Oedo Fire Slayer: The Legend of Phoenix Episode 8: The True Identity of the Fox

The episode opens with Senjiro, Shinnosuke, and Hikyoya enjoying a casual stroll after a soba dinner. Shinnosuke, ever cheerful, praises the meal, while Senjiro offers a nuanced, almost critical, assessment of the soba's quality. A minor toothache for Senjiro leads Shinnosuke to suggest a stop for polishing powder, humorously referencing a firefighter's vital teeth. This lighthearted banter is abruptly cut short by a distant explosion, plunging the scene into immediate alarm.

The trio, along with other citizens, rushes out into the street as chaos erupts. Black smoke billows into the twilight sky, followed by fiery projectiles that strike buildings, igniting new blazes. Shinnosuke is bewildered, but Senjiro is immediately grim, recognizing a familiar, unsettling sensation. He starts running towards the disaster, followed by his companions.

Firefighters from the Nigumi squad are already on the scene, battling the encroaching inferno. Their leader, a seasoned veteran, expresses confusion and frustration over the unusual nature of the fireballs. A second, larger explosion follows the first, a blue flame briefly visible before a cloud of black smoke engulfs the area. The veteran firefighter admits he has never seen such a phenomenon, adding to the growing sense of dread.

As the fire rages, a firefighter attempts to douse a blue flame with water, only to cause another violent dust explosion. Hikyoya, observing the strange reaction, quickly deduces the cause: a rare explosive powder, possibly opium, that reacts violently with water. She realizes that water, the firefighters' traditional weapon, is making the situation worse, leading to an urgent need for a new strategy.

Hikyoya states that they must cut off the fire's air supply, requiring a large quantity of fine sand. Shinnosuke is initially puzzled, questioning where they could find such a volume of sand in Nihonbashi. Then, a sudden realization dawns on him, sparked by Senjiro's earlier remark about a firefighter's teeth: the polishing powder they bought earlier is made of the exact 'bou-shuna' sand they need.

Hikyoya locates a warehouse with the Kamiya emblem, and the firefighters quickly break in to retrieve vast quantities of polishing sand. The men work in unison, shoveling and throwing sand onto the flames, replacing water with smothering powder. Shinnosuke, Tora, and Hikyoya all contribute, their faces grim and exhausted but determined as they fight to contain the unnatural fire.

After the immediate crisis is contained, the Nigumi fire chief collapses, overcome by a sudden illness. As Senjiro and an old man tend to him, a mysterious red glowing orb emerges from the chief's chest, ascending into the night sky before vanishing. The old man, shocked, then finds a smaller, fading orb in his own hand, hinting at a supernatural element behind the fires and their mysterious effects.

Later, as the city recovers, Shinnosuke expresses remorse, repeating "I'm sorry, Jizo" as he reflects on the events. He mentions a strange bell sound he heard during the incident. This sound compels him to investigate further, hinting at a connection to the earlier blue flames. He decides he cannot ignore these anomalies.

Shinnosuke, disguised as a commoner, tracks the mysterious bell sound, encountering a woman who questions his intent. He explains he hears a strange bell, to which she reacts with surprise. This investigation leads him to connect the blue flames to a specific type of fireworks maker and to a girl named Oito, whose name seems to be central to the unfolding mystery. He leaves, determined to find Oito.

Shinnosuke looks determined, his mind set on uncovering the truth behind the blue flames and their link to Oito. The episode closes with his resolute commitment to his investigation, suggesting that the fire was not merely an accident but a manipulated event with deeper, personal implications. The search for Oito becomes the next crucial step in understanding the true nature of this strange Edo crisis.