Arthur Boyle is the typical rival of the main protagonist Shinra Kusakabe, yet they are friends. He is a second-class fire solider of the Third Generation in Tokyo’s Special Fire Force Company 8.
He is one of the strongest fire soldiers, and something unique about his character is his Knightly persona, a lovely medieval touch to the show.
His strength relies on his delusion; basically, the more delusional he is, the stronger he gets. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? As an overthinker, I’d be dead-ass strong too.
As a great Knight, Arthur also has a Dragon to slay, as the tale goes.
In Fire Force, Arthur clashes with Dragon, the leader of the White-Clad’s Destroyers, on three occasions and concedes defeat twice. However, in their final battle in Great Cataclysm arc, the Knight King literally slays the dragon.
Let’s dive right into those fights and learn how the knight King defeated the Dragon.
1. Fight 1: Knight King Vs. Dragon, Arthur’s Loss
The first fight between the two occurred in the “Obi’s Rescue Arc,” which spans from chapters 175-197 of the fire force manga. Arthur had lost to Dragon in this match.
It was when Akitaru Ōbi, the former captain of Tokyo’s Special Fire Force Company 8, was imprisoned at Fuchū Prison.
Although they would be branded as traitors, Arthur and his brigade, company 8, decide to save Obi.
Arthur manages to defeat Stream, a former member of the White-Clad’s Destroyers, and that’s when the mighty dragon arrives at the scene.
He gets giddy to take on such an opponent, starts slashing with Excalibur, and manages to cut through Dragon’s fiery flames.
His sword, the Excalibur, is a bladeless sword made up of plasma. Created by raising the temperature of the flames he creates, allowing him to control plasma and forge his sword, the strength of which is determined by the depth of his Knightly delusions.
Excalibur can even generate electricity, for example, his “Violet Flash” attack style, which slices through his opponents, emitting a vivid, purple-colored electrical discharge.
Dragon released a torrent of flames, making Arthur defend himself using his cape of plasma, the Plasmantle. This cape possesses remarkable defensive capabilities against Dragon’s flame attacks.
Arthur can wield plasma versatilely, giving him complete control over its manipulation.
This is where the fight gets intense. Dragon reveals that his scales cause harm to anyone who attacks him, and Arthur’s attacks cause him pain.
Dragon coats his arm in these lethal scales, making it a claw and striking Arthur. To counter-react, Arthur expands the size of Excalibur.
He increases Excalibur’s size by creating loftier delusions, and with the moral support of his friends, he swings a mighty slash, the “Dragon Killing Holy Sword.”
However, it was a futile swing as it barely scratched Dragon, and Excalibur shattered. Arthur is wholly dejected and collapses unconscious until Benimaru Shinmon comes to rescue them.
2. Fight 2: Knight King & New Excalibur Vs. Dragon, Arthur’s Loss
This is the Second match between the two in the “Amaterasu Arc,” which spans from chapters 240-250 of the fire force manga. Arthur had lost to Dragon yet again in this match.
During the Amaterasu battle, Dragon appeared as Company 8 endeavored to safeguard the Amaterasu Power Plant, aiming to prevent the White Clad from triggering the Second Cataclysm.
Arthur refrains from engaging in the battle against the White Clad forces as he conserves his strength for the inevitable rematch with Dragon.
After Charon’s defeat, Dragon makes a dramatic entrance, causing an explosive shockwave that scatters the Infernal in all directions, and this is when the much-anticipated duel commences.
Dragon is impressed by Arthur’s gleaming new blade and improved reflexes, acknowledging him as a formidable swordsman capable of slicing through almost anything except him.
The second Excalibur was created with the help of Vulcan, aka God of Fire and Smithing. He led Arthur to believe he could discover Orichalcum, a legendary material used to forge a true holy sword, much to Arthur’s delight as the Knight King.
However, Vulcan was just making him chase shadows as Orichalcum never existed, but this helped Arthur to imagine and create a much stronger sword, thanks to his delusions.
Next, Dragon launched an attack, attempting to crush Arthur with a fiery pillar. Still, Arthur skillfully evades that by leaping.
He used Violent Flash against the second attack and used the airborne debris as steppingstones to maneuver through the air. This scene will be mind blowing when it would be animated.
Despite landing this solid strike on his opponent, Arthur finds himself knocked back to the ground by Dragon’s counterattack.
As the fight wears on, Arthur delivers countless lethal blows to Dragon, but the Dragon remains impervious to any harm. Slowly, Arthur’s confidence starts to waver, realizing the seemingly impossible task of slaying a Dragon.
Dragon observes Arthur’s struggle and dejected behavior. However, as soon as the final cataclysmic begin, he loses all interest in the fight and leaps into the air.
This allows Hinawa and Maki to redirect Charon’s dying attack, blasting Dragon into space.
This is how the Second clash between Dragon and Arthur abruptly ended, with Arthur losing.
However, Arthur is Unfazed by the temporary setback, remaining undeterred in his goal of taking down Dragon, and seeks Vulcan’s support in his quest to become even stronger for the next and final showdown.
