Fullmetal Alchemist Creator's New Manga Has a Far More Brutal World

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Warning: contains a preview of Yomi no Tsugai chapter 3!

As the new manga from Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa, Yomi no Tsugai, reaches its third chapter, the story takes a moment to build up this series' world, and it's already looking more dangerous than even Ed and Al's.

Having only debuted in December 2021, Yomi no Tsugai hasn't had much time to introduce itself. It's shaping up as a fish-out-of-water tale for protagonist Yuru, who grew up in an isolated village that still lived as if it were hundreds of years ago, and is now thrust into the modern world. However, all that really means is that the setting of the first two chapters, the village, hasn't really been indicative of what the greater story will be like. Since chapter 2 ended with a minivan pulling up to help Yuru and Dera flee, it was clear that the next chapter would offer the first look at what the wider world of this series would be like.

Related: FMA Creator's New Manga Protagonist Is Way More Reckless Than Ed

Much of the chapter is spent explaining what «Tsugai» are and how they work. Yomi no Tsugai seems to be using the this term as a broader category of supernatural creature, which can include «youkai» (traditional Japanese demons) as well as god-like beings and guardian spirits. Tsugai can have a master, which usually means that each one has a human counterpart, like a Stand from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Tsugai, unlike Stands, can operate completely independently — Dera's tsugai was actually the driver of the van. Some are humanoid, like the two guardians Yuru has, while others are monstrous. A major villain introduced in this chapter, Jin, has a tsugai which resembles a lantern fish, luring people towards it before devouring them —