Fire Force season 3 episode 4 review: David Productions delivers their best yet with impressive animation, major suspense, and more

Following the season’s slow start, Fire Force season 3 episode 4 was expected to continue the uptick in action and excitement David Production began in the previous installment. Officially released on Friday, April 25, 2025, the latest installment marked a new high point for the season primarily via the Eighth’s intense and exciting fight against Gold.

Fans were also impressed by Fire Force season 3 episode 4 and its suspense both in the Eighth’s fight against Gold and with a major cliffhanger regarding Captain Akitaru Obi’s ultimate fate. While the installment isn’t perfect, it does more than enough to become the most enjoyable watch of Fire Force’s final season so far.

Fire Force season 3 episode 4 review: Latest installment takes the top spot with incredible action, fantastic animation, and more

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One of the biggest flaws the third season’s episodes have had thus far is how little action there was despite this being the start of the series’ final season. Throughout the first three episodes, the only action fans saw came in the third installment via a focus on Shinra Kusakabe and Joker’s fight against Leonard Burns. Fire Force season 3 episode 4 more than makes up for this by spending a majority of its time on Gold’s fight against the Eighth.

While this is satisfying and praiseworthy in and of itself, the fight is also executed incredibly well and given respectable care considering what it is. Particularly impressive is the chance it afforded Tamaki Kotatsu to highlight how she plans to keep up with the final arc’s enemies. Likewise, her and the rest of the Eighth’s teamwork excitingly shows that Shinra, Arthur Boyle, and Benimaru Shinmon won’t necessarily be doing all the work.

Fire Force season 3 episode 4 is especially praiseworthy for making this clear while also creating an enjoyable, well-animated fight. Tamaki’s Spirit Bomb-like Nekomata Giant Fireball attack and its animation in the buildup and execution especially highlight this.

The animation of Maki Oze’s Tekkyo and other objects flying around the battlefield also highlights David Production’s skill at blending CGI animation with 2D backgrounds.

The Eighth's fight with Gold in Fire Force season 3 episode 4 goes a long way to making up for the lack of action thus far (Image via David Production)

As touched on above, the fight’s narrative significance is also apparent and emphasized here with great success. The Eighth’s teamwork is clearly emphasized as one of their greatest strengths, with every fighting member present and others contributing greatly. It not only allows each member to get a chance to shine but also more effectively presents them as the unified team they’re meant to be.

Fire Force season 3 episode 4 also succeeds narratively in its ending focus on Shinra, Joker, and Burns, with the lattermost having Akitaru Obi turned into an Infernal. However, the transformation only just begins in the final scenes, making for a naturally perfect cliffhanger which David Production capitalizes on tremendously. It’s a shrewd narrative choice that naturally concludes this episode while also clearly establishing the next’s focus.

The episode also does a good narrative job of teasing one of the season’s most highly anticipated fights in the form of Arthur Boyle and Dragon. The Knight King’s appearance is indirectly preceded by a brief flash of the appropriately named enemy, clearly establishing a connection. This, along with the aforementioned ending cliffhanger of Obi’s transformation, perfectly leaves viewers wanting more, thus making for a more enthralling watch likewise.

Fire Force season 3 episode 4: A (likely) cut flashback and poor pacing hold David Production back from perfection

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Easily the single biggest issue with Fire Force season 3 episode 4 is the source material it presumably chooses to cut. While it is possible that the flashback focusing on Joker and Leonard Burns was reordered, David Production typically cuts material outright rather than moves it around. Likewise, with how significant this backstory is to Burns’ current actions, its presumed absence from the final season, and more specifically this episode, is a major flaw.

Season 3 episode 4’s pacing and focus also aren’t handled as well as they could be, with the Eighth’s fight against Gold taking just a tad too much time. At the very least, additional interspersing of this fight with a focus on Shinra, Joker, and Burns would do wonders for creating additional tension and suspense. This would also give more of a simultaneous feel to these events, which currently feel asynchronous given the episode’s structuring and focus.

Final thoughts

Fire Force season 3 episode 4 sets Arthur Boyle up for greatness in the coming installments (Image via David Production)

Without a doubt, Fire Force season 3 episode 4 is David Production’s greatest success yet. Likewise, trending data suggests fans can expect it to only get better from here, especially with Obi’s transformation and Arthur versus Dragon on the horizon. While this latest installment falls just short of a perfect grade, it’s nonetheless encouraging and suggests that fans are on the precipice of the final season’s first perfect outing.