The Oedo Fire Slayer manga is on hiatus after artist Shinobu Seguchi was hospitalized for a sudden illness, with the series absent from Weekly Shonen Champion's 40th issue. The television anime adaptation of Shogo Imamura's novel is currently airing.
The Oedo Fire Slayer manga, adapted from Shogo Imamura's novel, has paused indefinitely. Artist Shinobu Seguchi was hospitalized for a sudden illness, and the series did not appear in the 40th issue of Weekly Shonen Champion. Akita Shoten said it will update readers on Seguchi's condition and the manga's return in a later issue. The hiatus leaves the manga's schedule uncertain while the television anime continues airing.
Coverage of the anime's first episode, Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix-, focused on its premiere reception. The episode introduces Gengo Matsunaga, a legendary fire-slayer known as the Phoenix who retired after a traumatic fire, then gets pulled back to rebuild a ragtag fire brigade in Edo-era Japan. The plot includes Gengo rescuing a princess using an almost psychic ability to detect people inside burning buildings, and it introduces a mysterious arsonist named Foxfire. Reviewers praised the premise as a grounded action slice-of-life with potential for heartwarming character growth, especially around Gengo's trauma and his mentorship of hapless trainees, but criticized the 3D animation as uncanny and hard on the eyes during action sequences, while quieter moments look average.
The anime's first episode was also mentioned in an Anime Feminist weekly round-up covering various industry and cultural stories, though it gave no additional detail beyond noting the premiere.
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Shinobu Seguchi's Oedo Fire Slayer manga is on hiatus after the artist was hospitalized for a sudden illness. The series did not appear in Weekly Shonen Champion's 40th issue, and Akita Shoten will update readers on Seguchi's condition and the manga's return in a later issue.
The premiere of Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- introduces Gengo Matsunaga, a legendary fire-slayer known as the Phoenix who retired after a traumatic fire. He is pulled back into service to rebuild a ragtag fire brigade in Edo-era Japan. The episode follows Gengo as he rescues a princess using an almost psychic ability to detect people inside burning buildings, then flashes forward to his quiet life with his wife before a firefighter begs him to return. The review from Anime Feminist praises the premise as a compelling, grounded action slice-of-life story with potential for heartwarming character growth, particularly around Gengo's trauma and his mentorship of hapless trainees. However, the review criticizes the show's 3D animation, calling it uncanny and hard on the eyes during action sequences, though quieter moments look average. The episode also introduces a mysterious arsonist named Foxfire, adding a villainous element to the historical setting. The reviewer recommends the series for its quiet storytelling and historical fiction appeal, despite the animation flaws.
Anime Feminist's weekly round-up for January 14-20, 2026, covers multiple topics: the first episodes of Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix-, The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom, Kaya-chan Isn't Scary, and You and I Are Polar Opposites; a review of Hitomi Takano's manga Gene Bride; a Japan Fair Trade Commission report on transactional issues in the anime industry; Japan's probe of Elon Musk's Grok AI service over inappropriate image generation; a Mie Prefecture survey on foreign staff hiring that drew accusations of discrimination; and Prime Minister Ishiba's avoidance of challenging sumo's gendered ring ban. The round-up also includes links to videos on vintage BL OVAs, Lovely Complex, a documentary on Black anime fandom, and Jonathan Clements on the history of anime in the UK. The community section features reader picks for favorite anime of 2025, including You and Idol Precure, Medalist, and Zenshu!