ShinArthur

ShinArthur is the slash ship between Shinra Kusakabe and Arthur Boyle from the Fire Force fandom.

Canon
Arthur and Shinra are both third-generation pyrokinetics working as Fire Soldiers of Company 8. Shinra and Arthur already met prior to being assigned to Company 8 in the Academy, knowing each other for around four years. Shinra apparently knows Arthur well enough to accurately interpret his sounds, like "hmph" which to others would sound like he's acting cocky or stubborn; but to Shinra it's just Arthur being "too stupid to come up with anything to say."

A common argument they would have is whether knights or heroes were better, with Arthur on the side of the knights and Shinra on the side of the heroes. After Shinra told him that "knights were wussier than heroes" Arthur started declaring himself the "knight king" instead of just knight. He seems to forget to add 'king' at the end sometimes and has to tack it on last second; which annoys Shinra to no end.

Although the two have their disagreements and often bicker, Arthur does have some amount of concern and cares for Shinra. After Shinra starts acting weird and feels better after cooking dinner and talking with Takehisa; Arthur gives Shinra more food from his plate since Shinra's appetite improved along with his mood.

However, the manga picks up where the anime leaves off and develops their relationship even further. The two go from bickering rivals to Shinra calling Arthur his friend on multiple occasions, even blushing while doing so. Arthur sacrifices not only his arm but his life on Earth to make sure Shinra can return from Adolla. Shinra even promises to wait on Earth until Arthur returns.

Season 1 (Chapters 1-90)
Arthur accompanies Shinra to "save a dog" that was supposedly stuck in a tree, said dog ended up being Mamoru. After getting the mascot down, they help out with handing out balloons. After the alarm is called of the appearance of an Infernal, Arthur hops on Shinra's back so that they could get to the Infernal quicker. They work together to fight off Setsuo, but Arthur is ultimately left behind after Setsuo flees and Shinra follows him.

They fight together and are shown to have exceptional teamwork and sync, and they often cover each other’s back. In Asakusa, Arthur deflects an arrow shot by Arrow towards Shinra. And when Shinra is distracted by the horned Infernal and is about to be struck, Arthur pushes him aside and takes the blow with his sword. After when Shinra starts to spiral, Arthur yells at him to snap him back to his senses. Shinra and Arthur trust each other enough in battle to make sure that any plan they make carries out, which is demonstrated when Giovanni attempts to kill Vulcan to take the key of Amaterasu.

At Vulcan’s workshop, when Sho threatens Shinra, Arthur immediately runs over to him, risking his life to check on Shinra, When Arthur is struck in the chest, Shinra calls out for him. Afterwards, when Licht drives the pickup truck to get them, Shinra carries Arthur and stays by his side. Before Licht speaks, we catch a glimpse of Shinra’s extremely worried face. Afterwards, when they eat together, Arthur steals some of Shinra’s food to ask him where he was during the attack. To conclude the episode, Shinra and Arthur accompany Vulcan to his workshop so he can pay tribute to his grandfather and father.

Arthur and Shinra go to Asakusa to train with Benimaru, constantly being spooked the second they walk into the 7th’s headquarters. They are on edge until Benimaru instructs them to feel the breath of life. During their sparring against Benimaru, Shinra and Arthur are in perfect sync. Shinra is instructed to work on his finishing move while Arthur spars with Benimaru. After Shinra places great effort in working on his move, Benimaru decides to watch him. Arthur tries to attack him, but Benimaru counters him easily. Shinra looks at the fallen Arthur with concern. Once the sun starts to set, Benimaru suggests to wrap it up for the day. Shinra helps Arthur up and asks how he’s doing after sparring for so long, but lets go once Benimaru attempts to kick them. Afterwards, when they’re holding sparklers, they try to blow on other one’s sparkler without noticing their own has gone out.

Just before company 8 is set off for the Nether, Shinra is shown sleeping on the top bunk with Arthur sleep talking below him. In the matchbox, Arthur asks Shinra if he’s scared. Shinra replies with a no. Because of the fog, they become separated.

When Haumea tries to capture Shinra after he’s impaled, Hinawa shoots at Haumea’s head while Arthur rushes in. Arthur swipes at her head but gets deflected. Arthur looks at Shinra’s wound and declares that he’s the one who will kill Shinra (more specifically the “demon”) and tells him to not die. Shinra tells Arthur about what he knows of Haumea, then coughs up blood. Once he sees this, Arthur tells him to shut up and stop talking. The rest of company 8 get Shinra and leave the Nether, which is collapsing.

