Sunfire () is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Don Heck, the character is portrayed as a mutant and sometimes as a member of the X-Men.
A Japanese mutant who can generate superheated plasma and fly, Sunfire was briefly a member of the second X-Men team but quit after their first mission as he was not suited for teamwork due to his temperament and arrogance. Since then he has kept his distance from the team, but at times has returned to aid them as an occasional ally.
Concept and creation Roy Thomas recalled that, during his first run on X-Men,I wanted to add a young Japanese or Japanese-American whose mother had been at Hiroshima or Nagasaki as a corresponding character to the X-Men, whose parents were, at that time, assumed to have been at the Manhattan Project. Stan [Lee, X-Men editor/co-creator] didn't give me any good reason [for rejecting the character]—he just didn't want to, I think... I didn't bring it up again, but when I came back to the book, with Neal Adams, I created Sunfire, who is pretty much the character I had wanted to do some years earlier. I didn't make him an X-Man right away. By that time, Stan gave me a little more free . In fact, he was included in Giant Size X-Men #1, along with Banshee, precisely because I had gone around creating some 'international mutants,' with the goal of expanding the team at some time. I thought the X-Men shouldn't all be white Americans.
Thomas later commented on the character's costume "I had Don Heck design the character from my verbal suggestion of a costume that was an embodiment of the imperial Japanese Rising Sun flag, as Japanese or Japanese-American.
In a future interview Thomas noted the unique mask of the character "Don Heck gave him that mask — kind of a weird dragony kind of mask — it wasn't just a standard mask." Sunfire was the first East Asian superhero in Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Don Heck, Sunfire first appeared in X-Men #64 (January 1970). As of 2025, Sunfire has appeared in 87 comic book issues.
Sunfire also appeared in the Iron Man comics issues #67–70 & 98 (1974–1977) and the Wolverine issues #55–60 (June–September of 1992).
In 1998, Marvel published the miniseries Sunfire and Big Hero Six, presenting Sunfire's brief membership in a new superhero team sanctioned by the Japanese government.
Maximum Security issues #1 & 3 featured Sunfire.
Sunfire became part of the Exiles in issue #7 (December 5, 2001), manifesting as the woman version of the character from an alternate reality.
Writer Rick Remender included Sunfire as a member of the Uncanny Avengers, starting with issue #5 (March 27, 2013).
He joined X-Men Unlimited Infinity in issue #106 (September 25, 2023) and had a major supporting role in the 2025 limited series Doom's Division, a tie-in to the storyline One World Under Doom.
In June 2026, it was announced that Sunfire would appear in the miniseries Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark, a tie-in to the "Queen in Black" crossover event. Writer Tom Waltz included Sunfire as he was a longtime fan of the character and felt that his nuclear powers made him a good fit for the Defenders.
Fictional character biography Shiro Yoshida was born in Agarashima, Japan. His mother suffered radiation poisoning due to exposure to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; as a result, Shiro was born as a mutant possessing solar radiation powers.
Shiro's mother died of radiation poisoning when he was young. Shiro grew to hate the United States, despite the influence of his father, an ambassador to the United Nations who was more tolerant of the US. Shiro's greedy uncle Tomo inspired him to become "Sunfire" and engage in a one-man battle against the U.S. As Sunfire, he attacked the United States Capitol and battled the X-Men, after which he witnessed Tomo murder his father; distraught, he killed Tomo and surrendered to the authorities.X-Men #64
Sunfire battled Namor the Sub-Mariner but then fought alongside him against the Dragon Lord.Sub-Mariner #52-54 Sunfire also fought Iron Man but was abducted by the Mandarin and used to power one of the Mandarin's machines. Once freed, he and Iron Man fought Ultimo.Iron Man #68-70
Professor X recruited Sunfire to a new team of X-Men to rescue the originals from the living island Krakoa.Giant-Sized X-Men #1 However, after the mission, he rejected X-Men membership.X-Men #94
Sunfire becomes involved with the X-Men once again when Apocalypse kidnaps him, as Sunfire is one of the Twelve, a group of mutants Apocalypse required to obtain reality-warping powers. Sunfire then became a member of the Mumbai branch of X-Corporation, a non-government organization devoted to the protection of mutant rights.New X-Men #133 (2001)
During the early story arcs of the latest edition of Marvel Team-Up, Sunfire attempts to combat the powerful villain known as Titannus, a reject of the Super-Skrull program who had made his way to Earth after being brainwashed by an alien race to serve as their ultimate weapon. Attempting to contain Titannus, Sunfire summons the Japanese army to confront him, but the powerful foe defeats them army with ease, and is only barely beaten by a new team hastily assembled by Doctor Strange to combat this threat.
Later, it was revealed that Sunfire had worked with Rogue and Mystique back when Sunfire was still working with Tomo and Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Also working with them was a girl called Blindspot, who had the power to erase and restore memories. The four were on a mission to steal the process to bond adamantium from Lord Dark Wind, the father of Lady Deathstrike.
