Analyzing the Roy VS Lust Fight: Why We Love Roy Mustang

[@laurenrogers]

Just so you guys know, the music that plays during Part 3 and the conclusion of the video is the piano instrumental of Rain, which is Roy’s solo in the musical adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist I’ve been working on! I can’t share the actual song because I don’t want to give too much away, but I couldn’t resist giving you guys a little taste of this epic ballad :)

[@LavenderWhale]

Eeeeeee can't wait!

[@nganptdinh]

You're such a great composer and singer. In The Shadows is on my replay now.

[@laurenrogers]

@@nganptdinh AWWW THANK YOU

[@mav3622]

Tengen pulled a Roy Mustang moment in S2 of Demon Slayer that I highly recommend if you are a fan! In fact thematically Demon Slayer and Full Metal Alchemist have a lot of similarities.

[@munchmuffins]

'lust was killed by a man who loved' holy shit that sent shivers down my spine

[@XX-sp3tt]

A meaningful connection verses a shallow one.

[@AZKash2514]

I personally thought the irony in lust's death was that her own bloodlust is what led to her fatal mistake as her habit led to her trying to make roy bleed out instead of killing him quickly, if she did then roy wouldn't of killed her.

[@flusel4949]

Alternative title: “Lauren Rogers hating on the FMA live-action movie for 21 minutes straight.” But honestly, this video has earned a spot in my favorite FMA video essays! You absolutely nailed that analysis!

[@theaceguitarist]

“Lust was killed by a man who loved.” yO I JUST GOT CHILLS

[@paulbarnett5528]

Love how the voice characters are married IRL.

[@Cassieopeia0]

4:02 How did I not know Laura and Travis were Lust and Roy? Damn, that’s why their scenes always had great chemistry.

[@LtSarai]

THIS!!!! I knew Travis was Roy, but it's been a minute since I've seen the show (I've had time to watch all of critical role's main campaigns kind of time) and is2g when she said Laura Bailey was Lust I literally dropped my phone and had to pause the video. I'm actually flabbergasted. I love when they work together.

[@Patrickisat]

I have a feeling that Roy was modeled after Aragorn. They have the same character traits. Hard yet soft. Strong but caring. Not to mention he cries and shows emotions.

[@erincarter1469]

Agree! Love both.

[@khfan4life365]

What I like about Roy’s character is that he does have silly moments, but he isn’t a bumbling fool who is constantly emasculated by female characters, which is sadly the trend in movies and shows these days. He was a badass when he needed to be, and damn was it awesome.

[@laurenrogers]

Amen!!!!

[@ROYEWITHNOE]

He knows when to be badass so well he throws away emotions just to achieve his goals Especially when envy transformed into Hughes

[@topcat59]

Sorrow, bravery and triumph, The various things we see with each character before lust gets burned. Making the seen very memorable well also showing character growth.😺

[@BarbatosLRWMM]

Lust was killed by a man who loved. Your crying not me…that hit so hard

[@ladyscribbles6134]

I love FMA + FMA: Brotherhood, and Riza Hawkeye + Roy Mustang are some of the best characters! This was a great analysis on the scene and why it works so well in Brotherhood but not the live action!

[@ianshevlin8675]

Omg i need to rewatch fullmetal alchemist, i almost forgot how absolitely badass it was

[@shrimpfriedstudios]

SHE RETURNS AT LAST! YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!

[@laurenrogers]

This is so heartwarming 😭

[@shrimpfriedstudios]

@@laurenrogers I gotta say, your content makes my smooth brain wrinkle. Thank you

[@laurenrogers]

@@shrimpfriedstudios 😌

[@ekaterinakonovalova1377]

THIS IS PEAK NARRATION, I've achieved enlightenment by watching you pick and/or tear this apart! I looooove your emotional style and superb editing! P. S. Prelude in С# minor is now an official Roy piece and I'm here for it

[@laurenrogers]

THANK YOUUUU also it really is isn’t it

[@jeangentry6656]

