As one shared journey ends, many journeys begin. Those most touched by the conflict which surrounded the Philosopher's Stone now go their separate ways. One thing is certain: they will meet again.
Full Synopsis
Dr. Knox arrives at the hospital asking to see Colonel Mustang while accompanied by a mysterious stranger. In his hospital room, Mustang is being tutored by his subordinates on what to answer when he is asked about the new plans he has for re-establishing the nation of Ishval and a surprised Knox asks him how he intends to move forward without his sight. Mustang replies that even with his handicap, he can't just sit still; as Ishval is where all of this began for them, he plans to repay the Ishvalan people with the return of their holy land. Knox calls in his mystery companion, revealing that it is Marcoh who has accompanied him. Marcoh reveals that he still has a Philosopher's Stone with him and states that, if Mustang is going to be aiding the Ishvalans, it is only right that he use the Stone forged from their countrymen's lives to help him achieve that goal. Setting aside how Fullmetal might scold him, Mustang agrees to the exchange, but notes that Havoc must be healed before him.
At the Armstrong mansion, Olivier and Miles oversee the recovering Scar and explain that they had initially saved him so that Briggs could learn alkahestry, but since Mustang has asked Miles to head the Ishval reconstruction project, the situation has changed and Miles expresses his desire to bring Scar onto the project with him. Stating that he will not allow the Ishvalan culture to die out, he asks Scar to help rebuild the Ishvalan religion. Scar complies and Armstrong, content with this development, asks Scar for his real name. However, the Ishvalan ex-murderer remarks that, as a person who has died twice, he no longer has a name and will accept whatever she deems fit to call him.
On the way to Resembool, Edward and Alphonse take a rest due to Al's atrophied muscles, but when Al tells Ed to go on ahead without him, he refuses and states that since they left home together, they will arrive together. They wonder to themselves how Ling and May are faring and remember the previous day when Ling informed May that the Yao clan would be the new rulers of Xing, but that he would use his power as emperor to protect the Chang clan and all the others as well. With that, the warriors of Xing had departed together for their homeland after saying their goodbyes to the Elrics with Ling pointing out that they are heading back quickly so they can bury Fu.
The boys arrive at the Rockbell house and, hearing them greet Den, Winry heads outside to meet them. Seeing the boys together and whole again after so many years, she breaks into tears, embracing them both exuberantly and welcoming them back.
Two years pass peacefully and Edward notes that he misses alchemy somewhat while fixing the roof by hand. Alphonse joins him to inform him that Winry has baked an apple pie. After Edward complains about how tired he is from making courtesy calls all over the country, Al mentions that they still have so much to do.
At the executive estate, Mrs. Bradley greets the new Führer, Grumman, who notes that his job is made so much easier by Mustang's work in the east and Armstrong's work in the north, but that he isn't ready to hand over his seat to either of them just yet. Their conversation is interrupted by young Selim, who still bears his Homunculus mark on his forehead. Noting his compassion toward an injured bird, Grumman remarks that Selim is growing into a kindhearted boy and Mrs. Bradley replies that despite everyone's objections to her desire to raise the little Homunculus, he is growing up very well. Grumman reminds her that he will need to take action if Selim begins exhibiting strange behavior, but Mrs. Bradley assures the Führer that he needn't worry. As he leaves, Führer Grumman wonders if Homunculi and humans can really learn to live together and remarks that the possibilities are exciting.
Alphonse arrives in Central City and pays a solo visit to Gracia and Elicia Hughes, relating stories of his brother and informing them that the two of them plan to split up in order to personally thank everyone who helped them along the way. Gracia chalks this up to the idea of Equivalent Exchange, but Alphonse mentions that he and his brother have proposed a new way of thinking in which one does not merely repay ten in exchange for having received ten, but instead takes ten for oneself and, in repaying it, adds one from oneself in order to give the next person eleven.
