Fire Force season 3's mind-bending anime reveal is being called a "top 5 plot twist of all time"

Fire Force season 3 just delivered not only one of the best anime episodes of the year but, according to fans, one of the top plot twists of all time. One of 2025's hottest new anime, the series has been following Tokyo's Company 8 as they relentlessly fight the Great Cataclysm, and the mid-season finale has left viewers speechless.

Warning! The rest of this article contains spoilers for Fire Force season 3, episode 12, so proceed with caution!

After the Giant Infernal is defeated, Fire Force reveals some shocking truths about the series. For one, we discover Yona is actually a demon from the region of Adolla who came to Earth after the failed Cataclysm. However, the biggest shock comes from Shinra Kusakabe, who journeys with Inca into the past in order to find a way to save their future.

That's how he receives a glimpse into Tokyo's past, and here's where our jaws hit the floor: the Old World is very similar to our world, but totally different from Shinra's world, which impacts him in ways that we can't yet fully understand. In fact, this moment almost drives him mad and makes him lose consciousness. When he wakes up, he has been sleeping for three months, his hair is blonde, and a new era has just started.

Fans have taken to social media to praise this moment, calling it "top 5 plot twist of all time", "best manga to anime adaptation", and one of the "best anime episodes of the year."

The show's original synopsis, as per Crunchyroll, reads, "Tokyo is burning, and citizens are mysteriously suffering from spontaneous human combustion all throughout the city! Responsible for snuffing out this inferno is the Fire Force, and Shinra is ready to join their fight. Now, as part of Company 8, he’ll use his devil’s footprints to help keep the city from turning to ash! But his past and a burning secret behind the scenes could set everything ablaze."

We've come a long way since then, though, with season 3 seeing the Fire Force turn into outlaws as they fight to save their world, and Shinra working to refine his latent pyrokinetic abilities. The season covers the Obi's Rescue arc (chapters 175-197) from the manga.

Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 will be released in January 2026. For more, check out our Fire Force season 3 release schedule, and our list of the best anime you should watch right now.