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Fullmetal Alchemist author Hiromu Arakawa revealed in a recent interview that the ending of her latest work,Daemons of the Shadow Realm, has already been decided.
Speaking on manga publisher Square Enix’s “Inside Square Enix” video series, Arakawa confirmed that she has figured out how the story of Daemons of the Shadow Realm will come to an end, while also deciding the major events that will lead to that particular ending. According to her, all that remains is to take the story from one event to the next, and eventually to its conclusion.
“I think I mentioned this in relation to Fullmetal as well... But I have the ending pretty much figured out... And then I have various major events like stations en route to that destination. It's then a matter of drawing lines between these stations,” Arakawa said in the interview, noting that this process was the same for her previous work, Fullmetal Alchemist, too.
Hiromu Arakawa Has Planned Out Major Events leading to Daemons of the Shadow Realm’s Conclusion
However, the author also pointed out differences in how she planned the stories and endings of Fullmetal Alchemist and Daemons of the Shadow Realm. In Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Arakawa had fewer events in the story worked out in advance when compared to Fullmetal Alchemist. “I hadn't thought of that many events ahead of time. So it felt more live. We were able to take things in interesting directions whenever they presented themselves. That made it a really fun process,” she said.
When it comes to the major events or mysteries in the story, the author has them roughly sketched out, with additional details being decided during meetings with her editor, once again noting how it was a live process and that not every detail was preplanned.
Jun Tanaka, one of Arakawa’s editors who was also present in the interview, further elaborated on this, noting that the team holds monthly meetings to review the plot and structure that the author has prepared.
“Broadly speaking, it's not so much about the nitty-gritty. It's more about deciding which characters need to be where. And having discussions like, 'This character hasn't appeared in the plot yet, but based on their situation, they'd want to be here at this point.' It's more about expanding the story... Or seeing whether interesting plot points can be developed in a different direction,” Tanaka said.
The editor also teased that the liveliest discussion he had with Arakawa was about where the story was going to go next, but added that it would be a spoiler for the fans.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm started serializing in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gagan from December 2021. Though the author first drew the sketches for the Daemons Left and Right around or before the serialization of Fullmetal Alchemist, she started her work in earnest for the series during the COVID-19 pandemic. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bones Film premiered in April 2026 and is currently considered to be the best anime series of 2026 so far.
