Episode 32 (2003 Anime)

Dante of the Deep Forest
Japan airdate	2004 May 15
USA airdate	2005 October 22
Series Information
Series	Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 anime)
◄ Previous	Sin
Next ►	Al, Captured

Dante of the Deep Forest is the 32nd episode of the Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 anime series.

Synopsis

Izumi sends the Elrics to meet her teacher, Dante, who also knew their father. Upon arrival, there is little time for idle chat -- Envy, Sloth, and Greed have all entered the vicinity.

Full Synopsis

Alphonse attacks Wrath, only for Izumi to interfere. However, Wrath responds to her embrace with alchemy by ripping off a piece of her shirt to turn his left arm into hair to send her away and stuff it into Al's body to control him. Wrath then uses Al to attack Edward and attempts to crush his automail arm, but to no avail. Not wanting Wrath to disassemble his body, Al breaks free and attacks, revealing that Wrath is the only homunculus able to use alchemy due to having Ed's original arm and leg, and that the power to assimilate his body with objects is his power. After Al is knocked down, Ed and Wrath each use alchemy to summon a spear and duel one another. Winry objects to the fight, but Ed succeeds in knocking Wrath down, ready to use his automail sword to finish the homunculus boy off. As Wrath taunts Ed on how he can get those limbs back, Izumi interferes again by creating a tremor with alchemy to separate the Elrics from Wrath, who becomes frighten by this tremendous alchemical power.

As Envy and Sloth watch on, Izumi chides the Elrics, explaining that Wrath is her sin to bear and she demands them not to interfere. Izumi's condition affects her, forcing Winry to remain behind to look after her. Wrath escapes and the Elrics pursue him, only to run into Envy, disguised as Führer Bradley, and Sloth, using her civilian identity as Juliet Douglas. The two have a talk with them about human transmutation which, unknown to the Elrics, Wrath is hidden away in Sloth's body. Once the Elrics leave, not mentioning that Izumi created Wrath, the two homunculi decide to head to their master's place and inform her about Greed since she, as his creator, would know how to stop him.

Back at the Southern Slums, Scar is pressuring the exile about his knowledge on his tattooed arm, who mentions the lives that are contained within it. Rick and Leo arrive to inform him of the military's presence in the area.

Lt. Hawkeye announces that as long as there is no resistance, the Ishvalans will be escorted to the official military settlement for them to live once they confirm all the refugees' identities. Yoki intervenes, hoping to find Scar to get what he was promised, but is shot dead by an apparent gunshot wound in the head. Despite not hearing gunfire, unknown to the Mustang Unit and the other soldiers present, the "gunshots" are actually Lust's "Ultimate Spear", with Gluttony mimicking the gunfire sounds. However, the situation testifies when some of the soldiers start firing their guns in confusion, and it injures a few refugees. Pretending to be part of their group, the words of the two homunculi convince the more radical Ishvalans to fight despite Scar's master trying to diffuse the situation. As the Ishvalan refugees start throwing rocks, Colonel Mustang decides to step in to get the riot under control.

Back at Dublith, though impressed that the Elrics made it through the gate and back alive, Izumi stresses that, by doing so, they have not only expressly disobeyed her teachings but also repeated the very same mistake she made and formally expels them as her pupils. Dejected but understanding, the Elrics, Winry and Sig head off to the train station, where Sig sees them off and invites them to return to visit at any time. When Edward notes that visits might be difficult now that they've been expelled, Sig scolds him for his obtuseness and, along with Winry, points out now that the mentor-pupil relationship has been dissolved, the Elrics can speak to Izumi as a peer. Realizing their mistake, the Elrics rush back to the house with the intent of speaking frankly to Izumi about the gate, the truth and how to create a Philosopher's Stone without human sacrifice. Izumi begrudgingly accepts them back into her home.

Unbeknownst to them, Lt. Colonel Archer is keeping them under observation, especially due to the conflicting reports of the Führer being in the south, investigating the homunculi, despite that he is at Central Command. Archer mentions to Major Armstrong that he hopes, by following the Elrics' movements, he can confront the chimeras and Kimbley again. Greed decides to leave to investigate something while his henchmen return to the Devil's Nest.

Izumi posits that Al likely saw a great deal more of what was inside the gate than either she or Ed, since the "toll" he had paid was not a body part but his entire physical being. But when Al reveals that he has absolutely no recollection of what happened between the rebound of the human transmutation and waking up in his armor body, Izumi suggests that the great psychological shock of the gate must have driven Alphonse's memories into repression. Ed brings up his belief of the term Equivalent Exchange, but Izumi points out her doubts on how true said term is supposed be by giving her own mistake as an example. She then asks the eavesdropping Mason to direct them to the home of her old teacher, Dante, to pick up medicine for her. Izumi wishes the Elrics a good trip, as it should be "educational".

The next morning, Ed ignores Al's question on how homunculi are born as they travel to Dante's and when they arrive, they recognize Lyra, who was Yoki's former subordinate that they met three years ago. As she leads them to where Dante is, Lyra apologizes to the Elrics for everything when they last met and are the reason for her tremendous change. Lyra also explains that she is Dante's student to improve her alchemy and become as great as her, and thanks Ed for granting her this opportunity. Ed admits that Lyra sure has done a 180. The Elrics meet Dante and learn of her connection to Izumi, while Greed observes them and sends word to have his forces join up with him as Kimbley talks with Mr. Tucker about Archer's offer due to Tucker also being a former State Alchemist.

As Dante responds to the Elrics' question about using alchemy to help people, which is her reason for studying it, she then responds to their second question that the Philosopher's Stone can only bring people unhappiness and she identifies that their father--to whom she also knew-- was after the Philosopher's Stone as well. Additionally, she inquires for information to Hohenheim's whereabouts, which Ed doesn't care about, and he angrily heads outside.

This only helps with Greed's plans, and he sends the chimeras to deal with Al, while he and Kimbley deal with Ed. As Ed begins the fight yet finds his automail arm useless against Greed's Ultimate Shield, Greed sucker punches Ed, knocking him unconscious. Inside, Al spots the unconscious Lyra and heads back to Dante, who is being held at knife-point by Greed's henchmen. The chimeras reveal they plan to kidnap Al and ask he doesn't resist. Al pretends to use the concept of not going with strangers to get Dolcetto to drop his guard by having Dolcetto lecture him, so he can hit him. Al makes it clear he is not going with them as he prepares to face Roa and Martel.

Episode Notes

• This episode has adapted content from Chapter 25: Master and Apprentice and Chapter 26: To Meet the Master.
• The title of this episode may be a reference to opening lines of the first book in The Divine Comedy series, Dante's Inferno.
• Wrath's relief and warm emotions in being rescued by his mother's embrace is a prime example of a homunculus's conflicted psyche; the state of being torn between the dual identities of the person they were meant to be and the individuals that they are themselves. (See: here for more information.) It is also the first indication that Wrath's love for his mother still resonates deeply inside of him, beneath even all of the hatred, rage and bitterness.
• The Elric brothers' difficulty on talking to each other about how homunculi are born hints that they have begun to suspect who was born as a result of their own transgression with human transmutation. This subject is brought up again nine episodes later.

See also

• Episode 13: Beasts of Dublith (2009 series)