Fullmetal Alchemist: Why October 3 Changed Everything for the Elric Brothers
October 3, 1911—one date seared into Fullmetal Alchemist: the day the Elric brothers burned their home, abandoned everything, and set out with a vow etched into a silver State Alchemist watch.
Every fandom has That One Date. For Fullmetal Alchemist, it is October 3. If you have ever seen Ed crack open his State Alchemist watch, you know the inscription: 'Don't forget 3 Oct, 11.' It is not random fan-service. It is the line in the sand where the Elric brothers burned the past and forced themselves forward.
Why October 3 matters
Before the watch, before the military uniform, the brothers did the one thing you are not supposed to do in this world: they tried to bring their mom back. Human transmutation. Predictably, it went horribly.
Ed lost a leg. Al lost his entire body. Ed then gave up an arm to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor. Instead of their mother, they got something twisted and wrong. Childhood over, instantly.
Enter Roy Mustang. He offers Ed a shot at becoming a State Alchemist, which means access to classified research and, in Ed's mind, a real chance at finding the Philosopher's Stone and fixing what they broke. But before they chase that future, they do something brutal and symbolic: on October 3, 1911, they burn down their house in Resembool and walk away. No fallback, no comfort zone, no 'maybe we just go home if this gets hard.' As Ed puts it, it is about cutting off retreat.
"Don't forget 3 Oct, 11"
Bravery or just running from guilt?
Not everyone buys the noble spin. Hohenheim, Ed and Al's father, calls it what he thinks it is: running. In his view, torching the house is less about courage and more about trying to incinerate their guilt along with the furniture. Honestly, he is not entirely wrong. That inscription in Ed's silver watch is both a wound and a rallying cry. It says: remember what it cost. Do not screw it up again.
The anime timeline quirk
Here is the inside baseball part: the exact year on the watch changes depending on which version you watch. Same meaning, slightly different timeline.
- Fullmetal Alchemist (2003): '3 Oct, 1910' - The house-burning happens earlier in this continuity, after Ed trains under Shou Tucker and before he sits for the State Alchemist exam.
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and the manga: '3 Oct, 1911' - This version plants the date after Ed passes the State Exam and officially becomes a State Alchemist.
From secret reminder to fan holiday
Ed keeps the message tucked inside the watch, almost like he is trying to hide the pain from himself. Fans did the opposite. October 3 turned into Fullmetal Alchemist Day online, with people posting 'Don't forget 3 Oct, 11,' sharing Elric cosplays, and talking about how the series helped them push through their own rough patches.
Why it sticks
October 3 is the day Ed and Al deliberately remove the safety net. It is the start of the journey that ends up reshaping not just their lives, but the fate of a nation. By the time the story closes, that little engraving stops reading like a self-inflicted scar and starts sounding like a growth mantra. To the Elrics, it was the day they gave up everything. To the rest of us, it is the reason we fell for Fullmetal Alchemist in the first place.
If you want to revisit it, Fullmetal Alchemist anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.