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Story Arcs (Manga / 2009 Anime)

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In media, especially manga and anime, a Story Arc refers to a string of related manga chapters or anime episodes which have something in common. An "Arc" may be a string of episodes in which a specific villain is prominent throughout, or may be a string of episodes related to a newly introduced character, or have any number of reasons that make the episodes/chapters more related. Fullmetal Alchemist, like any narratively driven work, can also be broken up into several distinct story arcs, which is useful for discussion purposes.

The 2003 anime adaptation, while largely being its own story with its own unique arcs, still adapts many of the manga's story arcs into its own story, particularly in the early portion of the anime. As such, comparisons will be made when the manga and 2003 anime present interpretations of the same events. To see the story arcs of the 2003 anime, please see its own tab.

Please note that, unlike other manga and anime, Fullmetal Alchemist has never been given official story arcs. Therefore, the arc names and divisions prevented here are unofficial and subject to change, serving only to aide in discussion for fans and editors alike.

List of Story Arcs[]

Prologue[]

Long after the original run of the manga concluded, a short prequel chapter titled The Journey Begins was released (on the cover, it is titled "Volume 0", but is only a single chapter). The chapter starts with 12-year-old Edward Elric celebrating passing the State Alchemy Exam, before setting out with his brother Alphonse to begin their journey. The chapter ends by showing a happy Tucker Family with Mrs. Tucker still present.

There is also Fullmetal Alchemist: The Prototype, which while not not canon and not a prequel chronologically, serves as a prequel to the manga in a meta sense, being the first draft of the Fullmetal Alchemist story by Hiromu Arakawa.

First Arc[]

First Arc

The very first arc of the series, which covers the entirety of Volume 1. It spans Edward and Alphonse's trip to Reole and ends with the death of Nina Tucker.

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (5) Volumes (2)
Anime Episodes

Brotherhood
Brotherhood greatly condensed this arc. The events of Chapter 4 are completely skipped (and implied to not have happened), while the events in Youswell are only briefly alluded to once by Yoki much, much later. Additionally, Brotherhood's only fully filler episode serves as the anime's pilot episode, takes place just before the events of Reole, showing the Elric brothers helping to arrest the new character of Isaac McDougal, an alchemist who believes the Führer-President King Bradley is evil. In the next episode during the train ride to Reole, the Elric brothers reminisce about their failed attempt to revive their dead mother. This flashback normally occurs much later in the manga, during the Dublith Arc.
2003 Anime
Due to events being rearranged, this arc plays out a bit differently. The events of Reole are the "start" of the story chronologically, with the events of Youswell, Bald, and the Tucker family being shown after, but made part of a long sequence of episodes that serves as a flashback of events that happened before the brothers' trip to Reole.

Specifically, the events regarding Bald occur when Edward is 11 years old, heading to Central City with the hopes of being able to become a State Alchemist. The Elric brothers are introduced to Tucker not to learn about his bio alchemy, but because Mustang believes he can help the brothers study to pass the State Alchemist exam. Alphonse initially also studies for and partakes in the State Alchemist exam, but ultimately drops out under Mustang's insistence to avoid having to reveal the nature of his armour body (specifically, that he and his brother committed the taboo of Human Transmutation). During Edward's stay with the Tuckers, he has his 12th birthday party, where he ends up helping to deliver the baby Elicia Hughes. The events of Youswell are still placed after Edward became a State Alchemist, but are moved to take place after Bald's train terrorism and after the events of the Tucker family. The events at Youswell also mark the end of the 2003 anime's string of "flashback" episodes, with the next episode resuming the current timeline.

Aside from this shift in timeline, the events as depicted in the 2003 anime play out mostly the same as in the original manga, although Marin is added as a passenger on the train Bald terrorises, and Lyra is added as an aspiring alchemist who works under Yoki. It also expands a bit on Rose and her deceased boyfriend, revealing his name is Cain. Additionally, the flashback to Edward and Alphonse's childhood showing Trisha's death, which normally occurs during the Dublith Arc, is placed directly after Reole (starting the flashback sequence) but flashbacks regarding Izumi and her training still occur in the Dublith Arc as normal.

Brotherhood Episodes (2/4)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (5/8)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here


Scar Arc[]

Scar Arc

This arc starts with the Elric brothers learning that the Tucker family has been murdered, and covers the Elric brothers' first encounter with Scar and their recuperation afterward at their hometown of Resembool, along with their reuniting with Winry for the first time in two years.

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (4) Volumes (2)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (2/2)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (4/4)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Laboratory 5 Arc[]

Laboratory 5 Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (4) Volumes (2)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (3/3)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (6/6)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Post Lab 5 Arc[]

Post Lab 5 Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (3) Volumes (1)

Volume 4 (3/4)

Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (2/2)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (3/3)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Rush Valley Arc[]

Rush Valley Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (3) Volumes (1)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (1/1)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (1/1)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here


Dublith Arc[]

Dublith Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (12) Volumes (4)
Anime Episodes

In both anime, certain scenes from this arc were moved to the First Arc. In the 2003 anime, the scenes are moved to Episode 3: Mother. In the 2009 anime, the scenes are moved to Episode 1: Fullmetal Alchemist and Episode 2: The First Day.

