Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

フルメタル・パニック! The Second Raid
2005 Kyoto Animation TBS / MBS 13 episodes Completed
Action Mecha Military Drama Psychological
Details & Synopsis
The original Full Metal Panic balanced its military thriller against high school comedy with a precision that should not have worked and did. The Second Raid removes the balance. The comedy is almost entirely gone. What remains is the military thriller, and something underneath it that the first series was too busy juggling tones to fully surface.

Produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto, The Second Raid aired on TBS in 2005. Thirteen episodes. KyoAni were not yet the studio everyone knew them as, this predates Haruhi, predates Lucky Star, predates the reputation. What it represents is the studio at the peak of their action animation capability, before they pivoted to the aesthetic that would define their next decade. The Arm Slave combat sequences are as good as the genre produced in the mid-2000s.

The story picks up with the Amalgam organization moving from background threat to primary antagonist. Sousuke Sagara continues his impossible double life, MITHRIL special forces operative and Kaname Chidori's bodyguard-slash-classmate, until MITHRIL pulls him off the protection detail. What follows is the series' actual subject: what happens to a soldier trained since childhood for violence and nothing else when the one assignment that gave his life adjacent-to-human context is removed. Sousuke does not handle it gracefully. Sousuke does not handle it at all.

Gates is the antagonist the series deploys against this. Unhinged in a register the franchise had not previously attempted, not calculating, not ideological, simply a man who has found war and found that he likes it, enthusiastically, in a way that makes everyone around him deeply uncomfortable including his own allies. He is one of the more genuinely unsettling villain performances of the era.

Kaname alone and aware she is unprotected. Al, the Lambda Driver AI in the Arbalest, developing something that functions like concern. Tessa Testarossa carrying command weight that the first series kept at the level of character detail. The Second Raid is not a larger story than its predecessor. It is a narrower one, focused tighter on what the original was too busy to examine. Thirteen episodes and it earns every one of them.

