Ishvalan Exile

The Ishvalan Exile is a character exclusive to the 2003 anime series. He is first introduced when Scar and several other wandering Ishvalan refugees arrive at a refugee camp in the southern region of the country. According to Rio, because the Ishvalan religion forbids the research and practice of alchemy, those who do so are cast out from the fold and marked with the sign of the "exile" so that no true practitioner of the Ishvalan faith may associate with them. This particular old man had taken up residence on the outskirts of the slum, living alone in a tent (his face tattooed with the mark of his shame), but is recognized by Scar as the one who sullied his brother's mind with thoughts of alchemical research. When Scar goes to confront him, he finds the man's tent decorated with a larger version of the tattoo on his own right arm and demands to know its true meaning. The Ishvalan Exile, intrigued by this development, explains that the mark is a called "The Grand Arcanum" and is a native Ishvalan variant of alchemy designed specifically to create a Philosopher's Stone. His last appearance is during Episode 51: Laws and Promises (2003 series), with Rio overcoming his prejudice and helping him out of a car to the new Ishvalan area.