What is Sho's ability called in Fire Force? His powers, explained

With the popularity of the Fire Force anime series, more than ever before, fans are inquiring about several major characters from the show. Among the several characters, one of the more intriguing is Sho Kusakabe, the Third Pillar.

Upon his first introduction in the series as a member of the White Clad, he showed immense power and a unique ability, leaving almost every fan intrigued and asking the same question, "What is Sho's ability called?" Sho's ability is known as the Severed Universe, a Fourth Generation pyrokinetic ability.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Fire Force anime/manga.

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Sho's Severed Universe ability, explained

Sho is using the Severed Universe against Shinra, as shown in the Fire Force anime (Image via David Production)

Featured during season 1 episode 17 of the anime, Black and white and grey, Sho was first seen using his Adolla Burst ability, Severed Universe, against Shinra. It is a fourth-generation pyrokinetic ability that allows the user to gain control over time, as seen in the anime when Sho attacked Shinra and later Joker.

Sho can manipulate the heat around his body, essentially cooling it down, reducing the heat that causes the natural expansion of the universe. In doing so, he can further control the course of time, even pause it to his liking. While his ability affects everything and everyone around him, it does not apply to him, as Sho can still move normally and freely while using the ability.

To elaborate, if Sho were to reduce time to a fraction of its duration, things and people around him would appear to move more slowly to him. This also tricks his opponents, who do not know the nature of his ability, thinking Sho is moving faster. This ability greatly boosts Sho's mobility, allowing him to cover short distances and strike within a fraction of a second.

While Severed Universe is one of the most powerful Adolla Burst abilities in the Fire Force series, it also has some limitations. While Sho freezes his surroundings to a low temperature, his body also starts to freeze, limiting the duration of his abilities' usage.

Certain objects that defy the laws of physics cannot be affected by his ability, the prime example being when Shinra used the Adolla Link and easily bypassed Sho's ability during their fight in the Nether.

The biggest drawback to the ability is its dependency on the Evangelist. Being a fourth-generation ability, it can only be used if there is a connection with the Evangelist. If the connection is broken, it cannot be used. However, this activation condition was not required during the Great Cataclysm, due to an increase in Adolla's proximity.

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Sho's other powers and abilities in Fire Force

While that answers "What is Sho's ability called?", Sho has also proven himself to be a masterful swordsman, as seen throughout several instances in both the Fire Force anime and the manga. Sho attacks not just his actual katana's blade but also its sheath and blunt side in combination to bludgeon his enemies.

Sho has also exhibited immense speed and strength through the series, especially during his fight with Faerie, the leader of the White Clad's Great Cataclysm Execution Specialist Force. He was easily able to counter the latter's attacks, despite them being a perfect counter to Sho's abilities.

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Final thoughts

Sho plays a very significant role in the Fire Force anime series, especially in the plot and storyline of Shinra, the main protagonist. He is also a significant member of the White Clad, participating in some of the organization's earliest advancements while being the third pillar of the series.

With the Fire Force anime's season 3 ongoing, more of Sho's character plot is yet to be revealed as the series gradually moves towards a critical state of the storyline.

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