When Shinra is dispatched from the hospital, Vulcan informs him that Arthur is a “real pain” without him. After entering the company 8 headquarters, Shinra finds Arthur at his desk scribbling away at papers. Arthur looks up at Shinra, saying that it looked like he “hadn’t made it to heaven”. Shinra retorts by asking if he still hasn’t gone completely rotten and that he was an “oniony bastard”. Sparks of tension fly immediately but are broken once Hinawa opens his office door.

In the after-credit scene, Shinra is attempting to cut onions without crying while Arthur speedily chops up lettuce. Noticing how slow Shinra’s moving, Arthur smirks and aggravates him, causing them both to chop extremely fast. During Obi’s speech, Arthur steals Shinra’s food and refuses to give it back.

Season 2 (Chapters 91-174)
While Shinra is out shopping with Maki, Tamaki, and Iris, an Infernal warning is issued. Without his fire resistant gear, Shinra fights the Infernal but is struck down. He is almost hit by a fireball made by the Infernal, but it was avoided because Arthur spilt the fireball in two. Arthur says that it’s a knight’s duty to protect the weak, which makes Shinra mad as he yells at him. The rest of the company arrive and Shinra goes inside the matchbox to change into his gear, later reappearing with Arthur to deflect the Infernal’s fireball.

At company 4, Shinra introduces Ogun to Asako. Ogun states that Shinra didn’t have any friends so he and Arthur stuck with him. Shinra denies it, saying he and Arthur aren’t friends. Ogun responds with “yeah right”.

Later, when Shinra is possessed by the Sister-lookalike, Arthur and Ogun arrive to help restrain him. Arthur expresses how annoyed he is at what Shinra’s doing, then explains he’s supposed to be his bodyguard. When he sees Shinra’s face, he realizes that he isn’t in the right state of mind. After Shinra and Arthur trade blows for a bit, Arthur asks Shinra where his conviction of being a hero went. Shinra says he “burned it all up” to which Arthur asks if it’s really him saying it or if it’s “whatever’s inside him”. Arthur gives him four chances to come back to his senses. Shinra immediately uses one. He forces Arthur to fight to kill, and Arthur remembers how Shinra said being a hero was a promise he made to his family. He decides to use it against him, and Shinra starts to spiral. After Arthur headbutts him, Shinra kneels on the floor with a bleeding nose, asking him where he is supposed to direct his bloodlust. Arthur tells him to protect the ones important to him. He asks him if he’s a hero or a demon, ready to cut him down based on the answer. Shinra yells in frustration and kicks himself in the face, coming back to his senses. He tells Arthur that it was a dumb question and says he’s a hero.

While walking back to company 8, Shinra is lost in thought until Arthur brings up what happened. Shinra apologizes to him, and Arthur swipes at him, saying Shinra isn’t agreeable. Shinra retorts with that he’s agreeable to people that aren’t as awful as Arthur, and Arthur retracts his blade. Shinra admits to Arthur that wondering about the truth won’t get them any closer and that he’ll keep his promise with his mom and Sho, because he’s a hero.

During the Adolla investigation mission, when the boat lands in the Chinese Peninsula, Shinra, Arthur and Ogun rush off the boat. Shinra and Arthur start yelling that they’re in a new continent while Ogun says they need to find soil. They run off to find soil, and when they do they start eating the soil out of excitement.

At the pillar near the Tabernacle, Shinra insists on investigating the area ahead. When Pan questions him, Shinra’s tic appears and he states he won’t let anyone get in the way of knowing the truth of the Great Cataclysm. Arthur grabs his shoulder to look at his face and make sure he isn’t losing control again, but Shinra swats his arm away. After Scop and Pan argue on whether or not they should take back the Oasis, a Hell Hound bites down on Shinra’s behind. Arthur immediately kicks it away.

When the talking Infernal says the Tabernacle is a weapon to destroy the world, Arthur and Shinra discuss the validity of the Infernal’s words. Arthur suggests that the Infernal is right, and Scop attacks him in the side saying he’s wrong. Shinra agrees with Scop and declares he won’t let anyone use the Tabernacle for destruction.

A bit after Shinra takes back the oasis by killing the demon Infernal, the investigation team is seen by a fireside outside the oasis. There’s a shot of Arthur, Shinra and Ogun all sleeping together, Arthur’s head is on Shinra’s stomach and Ogun’s foot is on Shinra’s face.

