Real
name: Shiro Yoshida
Other aliases: None
Identity: Secret, but known to the upper echelons
of the Japanese Government
Occupation: (current) Adventurer, (former) Student
Legal status: Citizen of Japan with no criminal
record
Place of birth: Agarashima, Japan
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: Saburo Yoshida (father, deceased),
Tomo Yoshida (uncle, deceased), Shingen Harada (first
cousin, once removed, deceased), Mariko Yashida (second
cousin), Keniuchio Harada (The Silver Samurai, second
half-cousin) Note: the dominant branch of this family
transliterates its name into English as "Yashida" while
Sunfire's branch transliterates it as "Yoshida"
Base of operations: (current) Department H, Canada,
(former) Yoshida ancestral home, Tokyo, Japan
Group affiliation: (current) Alpha Flight, (former)
The X-Men, the Pacific Overlords
First appearance: X-MEN (first series) #64
History: Sunfire's mother, although many miles
from the center of Hiroshima, was severely affected by
the explosion of the atomic bomb that the United States
dropped on Hiroshima towards the end of World War II.
She was left a hopeless invalid and she died years later
giving birth to her son Shiro. Shiro's father, Saburo
Yoshida, was a diplomat who was one of postwar Japan's
greatest statesmen. When Saburo was absent from home on
diplomatic missions, Shiro was left in the care of SaburoÎs
brother Tomo, who was, however, fanatically anti-American.
Ironically, while Saburo labored to maintain good relations
between the United States and Japan, Tomo taught Shiro
to share his hatred of Americans, whom Shiro regarded
as his mother's murderers.
Tomo came to suspect that Shiro was a superhumanly powered
mutant due to the effect of radiation on his mother's
genes. Tomo brought Shiro to a site in Hiroshima and had
him pick up some of the still slightly radioactive soil
there. Touching the soil somehow triggered Shiro's first
major release of his power. Under his uncle's encouragement,
Shiro vowed to avenge Japan's wartime defeat by using
his powers against the United States. Shiro trained himself
in the use of his powers, assumed the name Sunfire, and
adopted a costume reminiscent of the Japanese rising sun
emblem.
Sunfire went to the United States where he destroyed
a monument at the United Nations and clashed with the
X-Men as he attempted to destroy the Capitol Building
in Washington, D.C. Saburo Yoshida was present and attempted
to persuade Sunfire not to destroy the Capitol. While
Sunfire listened to Saburo, Tomo Yoshida fatally shot
the diplomat. Furious, Sunfire then killed his uncle.
Charges were not pressed against Sunfire due to his diplomatic
immunity, and the upper levels of the United States and
Japanese governments kept his true identity secret, allowing
him to return to Japan.
Sunfire's anti-Americanism has considerably lessened
over the years, although his nationalist pride is still
strong. Professor Charles Xavier invited Sunfire to join
the X-Men, but after a single mission with them, Sunfire
resigned for various reasons including his unwillingness
to leave Japan, his preference for operating solo, and
his lack of ambition to act as a full-time costumed adventurer.
However, Sunfire remained an ally of the X-Men and worked
with them on various occasions. He has used his powers
on special missions for the Japanese government as well.
Though generally considered an ally by most American
crimefighters, Sunfire once fell under the hypnotic influence
of the criminal called Dr. Demonicus, and thus became
a member of his so-called Pacific Overlords. This brought
Sunfire into conflict with the Avengers' West Coast branch
(now defunct), and, fortunately, he was freed from Demonicus's
thrall with the Avengers' aid. Sunfire returned to performing
missions for his government as needed.
Recently, Sunfire was recruited by Department H, the
recently reactivated branch of the Canadian Ministry of
Defense, as a member of their government-sponsored super
hero team, Alpha Flight.
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Black
Strength level: Peak human
Fighting skills: Trained in karate and Japanese
Samurai swordsmanship, kendo; expert in combat.
Known superhuman powers: Sunfire is a mutant with
the power to ionize matter (usually air) through a mentally
triggered unknown biochemical process so that it is converted
to plasma, the super-heated state of matter. Plasma is
the state in which matter making up the sun exists; hence,
Sunfire refers to his projecting "solar fire." Sunfire
can generate plasma temperatures which match those that
can be generated by the Human Torch, reaching about 1,000,000
degrees Fahrenheit at maximum level. Sunfire can temporarily
exhaust his power by using it for too long a time, or
at too high a level. The amount of the time he needs to
rebuild his power depends on the extent to which he has
used it. For example, achieving his maximum temperature
would immediately exhaust his powers, and he would need
an unspecified number of hours to rebuild his powers to
their normal level.
Sunfire can use his powers to create super-heated air
currents which push him forward through the air, enabling
him to fly. Sometimes this super-heated air is visible
as a trail of flame behind Sunfire. The upper limit to
the speed Sunfire can achieve in flight is not yet known,
although it is known to be greater than that of the Angel,
who can reach 150 miles per hour.
It is unknown whether Sunfire emits radiation when he
utilizes his power. If he does, he is protected from at
least its short-range effects by a psionic force field
which automatically comes into being whenever Sunfire
uses his power. The force field protects Sunfire from
the intense heat he generates, as well as from air friction,
and also prevents excessive amounts of light from the
plasma from reaching his eyes so as to blind or damage
them. Sunfire could be harmed by heat from another source
if he was taken by surprise, and if he was not using his
plasma powers at the time. Sunfire's force field is sufficiently
powerful to protect him from Cyclops' quasi-solar optic
blast. It is not known whether it can protect him from
solid objects.