Known for its ultraviolence and dark fantasy aspects, fans could be forgiven for thinking Chainsaw Man is Tatsuki Fujimoto’s most twisted manga, but Fire Punch somehow outdoes it. Fire Punch is a manga centered around heavy themes such as religious propaganda, nihilism, vengeance, and depression. Even though Fire Punch takes place in a harsh, desolate world, and surrounds itself with a lot of violent, gory imagery, at its core, it is a story about wanting to live.
The world of Fire Punch is one where death exists around every corner. The land has completely frozen over and the Earth has entered a new Ice Age. Within this cold, dark world, there exist people who exhibit strange powers. These people are known as the Blessed Ones. Fire Punch centers around one of these Blessed known as Agni, who has an extremely fast regenerative power. Because of the Ice Age, food is extremely scarce and Agni takes care of his village by supplying them with food… made from his severed limbs.
One day a group of soldiers stumble across Agni’s village and urge the residents to follow their caravan back to a larger colony where they will be “taken care of.” Upon inspecting the villagers’ homes, however, the soldiers find large quantities of human meat and declare them to be barbaric cannibals. One of the soldiers named Doma reveals that he is also a Blessed One with the power to produce a fire that will not extinguish until its fuel has been entirely consumed. Using this power, Doma massacres the village, setting them all alight including Agni and his sister Luna. While Luna shares his regenerative powers, it isn’t yet as fast, and Agni watches his sister burn to death as the flames eat through her regeneration. Agni wants to embrace death so at the very least he can be with his family in peace, but his sister’s last words to him are “Live.”
After the flaming purge, Agni is the only one left alive, but the flames have badly injured him and he remains in the snow, burning for almost a decade. Over the years, Agni begins focusing the flames to different parts of his body so he can see and think clearly. In due time he finds himself able to crawl, then walk, and most importantly, able to form a fist. Now a flaming avenger, Agni begins his quest for vengeance. On his journey, he comes across some of the worst humans imaginable, ranging from sadistic soldiers using child slaves to murderous religious fanatics. The story of Agni is a sad one and the world of Fire Punch goes to every length imaginable to show the capacity for human fear and cruelty.
Despite this exceptional cruelty, Fire Punch is similar to Chainsaw Man in that at its heart, it is a story about perseverance and the will to live. Much like Denji from Chainsaw Man, Agni lives in a world that is unkind to him yet still tries to find reasons to live. Whether in the form of seeking vengeance or acting as a big brother, Agni perseveres. The story touches on the fleeting nature of human existence as it implies that while one’s reasons to live may vary, there is an inherent value in finding a way to keep going. Fire Punch may be full of tragic moments and even more twisted than Chainsaw Man, but it centers around a positive message on human nature.