Edward Gate Sacrifice

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Lore & Background

The story is set in the country of Amestris, where Edward and Alphonse Elric live with their mother Trisha. After she dies of illness, they commit Human Transmutation to bring her back. The consequences are immediate: Edward loses his left leg, and Alphonse is pulled into the Gate of Truth. Edward sacrifices his right arm to save his brother's soul, binding it to a suit of armor. Their missing limbs are replaced with automail prosthetics crafted by the town's mechanic, whose granddaughter Winry Rockbell serves as their childhood friend. The brothers later receive an invitation from Colonel Roy Mustang to join the military, becoming the youngest State Alchemist with the title "Fullmetal Alchemist." They seek the Philosopher's Stone to restore their bodies but learn through Dr. Tim Marcoh that these stones are created unethically from human lives, causing Edward a breakdown where he realizes he can no longer depend on such methods.

In Their Own Story

Edward and Winry locate Marcoh only to find him murdered by Lust, an assassin who is later revealed as a homunculus. At the Tuckers' home, the brothers discover that bio-alchemy authority Shou Tucker transmuted his daughter Nina and her dog into a chimera to keep his credentials. After Tucker's arrest, Major Maes Hughes discovers disturbing truths from Marcoh's notes before being killed by Envy. Edward follows clues to the Fifth Laboratory, finding an insane Tucker holding Alphonse and Winry hostage. When Lust kills Tucker, Hakuro reveals the military created Philosopher's Stones using human hostages and activates a Mannequin Soldier army. Mustang kills Lust and tears out her powering stone, offering it to Edward to restore Alphonse. The brothers refuse the stone due to its origin. Instead, Edward uses the stone to appear before his brother's corporeal body at the Gate of Truth, promising to find another way to restore him without using human lives.

Reader's Guide

The narrative arc covering these events is adapted from the first four volumes of the original manga series. The film was officially announced for production in May 2016 after delays due to budget and technology constraints, with principal photography taking place in Italy (specifically Volterra) starting the first week of June 2016 and finishing on August 26, 2016. Director Fumihiko Sori emphasized using Hollywood-level CG techniques for the character Alphonse, noting that "since the main characters are the two brothers, where there is Ed, there will always be Al." The film covers the plot up to Edward's refusal of the Philosopher's Stone and his appearance at the Gate. Released in Japan on December 1, 2017, by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was later released on Netflix as a Netflix Original Film on February 19, 2018. The English dub featured original anime voice actors Vic Mignogna, Aaron Dismuke, and Caitlin Glass.

Did You Know?

• Director Fumihiko Sori stated that the film covers only the first four volumes of the 27-volume original manga.
• The visual effects were provided by Japanese company OXYBOT inc., utilizing techniques similar to those in The Avengers.
• Shooting for the Italian scenes took place in Volterra, identified as the fictional town Reole in the film.
• The theme song "Kimi no Soba ni Iru yo" was performed by Misia.
• Two sequels were released in 2022: The Revenge of Scar and The Final Alchemy.