Does there have to be? He studied his brother's research notes so obviously it didn't come out of nowhere. I actually see it not just as a new power Scar has but a representation of his development throughout the series. He no longer just wants to destroy. He now he has fully understood his brother's message and thus now uses both his brother's tattoos.

I also think Scar realizes it is not "alchemy" that is evil. After all he has been on good terms with Mei an alchemist even before he joined the side of Ed & Roy (two state alchemist).

*Gasp* Noooo Mei! I'll be very upset if Mei dies or gets hurt. She's too young to die! I'm really glad Scar is facing off with bradley. Bradley was so arrogant and evil when it came to Ishbalans I'm so glad that an Isbalan will be the one to take him down. Should Scar survive that is.


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<Everyone who wish to reply to the following part of this post, please continue this discussion on "May Chan discussion" thread. Thank you!! ~ Board Stuff>


OT: The entire fandom hates Mei. See the anime/manga fandom picks certain girls from every anime series and just hates on them. For dumb reasons too. It's the way of life.

I think this is one of the best theories about Roy's situation I've read these 2 months or so, thanks for sharing.

Not too much people were complaining about May saving Riza, the ones claiming it will be a Deus Ex Machina were quickly put before the sheer stupidity of that claim and were reminded that not too many people complained when Arakawa used a real Deus Ex Machina to save Ed after he was stabbed by Kimblee

As for Scar's new tattoos, we've known about it since the Ishbal flashback (alright, not true : we've never seen the side with the "Ignis" inscription before. But it is the same tattoo) : they were invented by Scar's brother, and are the result of his research in both Renkinjutsu and Rentanjutsu. Ever since he met May and Marcoh, then was confronted to Miles and Winry, Scar went on a more positive road, trying to build something instead of just being a destroyer. That he would try to recreate his brother's alchemy isn't so surprising in this state of mind, as his brother wanted to use it for the good of his people, Scar is just trying to live up to his memory. Seeing how far he had to be pushed before using it (against he most dangerous foe ever, one that he simply can't let go because it would equal the death of many other people), I even believe Scar didn't want to use it in the battle, probably keeping it for the time after the fight is over. Like Kirara said, this is just the end result of his character development througout the series.

Wow, the RAW is out really early this month. I came on here maybe expecting to find some spoilers, and the RAW is already out.

Thanks to all those responsible for posting it here and providing translations

It was quite delicious that Ed was confused about the exact same things that have confused the fandom. I want to believe that Arakawa saw the fan reactions coming and was gonna make Ed sy that all along, because it would seem a bit weird that she would insert extra stuff this late in the story, especially since the chapter was so short.

Talking about the length of the chapter, I also checked the page numbers visible on some pages, and also noticed that there seem to be six pages missing. I think the missing pages are after Mei gets injured, because I think the transistion from that to the next scene didn't feel typical to this manga. It was too sudden, or something. I know Arakawa does cliffhangers, but they have different style (can't really describe the difference, it's just a feeling). And there aren't really any other parts where the missing pages would fit.

I don't think it's irrational that Scar shows us his new tattoo... just like what Kirara said, it's a sign of Scar's development as a character and understanding that alchemy is not the source of evil; humans are.


OT: I like May and dislike Winry. XD; But well this isn't a character discussion thread so let's just leave it at that.

It is even more revealing that he didn't use it until now. Of course he had a great advantage by keeping it secret as his card of triumph, but he was in trouble before (when the Fuhrer candidates appeared, or when fighting the immortal army before Mustang came to save the day) and could have used it after all. Seems he didn't want to. If true, that would speak very well of him.

Got to admit that too: this is the first chapter of FMA that dissapoints me (having read the rest of the manga so far: some Briggs ones did too, but I hadn't read some crucial bits before ^^U). The most typical shounen-ish chapter of all. If this is ALL the chapter, that is.

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<Everyone who wish to reply to the following part of this post, please continue this discussion on "May Chan discussion" thread. Thank you!! ~ Board Staff>


OT: It's because both are "stealing" (sic) their "boyfriends". (As for Al, I'm talking about Mei's idea of how he should look like, not his real body nor his... armor self o_0).
I would understand that hatred against Mei from people who just got their first impression of her (I mean, her size, her childlike portray and behavior, her crushes...), but after all that has been stated about her through the manga, it gets a bit on the retarded side.

The transition between the page where Scar takes the blade out of his right arm and the one where he reveals his left arm seems off to, so I think there is one or two pages missing there.

