Leonard Burns is a powerful fire captain who battles with intense flames.
His past is filled with family tragedies and deep secrets.
Leonard Burns is a major supporting character in the series Fire Force, serving as the battalion commander of Special Fire Force Company 1 and one of the most powerful Third Generation pyrokinetics in the story.
## Appearance
Leonard Burns is a middle-aged man.
He stands at 186 cm tall and wears an eyepatch over his right eye.
He is 50 years old.
His birthday is August 10, and his blood type is O.
## Basic Profile
## Personality
He has a strong will and a kind heart that protects others.
In battle, he stays calm and uses a clever style to avoid enemy attacks.
**Name:** Leonard Burns
**Gender:** Male
**Age:** 50
**Height:** 186 cm
**Birthday:** August 10
**Blood Type:** O
**Affiliation:** Special Fire Force Company 1 (Battalion Commander)
**Occupation:** Fire Soldier / Priest of the Holy Sol Temple (front), investigator of the church’s secrets (in secret)
**Voice Actor (adult):** Daisuke Kusunaka (Japanese)
**Voice Actor (youth):** Minami Hinata (Japanese)
## Background
Leonard Burns once served as a connection between the public and hidden sides of the Holy Sol Temple.
He knew Joker from his dark past and experienced Adolla Link during a massive ignition outbreak in Amaterasu.
This event caused him to lose his right eye, changing his values.
He has used his role as captain of the 1st Special Fire Brigade to secretly investigate the Holy Sol Temple and uncover the world's truths.
## Overview
## Abilities
Leonard Burns is a third-generation ability user.
He generates flames inside his body like a furnace, boosting his physical abilities with heat energy.
When he activates his power, fire appears in his right eye.
Prolonged fights raise his "stage," increasing his flame output.
Leonard Burns is the stern, one-eyed commander of Special Fire Force Company 1, known for his towering physique and overwhelming combat ability.
He wears an eyepatch over his right eye, which was blinded during a past Adolla Link experience.
### Ignition Ability
He burns flames to circulate heat energy through his body, enhancing his physical strength.
This creates an armor-like protection on his surface, making it hard for normal users to get close.
In battle, Burns is calm, unshakeable, and almost monstrous in durability, casually withstanding high-level attacks from other elites.
He is one of the few fighters whom Shinmon Benimaru has openly said he could have a real contest with.
### Technique Details
Voltage Nova is the peak of his ability.
He advances stages from 1 to 5 as heat builds.
Stage 1 is a warming-up phase.
Stage 2 envelops his body in flames, letting him handle multiple foes.
Stage 3 turns parts of his body into flames, so he ignores most attacks.
Stage 4 covers half his face in flames, with fire bursting from his hands.
Stage 5 fully coats his body in flames, transforming him into a beast-like figure.
Outwardly, Burns appears loyal to the Holy Sol Temple and the official Fire Force structure.
Privately, however, he uses his position to investigate the hidden truths behind the church, the Adolla world, and the human combustions plaguing the world.
### Physical Combat
He lacks a structured martial arts form.
Instead, he uses a heavy cavalry style, dodging attacks and landing powerful strikes.
Burns is deeply connected to Shinra Kusakabe’s tragic past and plays a key role in revealing the truth behind the fire that supposedly killed Shinra’s mother and younger brother, Shō Kusakabe.
His actions and choices put him at the crossroads between the Holy Sol Temple, the Evangelist’s faction, and the 8th Special Fire Force Company.
## Relationships
Leonard Burns knows Joker well.
He was involved in the fire 12 years ago that killed Shinra's mother and brother.
When Shinra approached him, he claimed to remember nothing, raising suspicions.
Later, he revealed his true identity to Shinra and acknowledged his growth in a fight.
During the conflict with the Evangelist, he passed the responsibility to Shinra.
## Background and History
## Plot
### Role within the Holy Sol Temple
### The Fire from 12 Years Ago
Twelve years ago, Leonard Burns handled the fire where Shinra's mother and brother died.
He saw the mother turned into a demon Infernal holding baby Shinra's brother.
He tried to save the brother from her but was stopped by people in white robes.
The house collapsed, forcing him to abandon pursuit, and he only rescued Shinra.
In the past, Leonard Burns acted as a bridge between the public side of the Holy Sol Temple and its hidden “dark” network.
Because of this, he has a long history with underground figures such as Joker.
### Encounter with Shinra
At the firefighter rookie tournament, Shinra spoke to him about the past.
Leonard Burns hid the details from 12 years ago.
