Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa

When Edward finally regained his arm after the series events, his and Alphonse's souls collided with the Gate of Alchemy during the transmutation. This collision tore them from their homeworld and deposited them on a parallel Earth in 1923 where alchemy no longer worked and science ruled instead. Their newly rebuilt limbs felt unfamiliar in a world that operated under completely different natural laws.

Alfons Heiderich was a brilliant, idealistic engineer in 1925 Munich who became Edward's closest ally in the quest to find a way home. He bore a striking physical resemblance to Alphonse, which created a meaningful bond with Edward. Alfons and Edward worked together pushing the boundaries of rocketry and flight technology, with Alfons ultimately sacrificing his life to launch Edward back through the Gate.

The resemblance is never explicitly explained in the film, but it creates a poignant parallel as Edward forms a new bond while separated from his brother.

The Thule Society, led by Karl Haushofer and Dietlinde Eckhart, viewed the Gate between worlds as a blueprint for power and wanted to use it to create a utopia they called Shamballa. They imprisoned Hohenheim and weaponized the homunculus Envy to pry open a portal into Edward's world. Their soldiers used armor and technology from the alchemical world to attack Liore, and they planned to equip Adolf Hitler's revolution with these powerful weapons.

Edward chose to seal the Gate from the other side to prevent the Thule Society's weapons and soldiers from crossing between worlds and causing further destruction. While sealing it meant sacrificing his own chance to return home to Amestris, it was necessary to stop Eckhart's plans and protect both worlds from the cataclysmic threat. His brother Alphonse chose to stay with him rather than return alone.

Throughout the film, Edward struggles with the burden of responsibility for his brother's fate, making this sacrifice consistent with his character arc.

While Edward was in the parallel world, Alphonse in Amestris fought through danger to reach the underground city beneath Central. He attempted to reopen the Gate using the scraps of his soul and his armor's power. With Wrath's help, Alphonse transmute fused Wrath and Gluttony into raw material to pry open the Gate, creating the pathway Edward needed to return and confront Eckhart.

Wrath's fatal wound and willingness to help Alphonse sets up this crucial sacrifice that enables the final confrontation.

Wrath, one of the homunculi who campaign against humans, guided Alphonse toward the underground world to reclaim the Gate but received a fatal wound in the process. To save his brother and pry open the Gate, Alphonse was forced to transmute and fuse Wrath and Gluttony into raw material. This brutal transmutation allowed the Gate to be reopened but came at great cost to Alphonse's already depleted soul.

Wrath's presence throughout the series as a complex antagonist who ultimately chooses to help the Elrics makes his sacrifice meaningful.

Alfons was killed when he launched Edward in a rocket-powered plane for the final attempt to return to their world and close the rift. Despite knowing the extreme danger, Alfons proceeded with the launch, giving Edward the crucial time needed to reach the Gate and confront Eckhart. His death was a direct sacrifice that made Edward's success possible, leaving Edward with Winry's automail as a tangible reminder of home and the bonds he was fighting to protect.

Noah was a Romani woman Edward rescued from being sold in Munich. She reminded Edward of Rosé, a character from his past, and her presence stirred visions of his former life. Noah possessed mind-reading gifts which the Thule Society attempted to exploit to learn the steps to harness the Gate's power. Her connection to Edward was largely emotional and symbolic, representing his longing for home and the people he left behind.

Edward's attraction to Noah stems from her resemblance to Rosé, grounding his character in past trauma and loss.

Hohenheim, Edward and Alphonse's father, was imprisoned by the Thule Society and used as a catalyst to help pry open the portal between worlds. During the chaotic climax, Hohenheim and the homunculus Envy were transmuted together as part of the Gate-opening process. His fate was tied directly to the Society's attempt to create their Shamballa utopia, though the exact details of his ultimate outcome are left somewhat ambiguous in the film's chaos.

After Edward returns through the Gate and reunites with his world, he receives fresh automail from Winry Rockbell. This gift serves as a powerful emotional anchor, reminding Edward of his true home, his connections, and the personal relationships that define him. The automail represents both his past and his identity as the Fullmetal Alchemist, grounding him as he chooses to stay in his original world with his brother.

Fritz Lang, the famous Jewish film director in 1925 Munich, persuaded Edward to join him in hunting a dragon that would serve as inspiration for a new film. The dragon turned out to be the homunculus Envy in disguise. This pursuit led Edward into confrontation with the Thule Society's agents who subdued Envy, revealing the larger conspiracy at play. Lang also warned Edward about Eckhart's plan to arm Hitler, adding urgency to the mission.

The Thule Society planned to use the weapons and technology from Edward's alchemical world to empower Adolf Hitler's rising political movement. They believed that controlling the interdimensional Gateway would give them unprecedented power to reshape reality according to their utopian vision. Edward learned of this plan from Fritz Lang, which added a historical dimension to the conflict and intensified the urgency to stop them.

The Thule Society hurled armored soldiers through the Gate, and these mutated, zombie-like forces arrived in Liore, throwing the city into chaos. The attack forced both the Amestris military and the Elrics into a desperate counterstrike. This assault was part of the Society's larger plan to create conflict and demonstrate the power they could wield through the Gateway.