Thank you everyone who helped with chap 103 !

By the way, does anyone have any idea what the chapter title is referring to?

Oh, and thanks people who provided the pages and the translation!

EDIT. Still concerning the missing pages, you can see the pages on the other side of the paper shining through each page a little. I looked at those, trying to figure out where the pages were missing, and now I'm sure that it's after Mei getting hurt; the next page shining through that one does not look like the Bradley/Scar fight; the placement of panels is different at least.

I thought it meant a few things: "For whom" should the Truth have penalized? "For whom" is Mei/Ed&Al's targets? "For whom" is Bradley fighting for?

What I don't get is how on earth did his brother's arm's tattoos suddenly appear on his arm??

I don't believe Scar had it all along, because we've seen his left arm countless times before- all tattoo free.

I think the only thing that could've possibly happened is that Wrath chopped off his other arm, his brother appeared, and transmuted the left arm onto Scar as well, which is impossible since he died. The original reconstuction arm would've been rotted off a long time now.

I guess another option is that Mei/Marcoh found the specific design of the reconstuction arm in his brother's notes and alchemized the pattern onto his arm.

I was going through the recent chaps, and I realised that Scar was wearing a long-sleeved coat for like since Envy commited suicide.

Scar accepting alchemy...I think that was his character development throughout the whole series don't you think? To embrace what his brother believed in.

I still can't believe we have to wait ANOTHER month for Scar to pwn Wrath. Gah, anti-climatic month of wait. Arakawa sensei was probs off celebrating Xmas/New Year with her relatives in Hiroshima, while milking cows and drinking milk =_=;

I'm pretty excited about this chapter! I don't regret looking at the spoilers, but then again there may be things hiding in the pages we haven't seen. Are there really only 30 pages?

Ch. 104 comes out on my birthday! What an awesome present.

wow, thanks everyone who helped with chapter 103! xD

weee~ finally, Scar is on action!! ' o ' *spectator* GO SCAR! GO SCAR! > O <

I second Vlyse's opinion. Especially, Bradley's dialogue, saying... "I'm no longer fighting for someone... (hugely paraphrased by me XD)" is directly connected to this chapter's title, I think.


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<Program Note>

1. I've moved all posts that are solely discussing about "May Chan fandom/anti-fandom" (i.e. "FMA fandom hates May..." "I love Mei! ..." etc. etc.,) and with no post content on the discussion of Chapter 103, to May Chan discussion thread in FMA character discussion forum.
Everyone who wish to continue this discussion, please do so, to all your hearts' content, on May Chan discussion thread.

2. Also, a quick reminder to everyone that it is still only Jan. 7 (or 8, depending on where you are ^^) and FMA manga chapter 103 is not even officially out in Japan yet, until 12th of this month. XD We were extremely fortunate that we got 30 pages of chapter 103 this early, and I'm optimistically waiting that a little later on, our usual source that has been graciously providing "usual quality" scans to our usual sites (such as, MH, etc.) around the usual time each month would kindly upload the usual MQ scans of this chapter also, and then hopefully, we'll be able to see the whole chapter, including missing pages, if any such in the current set of the raw, and in a little more "easily legible" quality. ^^

I checked some of the most recent volumes and noticed that we haven't seen Scar without a long-sleeved jacket since the winter-to-spring timeskip. Probably not for some time before that timeskip either, since it was, well, winter.

I'm quessing that Marcoh tattooed his arm during or before the timeskip; there would have been lots of time to do so, and we know that Scar and Marcoh were doing something during the timeskip. Maybe they did more than just collecting some Ishvalans. And on that matter, after the timeskip Scar's master comments to Scar that in order for one to change the world, one must change oneself first. Maybe he knew about the reconstruction tattoo as well?

Seems like a good chapter, with a few fairly big reveals in the great scheem of things; specifically that Scar now has a reconstruction tattoo. While this may seem like a bit of an arse-pull at first, on reflection Scar's had months to do this, it's been indicated it existed previously and it's a good development of Scar's character, so I applaud it. It also means Wrath is going all kinds of down, which is nice.

Also it looks very possible that Pride is seriously screwed. He's almost definately lost his shadows and his regeneration seems to have gone down the pan as well. I like the fact that Pride is running now, especially when you consider the fact Pride was pretty much an immovable object during the battle in the woods. I think there's more to what's happened to Pride as well, and why the Homunculus didn't just force Alchemists to open the gate from the start.

