Vulcan Joseph

Vulcan is passionate, stubborn and intensely proud of his craft. Machines are not simply tools to him; building things is bound up with his family's history and his dream of repairing some of the damage inflicted on the world by the Great Cataclysm.

He loves animals and frequently bases machines on extinct species. His workshop reflects that fascination, combining mechanical engineering with an almost childlike enthusiasm for recreating creatures he has never been able to see alive.

Family is central to Vulcan's values. He does not restrict the word to blood relatives, treating Yū and Lisa Isaribi as family because of the life they built together. Once he accepts Company 8, he gradually extends the same loyalty to the brigade.

Vulcan is a non-powered human without an Ignition Ability. His extraordinary engineering skill compensates for this limitation and makes him indispensable to Company 8.

He builds and maintains specialized equipment including protective devices, vehicles and weapons designed to interact with pyrokinetic abilities. His inventions include the Matchbox's improvements and numerous animal-inspired machines, while his technical work enhances the combat capabilities of his teammates.

Vulcan is also remarkably adaptable under pressure. He can study an enemy's technology during battle, identify mechanical weaknesses and improvise countermeasures from available equipment. His collaborations with Viktor Licht pair Viktor's scientific analysis with Vulcan's practical engineering.

Company 8 seeks Vulcan because Akitaru Ōbi wants an engineer independent of Haijima Industries. Vulcan initially refuses, citing his family's history and his hatred of both Haijima and the Fire Force.

His workshop becomes a battlefield when Dr. Giovanni arrives seeking an object connected to Amaterasu. The conflict forces Vulcan to confront the danger surrounding his family's technological legacy.

Lisa is revealed to have entered Vulcan's household on behalf of Giovanni and the White-Clad, although her affection for Vulcan and Yū has become genuine. After Giovanni attacks the workshop and obtains the Key to Amaterasu, Vulcan abandons his vow to remain independent and joins Company 8 so that he can protect his family and fight back.

From that point onward, Vulcan becomes Company 8's engineer and participates directly in its major operations, providing technological solutions against enemies that ordinary firefighting equipment cannot handle.

Yū is Vulcan's young assistant and disciple. Vulcan complains when Yū calls him master, but he treats the boy as family and takes responsibility for his safety.

Lisa Isaribi lives with Vulcan and Yū at the workshop and becomes one of the people Vulcan considers family. Her connection to the White-Clad initially devastates him, but Vulcan refuses to abandon her and later helps free her from Giovanni's control.

Dr. Giovanni is Vulcan's bitter enemy and a former apprentice of Vulcan's grandfather. Vulcan associates him with the destruction of his family, Haijima's persecution of his workshop and the suffering inflicted on Lisa and Yū.

Shinra Kusakabe helps defend Vulcan's workshop and becomes his friend after Vulcan joins Company 8.

Arthur Boyle develops a particularly effective relationship with Vulcan because Vulcan understands how to exploit Arthur's elaborate knight fantasies to improve his confidence and combat performance.

Viktor Licht works closely with Vulcan on scientific and engineering problems within Company 8.

Akitaru Ōbi recruits Vulcan and gives him a place in Company 8 without demanding that he surrender the principles that made him distrust the Fire Force.