| “ | While I do not wish... to harm anyone... you should know... Baymax... that few are the men who... have challenged... me and lived. | ” |
Sunfire (real name Shiro Yoshida) is a former member of Big Hero 6, as well as a member of the X-Men in the past.
Possessing the ability to fly and generate super-heated blasts of plasma, Sunfire became one of Japan's most prominent heroes.
Background[]
Shiro was born in Agarashima, Japan. As his mother died from radiation poisoning caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, Shiro was born a mutant possessing solar radiation abilities. His father, Saburo Yoshida, was an ambassador to the United Nations, but Shiro was instead raised by his uncle Tomo, who influenced him to hate Western civilization. As such, he sought to restore Japan's former glory.
Tomo once sent Shiro alongside mutant villains Mystique, Blindspot and Rogue to steal the secret of Adamantium bonding process from Lord Dark Wind. As their attempt failed, Blindspot used her mutant powers to delete the memories of both of her colleagues; returning to Japan later to do the same with Tomo, Sunfire and Dark Wind's daughter Lady Deathstrike, learning she had apparently killed her father some time after the mission.
Later invited to join Shiro's father Saburo in America, Tomo incited Sunfire to attack the United States Capitol in Washington until the X-Men intervened. Saburo sought to reason with Shiro but was shot and killed by Tomo, in turn prompting Shiro to kill his uncle while having a change of attitude about his views. For his actions, he surrendered to the authorities and returned to Japan. Months after the incident, Sunfire was recruited to rescue the original X-Men from Krakoa, the Living Island. However, he denied that his assistance constitutes his becoming a member of the X-Men.
During his time as a student, Sunfire also faced Dr. Kishi Oramosha, a brilliant businessman turned villain donning alias of Deadline, who threatened the entire world with a machine called the Doomsday Device and had decided to attack Japan first due to its lack of superheroes. Sunfire managed to defeat Oramosha, destroy his machine, and have him arrested.
When Magneto released an electromagnetic pulse across the globe, the energy overloaded Sunfire's body and made his powers flare out of control directly over Tokyo. This forced the Japanese government to imprison Sunfire, but he was soon freed by his cousin, the Silver Samurai, and Wolverine to help oppose a government plan to outfit giant Red Ronin robots with mutant-hunting technology. Battling one of the robots, Sunfire's powers again flared out of control and Wolverine suggested he seek aid from Canada's Department H, unaware that the Department had fallen into malevolent hands.
Falsely informed by the Department H's scientists that he had radiation poisoning, Sunfire remained with them, seeking a cure. Unknown to him, the scientists had injected him with Zero Fluid, a compound that created an ambient charge of bio-kinetic energy within his body that conflicted with his bio-atomic powers and gave him problems controlling them. They also lied to him by saying that his powers and the fluid had formed cancer throughout his body and that he would have to serve them in order to receive the necessary treatments.
Frustrated, Sunfire refused and instead returned to his homeland, seeking refuge in an abandoned monastery.
Personality[]
Shiro can be very arrogant and temperamental at times, but greatly cares about his friends. He was a former nationalist but changed his views after his father's death.
Appearance[]
Sunfire dons a mostly red-and-white costume representing the rising sun symbol of Japan.
With the Zero Fluid compound, half of his entire body turned jet-black and eventually engulfed all of his skin.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Martial Arts: Sunfire is well versed in the martial arts of karate and kendo, as well as the art of bushido: the history and customs of the samurai class.
- Heat Manipulation: Sunfire can biochemically ionize matter and convert it into the super-heated plasma state of matter, generating temperatures of about 1,000,000° Fahrenheit which he most often releases as force blasts from his hands. He can recharge and enhance his stored power by absorbing both solar and electromagnetic energy.
- Infrared Vision: Sunfire can view his surroundings in the infrared spectrum.
- Flight: Sunfire can create super-heated air currents that enable him to fly while leaving a trail of flame behind him.
- Psionic Shield: Sunfire also generates an invisible field of psionic energy that protects him from the heat and radiation generated by his own powers, as well as from outside sources. The field also shields him from air friction and the light generated by his plasma, as well as lending a certain level of protection from kinetic impact.
History[]
When the Japanese organization known as the Giri Corporation began enlisting superhuman individuals to form a national superhero team known as Big Hero 6, Sunfire was selected as a potential candidate, but following his encounter with Department H, rumors about his death were spread. Young genius Hiro Takachiho mourned the hero's "death" but held hope that he could still live, thus building a bio-atomic parcel detector specifically to be alerted of his possible return. One night, the machine detects Sunfire's life signal so Hiro and his robotic bodyguard Baymax set out to locate him, finding him at the monastery where he was hiding, though the excited Hiro quickly became disillusioned upon seeing Sunfire in his apparent "dying" state, noticing that half of his body was covered with the Zero Fluid. Sunfire tries to tell both of them to leave him alone, but once again his powers flare out of control, accidentally triggering Baymax's battle mode. Both briefly fight until Big Hero 6 (at the time comprised of only Silver Samurai, Honey Lemon and Go-Go Tomago) arrive to interrupt the altercation, taking Sunfire to their headquarters when he collapses unconscious and put him under observation by scientists. Waking up, Sunfire has a brief conversation with Honey Lemon as she says Sunfire should be treated like a guest and not a lab rat, while Shiro lets her know he no longer trusts any organization.
