The idea of a cycle of hatred comes
up many times in Fullmetal Alchemist. It's easy to define and understand: When someone
hurts another person, that person in turn may hurt more people, and so on. In the end, it creates
a perpetual cycle of hate creating more hate. Of course, if this cycle continues,
everyone will lose and suffer. The original Fullmetal Alchemist manga and
Brotherhood are concerned with having the audience comprehend this cycle. From there, the
story deconstructs the logic that underlies it, showing how it's built on faulty reasoning.
Afterward, the cycle is reconstructed into something far better. In other words,
the story provides other options for how people can treat one another or react
to the atrocities that some people commit. This thematic idea--the idea that revenge
is bad and reconciliation is good--is by no means unique. In fact, it's very common.
But the story manages to stand out by approaching this idea from multiple angles. By showing how
crimes against humanity are committed, how people can fight back against a system of violence, and
how a new system may be able to take its place. Of course, this all needs
to start with comprehension. PART 1: COMPREHENSION "I was just doing my job" is an incredibly
loaded phrase. With these 6 simple words, it's possible to thrust responsibility for one's
actions onto an authority figure or system. In doing so, one can grapple with guilt and
shame by claiming that they aren't guilty, that they never even did anything wrong. Because,
this way, their actions aren't a biproduct of their decision-making. Instead, they are the
byproduct of someone else's decision making. And while it's a defense that's frequently
used in people's day-to-day lives, it's also been used in an attempt to justify truly
atrocious acts of violence on a widespread scale. Of course, part of the reason to use this defense
is that, if other people buy the argument, one may be able to avoid negative consequences.
But I think there's another, deeper reason: For most people, it's hard to accept that they
played a part in something truly horrible. That they had a massive negative
impact on the world, on other people. That they ruined and even ended lives. Wouldn't
it be easier to say that it wasn't their fault? That they didn't really do anything wrong
themselves? That they were just doing orders? I think it would be. Because it's
hard to accept that, sometimes, there's no going back. That there's
no fixing the mistake you made. At the core of Fullmetal Alchemist's
Ishbalan War of Extermination, there's this question of "why"? Why are
so many people dead? Why is there such widespread destruction? Why does the fighting keep
going? Basically, why did it turn out this way? Many characters have their own answers to these
questions, but Kimblee's and Hughes's takes are the most immediately revealing. In Kimblee's mind,
they're doing it because that's the job--that's what soldiers do. They perform the task
given to them by the leader of the military. In his mind, it's strange
that people can't accept that. However, everything Kimblee says is based on an
in assumption: The assumption that this is the job. However, Mustang and many other characters
believe that their job is to protect people. Of course, this answer is relatively
vague and open to interpretation. After all, what does it exactly mean
to "protect people"? Following orders is relatively straightforward, especially when
compared with asking what it means to "protect." It could be argued that all this killing, in the
long run, is the way to protect certain people, even to the great detriment and destruction of
others. Even so, these characters doubt that. And rightfully so, because they see the Ishbalan
people as, well, people and as part of the country they've sworn to protect. Yet, even these
people carry forward, and they follow orders. Hughes's reason that he keeps on fighting
is shorter and simpler than Kimblee's, but just as important: "I
don't want to die." That's it. Words of a man who fears for his own life and
who has something he still wants to live for. Hughes's words are also based on an assumption
though: The assumption that the way out of this is to keep fighting. However, there are
other options, and the story makes that clear. In Chapter 60 of the manga, we're introduced to
Brigadier General Fessler. Despite his position, Fessler is, above all else, incompetent.
