Particle System OR Animation For Controlled Fire

Hello!

I'm working on a character controller fireball where, when you move, the fire is affected by the "wind" of that movement.
(I.e. If you're moving forward, the fireball flame is moving backward, and vice versa for the other directions)

I also want other forces in the scene to affect the fireball too.
(I.e. Wind pushing the flame, or a fan..)

Currently, I'm pursuing the route of creating a fireball using a particle system and was thinking of using the force systems to apply to the particle system to achieve these effects.
However, I am curious if it might be more effective to just create these movements in a series of animations. For the wind force, I would just have to figure a way to activate that animation frame for the wind intensity.


Essentially... What are your opinions on using a particle system to create realistic forces on a movable fireball, versus actually creating the animation frames for this fireball?
Is a particle system more taxing for this, Will I be able to achieve the forces concept with animations, etc?


I greatly appreciate any feedback! Thank you for your time!

(also, if this might belong better in a different sub, let me know)