In both the FMA and FMA Brotherhood series, the main character carries a pocket watch. On the lid of the watch, it is inscribed, “Don’t forget 3 Oct. 11.” In this article, we will be exploring the significance of October 3rd in the FMA series.
Note: In the 2003 FMA anime, the year is given as 1910. But in FMA Brotherhood and the manga, the year is 1911. The 2003 version was not canon, had extra fluff, and overall, was not very accurate. So in this article, we will be considering the year given in the manga and the FMAB anime.
In FMA, what does “Don’t Forget October 3rd” mean?
It is simply a reminder for Edward Elric. He carved the words himself when he was young, and they serve as his primary drive to keep searching for the philosopher’s stone.
What’s more interesting is that he sealed the watch with alchemy, so that it can only be opened with the help of alchemy. This indicates that it was a very dear and important message to him.
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What Happened On October 3rd In FMA?
October 3rd, 1911, marks the beginning of the adventure of the Elric Brothers. They set fire to their house after losing their mother.
They had dabbled in forbidden alchemy and paid a dear price that made them learn a lesson—the dead can’t be brought back to life.
After giving up on reviving his mom, Edward’s primary goal became finding a way to bring back Alphonse’s body. His secondary objective was to bring his own arms and legs back.
In order to do this, they needed to find the fabled philosopher’s stone, which should be capable of incredible feats.
This is what happened on October 3rd in FMA.
What is the significance of the date for Edward Elric?
As far as Edward is concerned, it was his fault that his brother lost his body. And he had the responsibility to bring it back and make his brother normal.
Alphonse has suffered a lot because of not having an actual body. He can’t eat, sleep, or taste anything. The very thing that makes people “human” are their senses, and he didn’t have them.
Having witnessed all this, Edward desperately wanted to save his younger brother. This is why, on FMA October 3rd 1911 they destroyed their house to show their resolve. They will have no home to return to, so they will have to keep adventuring till they find a cure.
Another reason why October 3 is important to him is because it reminds him of the sin the Elric brothers committed, and their resolve to fix it.
In FMA, why did the Elric Brothers burn down their house?
The brothers tried to revive their dead mother and created an abomination with her appearance. This was all at the cost of Alphonse’s body and Edward’s limbs. They lost a lot on that day.
It was a terrible memory for the brothers, and they regretted it deeply. This is one of the reasons why they burned it down on October 3rd in FMA. It was to burn away their regrets and bad memories.
Another reason is to force them to travel across the lands in search of the philosopher’s stone. This way, they can bring back their body parts. It shows their resolve to do that.
