In a corner room at Suntec City Convention Centre during AFA Singapore 2025, Yusuke Kobayashi is laughing as he describes a character who believes in himself so completely it almost defies logic. That character is Arthur Boyle from Fire Force, a “knight king” whose confidence is as unshakeable as his grip on his plasma blade Excalibur.

Ask Kobayashi what defines Arthur, and he doesn’t hesitate. Arthur’s confidence, he explains, has no logical basis. It’s completely delusional, but it’s real to Arthur. He believes in himself with absolute conviction, no matter how strange he appears to everyone else. That stubborn self-belief is the foundation of the character, and Kobayashi approaches it with one key goal: to make that stubbornness feel oddly endearing.

Rather than trying to rationalise Arthur’s worldview, Kobayashi leans into it. Arthur doesn’t bend to the world; he forces the world to meet him on his terms. That’s where the charm lies. For the actor, the challenge is to channel that energy in a way that stays “cute” rather than arrogant, making audiences root for a boy whose reality is entirely his own.

Interestingly, playing someone so unshakably sure of himself has had a small impact on Kobayashi too. He describes himself as someone who isn’t naturally very confident, but says that as he gets older, and as he spends more time with Arthur, he fusses less over things. Like Arthur, he’s learning not to overthink.

Despite the years between Season 1 and Season 3, Kobayashi doesn’t see Arthur as a character who undergoes a radical change in his beliefs. At his core, Arthur’s mindset hasn’t shifted. Instead, what has evolved is his experience as a firefighter. The formation of Company 8 to the beginning of the mystery of the Adolla Burst is intensified in the following seasons.

We asked voice actor Yusuke Kobayashi which he would choose; resurrection or pyrokinetic powers and he chose the latter, stating the act of ignition “feels tied to the motivation to live, the spark that keeps you moving forward.” Fans got to share in that fast-paced Fire Force action by testing their own pyrokinesis powers with the red buzzers at the Crunchyroll booth.

With Season 3 confirmed as the final chapter, recording the third season came with an extra layer of motivation. Kobayashi was keenly aware that this was their last shot at bringing Arthur’s journey to the screen. He’s watched his fellow cast members grow from fresh faces into confident professionals, and there’s a sense that everyone wanted to “put a solid seal” on the series. We cant wait to catch this as well!

Fire Force Season 3 Cour 2 set to begin airing in Japan on January 2026. For Kobayashi, stepping back into Arthur’s flames for this last run is both familiar and quietly emotional.

Catch Fire Force Season 3 Cour 2 when it airs on 9 January 2026 on Crunchyroll.

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank Eastwest Public Relations for the invite to Anime Festival Asia 2025.