Fullmetal Alchemist Volume Four is a manga by Hiromu Arakawa, and it was released in North America by Viz Media in 2005. Fullmetal Alchemist is rated “T” for teens; from what I’ve read of the manga and from seeing both of the anime series, I would agree with this rating.
Edward and Alphonse Elric are brothers who practice alchemy. After the death of their mother, they try to bring her back to life by using alchemy. In alchemy, there is law of equal exchange; when they tried bringing their mother back, Alphonse lost his body. Edward attached Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor; in order to do this, Edward had to sacrifice one his arms and one of his legs.
Their friend, Winry Rockbell, and her grandmother Pinako, created prosthetics for Edward that are known as “auto-mail.” Edward has become a State Alchemist, and has been given the name “Fullmetal Alchemist;” he is also the youngest State Alchemist in history. The series follows Ed and Al as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary artifact that the brothers believe will allow them to recover their bodies.
During the first three volumes of the series, Ed and Al go through several adventures; during some of those adventures, Ed finds himself going through some soul searching. This reaches a peak during the story where he meets Shou Tucker, the “Sewing-Life Alchemist,” and his daughter Nina. The brothers also meet a man known only as Scar, who uses alchemy to kill State Alchemists. They learn a very important secret in regards to the Philosopher’s Stone, and they also meet a woman with photographic memory named Sheska.
Volume Four begins with Ed and Al at the 5th Laboratory located in Central. While Ed encounters two Homunculi and ends up getting a hint to something that will happen later in the series, Al’s opponent plants seeds of doubt into his mind about whether or not he truly existed before he was the suit of armor.
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