Hiro and Baymax later break into the Giri HQ to try getting Sunfire back in action after a villain named Everwraith abducts Hiro's mom. Instead, Hiro sees that Sunfire had just given up and wished to be left to die, further disappointing Hiro as the boy stops crying and decides to face the villain even if Sunfire wouldn't help. Hiro and Baymax join forces with Big Hero 6 instead and set out to confront Everwraith, but see themselves unable to touch the ghostly enemy. Sunfire changes his mind as he soon arrives at the scene to help, unaware that he was Everwraith's target all along as the villain intended to manipulate his powers and cause an atomic explosion, amplified by solar panels he had placed around Tokyo beforehand. Struggling as Everwraith possesses him, Hiro tells Sunfire to use his bio-kinetic Zero Fluid to counter Everwraith's grip; as this only confuses Sunfire, Hiro explains that he thought the fluid was part of the "treatment" to cure him—causing Sunfire to finally come to the realization that he wasn't dying as Department H lied to him all along, and that it was the Zero Fluid conflicting with his powers. Shiro then expelled all of his bio-kinetic energy to break free from Everwraith's control, redirecting his full flame power at the solar panels and Everwraith to incinerate both. This seemingly dispels Shiro's own body as well, but his friends and the rest of Japan remain safe.
The next day, Shiro's teammates hold a funeral for him, though Sunfire himself arrives later when Hiro is alone to let his friend know he did survive, but still has to find answers. Both embrace a hug before Sunfire leaves the country, headed back to Canada. Eventually arriving, an enraged Sunfire breaks into Department H, looking for the doctor who had experimented on him, though it appears he reached a dead-end as he only finds the Alpha Flight members telling him that the program he was part of had been terminated and there was nothing left of it. In concurrent events, Big Hero 6's new base at the Cool World Amusement Park was under attack by X the Unknowable; as they knew by then that Sunfire lived, Hiro insisted that only he would know how to defeat X, so Honey Lemon contacts him. Sunfire receives the message, and as he now had nothing left in Canada, he rushes back to Japan to help, while also accompanied by Alpha Flight. Both hero factions work together to defeat X and Sunfire decides to stay with Big Hero 6 in Japan where he is needed. Eventually, the Zero Fluid is removed from his system, and Sunfire is assigned to work as a field agent with the Yakiba, the Japanese military intelligence.
Sunfire leaves the service of Big Hero 6 when he accepts an offer from Professor X to join the X-Corporation—a global mutant search and rescue operation—in its Mumbai, India headquarters; his spot on the team later filled by Lumina, a young woman of the Coronarian species with similar solar-based powers as him. Lumina takes on the mantle of Sunpyre to honor Shiro's deceased sister, Leyu Yoshida, the original Sunpyre.
Following the X-Corporation's dissolution, Sunfire again acted as protector of Japan. Later, as Lady Deathstrike's cybernetic enhancements restored her missing memories from the time Sunfire, Blindspot, Rogue and Mystique tried to steal from her father, she seeks revenge, forcing Blindspot to aid with her plan. In turn, Blindspot captures and erases Silver Samurai's memories of his time as a hero, making him believe he had been brainwashed by Sunfire and the X-Men, therefore causing the Samurai to become villainous again, publicly leaking an incriminating picture of Sunfire allied with Mystique and company. As a result, Sunfire's status as Japan's protector is suspended and he is left in dishonor, nearly allowing Silver Samurai to kill him due to the massive disgrace he felt (unaware that it was in fact Silver Samurai who caused this). Before Kenuichio can proceed, Sunfire receives a call from Rogue as neither of them remember teaming up back then, so both investigate until they learn Kenuichio and Deathstrike are the culprits. Sunfire fights his cousin, now calling himself the Silver Shogun, conflicted whether if it was truly possible that all of his heroic deeds were just a lie. After the Shogun is defeated, Sunfire and Rogue clash against Deathstrike, who severs Sunfire's legs and defeats Rogue, imprisoning them both with Blindspot. Sunfire allows Rogue to absorb his powers to escape, but he seemingly dies from the strain. Yet, after defeating Deathstrike, Rogue returns to her hideout but Sunfire's body was now gone.
It turns out the crippled Sunfire eventually fell into the clutches of Apocalypse, who artificially restored his legs and powers through technological means and transformed him into the Horseman of Apocalypse known as Famine. With the help of Emma Frost, Sunfire overcomes Apocalypse's control and flees alongside Gambit, who had also been transformed into a Horseman. The duo was then manipulated by Mr. Sinister into joining his mutant strike force: the Marauders.
Trivia[]
- Sunfire, along with Silver Samurai, are the only founding Big Hero 6 members who are removed from the film incarnation, due to the company 20th Century Fox owning the film rights to the X-Men and related characters at the time of the movie's release.
- Sunfire is referenced in Baymax! in the form of a school called Shiro Yoshida Middle School[2].
Gallery[]
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  Sunfire with Zero Fluid.  Sunfire as the Horseman Famine.    Sunfire becomes Shiro Yoshida.      Deadline is captured.   Hiro's room with many Sunfire items.             |