If you are an avid fan of anime and manga, then chances are you are all caught up with the new season of Fire Force.
And if this is the case, then you probably have a lot of questions concerning the first episode of the second season, especially in regards to Sister Iris and her recent appearance to Shinra in his devil form.
Does this mean that Sister Iris is the eighth pillar? And what does that mean for her relationship with the other characters?
Well, everything you need to know can be found in the following article, where we have gone into great detail about Sister Iris’s identity and what it could mean for her future status on the show.
If you are not up to date with all of the latest anime shows, then here’s a general rundown of what Fire Force is about.
Set 250 years after an event called The Great Cataclysm, the series tells the story of the Fire Force, a specialist fire brigade that is primarily made up of characters with various pyrokinetic abilities.
Due to the aftermath of The Great Cataclysm, the world is now ravaged by occurring cases of spontaneous human combustion, which can result in the creation of fiery demons known collectively as Infernals.
Not only is the role of the Fire Force to stop these combustions from taking place, but they must also battle the Infernals to stop them from destroying the surrounding land.
The series itself is told from the perspective of a third-generation pyrokinetic youth named Shinra Kusakabe, who joins the Fire Force after his powers inadvertently kill his mother and younger brother.
Upon joining Special Company 8, Shinra discovers that the Tokyo Empire is built on a seat of lies and that he has been chosen as one of eight pyrokinetics to bring about a second cataclysm.
In the series, these eight characters come together to form a powerful entity known only as The Eight Pillars.
What Is The Great Cataclysm?
The Great Cataclysm refers to an apocalyptic event that occurred 250 years before the events of the series, which saw the whole planet being set on fire.
During this event, a huge portion of the planet was rendered uninhabitable, with all remaining survivors of the cataclysm travelling to the Tokyo Empire, which remained mostly intact during the initial disaster.
Following this, the Tokyo Empire established itself as the main power in the world, with the Emperor forming a religious order known as the Holy Sol Temple.
It was during this time that a company called Haijima Industries also developed a new thermal power plant referred to as Amaterasu.
However, it seems that the cataclysm did have other repercussions, as following the original blaze spontaneous human combustion became a regular occurrence.
Because of this, people now have the ability to burst into flames, which can result in the creation of fiery monsters called Infernals.
What Are The Eight Pillars?
In the series, The Eight Pillars refer to a group of individuals who can manipulate the primordial flame, which means they are born with unique pyrokinetic abilities.
As a collective, The Eight Pillars have the combined power to create a second cataclysm, which is why each member is being sought after for nefarious purposes.
The main protagonist of the series, Shinra Kusakabe, is actually the Fourth Pillar and was born with the ability to produce powerful jets of fire from his feet.
Is Sister Iris The Eighth Pillar?
When we were first introduced to Iris, she was a sister at The Holy Sol Temple and a member of Special Fire Force Company 8.
However, it was later revealed to the audience that Iris is also the Eighth Pillar, a revelation that was greatly influenced by the schemes of Sister Sumire (otherwise known as the Seventh Pillar).
Raised by the sisters of The Holy Sol Temple, Iris does not know she is the Eighth Pillar, nor is she aware of the experiments that gave her her abilities.
It has also been revealed that Sister Iris is also a doppelganger of Amaterasu, who is otherwise known as the First Pillar.
If you want to know more about each one of The Eight Pillars, then we have compiled all the necessary information down below:
Who Are The Eight Pillars?
Name
Number
Emotion
Powers
Amaterasu
First Pillar
Madness
The exact nature of Amaterasu’s powers remains unknown, although she was capable of powering the whole of the Tokyo Empire by herself.
Haumea
Second Pillar
Passivity
Haumea was born with the ability to manipulate electricity, which means she can shock opponents, fry electrical systems and even draw information from people’s brains.
Sho Kusakabe
Third Pillar
Apathy
Otherwise known as Severed Universe, Sho’s ability allows him to reduce the heat that causes the natural expansion of the universe, which means he can essentially manipulate time.
Shinra Kusakabe
Fourth Pillar
Rage
Shinra can produce powerful jets of flame from the bottoms of his feet, which enables him superhuman speed and the ability to move faster than the speed of light.
Inca Kasugatani
Fifth Pillar
Destruction
Inca has the ability to sense invisible pathways of heat, which allows her to know when flames or fire-based attacks will occur. She can also ignite these pathways using her pyrokinesis.
Nataku Son
Sixth Pillar
Fear
When using his powers, Nataku can create multiple rings of fire, which feature a sphere at the centre of each one. In many ways, the rings bear a great resemblance to the symbol for radiation.
Sister Sumire
Seventh Pillar
Disgust
Sister Sumire can manipulate the heat created by natural human reflexes, which she can then transform into kinetic energy capable of causing vibrations and earthquakes.
Sister Iris
Eighth Pillar
Despair
Sister Iris can create an aura of protection or force field, which is strong enough to protect a large group of people from an army of Infernals.
What Happened In Season 2 Episode 1?
Although many revelations took place during the first episode of Fire Force season 2, the most pivotal scene came when Shinra and Captain Asako attempted to meet Captain Hague at the training school.
During this scene, an isolated Shinra soon found himself face to face with Hague, which resulted in the latter summoning Shinra’s primordial form.
Through this transformation, Shinra was able to form the Adolla Link, which allowed him to see into the titular hell dimension.
During this sequence, Shinra encountered a young woman who looked very similar to Sister Iris, which led many fans to question the character’s identity.
Things soon took a dark turn when the young woman told Shinra to burn everything in his path, confirming that she was not Iris but Amaterasu.
Who Is Amaterasu?
Otherwise known as Hitohashirame, Amaterasu is the First Pillar, who also serves as the main energy source for the Amaterasu power plant, which powers the entirety of the Tokyo Empire.
Following the events of The Great Cataclysm, Amaterasu was discovered by Yona, who intended to use her pyrokinetic abilities to rebuild civilization.
To ensure she did not escape, Yona captured Amaterasu in a container and gave her to Raffle’s Smiths group, which led to them using her as an energy source for their new power plant.
For this reason, Amaterasu has a deep hatred for humanity and wishes to destroy them through a second cataclysm.
Are Sister Iris & Amaterasu Related?
Both Sister Iris and Amaterasu greatly resemble each other, which has led to much speculation about whether the two characters are related. After all, even Shinra mistook Amaterasu for his beloved friend.
It was later revealed that the two characters do share a common connection, as Sister Iris is actually a doppelganger of the First Pillar.
In chapter 200 of the series, the audience learnt that Sister Iris was experimented on as a child, with Sister Sumire feeding the young girl bugs that she has collected from Andolla to transform her into a doppelganger of Amaterasu herself.
And it seems that Sister Sumire was successful in her attempts, as Iris did not only become a double of Amaterasu but a member of The Eight Pillars herself.
Is Sister Iris Evil?
Following these shocking revelations, fans are now questioning whether Sister Iris is good or evil, especially when considering her connection to the villainous First Pillar.
However, it is important to remember that Sister Iris does not know she is a doppelganger or a Pillar, which means she is not consciously evil in her actions.
Not only were Sumire’s experiments done without Iris’s consent, but she also has very little information regarding her origins, which means there is no reason why she would favor the dark side.
Although this does not mean that Iris will remain good for the entirety of the series, as it is very possible that her suppressed personality could be awakened.
But for now, Sister Iris is known for her kind and positive nature and remains a prominent member of Special Fire Force Company 8.
