Police-themed media are ubiquitous, but stories about firefighters are less common—possibly due to a lack of “bad guys.” But this is Firefighter Daigo: Orange Rescuer, an anime that's not just about dealing with fires and other dangers but is actually a sequel to the popular '90s series.
The original fireman! Daigo of Fire Company M by author Soda Masahito is a successful manga series in Japan with an impressive 20 volumes. In the US, I remember seeing ads for the original Firefighter Daigo manga in the 2000s, but it never really got traction. I was first exposed to author Soda Masahito's work through some of his shorter manga, such as the schoolgirl rap battle manga series Change! and MMA-themed Hanakaku. In both cases, they obviously (and disappointingly) had to end early, so it's refreshing to see Soda return to the fold with his biggest hit not named Capeta.
The sequel requires no prior knowledge of the first film—the only anime ever created for it is a decades-old series. Taking place years after the first series, Firefighters Daigo: RiO follows three recent recruits as they go through the rigorous process of becoming lifeguards and beyond. First is Toake Daigo, a quiet idiot with an extraordinary knack for handling dangerous situations. The second is Onoda Shun, a strong guy who is a hypebeast, like a Vegeta and a hardworking guy in his own right. The third person is Nakamura Yuki, Shun's old high school classmate, who possesses keen observation skills and a lifelong dedication to joining the fire department. As they follow their respective paths to become full-fledged lifeguards, their bond with each other is deeper than they thought.
Daigo and Shun are clearly meant to parallel and contrast the original duo of the first series, Asahina Daigo and Gomi Shunsuke. Asahina is loud and rude while Gomi is serious, while their spiritual successors have interchangeable personalities. Yuki may be considered “Firefighter Daigo: Now with Girl”, but they develop her into a unique character and a worthy equal in her own right.
Firefighter Daigo: RiO is mainstream in some anime ever. In addition to its accessible theme (“firefighters save people from danger and experience personal tragedy!”) and lack of otaku-oriented stories, the show also airs during Japanese primetime. As a result, it had some of the highest TV ratings in winter 2024, just below perennial favorites like Sazae-san and on par with cult hit Frieren. It feels almost tailor-made to work well, like it runs alongside Law & Order.
The episodes often highlight the extensive training and preparation of firefighters and rescue workers but also the fact that they can never anticipate everything—improvisation and a cool head under pressure are necessary. No one embodies this spirit more perfectly than Toake Daigo himself—which at first seems too perfect. He would do things that others would never think of, and his colleagues couldn't help but watch (and comment) in awe as he performed another miracle. But over time, it became clear that this intense dedication hid the deeper wounds of his past, and this seeming perfection was for nothing. Rescuer in Orange does a great job of turning humans into superheroes, especially since Daigo himself considers his peers to be better than him.
It was a very normal show, until it wasn't. As Kate from Reverse Thieves pointed out, you think it's just normal human drama…and then you find out that Daigo originally went around the world rescuing people like some kind of some vigilant firefighter. On top of that, Shun initially built an elite secret fire force to prepare for some major disaster to come.
The only recurring problem that I think really detracts from the show is that the animation can get quite sloppy, and a lot of the episodes are recapitulated; a 22-minute show feels like 18 minutes.
Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange is cool in its own right. Its characters are charming in a casual way. Most of the time, it feels very conventional, but every now and then will throw a curveball that really shows how well-constructed the series really is. It's the kind of show that would make a great gateway anime. I hope that it can accomplish this goal, not only for anime in general but also for Soda Masahito's other works.
