The following contains spoilers for Fire Force Season 3, Episode 18, "Incantation of Destruction," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Fire Force has definitely entered its endgame, what with the eight Pillars rising from the ocean and the moon transforming into something quite familiar from Soul Eater. The anime has treated viewers to some stunning, blistering-hot fights and gripping emotional stakes before, such as Shinra's duel against Sho in the Netherworld, but "Incantation of Destruction" takes it all to new levels. The personal and physical stakes are nearing their peak, and it makes for some great viewing.

Episode 18 is almost entirely action, similar to the last few episodes before it, so Fire Force is maintaining some excellent momentum and sharp pacing here. What gives Episode 18 the edge over the anime's last few installments are the bizarre true nature of Giovanni the villain, and some shocking revelations about Amaterasu's creation a few centuries ago. All this, combined with an amusingly wacky side plot, makes Episode 18 the best of Season 3 thus far.

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Fire Force Episode 18 Thrives on Charon's and Vulcan's Emotional Stakes

Both Are Fighting For Someone Who Needs Them

Charon bares his teeth while surrounded by fire.

As a whole, the Fire Force anime thrives when it makes good use of wacky, off-beat humor and devastating physical stakes to the heroes, such as the arrival of the enormous Pillars and the quirkiness of Arthur Boyle the self-styled knight. More than a few episodes of Fire Force can feel like solid shonen entertainment with comedy and flaming action alone, but this anime is also smart enough to drive home some personal stakes as well. Fire Force doesn't quite do this as well as My Hero Academia or Demon Slayer, but it does a fine enough job several times per season, with Episode 18 getting the job done for Season 3's sake.

Indeed, it's mostly the world-ending action and a dash of humor that define Episode 18, and the personal stakes aren't touched on as much as they could. That being said, given the rushed pace of this season and the amount of action and intrigue being juggled, the personal stakes are good enough. The single best example is Vulcan Joseph, whose found-family bond with Yu is tested to the limit as Giovanna possesses Yu with his insects. Now, a vulnerable and kind boy is a puppet of evil, one who might end up destroyed or used to ignite the White-Clad cult's endgame. This is how a crafty hero like Vulcan can be cornered in the most meaningful way. This also touches on how Lisa is a part of that family, as a certain flashback sequence for Vulcan shows.

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On a more minor but still worthwhile note, the longtime antagonist Charon reveals the heartfelt reason why he's defying Company 8 so stubbornly in this battle. It's one thing for a villain like Charon to endure for the sake of challenging the main characters, because of course no worthwhile villain will be defeated too soon. But in this episode, Charon shouts in defiance for Haumea's sake, not just for the sake of the cult's apocalyptic cause. Charon ties the coming Great Cataclysm to Haumea's never-ending plight, noting how Haumea has been struggling with the burden of all of humanity's emotions since her earliest days. Charon believes that reverting all of humanity to the sacred flames will end Haumea's torment, adding another meaningful layer to Charon's protective attitude toward Haumea. Time will tell how much longer Charon can hold out for Haumea's sake this way as Hinawa keeps shooting.

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Giovanni is the Weird Star of Fire Force's Latest Episode

This Leads to One of the Series' Most Memorable Battles

Charon's defiance for Haumea's sake is admirable enough, but the real star of the show is Giovanni himself. He's been downright weird ever since he showed his true colors and started fighting the fire soldiers, and that's taken to new extremes here. The last time Giovanni fought, he seemed like a clockwork robot under that uniform, but now he is something far more horrifying. Fitting the insect theme of Adolla and Infernals, Giovanni is now a mass of flying bugs operating as one, as a sort of vicious Oogie Boogie. It's the perfect theme for a scary and effective fighter like Giovanni the researcher, and it opens the doors to some smart battles.

In particular, it falls to Vulcan and his longtime friend Lisa to stand up to this nightmarish being and fight back with combined heat and science. It's gratifying to see these two heroes fighting as a tight team using all their wits, while Viktor Licht gets a much-deserved chance to pitch in with his own ideas to keep hope alive. Viktor is often reduced to an exposition machine, so seeing him advise Vulcan and Lisa in the literal heat of battle is a welcome sight. All this is a fine contrast with Charon's own battle, a duology of brains and brawns. Lieutenant Hinawa needs brawn to put pressure on Charon, and only the cleverest ploys will stand a chance against a creature like Giovanni. It works well, and Fire Force needs more fights like this one.

To round things out, Giovanni's decentralized insect body is ideal not just to make him weird and dangerous, but to possess Yu and create those much-needed emotional stakes. Giovanni feels properly revolting and persistent as a pestilence like this, making him nearly impossible to kill or keep away for long. As the episode ends, Giovanni's clever fighting style is perfect for making Fire Force fans wonder how and even if the heroes can free Yu from this insectile possession, and amusingly enough, there is a chance that Arthur Boyle's knightly quest might end up playing a part in all this. The brilliant fight smoothly gives way to this hard-hitting cliffhanger, promising more good things from the upcoming Episode 19.

TV-14

Release Date: July 5, 2019
Network: TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
Directors: Sho Sugawara, Ryota Aikei, Tetsuharu Nakamura, Yuya Horiuchi, Kazuomi Koga, Daisuke Chiba, Kyohei Suzuki, Yuushi Ibe, Shuuji Miyazaki
Writers: Yoriko Tomita
Franchise(s): Fire Force