Arthur Boyle

Name: Arthur Boyle

Gender: Male

Affiliation: Special Fire Force Company 8

Rank: Second Class Fire Soldier

Age: 17

Height: 174 cm

Birthday: July 10

Blood Type: A

Voice Actor (anime): Yusuke Kobayashi

Arthur Boyle serves in Special Fire Force Company 8 alongside Shinra Kusakabe, with whom he trained at the academy.

He is a Third Generation pyrokinetic and one of the main combatants of Company 8.

Arthur calls himself the “Knight King” and loves speaking in grand, medieval-style phrases about knighthood and chivalry.

Despite this lofty self-image, he is so airheaded that he cannot consistently tell which hand is his dominant one.

He is extremely handsome and popular with women, leading Shinra to complain that he “gets girls even though he’s an idiot.”

Because of this contrast, Arthur often comes across as a “genius idiot,” someone who is brilliant in bursts but fundamentally clueless.

In combat, Arthur’s imagination and “knightly mood” directly affect his strength.

If he feels like a true knight—especially when dressed the part—his power, precision, and focus can spike dramatically.

Conversely, when his mood or imagination dips, his abilities can become noticeably weaker or sloppier.

This gives him a volatile, “hit-or-miss” performance curve that can swing from useless to terrifyingly strong.

Outside of battle, Arthur is notoriously bad at desk work and paperwork.

His reports are slow, error-prone, and often require others to fix them.

Arthur’s relationship with Shinra is that of combative rivals.

They constantly bicker, compete over trivial things (like who can finish ramen faster), and frequently come to blows.

Despite this, Arthur understands Shinra’s obsession with being a “hero” better than most.

When Shinra is nearly corrupted by the mysterious woman known as the First Pillar, Arthur’s harsh words help snap him out of it.

Arthur’s parents abandoned him as a child after a failed business venture, fleeing in the night and leaving him behind.

They fed him pleasant-sounding lies before disappearing, and only much later in life does he reunite with them.

A specific memory involving his parents sparked his “knight” persona.

From that point on, he dedicated himself to fighting in order to protect others, molding his entire identity around knighthood.

Arthur has long bangs that normally fall over his eyes.

During missions, he ties his hair back to expose his forehead, enhancing his “knightly” presence.

He refuses to wear a standard firefighting helmet at fire scenes because he feels it does not match his image of a knight.

He prioritizes looking and feeling like a knight over practical protection.

Arthur is good-looking, calm-faced, and usually appears aloof or mildly detached from what is happening around him.

His expression can shift instantly into serious focus when battle or “knightly duty” is involved.

Personality-wise, Arthur is incredibly simple-minded and often misinterprets situations to a comical degree.

However, this simplicity also frees him from overthinking, giving him moments of sharp intuitive insight.

Other characters constantly call him an idiot because his mistakes are so extreme they often defy belief.

Yet sometimes he notices things no one else does, cutting straight to the heart of a problem with gut-level perception.

He is deeply fixated on his self-image as a knight and later as the “Knight King.”

Shinra once insulted knights as “lame,” which Arthur has never forgiven, fueling their rivalry and his insistence on the title “Knight King.”

Despite his idiocy, Arthur is courageous, unwavering in battle, and sincere about protecting people.

His line “Protect the people important to you! That’s what knights, heroes, and fire soldiers are all about!” captures his core belief.

Arthur is a Third Generation pyrokinetic who creates and controls plasma-based flames from his body.

By focusing his flames into extremely high-temperature plasma, he can form a blade of energy from the hilt of his weapon.

His signature weapon is a hilt shaped like a cross, from which he projects a blue-white plasma blade called Excalibur.

Excalibur acts as a high-intensity plasma sword capable of cutting through most materials unless they are protected by stronger fire or energy.

Arthur has formal swordsmanship training and fights primarily as a swordsman, combining agility, technique, and pyrokinetic power.

His style mixes knightly swordplay with samurai-like precision techniques he later learns from others.

He can also produce small, disposable “Mini-Excaliburs” by channeling plasma through sheets of plastic.

These compact plasma blades are ideal for fine cutting, lockpicking, minor welding, or precision melting tasks.