I love this fight (I'm more of a manga reader than an anime watcher, though I have seen both anime for FMA) is that this fight is Roy at his most ideal. It's the purest expression of who he is as a person- A Protector. Unlike with Envy, his actions are motivated solely by his desire to save his comrades. What I like is the build up to the beat down- Roy gets badly injured, yet his main focus is trying to save Havoc. When he has his "Big Damn Heroes" moment, it's when Hawkeye has lost the will to live and all hope of getting out alive seems lost. Then, the guy who for all the series up to that point seems like a hopeless slacker, gets back into the fight and is reintroduced to the series as a Badass Hero who will not stop until the threat is neutralized. Only after everyone is safe and Lust dust does he allow himself to collapse, and even then his 1st concern is getting aid for Havoc. Also, as many have mentioned, Lust was destroyed by the flames of a man who at heart is motivated by Love- for his country, his comrades, fellow soldiers, friends, and of course Riza.

[@sevvo728]

you described it perfectly😭😭😭😭 this little video alone was better than the whole movie btw

[@amazingperson5992]

Just wanted to let you know that this video (and the Royai video essay and the Royai being canon video) were my three major contributors into tossing me right back into my eight-year-long FMA obsession again. Your analysis for this video is flawless, I love how you analyse every part of the scene, including Al and Riza's significance to it, as well as just breaking down all the different parts of Roy's character. When you mentioned that Roy is one of the characters we deliberately don't get to know too much about til a bit later, it was like 'oh YEAH that makes sense moment.' '... because flame alchemy was never the greatest weapon in Roy's arsenal. It was his heart.' You cooked so hard with this line all props to you 🔥 And while my favourite scene, like yours, is in Episode 54 (I think I've watched that scene over and over on KZbin an unhealthy number times), this one is definitely high up on the list and unlike the live action movie, you did it justice. If you ever come round to doing more FMA video essays I am sure to stick around and watch those too 🫡 Thanks for sharing this video with us 🔥

[@elijahbowers1]

That last line was perfect!

[@isauldron4337]

What i think makes the live action not feel the same is: Lack of build up The deaths and pain lust cause are still fresh The stakes are high because she nearly killed Roy and puts riza and Alphonse to the edge Then Roy appears and bathes her in the fire of justice

[@liminaldancefloor]

I'm unsure about just how many times I've watched this video. This scene is just a masterpiece.

[@alphakittens2450]

One of my favorite details in Beyond the Inferno which I don't really hear people talk about (although maybe you have, I'm new to your channel) is that I think the revolver which Hawkeye points at Roy is supposed to be the same revolver which she uses to shoot Lust five times out of the six bullets the revolver can hold. To me, this has always added more meaning to Roy's character arc by connecting Roy's emotional state--his almost out of control bloodlust--to Lust herself. Hawkeye has used the gun to shoot Lust before, and now she's put in a position where she might have to do it again. It's made me reconsider how I view the one bullet she doesn't shoot at Lust: was she saving it to end her own life, or has that bullet had his name on it ever since she made her promise to Roy? After all, she does say in Beyond the Inferno that she'd end her own life after the conflict is over as opposed to right then and there, so it's not like she needed to save that bullet in particular for herself at that moment when she could go home and do it later. I wonder if she saved that bullet because even though she believes Roy is dead, his ideals have become such an inextricable part of her life that she still can't use that bullet for anything other than the purpose he inspired in her, almost as if firing that bullet would mean letting go of Roy at an even more fundamental level. For me, the fact that Roy would go on to overcome his bloodlust was the irony of Lust's death, although after watching this I might like the Tumblr quote better now~ It's a shame that we didn't get to explore the bloodlust side of Lust much beyond her "I can't wait to watch you suffer" spiel as she died, she is criminally underutilized. I haven't read the manga, though, so maybe there's more in there. Thank you for this video, I've always struggled to put into words what it is about this scene that made it so memorable beyond the incredible line delivery in the dub, and this explains a lot! Now I know how to market this beautiful show to more of my friends ^^

[@laurenrogers]

Oh this take is SO messed up I love it

[@NiteMarauder]

THAT FINAL LINE GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS OH MY GOD WTF

[@erincarter1469]

Thing is Roy has a family; Riza, Ed and Al. But he can't ever act as a true father (that often) because Riza and Ed are military subordinants, and Al is trapped in the armor. It's no surprise Roy beat lust. Roy is a husband and father. Just not on paper.