He sends soldiers to die and acts like dying in the battlefield is something
beautiful. Even in the brief time we see him, it's clear that his recklessness is leading
to the deaths of many Amestrian soldiers. After both sides have suffered heavy losses
and Armstrong has fled from the battlefield, Basque Grand comes in to serve as a human
weapon. Eventually, the Ishbalans here surrender, offering up the highest man in charge
of the Ishbala religion to the army. This man hopes to trade his life for the life of
his people. Fessler, however, demands that the soldiers exterminate the rest of the Ishbalans
here, regardless of their surrender. But Basque Grand kills him and the soldiers agree to go under
his command. Here, Fessler's recklessness and his obvious lack of care for human life lands him
in a grave, killed by one of his own soldiers. From there, the Ishbalan leader
goes to give himself up to Bradley. Bradley's response? Well, he insults the Ishbalan
people and their religion but, more importantly, he says "no." He refuses this opportunity for
peace. He carries out the same position that Fessler was killed for: more will
die, including those in the army. Despite this option for peace being on
the table, the fighting will continue. If the soldiers turned against Fessler, why don't
they turn against Bradley? Maybe it's out of fear. Maybe out of a sense of duty. Either
way, from this moment forward, it's clear that Bradley is a danger to
everyone: Just like Fessler, he would have soldiers charge forward, killing their fellow
citizens as though it's a matter of course. Before, blaming this destruction on
a "job" was already questionable. But, from here, it's impossible. There was
a clear opportunity for peace, for respite, but the leader said "no" and the soldiers
fell in line to follow that command. No matter how hard it is, these soldiers need to
take personal responsibility. The soldiers may tell themselves that it's either that they kill
the Ishbalans or die themselves, but what about this corrupt command? Why must these orders be
obeyed, no matter how unreasonable or destructive? Well, authority is a powerful thing, and fear is,
too. Sure, following orders will lead to terrible things--that much is clear--but what about
the alternative? What happens if the soldiers attempt to overthrow Bradley? What happens if
they disregard orders? Will they get to go home to their families? Will their loved ones suffer
or be harmed by a corrupt government? Will they be killed by their comrades? One choice leads to
certain destruction, but the other one leads to an unknown. And, in the moment, that unknown can be
even more frightening than certain destruction. Even so, there was still a choice: to follow or not. Disobeyed orders may
come with horrible consequences, but following them will, too. People on both
sides of this conflict die. The military even gets to the point where Kimblee is sent to kill
the Rockbells because they're treating Ishbalans. Their operation is small, they're running out
of medicine, they're barely scraping by--and still, they must be killed. Because they offer
resistance. Because they dare to step outside the rigid boundaries of this violent edict to kill all
the Ishbalans. The corruption of the government won't stop just because the soldiers follow
orders; in fact, their compliance will only feed the corruption, and eventually that corruption
is liable to hurt many of them all the same. But accepting responsibility isn't easy
because that means that you're guilty, and guilt can destroy you. Dr. Knox is one of the characters who's
destroyed by guilt. During the war, he moved from treating live people to dealing
with dead bodies. Specifically, he examined and dissected the bodies of Ishbalans, in order to
research the effects pain and, in particular, burns had on them. Wracked by guilt, he sees
himself as unfit to go back and treat people; instead, he continues to work on dead bodies.
Sometimes, he would have night terrors and, when his wife would wake him, he would mistake her
for an enemy. He attacked her, almost killing her, and they couldn't stay together. This way,
the home that Dr. Knox fought to protect--that many of these soldiers fought to
protect--is lost all the same. Knox doesn't even seem to see himself as worthy
of having a cup of coffee with his family, asking God if it's really OK for a "guy
like him to happily drink it with them." Dr. Knox's son, however, berates his father
for his actions. He says, "Even though you can save someone's life, because you're scared,
you throw it aside. Not doing anything is the coward's way out." And though we don't get
to see what exactly Dr. Knox does from here, we do get to see what a somewhat
similar character does: Dr. Marcoh. Dr. Marcoh, like Dr. Knox, worked with the
Amestrian military and performed experiments using Ishbalans. Through these experiments,
he was able to create a Philosopher's stone. In turn, those stones were used to make the State
Alchemists even more powerful, and to destroy the Ishbalan people. However, he fled the military
with a stone, and used it to treat people in a small town. It's clear that he was making some
attempt to do the right thing from here on out, even if what he does now will never
be able to change what he already did. Still, like Knox, he's running away--he left
military with his research; he didn't fight the system that allowed a man like him to do what
he did. Later, however, he joins up with many of the heroes in their quest to overthrow the
government and defeat the homunculi. Using his knowledge of alchemy, he's even able to get the
upper-hand against Envy and assist in his capture. Here, we see that guilt can drive people forward.
That the sense of responsibility that comes along with it can help people do the right thing from
here on out. Mustang, Armstrong, Hawkeye, and many others all stand as examples of this. Each of
them feels that, some way or another, they failed, whether that be by following unreasonable orders
or by simply fleeing the battlefield. Regardless, they know they can't run because, without
larger change, there will be more people like them down the line. More human weapons,
charging into battle, just "following orders". Mustang and Armstrong even discuss their worries
that something like that could happen to Ed. But if the system changes--if such a thing weren't
allowed to happen in the first place--well, then there's a more hope for a brighter future.
It's important to take personal responsibility, but it's also important that this could happen
again. That others could make the same decisions. As such, these characters don't only take
responsibility for their own actions; they take responsibility for the future as well The story's message is clear: This is the
right thing to do. One can't avert their eyes from the sins they've committed. They must accept
responsibility and push forward to make the world a better place. Even if they can never change the
past, they need to do what they can now. After all, running away will do nothing to break the
cycle of hatred or stop further acts of violence. And that all sound good. But what
happens when you're on the other side? PART 2: DECONSTRUCTION Through Scar, we get to see the other
side of the Ishbalan War of Extermination. The side of someone who had their family,
friends, and way of life ripped away from them. The side of someone who has to
live with the survivor's guilt of having their world collapse around
them and somehow coming out alive. Where other characters in the series
are looking towards the future, Scar can't tear his eyes away from the past. To
him, there isn't any future worth considering because so much was already taken from him.
Besides, in his mind, Amestris doesn't even deserve a future after what they've done.
It would be better to burn it all into the ground than to allow such a corrupt nation to
continue to exist or even potentially thrive. However, Scar's perspective isn't only
shaped by the end result of the war. During the war, he argues that Ishbal should stay
insular, that they never should have worked with Amestris at large, that his brother shouldn't be
studying alchemy, and so on. All in all, in times of trouble, Scar appeals to tradition. As such, he
outright rejects other perspectives and new ideas. But the world is more connected than Scar
thinks, and actions have consequences he can't comprehend. For example, his killing
of state alchemists could lead to surviving Ishbalans being discriminated against in even
worse ways. By extension, he could end up playing a large role in permanently dismantling
the culture he so badly wanted to protect. Of course, this is only speculation, but
his actions hurt Ishbal in concrete ways. After all, when Ed and Al are trying to understand
the Truth Behind the Truth, they want to go talk with Basque Grand, who was in charge of Laboratory
5's research. Unfortunately, Scar already killed him. Through him, they could have learned more
about the Philosopher's stones and, eventually, about the treatment of Ishbalan people during the
war. Scar didn't mean to, but he has assisted in covering up horrible crime against humanity.
In covering up the crime against his people. But Scar wouldn't think on this
level for one simple reason: He believes that all Amestrians are the same. So
what use would there be in leaving someone alive who could provide useful information? It's not
like anyone in Amestris will help. Besides, Scar thinks he already knows the extent of the crimes
committed against his people in Ishbal. What more could there be for him to learn? In Scar's mind,
Amestrians are the villains and Ishbalans are the victims, and that's that. There's no point of
discussing or considering this situation further. Of course, even if Ishbalans are victims,
not all Amestrians are villains. In fact, many Amestrians are victims themselves. Ed talks
about how "Resembool got destroyed because of the war" and says it "might have been a bustling city
if the government had been more on top of things." Later, a group of Ishbalans in the desert attack
Ed, and it's only thanks to the kindness of one of the elders that he doesn't have
to fight them or get hurt himself. Like Scar, these Ishbalans are full of
hate, and they are one step away from become assailants themselves. Winry's life
is particularly shaped by the war. After all, her parents treating Ishbalans who the government
attacked. She was left an orphan at a young age, regardless of the fact that she and her parents
didn't do anything wrong. Based on this alone, Scar's worldview and understanding of
other people is fundamentally flawed. But Winry isn't just a victim of the war. She's
specifically a victim of Scar's actions. Because, after waking up with his brother's arm, Scar
killed them in a fit of rage and confusion. In particular, I love the way Brotherhood frames
this scene. All the colour is drained from the world except one: blue--the blue of the Rockbells
eyes. The message is clear: Scar doesn't view them as individuals. He views them as Amestrians, as
people who have committed sins against his people. However, even when Scar faces this mistake--even
when he faces Winry--he hardly backs down. He places the blame on Amestris, telling Winry
and Ed that "their people were the first one to pull the trigger." He claims that the only way to
stop the cycle of hatred is to destroy both sides. Even this confrontation doesn't change the
pure hatred for Amestrians he has inside him. Instead, it's Winry's and Ed's response
that gets him to doubt himself even a little bit. For a moment, as Ed protects
her, he's able to see a connection. In Ed and Winry, he sees himself and his
brother--but now the roles have been reversed. He's the attacker, and they're his victims. Now,
he's like Kimblee. A man who's convinced himself that it's his job to carry out this task, to
commit acts of violence against other people. Earlier on, when Ed was attacked by
Ishbalans, the elder there didn't want to hurt Ed for a simple reason: She knew
that all Amestrians aren't the same. Later on, Ed builds upon this when he tells Miles that
"if they deal with one another as individuals, then it's possible to treat each other as equals." And this is what Scar is able to do here. For a
moment, he sees past his assumptions, and he's able to see Ed and Winry as individuals. Through