In a sparring match with Shinra, he disclosed that the "horned Infernal" was Shinra's mother.
During a massive outbreak of Infernals inside Amaterasu, Burns and Joker both experienced an Adolla Link.
This encounter not only cost Burns his right eye but also shattered his former worldview.
### Battles and Outcome
He became an enemy of the Eighth Special Fire Brigade due to the Evangelist.
Leonard Burns lost to Shinra in combat but praised his development.
A Doppelganger stabbed him from behind, sending him to the Adolla world.
He later returned as a Doppelganger and fought Joker.
After seeing the Adolla world firsthand, Burns realized that the official teachings of the Holy Sol Temple did not align with reality.
From that point on, he secretly investigated the church, using his authority as Company 1 commander to access restricted information and cover his tracks.
## Trivia
Adolla Link was a turning point in his life.
Voltage Nova gives him an edge in long fights.
### The 12-Year-Old Fire Incident
Twelve years before the main story, Leonard Burns was the fire soldier in charge of the blaze at the Kusakabe household.
This incident was officially recorded as the fire in which Shinra’s mother and baby brother Shō died.
At the scene, Burns witnessed Shō as an infant in the arms of a towering, horned Infernal.
Recognizing that the Infernal was actually Shinra and Shō’s mother transformed, he attempted to rescue the baby from her.
Before he could save them, white-clad followers of the Evangelist arrived and took both the Infernal mother and Shō away.
A building collapse cut off Burns’ pursuit, forcing him to abandon the chase, but he managed to rescue young Shinra from the blaze.
When Shinra later asked Burns about the fire during the Fire Soldier Rookie Tournament, Burns deliberately claimed that he remembered nothing.
He did this not out of malice, but because he feared that telling Shinra the whole truth too early would only drive him into reckless danger with no hope of resolving anything.
### Confrontation and Confession to Shinra
Later, when Burns and Shinra finally face each other in earnest, Burns chooses to reveal the truth.
He explains that the “horned Infernal” Shinra saw at the fire was actually his mother, who had turned into an Infernal while trying to protect Shō from the Evangelist’s faction.
By telling Shinra this, Burns confirms that Shō did not die in the fire but was instead taken by the white-clad cult.
This revelation becomes a major turning point in Shinra’s quest to reunite with his family and oppose the Evangelist.
## Abilities
Leonard Burns is renowned as one of the top combatants in the Fire Force world.
Even among captains and battalion commanders, his strength, toughness, and refined control of fire stand out.
### Third Generation Pyrokinetic Power
Burns is a Third Generation pyrokinetic who fuels his body like a living blast furnace.
He ignites flames inside his body, circulating the resulting heat energy through his muscles and tissues.
By doing this, he can explosively enhance his physical abilities, including strength, speed, and durability.
He can also push the heat outward to create a blazing armor-like layer over his skin, protecting him and making it nearly impossible for ordinary pyrokinetics to even get close.
When he uses his power, flames erupt from beneath his right eyepatch, and his right eye appears as if ignited.
This visual is a constant reminder of his Adolla-related injury and the power he channels through his damaged eye.
### Voltage Nova and Stages
Burns’ signature ability is called **Voltage Nova**, which represents the full expression of his power.
Voltage Nova functions like a multi-stage engine: the longer he fights and the hotter his body gets, the more powerful he becomes.
His power progression is divided into five “Stages.”
Each stage reflects a different level of internal heat and external transformation.
#### Stage 1
Stage 1 is the immediate state after activating Voltage Nova.
For Burns, this is essentially just “warming up.”
His physical capabilities already skyrocket beyond those of most fire soldiers.
However, from his own perspective, he has not yet begun to fight seriously.
#### Stage 2
In Stage 2, Burns’ internal temperature rises further, and he describes it as “feeling warmed up.”
Visually, his body and face begin to look as if they are wrapped in flames.
In this state, he demonstrates the ability to fight both Shinra Kusakabe and Joker simultaneously.
Even while outnumbered, he overwhelms them with raw power and battlefield control.
#### Stage 3
Stage 3 represents a more intense ignition where Burns says his “body is catching fire.”
Large portions of his body are now composed of or covered by blazing flames, to the point where his original form is barely recognizable.
Shinra’s attacks in this stage have very little effect, either because Burns’ body has become so augmented that the blows fail to register, or because his senses are dulled by the sheer intensity of the heat.
Regardless, his offensive and defensive capabilities at Stage 3 are terrifying.
#### Stage 4
Stage 4 pushes his heat even higher.
Half of his face appears to be made of pure flame, and fire jets out from his limbs and body.
