Japanese music news covering anime, pop, and more

Anime Streaming at Crunchyroll.com

Maki returns home for a family dinner, where her brother, Takigi, a criminal investigator with the Armed Forces, asks her about her time in the Nether. When Takigi is injured in a White-Clad attack, Maki's father recalls her to the military.

A routine trip to the Baptism Church to bless the 8th's equipment reveals the crisis of faith that Iris and other Holy Sol Temple clergy are facing. Assault is back and ready to take on Tamaki, who stands in his way of exterminating the 8th.

As Nataku continues to rampage, Shinra Adolla Links with him, revealing the pressure his parents placed on him to succeed. When the threat Nataku poses comes to a head, his protection as one of the Pillars comes from an unlikely source.

The three-way battle between Haijima, the White-Clad, and the 8th continues, but when Ritsu and Haumea both use their unique abilities, everyone involved is placed in imminent danger. It's up to Vulcan and Arthur to turn things around.

At Licht's signal, the rest of the 8th breaks into the Haijima compound, where Vulcan and Maki confront an overpowered puppeteer. The rest of the company meets up with Shinra and Licht, who are facing Kurono, when a third party shows up!

Licht reveals to the other members of the 8th that he has been spying on them for Haijima. Licht and Shinra come up with a plan to get inside the child pyrokinesis lab where Shinra was institutionalized as a child to uncover some dirt on Haijima.

Burns confronts Joker and Benimaru, then offers them the scant leads he has uncovered during his own personal probe of the Holy Sol Temple. Konro reports Benimaru's findings to the 8th, and the target of their next investigation becomes clear.

Joker and Benimaru break their way into the church in search of the hidden scriptures. When Benimaru presses Joker for answers as to how he knows so much, Joker tells him about his past, revealing some dark secrets about the Holy Sol Temple.

After reporting their findings to Obi, the team is dismayed to hear that their discoveries are being quashed by the church, prompting Licht to turn to unofficial channels. Joker approaches Benimaru with a proposition concerning the Holy Sol Temple.

Through Adolla Links and the assistance of Grace, Shinra learns more about the Evangelist and views Tempe's memories. The team completes their investigation into the Tabernacle, but draw some unsettling conclusions from what they learn.

Company 8's junior crewmen take in a day of shopping for some new clothes for Lieutenant Hinawa, but their excursion is interrupted by the appearance of a giant Infernal. The 8th prepares for the annual Special Fire Force beefcake calendar shoot.

Tamaki watches on as Shinra confronts Rekka over his actions, and reminisces about how she once looked up to the lieutenant. Rekka reveals his objective in seeking out compatible children, one which could spell disaster for the entire world.

Obi goes over Hibana's research, and learns that the artificially-created Infernals she dissected all had traces of insect DNA in them. Shinra and Arthur's investigation at the 1st continues, and they finally get their first lead on a culprit.

The members of Company 5 and 8 get together for a cookout, ostensibly to celebrate a successful nighttime training exercise. Using the bylaws of the Special Fire Force, Obi gets Shinra and Arthur temporarily assigned to the 1st to investigate it.

Shinra confronts Hibana in an attempt to rescue Iris, and must once again deal with her ability to make his body shut down. The story of Hibana and Iris's youth as orphans, as well as Hibana's rise to prominence, is revealed.

While jogging, Shinra inadvertently disturbs Iris's purification rite, and sees that she is troubled. When Iris later turns up missing, the other members of Company 8 rally to Company 5's compound, to which Iris had secretly slipped away.

A call mistakenly comes in to Company 8 to rescue a dog out of a tree, to which Shinra and Arthur respond. However, when an Infernal suddenly appears at the district courthouse, the two must play catch-up to join the rest of the company.

Shinra and Arthur compete in the Rookie Fire Soldier Games, a contest to test the abilities of each year's newest recruits. However, they are interrupted at the goal by the mysterious man who created explosions at their last fire scene.

Before being discharged from the hospital, Shinra is visited by Captain Burns, who offers to tell him all about the fire that happened 12 years ago, but only if Shinra can demonstrate that he is strong enough to hear the whole truth.

Shinra revisits his childhood to share his memories with Sho, to try to forge a deeper connection. When one of their own is critically injured, the members of the 8th rally to the rescue, and turn to Captain Huang of the 6th for assistance.