I link this back to my 'Father loves his family' theory I mentioned a few months back. I think what Pride did is ultimately going to kill him and Father didn't want that to happen to his 'children' and so it was ruled out as a viable option until the last second. Of course the MAJOR flaw with that theory is that Father's lost pretty much all his Homunculus now and doesn't seem to give two banana peels so we'll have to see.

Also May VS Father is both awesome and going to end badly for her. She's a frigin' side character, of course she's going to lose.

Now we'll get to see if the Wii FMA videogames are canon or not. XD


And.... such an honor to be the first one to announce this! We just got a scanlation! Here! (It's a post with links to individual pairs of pages).

And all thanks to Tombow (yes, you read it right)! Somebody took his translation and used it for the scanlation. Finally, a scanlation with an accurate translator behind it! XD (It's not complete, the quality is even worse than the so-called raw, which is its source anyway, and it lacks some proper fonts and capital letters but, hey, it's out! ).

-hides-

Gomen, gomen, it's a REALLY bad effort. The scans didn't bode well in my editing ><

I'll finish it off and hopefully get the quality better. THANK YOU TOMBOW. -huggleglomp-

-runs away and hides again-

If it's not another floor that lead to Father's lair (isn't it?), then how exactly did Mei fall through?


OT:

Hey now, don't be such an ingrate. We're lucky to have two regular translators in our fandom. I like that their styles are different. I translate, too, so I know that you often have to deal with flow vs. literal meaning vs. connotation, slang, idioms, etc. Don't compliment one translator by insulting the other, please.

OT: Hisshouburaiken is a freakin' awesome translator and I hope the "accurate translator" comment wasn't a jab at him. The DELIBERATE liberties he takes with translation improve the reading experience greatly. I don't give a damn about every last line being perfectly accurate, the Japanese language is constructed far differently from English, all I want is a read that feels natural and gets the meaning of the dialogue over well.

Anyway saying that I'll be waiting for the mangastream scanlation (assuming we can expect one like last month).

^ @Mr. Deathy - I'm glad to hear that you enjoy it very much!! ^^ And, lucky for you that we have mangastream scanlation!




@Gukumatz - Indeed I agree, and glad you enjoy having both. ^^

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<Program Note> ... I think this reminds me that we can probably benefit form this following reminder... ^^

General REMINDER to EVERYONE, about any translations posted on our board:

* Our board is, basically, a "fan discussion" board, (vs. "open source distribution" site such as TokyoTohsokan, or Mangahelpers, etc.,) and when some of our members posts his/her translations here, that is usually to aid in discussions among the members of our board here. And, while some of these contributing translators do not mind having his/her work openly re-distributed/reposted, others might. Hence, if any posted translation is accompanied with any notes or disclaimers from the contributing translators, etc., we ask you to kindly pay attention to those accompanying notes and disclaimers, and then honor the contributing translators' wishes stated in these notes and disclaimers.

* Similarly, if anyone wishes to use any of the posted translations on our board for scanlations, we ask you to check with the contributing translator first, as to whether it is all right to use his/her translation for the scanlation, and if so, at what conditions, (if any.) I personally know of some members who belong to some scanlating groups and hence they do mind others taking his/her posted translations and make own scanlations without asking, and others who wish to have tight controls over the making of the scanlation if/when any of his/her translation is being scanlated.

Thank you! Appreciate the comment, I've been lurking these boards for a long time but rarely post my theories. There has to be something more to this whole thing than just Roy goes blind and Pride loses his abilities because they would have done this to all of the other alchemists by now. I thought maybe it was a timeframe thing as an example but I also go along with the theory that Father wants to keep his family as someone mentioned. I mean, Pride is one of the few homunculus that follow his plan without complaint.

Also, the fact that Ed himself mentions that Roy losing his sight makes no sense and that he refuses to believe that Truth is unjust like that gives me the inclination that there's a big ol' flaw to the Roy thing.

Also, I had a theory abut this whole doomsday thing because Pride had mentioned that they were running out of time I believe, could this day be the same day he was freed from the flask, several years into the future? maybe Father's body is immortal but slowly failing?

I can't remember what story it was I read long ago where this guy became immortal but he got so old, he eventually died because he fell apart. It seems like Hohenheim certainly hasn't aged but Father wasn't looking to young in that body of his before he ripped that skin off of him.