[@laurenrogers]

@@erincarter1469 oh my HEART

[@jairusjackson7799]

I don't know who this woman is, but I love her passion. Go off! Instant like

[@reginadragonoid593]

“Lust was killed by a man who loved “ no joke I am crying

[@daniellelondon439]

I just watched this show for the first time this year, I wasn’t even aware that there was a live action movie for fma. Of course as most of the shows that got movie adaptations in the early 2000’s, I am not surprised that the writers completely dropped the ball on why people liked these characters so much in the first place.

[@dandannoodles5161]

bro this shit goes so hardi dont even know how to explain how hard this video goes

[@loveyourlife9166]

Love your enthusiasm ♡ great essay :)

[@Starfish0.]

When I saw they were doing new live actions I was like 'oh it would be nice to see a movie about fmab, maybe nowadays they are getting better" but then after seeing the trailers I lost interest again cause I knoooow I will be soooo pissed, WHY IN EARTH they make such UNREALISTIC characters, clothes, hair uuughhhhh, not to say the acting is not the best and the scenes totally lose the impact they actually have. That's why I rather rewatch fmab every year, and it still makes me happy ✨✨

[@laurenrogers]

The only things I liked about the movie were the costumes and the actors who played Riza and Hughes, everything else was just Nothing

[@STELEDAIM]

I find this video essay style a little hard to follow, but I love the passion and attention you have for the show. I'd like to highlight that most people (at least those I know, I, and fans whose comments I've read regarding this scene) would argue that many attribute this scene's success to it's "badassery" not just because it shows Roy as "powerful", but because it's "badass" nature is largely the only reason that the narrative context and visual production & detailing create payoff for the viewer. To attribute "badassery" to the value of this scene does not disregard the value of the context & production. It is "badass" mostly because of the context and production. Roy is half dead, killing an unimaginably powerful enemy, and most importantly, protecting Riza's life (to whom most fans, I'd argue, had grown very attached to at this point in the show, along with Roy). This context justifies Roy's anger, desperation, and disregard towards his own life, creating an immense amount of tension. The visual detailing (Lust regenerating, Roy's expressions, etc) and the voice acting contribute mainly to the beauty of the scene. It is the "badassery" that breaks the tension - it resolves emotions viewers build up as a result of disliking Lust, and fearing the death of characters they like. The "badassery" of this scene sells it. Maybe Roy's abs too, but I can't speak to that. Great video, it was fun to formalize my thoughts on this scene. Thanks for making it!

[@laurenrogers]

Very well worded comment!

[@STELEDAIM]

@@laurenrogers Thanks, I wanted to share my thoughts without sounding dumb or rude :) Maybe I've written too many essays recently... Best of luck with all your new content!

[@Starfish0.]

ok i had to leave in the middle and came back, didn't expect it would get so deep...... "the flame alchemy wasn't his biggest weapon, it was always his heart" you killed me, also this part hits hard.. 15:54. Yes he doesn't have a wife or daughter, BUT it reminded me of something, Idk if this is canon, but in the episode where the golden tooth doctor tries to convince Roy doing the human transmutation, at least in my language subtitles he says: "You could bring back your dead parents, your beloved, or even that one friend of yours", and only after Roy refuses, he takes Riza. So if this is right, Roy actually had a woman and she died, so he lost a lot of people, and it brings even more weight to his past, and tbh I'd love we could know more about it, at least in the anime we didn't see much about.

[@laurenrogers]

I’ve never thought about that before! I’m not sure if this is actually intentional because in the English dub the wording implies something different (he just says “a lover” as in a hypothetical lover”). It’s definitely food for thought, it’s just personally difficult for me to imagine Roy being that intimate with anyone other than Riza

[@Starfish0.]

@@laurenrogers Ohh I see, in portuguese it says "your" so it was kinda specific, I was so confused when I saw this but after a while totally forgot about it. Of course, if this is true it happened before he met Riza. They are my absolutely favorite couple it's hard for me to imagine it too xD But at the same time, it could explain some of his personality traits like being extra reserved about his feelings and stuff. Even Hughes used to tell him to "get a wife" as if it was an indirect message for him to confess to Riza, idk, a lot to think about.