In this form, every movement becomes both an attack and a defensive reaction, as his body radiates destructive energy.
Closing in on him becomes nearly impossible without extreme resistance to heat and impact.
#### Stage 5
Stage 5 is the pinnacle of Voltage Nova, the “engine at full throttle” state.
Here, Burns’ body is completely enveloped by fire.
He assumes a towering silhouette reminiscent of a flaming giant or a lion-like beast, reflecting the “lion” imagery associated with his power.
This state represents a culmination of his physical amplification, destructive power, and intimidation.
### Close-Quarters Combat
Burns complements his pyrokinetic abilities with formidable hand-to-hand combat.
His fighting style has no flashy martial arts forms but is concise, direct, and brutally efficient.
During training sessions, he is able to completely shut down both Shinra Kusakabe and Arthur Boyle while barely moving from his spot.
He calmly deflects and counters their attacks, embodying a “heavy cavalry” style—absorbing impact and delivering crushing blows.
In the Fuchu great prison, Burns fights Joker using only physical skills, without relying on his ability.
He successfully deals with Joker’s acrobatics and fiery playing-card attacks with composure and precision.
His durability is exceptional, as he endures the onslaught of Shinra’s improved attacks and advanced techniques such as Rapid and Corna-style “Kid Attack” combinations.
Even under such relentless offense, he only finally falls after absorbing immense punishment, and he never bothers to dodge, relying purely on endurance.
### Adolla Link and Related Powers
Burns is capable of experiencing **Adolla Link**, a mysterious connection to the otherworldly realm known as Adolla.
His first major Adolla Link occurred during the Infernal incident inside Amaterasu alongside Joker.
During this event, he saw the Adolla world and received his right-eye injury, effectively blinding that eye.
The power associated with that trauma manifests when he uses his ability, as flames erupt from the eyepatch on his right side.
The techniques **Adolla Link**, **Voltage Nova**, and **Stigma** are all tied to his unique connection with Adolla and his control over internal heat.
Stigma (though less detailed in the text) is implied to be a high-grade technique related to his Adolla-linked powers and the scars—physical and spiritual—he has gained.
## Personality and Relationships
Leonard Burns appears stoic, intimidating, and even ruthless at first glance.
He speaks bluntly, gives little away, and often keeps his true intentions hidden.
However, beneath this exterior lies a man carrying heavy guilt and responsibility.
He feels a quiet obligation to protect younger generations like Shinra from the horrors he has seen in Adolla.
His relationship with Joker is complicated but rooted in shared experience.
Both men saw Adolla at Amaterasu, and both rejected the surface-level truths of the Holy Sol Temple.
With Shinra, Burns initially plays the role of a barrier—someone withholding crucial history.
Later, he becomes a catalyst for Shinra’s growth by revealing the truth and testing his resolve in combat.
He respects strength and determination, acknowledging Shinra’s development after their battle.
Despite being older and more cynical, Burns still believes enough in the future to entrust it to someone younger.
## Conflict with the 8th Company and Fate
Due to the machinations of the Evangelist and the overall conflict surrounding the Holy Sol Temple, Leonard Burns eventually finds himself on opposing sides from the 8th Special Fire Force Company.
This leads to intense confrontations, especially with Shinra.
During their climactic battle, Burns is ultimately defeated by Shinra, which he accepts as proof of Shinra’s remarkable growth.
However, in the aftermath, Burns is suddenly attacked from behind by his own Doppelgänger.
The Doppelgänger pierces his chest, delivering a fatal blow.
With his life fading, Burns entrusts the future and the unresolved mysteries of Adolla to Shinra.
He then departs to the Adolla world, leaving his physical life behind.
Later, his Doppelgänger reappears as an enemy and engages in combat with Joker, further highlighting how deeply Burns is entangled with Adolla-related phenomena.
## Connection to the World’s Mysteries
Seeing the Adolla world firsthand during the Amaterasu incident shattered Leonard Burns’ faith in the Holy Sol Temple’s doctrine.
From that point, he pursued the “truth of the world” in secret.
As Company 1 commander, he had access to information and resources that few others could reach.
He used this power to quietly examine the Temple’s history, the nature of human combustion, and the hidden influence of the Evangelist.
His personal journey is one of a devout soldier turning into a skeptical investigator.
Rather than openly rebel, he moves in the shadows, balancing his public role with covert research.
His knowledge of Shinra’s past, his links to Joker, and his understanding of Adolla make him a key figure in uncovering the larger conspiracy.
Even after his death, the information he possessed and the actions he took continue to influence the course of events.