An announcement from the creator of the beloved manga Fullmetal Alchemist indicates that she's making a long-awaited return to shonen action and fantasy. The news had been hinted at earlier in the summer, but the latest issue of Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan, the magazine in which Fullmetal Alchemist originally ran, has provided the first details of what this new project will include.
The series' mangaka, Hiromu Arakawa, created Fullmetal Alchemist as her first manga series in 2001, with continued to run until 2010. Wildly popular, it received anime adaptations twice: once in 2003, and again under the title Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in 2009, which told a story closer to that of the manga as it neared its conclusion. Arakawa has been somewhat resistant to any attempts to continue the franchise the way other shonen series like Naruto have, and has spent most of the time since working on the slice-of-life farming series Silver Spoon, which ran from 2011 to 2019.
The announcement in the August issue of Monthly Shonen Gangan is light on details. It features a simple sketch, highlighting the presumed main character wielding a bow and standing on a mountainside before a steep stairway to the top. Other standouts in the image include a jailed woman, an ominous-looking cloaked man who looms large over the protagonist, and two animal-like beings with horns flanking the presumed protagonist. The stairs leading up the mountain are evocative of those commonly seen near Buddhist temples throughout Asia, complete with a gate out front, while the animalistic creatures resemble the mythical Chinese Pixiu, a legendary guardian creature with either one or two horns, depending on its gender. The image says "Coming soon!" but does not provide a title or an exact date, instead indicating that fans should watch Twitter or the magazine's website for further news.
With so little solid information, fan speculation has been running wild; while there's no indication that this series will be connected, the protagonist does bear a resemblance to the Fullmetal Alchemist character Riza Hawkeye. Since the image is just a sketch, however, there's no guarantee that it's supposed to be her or related to her, and the design could always change significantly before the manga's debut. The fact that the series' 20th anniversary is on July 12th has also helped to fuel rumors of a continuation or spin-off, although a separate announcement about Fullmetal Alchemist is supposed to be made on that date.
Regardless of whether the new series shares a direct continuity with Fullmetal Alchemist, fans of action manga have plenty of reasons to be excited. Arakawa's writing and art have been consistently praised, with critics noting that the story took an above-average start and managed to grow a complex and fascinating narrative out of it through the use of memorable characters with noticeable growth. The series was also known for its world-building, as Fullmetal Alchemist's alchemy provides a unique and well-thought-out take on the traditional fantasy approach to magic. Whatever Fullmetal Alchemist's Hiromu Arakawa puts out next, it'll definitely be a new series to keep an eye on.