[@orianefaton1885]

A possibility is just the doctor first naming random things. Like, true, we enver hear about Roy' parents (I think) so, they may be dead. "That one friend of yours" was definitively aimed at Hugues, but your beloved, while possibly implying a lover that may or may not have existed, could be caused by Roy's womanizer front behavior. Like, assuming that among the many "conquest" Roy supposedly has to keep his mask, one may have died, even in something as simple as an accident. Or, he said that part, very well, because Riza was the plan B, if family and Hugues were not gonna work.

[@Maedhros587]

Maybe just speculation, but when Roy says "So let's see, how many times will it take", you can see in his eyes that the rage is getting the better of him. Riza, through the inferno, notices this and kinda loses it, and Al has to physically restrain her from running through the fire to stop him. Moments later, Roy looks more composed and "cold", as he should be. It appears like he notices Rizas rage through the fires and gets it together. Speaks to their connection, and seems to be foreshadowing the fight with envy.

[@laurenrogers]

@@Maedhros587 this is basically what happens in delicate (the greatest fanfic of all time)

[@Maedhros587]

@@laurenrogers Yeah maybe but if you look closely at the moments i mentioned, i think will find that this is happening in the show also. I kinda feel that i have made a discovery. We clearly see that Riza was raging at something. But it wasnt at Lust, she shouted "colonel". Pay attention to Mustangs eyes, and listen to his voice, and compare it to the fight with envy. He lets the rage consume him, even just for a brief moment. Riza must have noticed, and she lost her mind over it. Why else would she be furiously shouting "colonel". Almost like she is more scared of him losing control than either Lust or his flames

[@eyanoelkers8982]

so, i think the thing with the stone was, there was very Very visible remnants of the connections of the stone in the anime, which means that lust can regenerate with that minuscule amount left(as most regenerating immortals can do) So if the stone has no fleshy connections once freed from a homunculus, it should essentially die like with envy.(although envy is definitely different scenario but has some merit[note: would need to rewatch that scene to verfy and can be completely wrong] ) Im just gonna go, roy was damn lucky in the la movie and pulled the stone so cleanly that lust couldn't regenerate. (it sadly does take away from the dramatics of her dying from the inferno and crumbling away right before roy would've lost an eye) (edit: ya, there are some connections left on envys stone so that theroy lost merit. XD)

[@rjmartinez4800]

FmAb deserves more love and live action anime are scary hopeful the live action death note remake, mha, one punch man will learn from these mistakes

[@gameianpsp]

great video, i did found it randomly and im glad i did

[@In_the_shed]

It’s because Roy is badass, lust is powerful, and the fight is just perfectly done

[@raymondharnack4160]

I made Homonuli regenerate and have a large pool of HP in a DnD mini campaign I ran, fire turns the regen off. Roy just burnt through like 450 hp

[@JohnSmith-dz2dc]

I see you Jeff Buckley on the left playing Hallelujah in my head….

[@laurenrogers]

OMG I LOVE YOU NOBODY’S EVER NOTICED THE CORNER VINYLS BEFORE

[@godogodo8893]

Lust was killed by a man who loved!? WHY HAVE I ONLY NOTICED THIS NOW!?

[@WINX2221]

Fun fact the VAs of Mustang and Lust are married

[@godogodo8893]

@@WINX2221 I knew that, but I am surprised I've only noticed now, despite watching the show so many times

[@thomaswilliams5599]

The music in the background is the sheaperds boys from doctor who right? I would recognise it anywhere

[@lukejennings-hatt711]

Yep that's 100% the Shepard's Boy.

[@maximus.4656]

make one on Hawkeye with the sniper and ishwal scenes

[@AdamClebold]

All "power' is subject to limits what you spend it on is more important. On the Kartashev Scale. For instance, looking up alien porn from nearby stellar system would cost less energy than this here "Mustang" delivered.

[@candicerocksny]

Wait there was a FMA musical?

[@JakBarker]

Your analysis on this is beautiful 😂😂😂😂😂 I feel your literal DISGUST for the live action 😂😂🤣🤣

[@ZachariahMicallef]

Go ROY!!!

[@frecklesandfries9209]

what? the LUST fight? i completely agree with you on all points, i love this fight, but dude, seriously, why is the entire internet focused on the lust fight instead of the envy fight?? the envy fight is so much more important to Roy's character, it's better animated, and 100000000% more ruthless and epic.