Each Mini-Excalibur consumes the plastic medium entirely in one use, making them single-use tools.

This utility makes Arthur surprisingly handy in technical or infiltration support roles when he focuses.

Arthur’s combat power is heavily influenced by his mental state and imagination.

If he mistakenly uses his non-dominant hand, his skill drops dramatically—until he realizes and switches, at which point he can end fights instantly.

When his knightly ego is boosted—by armor, praise, or role-play—Excalibur’s output and his overall performance noticeably increase.

This makes him something like an “artistic fighter” whose power scales with his personal fantasy of knighthood.

Within Company 8, Arthur is regarded as one of the unit’s top fighters, second only to Shinra in raw frontline capability.

His unstable but potentially enormous attack power makes him a crucial asset in high-stakes battles.

He also has a special advantage against Haumea, one of the Evangelist’s key followers.

The plasma field generated by Excalibur interferes with Haumea’s abilities, allowing Arthur to effectively neutralize or suppress her powers.

Combat Techniques

Arthur develops a range of named techniques, many of which reflect his knightly delusions and training.

Below are his notable moves and what they represent:

Knight Punch

A straightforward, heavy punch thrown with “knightly” flair.

It symbolizes Arthur trying to act chivalrous even when fighting barehanded.

Knight Kick

A powerful kick used in close combat, treated by Arthur as a formal knight technique.

It often accompanies acrobatic movements and follow-ups with Excalibur.

Knight Head

A headbutt attack delivered with reckless bravado.

Arthur treats it like a “knight’s decisive blow” despite it being essentially just ramming his head into the enemy.

Heavenly Knight Slash

A high-powered sword slash that embodies Arthur’s image of a knight striking from the heavens.

The move emphasizes dramatic, vertical or leaping cuts with Excalibur.

Breath of Life

A perception technique Arthur learns from Shinmon Benimaru and Konro Sagamiya.

He reads the rhythm and intent in an opponent’s breathing and movements, allowing him to anticipate lethal attacks.

Lightning Flash

A quick-draw style slash with Excalibur executed in a single, sudden motion.

He uses it as a high-speed passing strike, cutting an opponent in the instant they move past him.

Reverse Lightning Drop

A follow-up technique to Lightning Flash, emphasizing a swift, descending strike.

The movement resembles a sudden downward cut that capitalizes on an opponent’s opening.

Lightning Eight-Petal

A series of rapid, multi-directional slashes, like an eightfold flurry of lightning.

Arthur unleashes numerous strikes in an instant, overwhelming the opponent’s defenses.

Lightning Earth Splitter

A massively powerful downward slash intended to cleave even the ground itself.

It channels intense power through Excalibur in a single, earth-splitting blow.

Nirvana

A high-level technique or state where Arthur’s combat focus and spiritual “knight” image are perfectly aligned.

In this mode, his attacks become extremely refined and lethal.

Plasma Mantle

Arthur wraps himself or his surroundings in a layer of plasma.

This can act as both armor and interference, disrupting certain enemy abilities—especially those like Haumea’s.

Non-Self

A mental state where Arthur sheds self-conscious thought and moves purely on instinct and knightly conviction.

In this state, his reactions sharpen and he fights with frightening clarity.

Stupid Strength

A burst of raw power Arthur exhibits when pushed beyond his limits, seemingly fueled by his idiocy and willpower.

It represents the absurd, almost comical heights his strength can reach when he stops thinking entirely.

“Lightning Flash” and “Quick-Draw Excalibur”

One notable subset of Arthur’s technique set revolves around quick-draw slashes.

A key move in this style is his Lightning Flash:

Lightning Flash (often performed as a quick-draw Excalibur slash)

Arthur learns to read the “Breath of Life” of his enemies under Shinmon Benimaru and Konro Sagamiya’s guidance.

He then uses this perception to time a single, decisive cut as he passes his opponent.

This technique is sometimes described by Arthur as him “changing class” from knight to “samurai knight.”

In practice, it is a precise, timing-based counter that can finish fights in one stroke.

Arthur is introduced as Shinra Kusakabe’s academy classmate and Company 8 colleague.

They immediately clash over ideals, ego, and the “coolness” of heroes versus knights.