And last crackpot theory in my somewhat long rant if you're still reading:

What if in the end everyone gets their bodies back and everything because they somehow sacrifice Father back to the Truth ( Whom I would assume would be in some BIG *touble* (keeping it pg13 ) because of the mess he caused) and he gets sent back an they get their stuff. Little too "happy ending" but it gives you something to think about. Also think Al might die after he gets his body back because he's so frail but do the whole, "I'm happy to have gotten it back anyway and shared this experience with all of you" rant before he dies.

Sorry again for the rant.

Oh GOD. I didn't mean to offense anyone. At all. I'm so sorry for this misunderstanding. What I was trying to say was that most scanlators prefer a good word flow over accuracy when they have to make that choice. BUT most are both accurate AND good with word flow. It's just a matter of preference. Being the most-faithful-translations nazi lover that I am, I can't but get overjoyed at this scanlation. I was quite excited because it was the first scanlation, too, so I didn't think the post over as I usually do.

Hisshouburaiken (and all other scanlators out there), if you read this, I apologize for my involuntary rashness.

EDIT:
@Tombow, I did nothing but posting the link. But thanks for your kind words.
@smunton: Thank you so much for this!
Oh, and I know about the harshness of the translation business, because I DO translate, too. Different stuff. To Spanish. XD

WOW what a short chapter.... ugh.....WHERE THE HECK IS Greed/Ling???!!! And RanFan???? I'm assuming that they will join the party later??? hmmm...

The chapter was a bit too anti-climactic, the whole Scar reveal, and such. i wanted to see more!!!! Ugh.....Another month...

Mangastream will release their scanlation in the next hours :

<Source: mangastream twitter message on twitter>

Thanks for the info, Edwy03! Can't wait to see the full chapter!

Thank you for the info! Hope we will get to see the raw also sometime.

Kami.

Very, very, VERY sorry, Tombow-san.

I'd used the translation posted there, which didn't mention where you were, or any sort of disclaimer. BIG sorry.

I've removed the post from MH and am going to get rid of scans.

They were crap anyways.

And I never trashed any other scanlators?

QUOTE (smunton @ Jan 9 2010, 05:30 PM)

.....And I never trashed any other scanlators?

@smunton - Thank you for the understanding!! And, I still appreciate your efforts and enthusiasm!! *hugs* And, no, the trashing was not by you, and that part was solved as well. (That turned out to be mostly lack of better explanation. ^^ ) Sorry that my post read as if you were included on that also. Apologize!!
And, now that it's taken care of, I will remove some parts pertaining to this topic shortly, as this one was getting rather off-topic. ^^

Chapter is out at Mangastream! http://mangastream.com/read/fullmetal_alchemist/103-24/1

EDIT. It's 40 pages long after all.

And it's only now that it all makes sense and Arakawa shows her epicness... my God. She's moving her pawns like crazy, preparing them for the upcoming chapters.

Wow, Scar is not alone. This final plot gets better and better.

And I have to admit, the Mangastream translation kicks arse. 'Lacking! You are lacking! Come and destroy me, nameless human!' just have to become famous last words...

Great chapter, though I felt like the art was rushed in a few places.

And to those who say that nothing's really happened in the past few chapters, I can see what you mean as despite the really cool instances, the story hasn't really moved forward as much as I would've liked it to.

Still, this was a much better chapter than what the few pages indicated.

Thanks to everyone involved in getting pics of the raws, Tombow's translation, and to linking the scans!

Wow, the missing pages after May was human-decomposed really were important! The Ishbalans have their own part of the plan to carry on, and suddenly Scar's latest sentence about the power of reconstructing suddenly has deeper meanings : I think he is referring to his arm and the work his Ishbalan friends are doing (but why fo they call him Scar ). Seems it's the turn of Scar and his fellow to get the spotlight. But cheap trick, Arakawa, not showing us what was on that piece of fabric.

OH MAN. Oh man. So much more awesome. I take back any "anticlimactic" comments; a lot more's happened than I thought. Good to see what's going on aboveground.

Are the Ishvalans working on screwing up Father's transmutation circle?

It's amazing what taking out a few pages can do to a chapter. Now that we have the full chapter, I am blown away yet again! Wrath really embodies his name, doesn't he? My god...

Nooo! I should have downloaded them when I had the chance. T_T
Could you send them to me through PM at least, pleeease?

Well, at least we got another scanlation. *Downloading*. Let's see how is it. ^^

Also, Black Hayate at the start!

How are they gonna tell Mrs. Bradley what's become of her husband and son?

Wow. Scar vs Wrath = EPIC.

Loved the moment with Mei's dagger/shuriken being absorbed by Father and shot back at 100x bigger.