Leaving the Hughes', Al goes to meet his escorts Jerso and Zampano in the city and proposes that they travel to Xing, as he intends to learn alkahestry intensively under May's tutelage. Jerso and Zampano plan to accompany him as his bodyguards and hope that alkahestry will help them restore their own bodies. They ask if Edward is going east as well, but Al replies that Edward will be traveling to the west in order to find out what alchemical lessons that part of the world holds so that they can one day combine all the world's alchemy in order to help as many people as possible. But he also admits that they are really going so they can see the world.
In Resembool, Winry sees Edward off at the train station and scolds him to take better care of his automail leg while he's gone. The train pulls up and Edward prepares to board, but before he does, he turns to Winry and proposes an Equivalent Exchange between them in which he gives her half of his life and takes half of hers in return. Exasperated at this clumsy, alchemy-based proposal, Winry remarks that she is willing to give him much more than half. Edward laughs at her and her ability to overthrow Equivalent Exchange so easily and, embracing her, bids her farewell.
As he leaves on the train, Edward thinks to himself that, though lessons are worthless if they do not teach pain because gaining something always comes with sacrifice, people who are able to endure that pain gain a strong, Fullmetal Heart.
A pan of the pictures tacked on the wall of the Rockbell-Elric house depict the fates of most characters - Van Hohenheim's grave has been erected beside Trisha's; Scar and Miles work diligently to rebuild Ishval; Black Hayate has mated and sired a litter of puppies; Ling has become emperor of Xing; Yoki, Darius and Heinkel have joined the circus together; Mustang has regained his sight and grown a mustache, and plays a major role in the reconstruction of the eastern region with Riza, now with her hair short, still by his side; Rebecca Catalina appears to have taken over Madame Christmas' bar along with Breda and a fully rehabilitated Havoc; Falman has returned to service in the northern region. And in the final picture, a new Elric family photo is shown: with their journeys completed, Alphonse has returned to Amestris with May and Xiao-Mei, and Edward has married Winry, who has given birth to a little boy and a baby girl, and is still connected with Paninya and Garfiel. The final shot, just like the manga, shows Edward boarding a train with a wide grin.
Episode Notes
- This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 108: Journey's End.
- This is the final episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
- The image which appears in the background of this episode's title card is, instead of being an alchemical symbol as usual, a map of Amestris.
- The early scenes involving Mustang in this episode are notably different from the manga. In the manga, he is shown in a makeshift field hospital immediately following the battle, sitting alone in despair, when he is approached by Drs. Knox and Marcoh. Marcoh offers to give Mustang a Philosopher's Stone to trade for regaining his eyesight, but only if Mustang will reform the country's Ishval policy, which he agrees. In the episode, similar events take place later in a hospital room shared by Mustang and Hawkeye, but reforming the Ishval policy is Mustang's idea, and he is already working on it with his subordinates when Drs. Knox and Marcoh arrive.
- In this episode, Edward teases Alphonse about his attachment to May, something that the manga never sought to establish.
- In Chapter 108 of the manga, Jerso and Zampano reveal themselves to have taken up alchemy, presumably under Alphonse's tutelage, but that fact and their personal conversation regarding it are left out of this episode.
- Edward's inner monologue regarding the Fullmetal Heart was originally a message from Hiromu Arakawa to fans which she included in the manga's epilogue.
- The picture at the end depicting Edward and Winry's new family is staged in such a way that it is reminiscent of the family portrait that Van had taken with Trisha. However, while the manga only depicted this new picture with the Elric brothers, Winry, May and the two children, Garfiel and Paninya appear in the version depicted in this episode.
- The English dub refers to Den as a male, while in the Manga and sub Den is a female.
- In the epilogue, Ling becomes the Emperor of Xing.
- Like the preceding episode, this episode begins without an opening theme, and rather shows the series title. "Ray of Light" plays as an insert song. "Hologram" plays during the epilogue of the series.
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