3. Fight 3: Knight King Vs. Dragon, Arthur Wins
This is the final showdown between Dragon and Arthur, arguably one of the greatest shonen fights ever and a future delight for anime fans as they’ll be blown away to see how much Arthur has progressed.
The fight commences when Dragon roars, demanding Arthur’s presence, and our Knight prepares to slay the Dragon.
Dragon sends Arthur soaring into the air, where Arthur cleverly hides in a thunderstorm, draws its energy into Excalibur, and gashes Dragon, drawing out blood. For the first time, he finally lands an attack.
Dragon gets enthralled and acknowledges Arthur as a worthy opponent.
Arthur launched a counterattack to Dragon’s blazing flames, making Dragon block and defend for the first time, talking about getting humbled. He gets enraged and smashes Arthur into the ocean.
Dragon follows Arthur into the depths of the ocean. There, Arthur cleverly utilizes the water to conduct his plasma attacks, shocking Dragon.
In response, Dragon exhibits his power by splitting the sea, emphasizing that the world seems inadequate to accommodate his and Arthur’s existence.
Arthur can punch Dragon with such immense strength that he is sent flying into a thunderstorm above.
With Violent Flash: Eight-way Slash, Arthur slits the clouds and cuts Dragon’s belly, and in turn, he transforms into an armored state.
Dragon seizes an opening and takes Arthur to the Second moon to continue the battle.
Our man Arthurs can survive getting into space and onto the moon. For reference, the temperature of space is -270 degrees Celsius. Imagine Arthur’s strength to withstand this.
Also, let’s not forget the vacuum of space. Both persist while displaying a certain resistance to the effects of oxygen deprivation.
However, Arthur’s resilience wanes quickly, leading to his collapse. Dragon departs in disappointment but notices that Arthur has the Star ring.
The ring was helping him to breathe in space and was also able to gather the thoughts of people from Earth and convert them into raw power.
Dragon appreciates Arthur for tapping into Adolla’s power, and both are on it again, fighting each other like ferocious beasts.
Arthur can create a stronger Plasmantle to defend himself against the dragon. He is finally able to fight Dragon on equal footing.
They both put up a fantastic fight while shattering stars all around them. Arthur can injure Dragon’s hand while Dragon severs his eye.
Arthur sacrifices his left hand against Dragons flames to protect his remaining eye. He must still keep surviving to fulfill his promise to Vulcan and be alive to narrate this tale.
Arthur attacks, severing Dragon’s hand at the cost of his eye before driving the beast to the ground. To protect his remaining eye.
Death was drawing upon them, and Arthur knew that to end the battle, he would have to get close to Dragon and mentally prepares himself for the Final attack.
Arthur uses the technique of The press of death, a critical state that allows them to utilize 100% of his Ignition Ability (usually only 30% is tapped in).
In addition, “Steeled for Death” is another state that surpasses the Pressure of Death.
It’s when the user accepts that death is coming for them, enabling them to surpass all boundaries and reach their apex potential, like the fight or flight instinct.
Arthus goes head into the finale while utilizing the “Steeled for Death” technique. At the same time, Dragon also unleashes a Fiery torrent of flames that engulfs Arthur’s lower body, undeterred the Knight Slahes his blade executing “Violet Flash: Earth Divider.”.
This strike flawlessly bisects Dragon through his center and its energy extending far beyond the moon’s limits, slicing through the ominous Eye overseeing Tokyo and the despair that shrouded the world. The cataclysmic fires are extinguished.
As they float in space, Dragon commends Arthur for slaying an immortal and upholding hope until the very end. Arthur reciprocates the smile, expressing his contentment with the encounter before Dragon vanishes completely.
Isolated in the emptiness of space, Arthur shouts down at the Earth, at Shinra, proclaims himself The Knight King, and urges orders him to embrace his destiny as a Hero.
Being at peace that he can trust Shinra with the remainder, Arthur smiles and lets go of Excalibur. However, due to the powerful emotions tied to a weapon like Excalibur, somehow, it finds its way back to him.
4. Trivia About Arthur & Excalibur
The sentient sword Excalibur was supper annoying in Soul Eater talking about a supposed “King Arthur.” But with the Fire Force finale retcon, it became an amazing easter egg for the fans, as Fire Force is the prequel to Soul Eater.
Also, Fun Fact, Arthur’s character has been inspired and alludes to the “Le Morte d’Arthur” or “The Death of Arthur,” the tale about King Arthur and his Mythical sword, the Excalibur, which proved his rightful sovereignty of Britain, a very loyal sword.
5. About Fire Force
Fire Force is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ōkubo. The manga was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in September 2015. The series ended in February 2022 with 34 volumes.
The story is set in a world where The Great Cataclysm has destroyed much of humanity. It has left the planet in a situation where people are susceptible to burning instantly. Tokyo Empire exists as one of the few surviving habitats where a group of humans with pyrokinetic abilities protect the people.
Shinra Kusakabe, nicknamed “Devil’s Footprints” is a young guy known for his ability to ignite his feet at will. He joins Special Fire Force Company 8, who dedicated themselves to end the Infernal attacks.
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