I'm going to need to read this again.

Another whole month... ;_;

I loved how I decided not to spoil myself this time.

So I kinda saw the whole "That's not fair" card Ed was going to pull on Father, but Father's answer was waaaaaay too vague for me.... not to mention unjust. I have no theories of my own to share unfortunately, but the ones that have been posted are making my mind go swirly. And Mei... what is she thinking? Going after Father like that all by herself. She might have the skill to take him on, but certainly not through going solo. Well, actually, Hoho's kinda... helping. If you can put it like that. Heheheh...

And Ishbalan insurgents at work! I lol'd at how they just ran into a house and were like "our bad. hey quick question? is this house here?" Yes, and I too wonder what duty Scar has assigned for them. Could it be creating a fault in Father's circle as someone else posted? Well to me, that's what it looks like. I'll just have to wait and see.

Whoa, Scar v. Wrath. I enjoyed it, but I believe it seemed to go by way too fast. So I agree with the whole "art was kinda rushed" thing other people have been saying as well. And.... WHOA I did not see that tattoo. It popped out of the snow... like daisies! :is shot by people who have watched Mulan:. I'm not saying there wasn't any foreshadowing to it, but it totally caught me off guard. Very nice trump card, Scar. Very nice.

Anyways, I'm waiting for this month to zoom past already. Can't wait to see what's coming up in 104, though I'm pretty sure it'll be action-fight-action-fight Scar v. Wrath/ Mei v. Father/ Ed and Al v. Pride.

Speaking of which, is Izumi only there so she can push Roy out of the way? I mean, I love the guy and I feel bad for him since he's blind now and pretty much more useless than any battle he's had in the rain, but he's kinda affecting the outcome of the battle (moreso) if Izumi is playing babysitter rather than playing on the offensive side.

Did Mei even survive that last attack? It looked like Father pulled a Scar to me... It also looks like Hohenheim is interfering with Father, though, so maybe she's got a chance.

As for Izumi "babysitting" Roy, I don't know how Izumi would do against Father either; while she has fought homunculi, she doesn't know much about Father. There's also a problem if Izumi gets a coughing attack. Also, they're both really smart, and Roy didn't make it to Colonel with no knowledge of strategy; I'm sure they'll work some way to keep Roy out of the chaos so that Izumi can fight open up a can of whup-arse.

I think that's clearly what they're going for- they introduced the idea some volumes ago, it would be insane for Arakawa to not invoke it, especially now. Wish I could say I was surprised, but I was expecting it to come into play for a long time.



I wish I could say I was caught off guard, but I accidentally spoiled myself in this thread earlier today and am kicking myself for it.



Someone needs to die. It's crunch time already, Brotherhood is at risk of catching the manga if it goes longer than 107 or 108 chapters, something needs to happen. I predict either Pride or Wrath will die in 104.



Agreed. She might be their best weapon overall now that Mustang's sidelined for a bit (though I'd imagine he's not out completely yet).

Those extra ten pages made the chapter that much better.

Thank you to everyone who posted links, raws, and translations.

I don't think it was smart of Mei to attack Father by herself. At least Hohenhiem tried to warn her about how Father attacked. But it may have been a little too late. I don't think Arakawa will kill her though.

I still cannot believe Scar slipped on some blood. That just does not seem like him. But Scar vs. Wrath is amazing. I love the translations during the fight. It has been said before, but Wrath has no human side. He is just one emotion. Wrath.

Izumi tossing Roy out of the way made me laugh. And I was glad to see Black Hayate. But someone should tell him that it isn't safe to stare directly into a solar eclipse.

I am sure Izumi will have her moment (besides pushing Roy out of the way) just give it some time.

Of course... the Standard Izumi Throw was just necessary.
Yeah, she's got some ownage coming...

First of all, thank you to everyone that posted a raw, translation and a scanlation. Especially to you Tombow, reading these Chinese characters on such crappy scans must have harmed your eyesight a bit. You're a Mustang among translators ;).