Since Blindspot always erased her tracks once a contract ended, she wipes the minds of everyone involved so no one would remember her.Rogue (vol. 3) #10 (June 2005) Blindspot discovers Lord Dark Wind wanted all four dead for trying to steal his adamantium process. Realizing that the others would be in danger while having no memory of their mission, Blindspot went back to Japan to erase Lord Dark Wind's memory. When she got there, she discovered that his daughter (who later became Deathstrike) had already killed him. Blindspot erased Deathstrike's memories but, as Deathstrike was more machine than woman, Deathstrike was able to restore her own memories from an electronic backup. Deathstrike kidnapped Blindspot, who released a group photo of Sunfire, Rogue, and Mystique to attract their attention to save her. Rogue joined Sunfire, whose reputation had been ruined by the photograph, in Tokyo to discover why they were framed and who was responsible.Rogue (vol. 3) #11 (July 2005) The two ran into Lady Deathstrike who, in a heated battle, cut off Sunfire's legs, leaving him in critical condition. Rogue surrendered to Deathstrike, who imprisoned the two. While imprisoned, Rogue met Blindspot, who restored Rogue's memories and explained what was going on.
When Deathstrike discovers that the three were not responsible for stealing the adamantium, she attempted kill them to destroy any evidence of what she had done. A weak Sunfire asks Rogue to absorb his powers so she could properly battle Deathstrike. Rogue had previously lost the powers of Carol Danvers that she had taken and was hesitant. She worries that she could harm Sunfire, but Blindspot pushes her on Sunfire's face, causing her to absorb all his powers and possibly killing him. With it, Rogue now also contains Sunfire's personality, similar to how she also once had Danvers' personality within her. With Sunfire's personality controlling her, Rogue seeks revenge on Deathstrike and severely injures the woman. The X-Men arrive in time to intervene, but Blindspot erases Rogue's memories of being an X-Man causing her to see her teammates as her enemies. After a brief altercation, Rogue's memories are restored and she tells the X-Men what had happened to Sunfire. They discover that his body is missing, leading some of the X-Men to believe he is still alive.Rogue (vol. 3) #12 (August 2005)
Sunfire loses his powers before M-Day and his X-gene during that moment. It is revealed that Sunfire is rescued by a mysterious ninja group and taken to a hospital in Aspen. After being revived from his coma, the world's leading specialist in prosthetic limbs, Masanori Kuzuya, offers him his services. Before the reasoning behind the rescue is revealed, Apocalypse appears and offers Sunfire the chance for vengeance, as well as the recovery of his lost limbs and power, in return for his service as Famine, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen.X-Men (vol. 2) #182 (April 2006) However, Famine is defeated by Rogue and returned to his normal form.X-Men (vol. 2) #184 - 185 (May - June 2006) Sunfire joins the other X-Men in their battle against Apocalypse. After Apocalypse escapes, Gambit helps his fellow Horseman Gambit overcome his brainwashing and the two are recruited by Mister Sinister into his Marauders.X-Men (vol. 2) #186 - 187 (July - August 2006)
In "Messiah Complex", Sunfire and the Marauders clash with the X-Men and other groups for the first mutant child born after the events of M-Day.X-Men: Messiah Complex #1 (October 2007) In the final battle on Muir Island, Sunfire is knocked out while the remaining Marauders flee or are killed.Cable (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008)
Feeling disgraced and humiliated, Sunfire retires his mantle and wanders around Tokyo in a drunken stupor until Wolverine approaches him to join the Avengers Unity Squad for a chance of redemption.Uncanny Avengers #5 (May 2013) Sunfire joins the Avengers against the Apocalypse Twins and sides with Wolverine, Rogue and Thor after the Twins cause a division within the team.Uncanny Avengers #7-9 (June - August 2013) The team is able to put aside their differences to fight the Twins and Kang the Conqueror. In the final fight against Kang, Sunfire's body is destroyed but due being in prior contact with a Celestial, he is reborn in a state of pure energy and uses his new powers to destroy the Twins' armada and defeat Kang.Uncanny Avengers #21-22 (August - September 2014)
Sunfire and the Avengers are affected by the inversion spell cast in "AXIS", which reverses their morality into becoming villains, with Sunfire joining the affected X-Men into declaring mutant supremacy.Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #4 (January 2015) Sunfire and the other affected heroes are eventually cured of the inversion spell.Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #9 (February 2015) Afterwards, Sunfire left the Avengers to join X-Factor.All-New X-Factor #18 (February 2015)
During the events of Inhumans vs. X-Men, Sunfire initially joins Cyclops' faction of X-Men against the Inhumans. When Sunfire destroys of one of the Terrigen Clouds, the Inhumans publicly execute Cyclops in retaliation.Death of X #2-4 (December 2016 - January 2017) Sunfire later defends Asian mutant refugees with the help of Storm's faction of X-Men and joins in the final assault against New Attilan.Extraordinary X-Men #6-7 (March - April 2016)IVX #1-2 (February - March 2017)
Sunfire eventually regains his reputation and standing as Japan's prime hero and is invited by Black Panther to attend an international summit at Avengers Mountain.Avengers (vol. 8) #11 (February 2019) He is also recruited by Jean Grey to help oppose the crazed Nate Grey from remaking the world in his image.Uncanny X-Men (vol. 5) #9-10 (March 2019)