Full Metal Panic was the type of action romance comedy that could give you the best kind of whiplash back in the day. It could go from brutal battlefields where soldiers struggled, died, and endured the horrors of active combat to having a violent school girl tsundere taking the paper fan to a socially stunted child soldier over some accidental cleavage.
The way Full Metal Panic could meld these things in a way that didn’t ruin the tone of either is why it is one of the greats.
Alternative Titles:
- FMP
- フルメタル・パニック！
Year Anime Premiered: 2002
Animation Studio: Gonzo, Xebec
Number of Seasons: 3 + 1 Fumoffu + 2 OVAs + 3 Movies
Source Material Country of Origin: Japan
Source Material Available: Light Novel, Manga
Is It Officially Licensed Past Where The Anime Ends?: Light Novel: Yes, Manga: No
Is It Fan Translated Past Where The Anime Ends?: Light Novel: Yes, Manga: Yes
Entry Last Updated: August 10th, 2024
Where To Start The Full Metal Panic Light Novel After The Anime?
If you finished the Full Metal Panic and want to continue the story in the light novels, you can start at:
- If you finished Full Metal Panic Season 1 – Start at Novel 4
- If you Finished Full Metal Panic Second Raid – Start at Novel 6
- If you finished Full Metal Panic Invisible Victory – Start at Novel 10
If you do start off at Novel 10 where Invisible Victory ended, the anime skipped the entirety of Novel 6.
The trilogy of movies covers Novel 1 through Novel 4, the same as the first season. The movies, however, are more for long-time fans. They adapt the novels worse than the first season of anime, and add in more anime-original content.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu was completely comprised of short stories from Full Metal Panic Tanpenshuu, a nine-volume series of FMP-related short stories, as well as Full Metal Panic Side Arms, a two-volume series of side stories.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu adapts Novels 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the Tanpenshuu series in full, but skips around Side Arms, adapting no volume in full.
Is The Full Metal Panic Light Novel Over?
The Full Metal Panic light novel is complete. It ended in 2011 with Novel 12.
Where To Start The Full Metal Panic Manga After The Anime?
The original Full Metal Panic manga covered the content of the first season of the Full Metal Panic anime, and then ended.
However, the Full Metal Panic adventure continued in the Full Metal Panic Σ (Full Metal Panic Sigma) manga series.
If you finished through Invisible Victory and want to continue the Full Metal Panic story after the anime with the manga, you can start at Chapter 45 of the Full Metal Panic Sigma manga.
The one actually nice change in the Full Metal Panic Sigma manga is that it takes the events of Novel 6, which the anime did not adapt, and places them after where you would start the manga after the anime, so you do not need to go back and read anything.
That said, if you do start at Chapter 45, you will miss some of the short stories that were worked into the manga storyline.
Is The Full Metal Panic Manga Over?
The original Full Metal Panic manga is complete. It ended in 2005 with Volume 9, Chapter 58.
The Full Metal Panic Sigma manga is complete. It ended in 2013 with Volume 19, Chapter 90.
The original manga + the Sigma manga adapts the whole light novel story.
What to Expect From The Full Metal Panic Source Material Compared to The Anime?
Alongside inserting some anime-original content, the Full Metal Panic anime makes small changes and omissions throughout its run. However, nothing that is changed has much of an effect on the story or would make it difficult to jump in and enjoy the ending.
The original Full Metal Panic manga makes some some changes to the light novel story, but nothing that really affects the story in any meaningful way. The Sigma manga is more diligent in adapting the light novel, but makes gender changes to some minor characters as well as arranging some events differently.
Regardless, you don’t need to read the Full Metal Panic series from the beginning unless you want to, but just be aware that both the anime and manga change things from the light novel story so what you see in any of the three may not line up exactly right.
Full Metal Panic Spin-Offs
- Full Metal Panic Another (Light Novel, Manga, Complete) – Sequel series taking place 10 years after the FMP ending with new characters. Has an also-complete Sigma manga sequel.
- Full Metal Panic 0 (Manga, Complete?) – Reboot of the original story, but different.
- Full Metal Panic Overload (Manga, Complete) – Comedy manga series similar to the Fumoffu anime, but extra absurd
- Full Metal Panic Comic Mission (Manga, Complete) – More comedic short stories akin to Fumoffu, but more normal than Overload.
- Full Metal Panic Surplus (Manga, Complete) – Single volume manga that people say is a rough draft of the events in Novels 4 and 5.
- Full Metal Panic Tanpenshuu (Light Novels, Complete) – Comedic short stories in FMP.
- Full Metal Panic Side Arms (Light Novel, Complete) – Comedic short stories in FMP
Will They Ever Adapt The Full Metal Panic Ending to Anime?
They are so close and only have three novels left to adapt? Why not finish it?
Money. The answer is always money.
Full Metal Panic languished after Second Raid in 2005 and came back with Invisible Victory in 2018, so there is always a chance. It is just unlikely as this series gets older and less and less well-known by the day.