In the company 8 headquarters, after Benimaru and Joker storm the Holy Sol Temple, the group along with Konro are having a meeting, discussing on how they should handle the situation. Arthur suggests bursting in like Benimaru did, but Shinra opposes, arguing it’s too dangerous. They start bickering again as usual.

While sweeping the leaves outside, Arthur points his broom at Shinra, accusing him of being a Haijima spy. Shinra sarcastically replies that he could be one, only if he was going to assassinate Arthur. Due to his personality, Arthur takes him seriously and attacks him, then Shinra counters. They accidentally hit each other and start a full-blown fight. Vulcan uses his machines to step in.

Later when everyone is in Obi’s office to hear what Licht has to say, Licht explains that the facility Shinra was once in was researching Adolla Bursts, but couldn’t find one in Shinra. Arthur calls him a lightweight and Shinra asks him why he’s the one laughing.

During work hours at the company 8 headquarters, Arthur is talking to Sil-burro, the donkey head mounted on the wall. Shinra comes behind him and says that he’s always “at that” and Arthur starts explaining Sil-burro’s backstory. Noticing trash drop out of Sil-burro’s mouth, Arthur accuses Shinra of putting it in his mouth while Shinra denies it. They start fighting again as usual. While they’re fighting, Maki walks by, feeding Sil-burro a piece of trash. Arthur freezes, holding onto Shinra’s shirt about to punch him. Shinra yells at him, telling Arthur it wasn’t him who did it, but Arthur continues anyways, saying that Shinra’s acts are “evil every day”.

After Maki returns to the military, Arthur asks when Maki is coming back. Shinra tells him she’s never coming back, but Arthur refuses to take that as an answer. Shinra tries to make him accept it, but Arthur doesn’t listen and plugs his ears with his fingers. Shinra calls him a child, then says nobody wants to admit it.

At the beginning of the joint mission with company 2, Shinra wonders if Arthur is going to be okay on his own. Shinra has apparently given the team assigned to Arthur a handbook on how to handle him, but it is unknown who wrote it.

Later, as Shinra and Giovanni face off, Arthur drops down on them and slices at Giovanni. Shinra asks why he was there, and Arthur responds saying he was “bringing up the rear”. Shinra asks him if he actually knows what bringing up the rear means. Arthur redirects the question to him.

Still in the Nether, Arthur and Shinra battle Giovanni with their exceptional teamwork. Giovanni released a superheated gas towards them, so Shinra flies upwards, with Arthur hanging onto his leg. Since Arthur is hindering him, Shinra kicks him upwards onto a hanging sign. Arthur climbs on top of it away from the gas. Shinra rushes at Giovanni and “disappears”, then catches him off guard and attacks, sending him flying into other rooms. At some point Arthur comes down from the sign and catches up with Shinra. After Maki dissipates the shaped Infernal bomb, Shinra boasts the Fire Force’s teamwork, and turns to Arthur so they can show off theirs. By the time he turns around to look at him, Arthur is already behind Giovanni. Giovanni is shocked while Shinra seems sad as Arthur has gone ahead and sliced him in two. Arthur explains his killing technique to Shinra, who’s shocked at how Arthur didn’t hesitate at all. Giovanni takes the chance and escapes. Shinra asks where he’s gone and Arthur holds up the lower half of Giovanni’s body.

Arthur and Shinra leave the Nether together after fighting Giovanni. It’s unsure of what happens in between this moment and reuniting with the rest of the company.

In Asakusa, Arthur and Shinra return for more training from Benimaru. Arthur exclaims that the “knight-samurai” is back, and Shinra asks him if he’s okay with not being the “samurai-knight”. Arthur responds, saying that it would mean he’s just a samurai. They, along with Tamaki, enter the 7th’s headquarters.

Benimaru’s training leads to Arthur and Shinra tied on spit-roasts over fires. The Asakusa people overlook it like it’s completely normal. They are there past nightfall because Benimaru forgets about them.

For the next part of their training, they’re dragged around Asakusa tied to the back of a cart. Then they’re hung upside down with their heads in water. Afterwards they’re spun around multiple times. They collapse on the ground, completely exhausted, asking what the reason was. Benimaru says he has no idea. The both of them rage and attack him simultaneously. Benimaru punches Shinra away, firing multiple fireballs at him. Arthur tried to stop Benimaru, saying he’s going too far, but Benimaru stops him as well. They continue sparring him till sunset.