Brotherhood Episodes (3/3)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (8/8)[note 1]
Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Ling Arc[]

Ling Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (8) Volumes (3)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (5/5)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Revelations Arc[]

Revelations Arc

Ed has several major revelations in this arc, including learning that Maria Ross is actually still alive, that Scar was the one who killed Winry's parents, and that the "person" made when he and Alphonse attempted Human Transmutation wasn't their mother at all (which he confirms by digging up the failed transmutation's corpse). Also, while at the ruins of Xerxes, Ed discovers a broken transmutation array that reveals the extent of Father's goals.

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (5) Volumes (2)
Anime Episodes

Brotherhood
Insert any changes made by Brotherhood here
2003 Anime
While the 2003 Anime mostly stopped adapting the manga's storyline, numerous smaller aspects from this arc were adapted into the 2003 anime's story.

  • The city of Xerxes, which is first mentioned during this arc, doesn't appear itself in the 2003 anime, but is actually alluded to by Dante. When confronting her in the Underground City, Edward accuses her of stealing the citizens' souls, to which Dante retorts, "Don't forget the fabled lost civilisation in the east. It was the same." Xerxes is canonically to the east of Amestris. In the subbed version, she even clarifies, "which was destroyed overnight." which is a direct parallel to how the citizens of Xerxes disappeared overnight when made into a Philosopher's Stone.
  • Edward digging up his mother's remains occurs within the 2003 anime as well, although the context is completely different. It's still done by Edward alone (without Alphonse), but no longer done to find a sense of closure. Instead, it's necessary to obtain a piece of Trisha's remains in order to weaken the Homunculus Sloth, who in the 2003 anime is a completely different character. This also means that, unlike in the manga and Brotherhood, Edward digs up the real Trisha's remains, rather than the fake version created from the failed transmutation. (The 2003 anime establishes that all Homunculi are created as a byproduct of Human Transmutation. The only way to kill them is to have a piece of the remains of the human used to transmute them, which weakens them.)
  • The concept of Winry's parents being murdered during the Ishval Massacre was kept, but the circumstances and repercussions are very different. Most notably, Mustang is revealed to be her parents' killer rather than Scar, having been ordered to kill her parents due to them giving medical assistance to the Ishvalans. The act weighed so heavily on Mustang that he nearly took his own life.
Brotherhood Episodes (2/2)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Scar Returns Arc[]

Scar Returns Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (4) Volumes (2)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (3/3)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Envy Arc[]

Envy Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (8) Volumes (3)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (6/6)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Ishval Arc[]

Ishval Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (6) Volumes (3)
Anime Episodes

This arc was gutted considerably for Brotherhood, glossing over much of the war. Brotherhood also decided to not show all events it did adapt related to Ishval consecutively, with flashbacks to the war inserted into various arcs throughout the series.

The 2003 anime adaptation diverged before it got to this arc of the story, however the war in Ishval is still a major plot point in that story, and events related to the war that were shown in earlier manga arcs were kept, albeit altered to fit the new narrative.

Brotherhood Episodes (3/3)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Briggs Arc[]

Briggs Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (21) Volumes (5)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (15/15)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

The Promised Day Arc[]

The Promised Day Arc

Insert brief arc summary here

Manga Chapters
Original release: {{{Original Release}}}

Insert detailed manga summary here

Main Chapters (20) Volumes (6)
Anime Episodes

Describe any changes made by the either anime here

Brotherhood Episodes (19/19)[note 1] 2003 Anime Episodes (0/0)[note 1]

N/A

Film Trilogy

Describe any changes made by the film here

Epilogue[]

Another Journey's End, the bonus chapter of Volume 27, serves as an epilogue and conclusion of the series as a whole. It takes place immediately after the main events of Journey's End, but before Alphonse has fully recovered and set out on his journey to Xing, as evidenced by his thin face and walking around with a cane. It reveals the fate of Alphonse's suit of armour, which his soul had been bound to for almost the entire series.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 The number on the left is how many of these episodes are canon to the Manga's version of the arc. The number on the right is how many total episodes are in the Anime's version of the arc.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 While these flashbacks are canon, they occur during the Dublith Arc in the manga.
  3. ↑ While Edward's meeting with the Tucker family and his helping deliver a baby are based on canon, the context of both are heavily altered.

Site Navigation[]

Story Arcs
First Arc 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5
Scar Arc 6 • 7 • 8 • 9
Laboratory 5 Arc 10 • 11 • 12 • 13
Post Lab 5 Arc 14 • 15 • 16
Rush Valley Arc 17 • 18 • 19
Dublith Arc 20 • 21 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
Ling Arc 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39
Revelations Arc 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44
Scar Returns Arc 45 • 46 • 47 • 48
Envy Arc 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56
Ishval Arc 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62
Briggs Arc 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 • 83
Promised Day Arc 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 • 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 • 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 100 • 101 • 102 • 103 • 104 • 105 • 106 • 107 • 108
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