Synopsis
After the Ishval Civil War, the surviving Ishvalans were forced to flee their homeland and live in slums outside cities. But war is a time when many painful memories are born, and many of those memories may not be the truth.
Full Synopsis
Scar is recuperating from the wounds he suffered at the fifth laboratory in the Ishvalan camp nursed by Rick and his older brother Rio. Nonetheless, Scar concentrates on his experience instead of taking his medicine. However, a group of mercenaries, which includes the former Lab 5 guardian Barry, attack the camp, intent on the genocide of the Ishvalan people, with their leader using a specialized backpack that can use alchemy to massacre the area. Rick and Rio's grandfather believes this destruction as an act of Ishvala, but Scar knows it is the work of evil men.
Meanwhile, Alphonse walks through the rain in Central, remembering his argument with Edward, wondering why he didn't answer and also if the memories of his mother are fake too. Just then, Rio and Rick are on the run for stealing food, and during their escape from the store owner, Rick trips and loses his necklace. They coincidentally hide in the same spot where Al is and he recognizes them as Ishbalans.
Elsewhere, Winry and Ed work on finding Al, with Ed still scared about what he wanted to say to Al. Winry tells Ed that answers never come when questions aren’t asked.
Al is led by Rick and Rio to the sewers where the Ishbalan camp had moved to. While there, Al and Scar meet face-to-face again for the third time in a row. Scar explains to the boys' grandfather that Al is not with the military and both of them keep the details of how they know each other a secret. Once Al agrees to the grandfather's wish of keeping their location a secret as well, Al learns that the reason for their hiding is due to the state military's genocidal intentions against them. However, when Rick realizes he dropped his mother's locket while escaping earlier, he goes to retrieve it against Rio's advice not to. Rio, Scar and Al follow right behind him. While trailing the boys, Scar comments to Al that it is easier for him if Al has parted ways with Ed. Al then asks Scar if he senses anything human about him, even with the armored body he wears now, but Scar does not answer and the two spot Rick and Rio at an alley. There, Rick finds the locket, unaware the mercenaries are monitoring him and Rio. The thugs get permission from the Führer's secretary Juliet Douglas over the phone to find their hideout.
On the way back, Al learns that the keepsake from the boys' mother is welded shut so it can't open, and that Rio is very bitter about his mother to the point he periodically tells his little brother to get rid of the locket. Arriving back at the entrance to the sewers, Rick is captured when checking to see if there was no one around. Scar and Al fight together to get rid of the mercenaries, but they escape with Rick. Al contacts 2nd Lt. Ross, who learns about the mercenaries and where their hideout is. Driving there with Scar, along with Rio and his grandfather due to their loyalty to Rick, Al hears as Rio mentions their mother abandoned him and his brother. As Ross informs Winry and Ed on what is happening, Rio reveals that during the Ishval Civil War, he and Rick went downstairs in secret while their mother prayed to Ishvala and they ended up witnessing the military breaking down their front door. Rio held Rick close and saw their mother, whom he reached out with his hand to with tears streaming down his face, ran away in fear to a room seconds before it blew up, which killed her. Rio reveals that despite the locket being around, he swore to protect Rick and never mention what happened that day.
Despite the mercenaries expecting them, Al and Scar use their alchemy abilities to launch a surprise attack to quickly rescue Rick. While Scar faces against their leader, Al faces against Barry again. Barry taunts him, weakening Al's resolve once more, and just as Barry takes advantage of Al being knocked down by a bazooka shot, Ed arrives, stopping Barry's attack. Winry arrives too, revealing that she and Ed were worried sick about Al and that Ed had been looking for him all over Central. Upon the Elrics creating a wall to protect themselves, Ed reveals to Al the thing he was hesitant to say is if Al hated him for putting him into the armor. With renewed resolve, Al fends off Barry's next attack, telling his brother that he doesn't hate him, and Scar uses his tattooed arm to block the mercenary leader's alchemy attack before defeating him. As Ed identifies himself as a state alchemist much to the leader's shock, Barry tries to attack Ed to get revenge for being partially responsible for his soul being put in a new body, but Scar intervenes, blowing Barry's armor in half. The blood rune from the upper half of Barry's armor combines with the backpack in an unstable alchemical reaction, causing an explosion and taking Barry with it, though the mercenary leader barely escaped the explosion.
However, one of the knives from the backpack hits Rick, who survives thanks to the locket and that it forced it to open. Their grandfather notices some pills stored inside and surmises that their mother had an eye disease that affected her eyesight which explains the boys' rough upbringing because she was trying to do her best despite her condition. When a tearful Rio realizes she was looking for them on that day, he finally lets go of his resentment towards their mother. Meanwhile at Douglas' office, she murders the mercenary leader with her mysterious water powers after he questions her about Ed's involvement in their operation. The Elrics and Winry say goodbye to Scar and the Ishvalans, who are going to travel by water to join up with another Ishvalan group. Rio thanks Al for his help and the two promise to hold onto their memories. Scar answers Al's previous question that he is human because of his eyes in the armor--which Scar describes as "tears that can't be seen". Ed asks Scar about the rumor of a Philosopher's Stone in Ishbal, which Scar replies there was interest, but refuses to comment about one being made as he and his group leave. Al convinces Ed to let Scar travel with the group since they need him. The Elrics then talk about their own memories while on their way back to the city with Winry.
Episode Notes
- This episode has some adapted content from Chapter 15: Fullmetal Heart.
- Though Scar previously blew off the right arm from Barry's armor three episodes ago, it mysteriously returns here undamaged. It could be implied that he simply got it repaired somewhere, but the fact that Ed always has to repair Alphonse himself, in a very specific manner no less, raises questions on how Barry, another suit of vintage armor, could be so easily repaired without the aid of alchemy, or if Barry even happened to know any alchemists willing to do such a job.
See also
| Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 Anime episodes | |
|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | |