Episode 33: Al, Captured (2003 series)

Al, Captured
Series	Fullmetal Alchemist (anime)
Episode number	33
Japan airdate	May 29th, 2004
U.S.A. airdate	October 29th, 2005
Language	English/Japanese
Subtitles	English
Navigation
Preceded by	Dante of the Deep Forest
Followed by	Theory of Avarice

Synopsis

The Elric boys are separated when kidnappers take Al to their hideout, leaving Ed frantic to find his brother. Izumi steps in to help her protégés as always, and finds they've learned something from life she could never have taught them alone... Responsibility.

Full Synopsis

Alphonse faces the three chimeras: Roa, Martel and Dolcetto. Martel is able to get into his armor and uses her snake-like abilities to hinder his movements enough so Roa can restrain him. Once the signal is blown, Greed prepares to leave but not before picking Edward up, planning on injuring him further so he can't pursue them. However, noticing Dante and Lyra, Greed drops Edward back on the ground and leaves at once with Kimblee, returning to their hideout.

A short while later, Ed is searching the city for Al, while Izumi and Sig meet with Dante, who informs them of the situation. The only clue they have is the cigarettes left behind with the words Devil's Nest on them. Dante and Izumi talk about their different philosophies on the way of the world and Izumi concludes their conversation that the Elric brothers would find a truth different from Dante and her obsession with alchemy. As Izumi leaves with Sig, Dante bids her farewell while doubting that they will ever meet again.

At the Devil's Nest underground bunker, Al converses with Dolcetto and Martel and asks how they became chimeras. They respond that they were once soldiers injured on the battlefield out in the east and then turned into chimeras as research subjects before Greed broke them out of their imprisonment in the fifth laboratory. Greed then returns, revealing that their place is for people who can no longer live normal lives. Al notices Tucker and Greed laments that they only need him to treat the chimeras. Al sees that Greed is a homunculus from the ouroboros tattoo on his left hand, believing him to be friends with the other homunculi, but Greed rebuttals that his fellow homunculi brethren are sworn enemies. Getting down to business, Greed interrogates Al on his existence as a soul bound to a non-living object, citing that Al's state is the closest thing to immortality - Greed's own ultimate goal. He demands to know the secret of Al's body, threatening to take him apart for analysis if he doesn't comply. Al remarks that his brother will come to his rescue, only for Greed to laugh it off on what he did to Ed earlier. Furious, Al now knows Greed cannot be trusted and creates a transmuted stone hand to attack him. However, Greed shrugs off the attack, knocks Al down and apologizes to Martel, who is still inside Al's armored body. Greed then allows Roa to behead him with a sledgehammer and, right before Al's eyes, Greed's head grows back in a matter of seconds as if the damage had never been done. He reveals that even his homunculus body is not truly immortal. Someone then creates a door to the underground bunker, which Al believes is Ed, but is actually Izumi, who has arrived with Sig.

Outside, Ed runs into Major Armstrong and accuses the military of tailing him and letting Al get kidnapped. Armstrong reveals the chimeras are also the military's target and they are going to raid their hideout, the Devil's Nest. Back inside, Izumi has defeated the chimeras and tries to attack Greed with a clenched fist, informing him that she will take Al back home, but his Ultimate Shield blocks her attack. After yelling at Al for what she is going to do to him and Ed afterward for what happened on their errand, Izumi manipulates the floor with alchemy to trap Greed. Once Greed mentions his intentions to Izumi, she uses the same alchemy attack that Al used earlier, but it also has no effect, allowing Greed to break free. As they are surrounded, Sig attacks the chimeras, leaving Izumi to face Greed. When she attacks Greed with a spear, her condition affects her, rendering her helpless until Ed arrives.

Back outside, the troops, led by Lt. Colonel Archer, prepare for their attack. Back inside, Ed demands that Greed let his brother and their teacher go. Al reveals to Ed that Greed is a homunculus and Izumi breaks free when Greed is caught off-guard by Ed. Once Ed and Izumi's next attack fails and then with Izumi now helpless from her condition, Ed must face Greed alone. Back outside, the military operation begins and Kimblee has killed Ulchi in another room to get to his safe. While fighting Ed, Greed points out how similar their obsessions are due to what they are seeking, although Ed denies the facts - explaining that, he only cares about restoring his brother back to the body he was born with and points out that if homunculi are mistakes of the alchemists who created them - the results of their sins - then those said mistakes should be corrected starting right now. Taking Ed's seriousness to heart, Greed transforms into his full armored form and is able to resist Ed's attacks, pointing out that he can't beat him or the other homunculi because Ed has never intentionally killed anyone before.

The military continues its raid as Kimblee now carries the skull of the human from whom Greed was created and around which Greed becomes vulnerable. Greed is then informed as to what is happening upstairs, and although they block the door, Kimblee alchemically blows up the wall on the side as he arrives with Archer. Recognizing that Kimblee has the skull, Greed realizes that Kimblee has betrayed him. Kimblee and Archer continue on their way elsewhere while Greed and his chimera gang retreat through the hole created by Roa, taking Al with them and Ed gets punched in the face and knocked to the ground by Dolcetto as he leaves. Before Ed can pursue them, the soldiers arrive and hold him at gunpoint, explaining that Archer demands to meet with him.

Trivia and See Also

• This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 26: To Meet the Master, Chapter 27: The Beasts of Dublith and Chapter 28: A Fool's Courage
• Episode 13: Beasts of Dublith (2009 series)
• Episode 14: Those Who Lurk Underground (2009 series)