The two of them finally use the press of death.

Manga (Chapters 174-302)
When the White-Clad arrest Obi, Arthur suggests sacrificing Shinra. Shinra gets offended, then admits he was going to say the same thing. Arthur suggests it again, and Shinra says that he “really wants to get rid of him”.

While Shinra trains to create an Adolla Link on his own, he accidentally falls asleep outside. Arthur tells Vulcan Shinra is sleeping outside while lying on his futon. Note that his futon is next to Shinra’s.

After Shinra returns from his three-month-journey in Adolla to the past, Arthur casually asks him where he was. Obi and Hinawa are confused when Arthur says he means what he said. He says it “was Shinra but it wasn’t Shinra” and that he was someone he didn’t know.

Vulcan explains that Arthur was the only one to notice something was off right away. Shinra is at a loss of words when he learns this, and Arthur reassures him, saying “He’s definitely Shinra”. Shinra grabs Arthur’s shoulders, thanking God for good friends, then realizes what he said. He pulls away and turns around, blushing and saying that Arthur isn’t his friend.

Later, Arthur drags Shinra outside, pointing with a stick saying he saw a griffin’s nest in the tree. Shinra is relieved Arthur is still the same, but he questions if the world he saw was really reality. Arthur notices his tic and asks him again where he was. Shinra isn’t sure himself and believes he saw a dream in Adolla. Arthur is concerned, as he notices Shinra is clearly shaken by what he saw. Shinra tells him he saw the past, and Arthur presses him on, asking more. He asks for the stick in Arthur’s hand to draw a picture and Arthur hands it to him. Shinra attempts to draw a human, asking Arthur what he sees. He asks him if it looks human to him, but Arthur doesn’t follow. Shinra explains that both the humans of past and present could be classified as human but are different. Arthur and Shinra realize that the world is on a countdown to the Cataclysm.

Shinra asks Arthur what happened when he was gone, especially about how he acted. Saying that Arthur understands what happened, he asks how he seemed to him. Arthur describes the alter persona Shinra was as “a waste of space” that “pissed him off even more than usual”. He couldn’t even tolerate his existence. The only thing he knew was that the alter persona was the one in the rumours of “Shinra Kusakabe”, the Adolla version of him (a.k.a a doppelgänger).

After Shinra defeats the demon Infernals that have appeared, Arthur smiles up at him by the matchbox. He says “You finally overcame the devil, huh?”.

During the Cataclysm, Arthur and Vulcan return to his and Shinra’s room for a trial of “good and evil”. Arthur tells Vulcan that Shinra was the one who always cleaned it, and reassured him that “evil always endures”, so Vulcan shouldn’t worry.

As Arthur fights Dragon on the moon, there is a panel of him standing in front of the burning earth. His arm is burnt off, but he still stands steady. Arthur says "If the world burns away, he will have nothing left to protect when he opens his eyes", implying he is fighting Dragon not just to save the world, but to make sure Shinra has a world to return to.

Arthur, floating in space after defeating Dragon, calls out, saying "I'll leave it to you, hero". Shinra responds by freeing himself from Adolla.

Shinra and Sho stand on the roof of a building, overlooking the city. While discussing their next move, Shinra says that they can't go destroy the world Arthur's returning to.

Facing off against Haumea, Shinra is discouraged as he’d seen Sister Iris’s dead body earlier and can’t land any attacks on Haumea. However, Arthur appears in front of him and hits him on the head, scolding him for backing down. He yells at him, saying that he made a promise to cut him down depending on if he was a hero or devil. He then tells Shinra that he is hope, and the last thing standing for humanity. Shinra realizes Arthur is right. This leads to Haumea realizing that Shinra’s guardian is Arthur.

Shinra later confides with his mom about someone who was always there to put him back on the right path and his driving force. His mom asks who this is, and Shinra responds blushing by saying that he is his friend. The person Shinra mentioned is Arthur.

After leaving his Shinrabanshoman form, Shinra looks up to the sky and promises that he’ll wait for Arthur to return for as long as it takes. Arthur cannot respond as he is floating in space.

Epilogue (chapter 303-304)
Shinra asks Ogun where Arthur (back on earth) went. Ogun tells him he scouted ahead, and Shinra gets concerned. Shinra says that it took him so long to get back from space, and he might not come back this time. Arthur is facing off an actual dragon, and after presumably killing it, Shinra hops over asking if he’s done. Arthur says he just had to say hi and declares they’ll kill a hydra next. Shinra warns him that someone might actually die next time. Ogun asks Excalibur on what he thinks, and he says they will die. Shinra says he’s just like Arthur.