[@isauldron4337]

Watchmojo is well poison But yeah this scene is peak

[@tharkuri702]

roy mustang fan gurl yaping for 20 mins

[@Swordofsuns]

And?

[@viyhexe131]

So, shitty live action adaptations aren't just an American thing

[@inazuma-fulgur]

The lacking female cast is another why 2003 will forever be the best version you can watch

[@inazuma-fulgur]

(I haven't read the manga but I know of one thing it did better, that being portraying Eds disability.) Based on ppls love for brotherhood as the faithful adaptation, despite certain chronological and other changes due to reasons, I imagine there won't be a more expanded cast in the manga. I will say, Major General Armstrong is not a good or interesting character, she's unlikable on the surface, she has no character arc, all she's got going for her is being badass by design which is kinda boring when you lack all other traits an interesting character could have

[@YamiKisara]

I agree with everything you say, I just don't understand why people like the dub. It lacks in emotion to me, the voices don't fit the characters whatsoever (Riza's ok-ish, Mustang's a total disaster). I know English isn't a very melodic language (especially compared to an extremely melodic language like Japanese), so is that why native speakers fawn over it, because they're used to that kind of sound, while people from a more melodic language background find it...not to say boring...but far less appealing than the original?

[@arleyantes9321]

I watched the show with its original dub, but this scene in particular makes me want to rewatch it all in English. Once you get used to their "new" voices, the acting itself is superb, especially Lust and Mustang as shown here. Laura Bailey screaming is just chilling. Btw English is not my first language.

[@juliacarat]

I kinda agree with you but I wouldn't say the dubbed version is all that bad. I agree with you that English is not really the most beautiful language out there and Japanese is definitely much more melodic and smoother to the ear, it also feels like they are speaking a little too slow sometimes, perhaps for the sake of good lip syncing. I feel like Roy's English voice is a little too deep for his appearance, it makes him sound older than he is (athough the voice actor did a pretty decent job). I may be a little biased because I absolutely love his Japanese voice, it fits him perfectly. Honestly, all of the characters sound better in Japanese. The one and only exception for me is our little red runt. Don't get me wrong, Edward's Japanese voice is awesome, his voice actress is amazing. But at least for me it was so hard to picture a little boy talking when all I could hear is Hange from Attack on titan, I don't know why to be honest because she did a good job at mimicking a teenager's voice, but I am so used to her voice in other animes that I can't really enjoy Edward's voice. And I must admit, his English voice is amazing. The voice actor did an incredible job.

[@juliacarat]

@@STELEDAIM I am not judging English just based on anime voice acting and it is a little weird that you understood it that way. I was explaining to the OG commenter why Japanese voice acting might sound better and in my opinion, Japanese being more melodic does play a role in that. That's my opinion, if you don't agree with it then it's fine, but I don't see why it is irrelevant since that's exactly what we are talking about. As for the rest of your comment, I don't really know much about the voice acting industry, I just have my opinion as an anime viewer. However, having less time/being on a budget obviously has an influence on the quality of the final product. I am not trying to say that English voice actors are less talented, I am just saying the Japanese voice acting sounds better to me (most of the time at least).

[@juliacarat]

@@STELEDAIM Oh I am sorry for misunderstanding then 😅

[@LydiaWilderman]

​@@juliacaratAbout Roy Mustang's English voice, the voice IS a little too low for his character design. What got me, though, is the fact that the English voice for Maes Hughes is a little bit higher than Mustang's. It's a little imbalance that can break your immersion. On the other hand, the Japanese voice cast perfectly fits their roles. I started watching the sub and something in the back of my brain went, "Well, this makes much more sense." On the subject of Ed's voice actor, I really enjoyed the Japanese voice actor. However, I fully get where you're coming from with that. I watched both Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Dragon Prince, and Sokka and Callum having the same voice actor still messes me up sometimes. I was deep into the sub when I looked at the English voice credits and saw that Roy Mustang was Travis Willingham. I immediately thought, "Oh, THAT'S why I had such a weird time trying to take him seriously." Because I had seen Travis Willingham as another character prior to this, and that character is very much not Roy Mustang. Also as a native English speaker who cannot learn another language to save my life, the Japanese lines just sound better to my audio-oriented brain.