Fire Force and Soul Eater are two hugely popular series created by Atsushi Ohkubo. So, when it emerged that both series were connected, interest in them went through the roof. There are aspects of Soul Eater and Fire Force that, at a glance, seem worlds apart. For one, Soul Eater is famous for its fantastical world and characters, whereas Fire Force, despite having fantasy elements, is much more rooted in reality as we know it. However, once Soul Eater Easter eggs started appearing in Fire Force, speculation grew rife about there being a more tangible link between the stories.
With Fire Force and Soul Eater both having been completed by Atsushi Ohkubo, we now know that the two stories are both worlds apart and yet very deeply connected, much more so than fans initially expected. For new fans to either series, don’t worry; this will be a spoiler-free explanation as to how each series is connected.
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How Fire Force Connects to Soul Eater
A Timeline of Great Events
|
Soul Eater |
Fire Force |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Manga Serialization |
May 2004 – August 2013 |
September 2015 – February 2022 |
|
Manga Volumes |
25 |
34 |
|
Anime Release Date |
April 2008 – March 2009 |
July 2019 – |
Fire Force is officially a prequel to Soul Eater. However, they both take place in different versions of the same world.
Fire Force explains that Earth as we knew it was largely reduced to flames by a Great Cataclysm that destroyed most of the world, although Tokyo remained stable. Some 250 years later, the events of Fire Force take place.
Fire Force remains quite like the real world for the most part. However, Shinra and company do discover a freaky alternate dimension known as Adolla, which has much of the wackiness associated with Soul Eater.
Events at the end of Fire Force see the world as they know it destroyed and then rebuilt using Adolla; this serves as an origin story for the world in which Soul Eater takes place many hundreds of years later.
Character Connections Between Soul Eater and Fire Force
Despite many hundreds of years between the end of Fire Force and the start of Soul Eater, there are actually quite a lot of crossovers when it comes to characters.
Many of Fire Force’s main characters are legendary figures in the world of Soul Eater, including protagonist Shinra Kusakabe and Arthur Boyle, whose sword becomes the legendary weapon Excalibur. Inca Kasugatani is also a side character in both Fire Force and Soul Eater.
There are also a few familial or hereditary links from Fire Force to Soul Eater. Some of the most prominent confirmed links include:
- Shinra is responsible for Soul Eater’s Death, and Death the Kid was created in Shinra’s image.
- Soul Eater’s Star Clan are related to Rekka Hoshimiya, one of Fire Force’s strongest lieutenants who also has stars in his eyes.
However, there are other characters, particularly meisters in Soul Eater, with shared likenesses to people in Fire Force that leave fans wondering whether it’s just similar art styles or something more.
Fans Can Avoid Spoilers of Each Series
Because of the connections between Fire Force and Soul Eater, lots of people are making the jump from one to the other. Others are also wondering which is best to watch first: should you watch the shows chronologically – Fire Force then Soul Eater – or in their order of release?
Thankfully for fans trying to avoid spoilers, the crossovers between the two series are largely superficial until you get to the end of Fire Force. Therefore, it’s not really possible to spoil either story by reading the whole of one before jumping into the next.
Most fans tend to recommend enjoying both series in their order of release. While there are references in Fire Force to its predecessor, there’s not much going the other way in the demonic world of Soul Eater unless you already know the Fire Force story. Therefore, if you want to spot the inside jokes, it’s best to see Soul Eater first, but either order works.
Whatever way fans enjoy Soul Eater and Fire Force, having the two stories connected has certainly created an extra level of intrigue.