Shinra tries avoiding having a child with Inca by trying to shove the "hero" title on Arthur. Whether Shinra did end up having a child or not is unclear as after the timeskip we see someone who resembles Arthur (though doesn't look the age) and someone who has Inca's hair colour.

Moments

 * In the first opening they can be seen holding hands while falling towards an Infernal.
 * In the second opening, they have a couple of moments like bickering as usual and Arthur wrapping his arm around Shinra
 * In the third ending, the only constant characters are Shinra and Arthur.
 * At the end of the fourth ending, Arthur is seen awake while Shinra is half on his bed.


 * Having an eating contest at Ippudo Ramen, then getting scolded by Obi for eating too quick.
 * While sneaking into Karim's room, Shinra gets angry at Arthur for damaging the lock.
 * When Shinra is averting the arrow in Asakusa, Arthur expresses concern for him while looking up at him.
 * At Vulcan’s workshop, after Giovanni’s assault, Shinra and Arthur watch the sunset together.
 * Arthur and Shinra are often scolded together.
 * Arthur calls Shinra “a prince of a guy” after convincing him to face off against Haumea

Fanon
They are one of the most popular ships in the Fire Force fandom and growing as the story progresses, although it is set to end soon. ShinArthur is often foreshadowed by Shinra x Iris as the ship has been considered canon recently. However, this does not discourage ShinArthur fans, even if the series has ended. The series' slightly open end has given shippers a chance to fill in the gaps, especially due to a huge timeskip.

Oftentimes in fanon works, Arthur will find Shinra's nervous smile cute, although in canon he used to make fun of Shinra for it. Many fanworks depict them as good friends who bicker in public but a lot more friendly behind doors or alone. Because the two canonically share a room, some fanworks revolve around the two sharing a bed.

Some like to think that, due to the epilogue, Shinra recreated the world with mythical beasts just for Arthur. Another headcanon from the shippers due to the epilogue is that the one who looked like Arthur was joint-raised by Shinra and Arthur, although other shippers say that Arthur just aged really well. Whether the latter is the actual case is unclear.

After Shinra called Arthur a friend, many fans joked that he forgot to add “boy” in front of “friend”. Others compared ShinArthur to AdamLyle from Honkai Impact 3 due to the use of “shinyuu”. This is because Lyle constantly calls Adam “shinyuu”.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Arthur/Shinra on FanFiction.Net

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * Shinra was jealous of Arthur's popularity with the girls in the Academy.
 * Arthur knows Shinra well enough to notice if anything’s wrong with him.
 * Shinra and Arthur have the typical colours of a demon and angel. Shinra has black hair with red eyes, while Arthur has blond hair and blue eyes.
 * Shinra describes his type the “feminine type, like the Sister”.
 * Note that the Sister and Arthur look very similar.
 * Maki describes both of them as “Idiot” and “Idiot”.
 * Despite “not being able to stand each other”, Arthur and Shinra often sit next to each other during meals and in the matchbox.
 * In the third opening, when the lyrics “Sparks fly as things kick off” play, a shot of Arthur and Shinra is shown.
 * Many official arts show them side by side.
 * Atsushi Ohkubo featured the two together for his 2022 new year work.
 * On another note, Ohkubo also put the two together (alongside Benimaru) in the same team for a Fire Force game that is seemingly not globally released.
 * In on of Tamaki’s flashbacks, Shinra points at Arthur saying that idiot is “as low as they come but always sits in the birthday seat” as an example of self respect.
 * At the academy, it is likely Arthur was curious about Shinra as he knew rumours about Shinra that he himself did not know.
 * It’s also likely Arthur sees Shinra’s “demon” persona as a different person than Shinra rather than Shinra himself.
 * According to Arthur, Shinra was the one who cleaned their room.
 * There is an official art of Arthur saving Shinra from a dragon. Shinra is in a dress and tiara.
 * Arthur’s type is described as “someone in a dress and tiara”.
 * Each of the eight pillars have guardians. Shinra’s guardian is Arthur, as confirmed by Haumea.
 * When Shinra promises to wait for Arthur’s return, he internally calls him “親友”, “shinyuu”, meaning a close friend, a platonic brother, etc.