An officer in a navy uniform stands on a balcony at dawn, hands behind his back, looking over a European-style city of slate roofs and a clock tower.

Original artwork, not a still

Roy Mustang

The world isn't perfect. But it's there for us, trying the best it can.

— Fullmetal Alchemist · 2003

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

It is Mustang at his warmest, ending a bleak series on acceptance rather than victory. The 'that's what makes it so damn beautiful' half is the one fans quote and put on posters. It reads as a mission statement for the whole show: no equivalent exchange, just a flawed world worth keeping.

Context reviewed

In context

Spoilers for Fullmetal AlchemistShow the scene

The line comes at the end of the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime (2003), in episode 51, "Laws and Promises" (Japanese broadcast 2 October 2004, English dub 2006). Mustang has just survived his fight with Pride in the Fuhrer's burning mansion, and the finale then shows him with Lt. Hawkeye in the aftermath. She says the plan was perfect and she should have got there sooner to protect him. Mustang tells her nothing is perfect, but the world is there for them, doing the best it can, and that is what makes it beautiful.

Sources (2)

Context reviewed

Share this quote