He consistently serves as one of Company 8’s primary attackers in fights against Infernals and the Evangelist’s followers.

His chaotic intelligence, delusional framing, and latent genius create both problems and breakthroughs for the team.

During a crucial battle with the powerful enemy Dragon, Arthur’s Excalibur is destroyed and he is decisively defeated.

This loss shatters his confidence, and he temporarily loses the will to fight.

Vulcan Joseph later promises to forge him a “real Excalibur,” rekindling Arthur’s knightly spirit.

With a renewed weapon and sense of self, Arthur returns to the battlefield.

He eventually faces Dragon again, but is forced to retreat when a Great Cataclysm erupts.

Later, through a game-like structured confrontation, Arthur battles Dragon a third time.

In this climactic fight, Arthur sacrifices his lower body, which is burned away by Dragon’s techniques.

Despite this horrific injury, he manages to defeat Dragon and secure victory.

After this, Arthur acknowledges Shinra Kusakabe as a true savior and entrusts the future to him.

It appears that Arthur meets a heroic, tragic end, dying in space after his final stand.

However, it is later revealed that Arthur survives, drifting through outer space rather than dying outright.

He eventually returns in time to confront Shinra when Shinra is consumed by rage and begins to lose control.

Arthur’s presence, words, and unshakable knightly conviction help pull Shinra back to his senses.

In doing so, Arthur proves once again that behind his foolish exterior is an unbreakable core of loyalty and courage.

Excalibur

Excalibur is Arthur’s signature weapon: a cross-shaped hilt that projects a blue-white plasma blade.

The blade is formed by concentrating his flames into ultra-high-temperature plasma, giving it enormous cutting and interference power.

Almost anything not protected by superior fire or energy can be sliced by Excalibur.

Its precision and power scale with Arthur’s imagination and confidence as the “Knight King.”

Over time, it is revealed that Arthur’s Excalibur is not just any weapon.

In the late stages of the story, it is revealed to be the very same sentient Excalibur that appears in the author Atsushi Ōkubo’s earlier work, Soul Eater.

This crossover connection explains the peculiar nature and “personality” of the sword.

In the epilogue, Excalibur displays the same appearance and irritating behavior it is infamous for in Soul Eater.

Mini-Excalibur

Arthur can generate Mini-Excalibur blades using thin plastic sheets as a medium.

He channels his plasma through the plastic to form small, precise plasma blades.

These mini-blades are perfect for small-scale cutting, lock opening, and delicate welding or melting tasks.

After one use, the plastic is burned away, making each Mini-Excalibur disposable.

Star Ring

Arthur also uses an item known as Star Ring.

This is another piece of equipment that supports his combat style and knightly image, though its details are less emphasized than Excalibur itself.

Shinra Kusakabe

Arthur and Shinra Kusakabe are academy peers and now comrades in Company 8.

They share similar levels of combat importance to the team but clash sharply in personality and ideals.

Shinra dreams of being a “hero,” while Arthur dreams of being a “knight” and later the “Knight King.”

Their visions often conflict, leading to endless arguments and physical scuffles.

They even compete over trivial everyday things, like who can finish their bowl of ramen first.

Despite this childish rivalry, they share a deep, unspoken respect.

Arthur recognizes the weight Shinra places on the word “hero.”

In Shinra’s darkest moments, Arthur’s straightforward, cutting words can reach him when others cannot.

Parents

Arthur’s parents attempted a business venture that failed, leaving them deeply in trouble.

They fled in the night, effectively abandoning Arthur in his early childhood.

They sugarcoated their departure with nice-sounding words to deceive him.

One memory from this period deeply influenced Arthur, inspiring his decision to live as a “knight” who protects others.

He eventually encounters his parents again later in the story.

That reunion forces him to confront both his past and the fantasy he built to survive it.

Arthur’s “Excalibur” is a major inter-series reference by creator Atsushi Ōkubo.

The very same Excalibur appears in Soul Eater as an infamous, sentient, and unbearably annoying legendary sword.

Late in Fire Force, it is directly confirmed that Arthur’s Excalibur and Soul Eater’s Excalibur are one and the same.

In the epilogue, Excalibur retains the exact same look and obnoxious personality it had in Soul Eater, cementing the shared connection.