this, he doesn't see them as a State Alchemist and an Amestrian girl; he sees that even they,
with their different appearances and backgrounds, can connect with his and his brother's individual
experiences. He comes to realize that it's not appearance or cultural backgrounds that
truly define people; it's their actions. From here, what had previously been a quest to
deconstruct Amestris itself instead becomes a quest for Scar to deconstruct the reasoning behind
his own actions and feelings. From there, many of Scar's worldviews are challenged, including
some of the views he had even before the War. He sees that Alchemy can be used for both good
and evil and that there are many different types of alchemy. He interacts with people of all
sorts of different cultures and backgrounds, finds points of connection with them, and bands
together with them in pursuit of a common goal. This way, Winry isn't the only one that
challenges Scar and helps him change: No, his change stems from his interaction with
many people who have chosen different paths than his. To me, the most powerful of these is Miles,
an Ishbalan man who's a part of the Amestrian military, stationed in Briggs. Through him, Scar
is able to specifically see how another Ishbalan is managing to fight back against prejudice in
a different way. He's able to see that, despite the anger and pain that Miles experiences, he's
managed to choose a better path. He may be trying to deconstruct certain pieces of the system, but
he's also building up something else in its place, changing how things have worked before
and how they will work in the future. He may be learning from the past and still
suffering, but he's also looking forward. Before, Scar's alchemy stopped at deconstruction,
just as his worldview did. He understood that something was incredibly wrong with the world, but
he had no plans for how to positively change it. This hopelessness led him to even try and murder
Ed, a child, because he was an alchemist. But once he learns the final step--the step of
reconstruction--he's able to move forward as a beacon for positive change in the world. In the
end, despite all the horrible things he's done, he plays an instrumental part in breaking this cycle
of hatred, and of creating a new cycle from there. PART 3: RECONSTRUCTION In a way, Winry's parents actions during
the War are at the center of Fullmetal Alchemist. At first, that might seem strange.
After all, though they treated Ishbalans, most Ishbalans were still murdered or left without
a home. Besides, some people they treated didn't want anything to do with them. In the end, they
were killed by one of the people they treated and, even if that hadn't happened, they
would have been murdered by Kimblee. However, these actions create ripples. They
create avenues for understanding one another. They create a connection across cultures and
other dividing lines. They create a positive flow. Winry's parents' actions embody an idea that is
Scar's brother espouses: "All these tiny parts come together to form the great flow that makes
up the world. So if negative feelings pervade our world, then the flow of the rest of the
world will become negative." However, positive actions work the same way, leading to a positive
flow that results in the world becoming more, well, positive. This is also related to Mustang's
ideals. He sees that the strength of "one person is limited," but understands that he can
still "protect what he can and, in turn, those people will protect those below
them." Again, small actions create ripples, and those ripples create more ripples.
Eventually, the ripples can become a wave, resulting in a massive overhaul of the world,
in turning a negative flow into a positive one. The idea of everyone being part of a great
flow also points to a general theme of the importance of connection between people and
cultures. Through Scar, we've already looked at the importance of that, but this extends
further, to alchemy in general. After all, by researching the alchemy of both Amestris and
Xing, Scar's brother is able to design his own transmutation circle that will neutralize
Father's Nationwide Transmutation Circle. Here, Scar's brother is able to combine
cultural perspectives and knowledge to save everyone. Beyond that, without Al, Dr.
Marcoh, May, and Scar working together, his notes may have never been deciphered. Again,
many types of knowledge from many different people are necessary. Without all these positions and
perspectives--without the cooperation of the Ishbalan people, the souls inside Hohenheim, and
many members of the Amestrian military--Father would have won. Without these actions--without
this connection--the one would consume the all. Individuality, one of the very things that allowed
such knowledge to flourish, would be wiped out. Positive flow. That's what this all comes down
to. Because the Ishbalan elder lets Ed go, he learns what Scar did. Because
Scar is confronted by his past, he joins forces with people he had once vowed to
kill. Because he joins up with them, he's able to play a part in deciphering his brother's notes.
And I could go on and on. Each action, in turn, leads to another positive action. This way,
Fullmetal Alchemist sends a clear message: every positive action, no matter how fruitless
it may seem, can have a far greater impact than we'd initially imagine. At times, this cycle
of hatred may seem too powerful to break, but there's always something that can be done.
Every little action ads up. Through that, a cycle of hatred can be comprehended, deconstructed,
and reconstructed into something different: into a cycle of hope, a cycle of understanding, a
cycle of kindness. At first, such a task may seem too daunting for a single human to pull off. And
that's because it is. But even ordinary humans can band together to do something amazing and can
effect each other's lives in fantastic ways.
Yeah this video is great and shows off one of my favorite parts of FMA:B's plot and message