Why is Arthur Boyle so strong in Fire Force? His unique ability, explained

One of the most popular characters from the Fire Force series is Arthur Boyle from the Special Fire Force Company 8. Despite his bittersweet relationship with Shinra, Arthur has been one of his strongest allies since the introduction of his character in the series.

What makes Arthur's character even more interesting is his unique powers and abilities, including his iconic weapon, Excalibur. Upon his several appearances in the anime series, fans have begun to ask, "Why is Arthur Boyle so strong in Fire Force?" Apart from being a strong third-generation pyrokinetic, Arthur also derives his powers from his unique imagination of himself as a Knight King.

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

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How Arthur's delusions boost his strength, explained

Despite Arthur being one of the strongest characters in the Fire Force series, his power does not come entirely like every other character. While he is a strong third-generation pyrokinetic user, paired with his extremely powerful weapon, Excalibur (a plasma sword), he has been seen to fight even better under his medieval role-play as a knight.

His fascination with medieval fantasy correlates with his childhood. When he was a toddler, Arthur's parents would often tell him stories about medieval knights and kings, as well as fights with mythical creatures like dragons and demons. They would also often role-play as characters from those times.

However, when Arthur's parents left him without notice, he was completely shattered and would reminisce about his memories with them. Despite being heartbroken, Arthur started considering himself a knight sent to protect and defend those who were weaker, encouraging him to go on a journey to slay the mythical creatures he had heard about in his stories.

In Fire Force season 3 episode 5, titled Chance Meeting with an Arch-Enemy, when Arthur was faced with Dragon from the White Clad, he started envisioning the latter as an actual dragon. Furthermore, Dragon's powers were a resemblance of the actual mythical creature. This sparked a boost of power within Arthur, as he became delighted to finally be able to slay a dragon, just like in his stories.

Arthur's delusion of considering every fight as a medieval battle helps him to focus more and get in the zone. It further boosts his strengths and pyrokinetic abilities, as seen when Excalibur changed the shape of its blade several times during the Dragon fight. In brief, Arthur considers himself a "Knight King," a legendary warrior sent to protect everyone, and this mentality of his boosts his strengths.

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Arthur's other powers and abilities in Fire Force

Alongside his immense pyrokinetic powers, Arthur has great physical strength and reflexes, which have been shown throughout the series. Apart from having extraordinarily great speed, strength, stamina, and durability, Arthur has an indomitable will that helps him persevere through battles without losing hope and pushing on.

After training with Benimaru Shinmon alongside Shinra, Arthur learned to use Hysterical Strength, which required deep knowledge of the Press of Death. This automatically placed him among some of the strongest characters from the Fire Force series. Arthur's acknowledgment of the possibility of death made him push further, turning his flames into a blue cape with immense defense capabilities.

Arthur also possesses a keen eyesight, allowing him to keep up with enemies who move extremely fast. He was even able to track Shinra when his speed was enhanced with Rapid. While Arthur's instincts left him vulnerable to illusions and misdirections, his training with Benimaru helped with his distinguishing capability.

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Final thoughts

With multiple feats, Arthur is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters from the Fire Force series. His unique trait of boosting his strength with delusion also places him in an intriguing position, making the fans want more of him. While the manga is concluded, the ongoing anime series is yet to feature the full extent of his powers in his battle against Dragon.

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