Fire Punch by Tatsuki Fujimoto: A Mix of Tematics and Dystopia
“Fire Punch“ is a manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, who came onto the scene in 2011.
After multiple oneshots released, Fire Punch was the first series Fujimoto created. It was serialized between 2016 and 2018 by Shueisha in their online magazine Shonen Jump+ and later got a physical release, that was devided into eight Volumes.
The story of „Fire Punch“ takes place in a dystopian timeline, where the earth is covered in ice and snow, thus making it hard for regular people to inhabit it. But earth is also home to people with special powers, known as „blessings“. These „blessed“ people own all kinds of different abilities, like being able to control fire or generate electricity. One of those few people gifted with a blessing is the storys main character, Agni, who has strong regenerative powers, making him able to regenerate severed limbs and heal wounds quicker.
Agni lives in a small village alongside his sister. Due to the constant food scarcity, the village is heavily dependent on Agnis blessing, because his body serves the other villagers as a foodsupply. One day, Doma and his soldiers from a big city, called Behemdorg, come across Agnis village. After searching the town for Blessed to kidnap, the soldiers find limbs in every foodstorage, and accuse the people of cannibalism.
Disgusted by their practices, Doma, who has the power of an inextinguishable flame, burns down the village, killing everyone, except Agni, who is now wrapped in Domas ever burning fire. Driven forward by his sisters last words, Agni is out for revenge.
Unlike most modern action based Shonen manga, where the storys and their main characters follow strong motives and motivations, the mangaka decided to go with something different. His imagined world is full of foul people, who mainly got their own benefit in mind or follow questionable ulterior motives. His characters are trapped in a constant downward spiral in terms of their mental, ever more asking themselves the exitencial question why they keep going and continue living on this inhuman planet. This mix of thematics and characters make „Fire Punch“ a one of a kind read.