I disagree with someone that said King Bradley is pure evil and with FMAobsessed that said he has only one emotion - wrath. For one thing, the fact his wife cares so much about him suggests that he must have been a good, caring husband. I really doubt he was nice to her just for show (for all these years, yeah right...), he chose her after all. Besides, taking a wife wasn't necessary for him to rule the country that was in Father's palm anyway. For another, he's very loyal to Father and is a true warrior (as primitive as it might be he has his pride and enjoys fighting with strong opponents). Scar was an enemy so he needs to be killed, simple as that.
I always thought that his shaking hands during Hughes' funeral were not an act and I'm still not fully convinced that he meant what he said about it. Anyway, I believe we will see his true face when he takes his last breath (although it's possible Scar won't kill him and we will see happy ending). But I like to believe that his optimistic, humorous side is genuine. Also I think that you've already forgotten that he saved Havoc and Mustang. While Mustang could have been helpful for achieving his father's goals Havoc was someone expendable but he saved him. He also never harmed Winry, didn't threaten her even though he could make her piss her pants and it would be an even better lesson to Elric brothers. Thanks to him Winry could be happy for that much longer and live unaware of what was really going on.

As for the chapter, the fight with Selim made me laugh (in a good way), finally shrimp could fight someone who is not a girl and is still smaller than him :). Seriously though, I would find attacking a boy with such a nice face difficult, it just shows how much real battle experience Ed and Al have. When Father returned May her knife (kunai or whatever) and said: "that's yours" I expected her to say: "that's not mine. I don't recall throwing a big one like that" :D. Also, does anyone elese find disturbing where Hohenheim's head appeared... I know Father is not human but, eh, if he was a male... As for May I doubt anything serious happened to her, maybe she will even manage to heal herself.
Ishvalans coming to the rescue was a big surprise to me, I wonder if their plan is in any way connected to Hohenheim's or are these two independent. What Mustang said about him "being used in human transmutation against his will posed a risk" was very interesting. I wonder why they even need an eclipse for this and why are they out of options. It's also strange to me that Father was so patient and waited decades (centuries?) before he tried the same thing again (I don't believe that only Sloth could dig). Wouldn't it be easier to do the exact same thing without such powerful opponents like Scar, Izumi, Elric Brothers, Armstrong, etc. in the picture? Of course he couldn't have known about them but if he acted sooner he could at least prevent Hohenheim to fully prepare against him. Well, his evaluation of humans might be an obvious answer to it. So, is there a time limit before every new global human transmutation or did he need people to reproduce to a certain number or did he need 5 capable alchemists and only at this time they were finally available (the reason Father did not make anyone to open the gate might be that he needed to be sure that the alchemist is capable of knowing the truth and going back - besides the reason Mustang and Pride spoke of)?

I managed to not read both the spoilers and the raw so I was really surprised when I saw Scar's new tattoo!

Anyway I love when Izumi pushed Roy away with a simple but effective karate move xD I didn't notice that at the beginning. That was epic.
I really like even when the Ishvalans just pop into Danny's house (that was his house, right?)

Seem that Wrath has finally lost his "highlander power". I think that the conclusion of the battle will be one of the most epic scene of the whole series

OK, now with this I can see the whole situation. Still, until a more readable raw goes out (and I get it XD) I will take the new revelations with a pinch of salt.

* Scar didn't use his "construction" arm till now, because he didn't have "neither the confidence or the imagination" to use it yet, eh? Though it doesn't leave out the possibility of moral reluctance (he has done more than enough damage before, blah blah blah... but he did use his "destruction arm" o_0), or the fact that it's his formerly very hated alchemy, etc., but I think he really wasn't all sure about its way of operation, until he got "inspired" when in the verge of death. XD
Now he is a true alchemist, albeit a in a non scholarly way. ^^

* I said this before, but I don't mind to repeat it : Did you notice that the only one who could actually cross Father's barrier, Mei, was the only user of Xing alchemy there besides Scar (who is busy fighting at the time being)? You could say she was the only Alchemist of any kind able to try an entry, but it's clear Amestrian alchemy can't be of any help: Father himself told the very capable 5 sacrifices that they can't go away, so I suppose it's logical that they couldn't have got in anyway. So Xing's alchemy may be the key not only to fight Father, but to reach him in the first place. (I know, it's obvious now U). Sooo, when if Scar beats Wrath, he can lend both his alchemy and fighting skills to the final showdown. Which is urgent, if Mei keeps on being crushed by Father, let alone the rest.

* Got to see how Denny is going to deal with his "negotiator" self-appointed mission. XD

All in all, a much better chapter than I thought with the incomplete raw, but yet disappointing for it's (seemingly) lack of plot progress.

EDIT: Hey, give Izumi some credit. How can't she fight when she was "fixed" by Hohenheim? As soon as she can have a break as Roy's bodyguard, she will blast her way away. As for Roy, he can play the colonel role (er... he IS a colonel XD) and plan the strategies for everyone. He is the best of them for that.