# Fullmetal Alchemist circle research

Research date: 20 September 2026. This replaces the first prototype’s invented stone/iron/water arrays. Those shapes were not evidence-based FMA circles and have been removed.

## What the references establish

| Circle | Distinguishing structure | Function and activation | Implemented fidelity |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Roy Mustang | Double ring, intersecting triangles, central triangle, flame above, salamander below | Flame alchemy with a separate ignition source; the glove supplies a spark | Full fan-reference linework digitized into editable strokes |
| Alex Louis Armstrong | Encircled triangle with three marks; gauntlets also carry inscriptions | Stone/metal reconstruction using contact and strikes | Geometric study; central and peripheral writing omitted |
| Isaac McDougal | Eye-like curves, center circle and point, horizontal axis, surrounding rings | Existing water can freeze or boil | Geometric study; outer writing omitted |
| Solf J. Kimblee | Two palm arrays: downward triangle + sun on right; upward triangle + moon on left | Palms combine before explosive transmutation | Side-by-side study, with both halves required; outer writing omitted |
| Elrics’ human transmutation, manga | Two overlapping squares produce an octagram | The brothers’ attempted resurrection fails | Structural study; symbols and inscriptions omitted |

These are reference-based reconstructions, not five official production drawings. Exact lettering and proportions remain unverified where explicitly omitted. No invented text is passed off as a canonical inscription. Numerical recognition thresholds and animations are game rules.

## Evidence and continuity

### Mustang

The [character reference](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Roy_Mustang) describes ignition-cloth gloves, damaged or wet gloves, and use of another ignition source. Wet gloves therefore block **this simulator’s snap action**, not all conceivable flame alchemy. The [2005 Japanese diagram reference](https://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/renkinkouza/7002/) visibly shows the double ring, triangle structure, flame, and salamander. Its [clean diagram](https://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/lg01/01/0000122901/44/img8db842a41xn4kw.gif) was visually inspected and digitized, rather than drawing a substitute salamander from memory. This is a fan reference, not an official asset. The [official episode thumbnail](https://www.crunchyroll.com/fr/watch/G649093QY/flame-of-vengeance) is a primary-source lead for comparing the glove in Brotherhood episode 53; no full-episode frame-by-frame verification was performed here.

### Armstrong

The [character reference](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Louis_Armstrong) describes his gauntlet arrays and stone/metal transformations. It points to manga chapters 7, 58–59, and 95 for inscription variants. [This visual discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/FullmetalAlchemist/comments/152c0p5/dissecting_armstrongs_transmutation_circle/) is a secondary cross-check for symbol placement, not authority for what each symbol mechanically does. The game does **not** adopt the discussion’s speculative symbolism as a canonical language. Gauntlet lettering needs primary-panel comparison before a facsimile can be claimed.

### Isaac

The [character reference](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Isaac_McDougal) and [circle description](https://fullmetal-alchemist-database.fandom.com/wiki/Isaac_McDougal) identify the eye-like construction and both water phase changes. Isaac is exclusive to Brotherhood, introduced in [episode 1](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_1_%282009_Anime%29). He must not be described as a manga character. The prior generic hexagonal ice array has been removed. This replacement is a reconstruction from the documented structure, not an exact traced anime frame.

### Kimblee

The [character reference](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Solf_J._Kimblee) distinguishes the two hands and their combined geometry. This simulator follows the manga/Brotherhood description, not a blended 2003 continuity. A single palm cannot activate the study. The drawn crescent and relative proportions are geometric reconstructions, with no claim of exact tattoo fidelity.

### Human transmutation

The [alchemy reference](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Alchemy) distinguishes the manga’s double-square diagram from the ornate hexagonal anime design; Brotherhood uses the latter in the early childhood flashback too. The study explicitly selects the manga structure. Its failure scene concerns resurrection of the dead. It does not assert that every later story use of human transmutation has the same outcome.

## Other known designs to keep distinct

- The [nationwide transmutation circle](https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Nationwide_Transmutation_Circle) is geographic and connected to the story’s sacrificial plan. It is not an ordinary portable combat circle.
- The 2003/early-Brotherhood human-transmutation design needs its own plate, not a silent substitution for the manga octagram.
- The full flame-alchemy research tattoo and Mustang’s simplified glove array are related but different designs; the notebook currently uses the glove reference.

These are research entries, not additional implemented playable modes. Secondary references supply the lore summaries; primary manga/anime inspection remains necessary for exact inscriptions and scene-specific variants.

## What was reused from the supplied source code

Repository: [ytnrvdf/wha-spell-simulator](https://github.com/ytnrvdf/wha-spell-simulator), inspected commit `176352ffd69e4558360b9397da2d170808ec1ab3`.

Read the input capture, drawing classifier, ring detector, template normalizer, template matcher, and configuration. The original separates pointer capture, geometry, recognition, compilation, and effect rendering. Its ring detector supports far more than the first prototype’s single-stroke circle test. Its matcher compares normalized raster masks, including unexplained ink and missing coverage.

Three upstream modules are included without code edits under `vendor/wha/`: `parser/templateMatcher.js`, `parser/templateNormalizer.js`, and `utils/geometry.js`. Their MIT notice is preserved in `vendor/wha/LICENSE` (copyright 2026 Nervadof). A package marker enables the original `.js` modules in Node tests.

The app now calls that actual matcher, combined with stricter whole-array coverage and distinguishing-region checks. It does not claim to port the entire WHA parser. Its original one-ring/one-primary-sigil grammar would reject valid FMA arrangements such as Kimblee’s two palms, and its close-the-ring activation rule is not an FMA rule.

## Artwork and reproduction

Mustang linework in `mustang-strokes.mjs` is an automatic centerline tracing of the linked fan diagram, fitted to the drawing surface. The tracing tool is included for reproducibility. The original design belongs to Fullmetal Alchemist’s rights holders; the reference page supplies no explicit reuse license. This project makes no claim that the artwork is public domain or commercially licensed. The WHA code’s MIT license does not license FMA artwork.

## Extended research

See [Symbols, fan readings, and combined arrays](CIRCLE-STUDIES.md) for the sourced historical lexicon, fan theories, layered-array examples, experimental composer rules, and Blender animation direction.