Tropes present in this episode include:
- Asshole Victim: The Mannequin General awakened the Mannequin Soldiers, abominations powered by human souls for the sole purpose of exploiting them as a weapon and believing they will obediently listen to him. He ends up being their first victim.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Reconstructed. When Alphonse makes it clear to Heinkel that he won't abandon him to save himself, Heinkel gives him the Philosopher's Stone that Kimblee lost in the mine and convinces him to use it, if not for himself, then at least to save the world and the people he cares for most. Alphonse, after some hesitation, agrees to use it to fight off Kimblee and Pride after Heinkel reassures him that the souls within the stone would want to help him fight the enemy that used them as a resource.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: A lampshaded one that's morbidly Played for Laughs. When Sloth ends up killing General Fox in an attempt to kill Olivier, the latter actually thanks him for sparing her the trouble of doing so and ensuring she won't need to soil her sword with Fox's blood.
- Big Damn Heroes: Alex arrives to save Olivier from Sloth before the latter could crush her with his hands.
- Defiant to the End: Despite Olivier holding him hostage and threatening him to call off his soldiers, General Fox instead orders his subordinates to close all the gates to prevent Mustang and the Briggs soldiers from entering the Command Center, all the while furiously talking back at Olivier and promising that she and her forces will be exterminated. Olivier actually commends him for this.Olivier: Ah, so you do have some metal, twisted though it might be.
Fox: Oh you shouldn't get too cocky! We'll kill every last one of you. All you mountain savages! - Didn't See That Coming: Kimblee and Pride had no way of knowing that Heinekel had grabbed the Philosopher's Stone Kimblee dropped in the North months earlier and that he had it on him (much less that he'd persuaded Al to use it). Al using the Stone to put himself back in the game leaves the Homucului and ex-State Alchemist initially gobsmacked.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: The Mannequin General unleashes the Mannequin Soldiers to get rid of the rebels, believing they will obey his every command. He ends up being their first victim instead.
- Fear-Induced Idiocy: The unnamed scientist that tried to warn the Mannequin General not to unleash the Mannequin Soldiers stays rooted in place as he watches in horror the Mannequin Soldiers eat the general's corpse. When they turn to him, he opens fire on them with a gun that only slows them down briefly. The scientist is too paralyzed with fear to even try running for his life and ends up becoming the next victim.
- He's Back!: Envy manages to restore themselves to their true and humanoid forms by absorbing the Mannequin Soldiers chasing May.
- Immune to Bullets: Downplayed. Bullets do visibly damage the Mannequin Soldiers and they can't regenerate from their wounds, but since they can't be killed by them, they may as well be immune to them.
- Man Bites Man: The Mannequin Soldiers attack their prey by biting down on them.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: The Mannequin Soldiers prove just how dangerous they are with the fact they can shrug off attacks that can kill a normal human, despite the damage being visible. Gunshots and Scar's Your Head A-Splode tactics only stop them for a brief moment before they resume their attack.
- Oh, Crap!: This is Heinkel and Alphonse's reaction to realizing Pride is hitting Al's helmet with a stick to broadcast their location via morse code. Unfortunately, Kimblee has already arrived to free Pride at this point.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: Downplayed. Ed has spent the better part of his life imagining Van Hohenheim as this cold, unfeeling man who abandoned his family for no good reason. But then, Hohenheim shares his backstory with Ed, along with acknowledging that his actions were flawed. Although Ed can safely say his father isn't the heartless man he thought he was, it leaves him feeling conflicted, as his resentment towards the man doesn't magically go away.
- Tortured Monster: The Mannequin Soldiers are powered by Philosopher's Stones, with the souls inside each of them crying out for help, crying for their families, or complaining that they are in pain. The only thing they can think of to get rid of their pain is to eat every human in their path.
- Villain Respect: Kimblee sincerely compliments Al for choosing to stand his ground and face him and Pride rather than fleeing out of self-preservation (as Pride and he were expecting).
