuit.

Tamaki’s Lucky Lecher Lure is the quirk she debuted with back in the anime’s first season. This “quirk” of hers has her immediately falling or stumbling into moments that completely sexualize her in a way that she can’t control. This can happen in the middle of some huge fight sequences, and most infamously even broke up the flow of one of the most dramatic moments between her and Shinra in the debut season when he accidentally physically accosts her as a result of this quirk. From the beginning, this was an issue of how forcibly her sexualization is thrown into the series.

This return of Tamaki’s worst quality if a poor reminder of Fire Force’s worst aspect that fans just kind of have to accept in order to enjoy the rest of the series. With it happening within the first five minutes (with a close up on her chest later on as she puts the jumpsuit back on), it once again pushes down any development Tamaki had in the second season. It’s even mentioned here as while Maki is impressed by how much Tamaki had grown, she still had to point out the Lecher Lure kicking in. Making this even more egregious is the reminder that her big victory in the Nether last season was only because her opponent was overwhelmed by Tamaki’s accidental sexualization.

This Holds Tamaki and Fire Force Back

This has been something that has been holding back Fire Force from true greatness through the series thus far. Tamaki playing such a pivotal role in the series isn’t that bad of an idea, nor is the idea that she’s there simply for fan service, but in practice it all comes at the worst of times. It’s not the worst idea in the world to introduce these spicier elements to a series originally pointed towards young boys to get the manga and anime off of shelves, as plenty of other series have done the same, but Fire Force just goes about it in the worst ways.

There are even examples of this with other characters in the show too. Characters like Maki Oze are also sexualized, but it’s much less of an issue than seen with Tamaki. She’s a joke character whose joke is being outwardly uncomfortable all the time, and it’s always going to rear its head even when the show wants you to take its action involving her seriously. It’s like throwing a cold bucket of water over a fire. It snuffs it out completely, and therefore snuffs out any interest in this quirk working out the way it’s “intended” to.

Because if Tamaki’s Lucky Lecher Lure is supposed to be offering genuine fun spice to shake up the series’ heavier moments, it’s yet to be used that way in Fire Force’s anime. Instead, because Tamaki hates it so much it only leads the audience to hate it as well. And with it coming back five minutes into Fire Force’s Season 3 premiere, it seems the series is going to go down that road all over again.