A one-episode OVA, The Second Raid: "Another", was released with the DVD. Kaname in the bath, framed as comedy, functioning as something considerably more uncomfortable. Watch it after the series.
Alt Title フルメタル・パニック! The Second Raid
Studio Kyoto Animation
Network TBS / MBS
Aired 2005
Episodes 13
Genre Action, Mecha, Military, Drama, Psychological
Status Completed
Search Go to ep Filters
Arc List (4)
Mithril Mobilization Arc (4) Amalgam Investigation Arc (2) The Severed Bond Arc (3) Hong Kong Conflagration Arc (4)
Mithril Mobilization Arc 4 eps 4 canon 📷 2
001 The End of Day by Day Aired Jul 13, 2005 canon 📷 160 ►
A long war never truly leaves a man, even when the guns grow silent in the sands of Balic. Young Sergeant Sagara attempts to balance the delicate peace of a high school classroom with the brutal weight of his mercenary duties. The illusion of a normal life fractures when an unknown syndicate deploys advanced technology that matches the absolute highest tiers of military black projects. The battlefield shifts once more, proving that peace is merely a fleeting interlude between storms.
View all 160 screencaps from this episode →
002 The Scene Below the Water Aired Jul 20, 2005 canon 📷 156 ►
Beneath the pristine surface of everyday life, a hidden current of malice begins to gather momentum. While Sagara investigates a localized breach of privacy concerning Chidori, a cold blooded arms dealer named Gates combs through the wreckage of the previous battle. The enemies of peace trace the invisible footprints of a reality warping device, showing that the shadows are actively hunting the gifted children of the world.
View all 156 screencaps from this episode →
003 Labyrinth and Dragon Aired Jul 27, 2005 canon ►
The drums of conflict echo through Nanjing as a diplomatic delegation is violently seized inside a subterranean tunnel beneath the Yangtze River. The Special Response Team mounts a desperate underground rescue operation to prevent an immediate outbreak of global war. The dark, claustrophobic stone corridors become a literal death trap as the mercenary unit walks directly into a carefully prepared ambush.
004 Daylight Aired Aug 3, 2005 canon ►
A commander must possess the wisdom to see through the fog of deception when lines of communication are severed by a silent enemy. Captain Testarossa realizes her secure network has been deeply compromised by the shadow organization. She and Kalinin coordinate a high stakes campaign of false orders to misdirect the ambushers and turn the execution ground into a turning point for survival.
Amalgam Investigation Arc 2 eps 2 canon
005 Beautiful Sicily Aired Aug 10, 2005 canon ►
The hunt for a high level traitor pulls the elite squad across the world to the historic coastlines of Sicily. Sagara experiences the agonizing exhaustion of a soldier caught between two worlds as he avoids bullets in formal wear while receiving a furious phone call from Chidori regarding his academic failures. The arrival of an unmapped mobile asset allows a clean escape but deepens the mystery of the enemy structure.
006 Edge of Heaven Aired Aug 17, 2005 canon ►
A heavy heart clouds a young warrior's judgement when the path of duty diverges from personal affection. The high command of Mithril officially recognizes the existence of Amalgam and determines Sagara's presence near Chidori is a liability. The order to permanently reassign him away from Japan is delivered with cold institutional finality, severing the only anchor tying the young veteran to a peaceful existence.
The Severed Bond Arc 3 eps 3 canon
007 Left Behind Aired Aug 24, 2005 canon ►
The sudden absence of a protector leaves a profound, cold void in the quiet streets of Tokyo. Chidori attempts to resume her normal school routine but finds herself monitored by a strange, anonymous shadow agent known only as Wraith. Across the sea, Sagara arrives at the Mediterranean headquarters completely hollowed out by the loss of his protective mission, his focus entirely shattered.
008 Jungle Groove Aired Sep 14, 2005 canon ►
A replacement pilot arrives to assume command of the high mobility assets as the tactical situation degrades. Captain Clouseau introduces a rigorous, unforgiving training regime to master the shifting parameters of the electronic systems. Sagara struggles to manifest the necessary spiritual focus to interface with his machine, realizing that a weapon without a soul is merely a pile of dead iron.
009 Her Problem Aired Sep 21, 2005 canon ►
An unseen hunter stalks through the rain as Amalgam dispatches a lethal executioner named Xia Yu Lan to eliminate the remaining loose ends in Japan. Chidori is forced to flee through the labyrinthine streets of the city with absolute zero backup. The terror of her isolation forces her to tap into the forbidden ancestral wisdom sleeping within her subconscious to avoid immediate termination.
Hong Kong Conflagration Arc 4 eps 4 canon
010 Hong Kong in Two Aired Sep 28, 2005 canon ►
The historic city of Hong Kong is violently cleaved in two by a sudden deployment of rogue heavy armor designed to instigate a civil war. Sagara and Melissa join a specialized reconnaissance force to track the source of the provocation. The emotional weight of his unfulfilled protection duty causes Sagara to freeze in the heat of a skirmish, leading to a fierce confrontation with his comrades that results in his desertion.
011 His Problem Aired Oct 5, 2005 canon ►
A hollow warrior wanders through the neon lit alleys of a fractured metropolis, running from the ghosts of his childhood. Sagara encounters a mirror reflection of his own inner damage while the rest of his fractured squad prepares to engage the enemy's elite mechanical units. The arrival of a massive, black clad mobile weapon confirms that the architect of his past trauma has returned from the grave.
012 Burning Hong Kong Aired Oct 12, 2005 canon ►
The city burns as a dying monster seeks to drag the entire world down into the ash with him. Sagara penetrates a heavily fortified high rise to find his oldest nemesis, Gauron, crippled but laughing amidst the conflagration. The venomous taunts of the dying terrorist push the young pilot to the absolute brink of madness before a final execution shot triggers a catastrophic structural collapse.
013 The Continuing Day By Day Aired Oct 19, 2005 canon ►
The absolute final reckoning takes place under a blood red sky as the black clad Venom unit decimates the defending forces. Chidori arrives on the battlefield to physically confront Sagara and slap away his paralyzing despair with unyielding civilian conviction. The young veteran finally unlocks the true, uncompromised power of the Arbalest, using the fire of his resolve to permanently incinerate the shadow of Amalgam.
ⓘ Legend
canon Episode adapts events from the source manga.
mixed Adapts source material but adds anime-original scenes.
good-filler Anime-original episode generally well-received by fans.
filler Anime-original episode not based on the source manga.
📷 Number of user-uploaded screencaps available for this episode.
SS

Sosuke Sagara

Fractured Specialist / Conflicted Guardian

A young soldier whose hands have known only the cold steel of a cockpit since his childhood in Helmajistan. When the high command commands his immediate withdrawal from Japan, his internal focus shatters completely. He is forced to choose between the blind obedience of a mercenary and the fierce, protective instinct of a man. His silence masks a deep psychological crisis as his heavy machine refuses to answer a pilot without a unified soul.
+8 LORE
AI System: "Al" (Artificial Intelligence) Armament Index M9 Gernsback (Custom Variants) Armament Index The "Bonta-kun" Phenomenon Armament Index ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Plan1056 Codarl (Venom) Combat Ledger ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Plan1056 Codarl (Gates) Combat Ledger Sousuke Sagara's Psychological Breakdown Lambda Driver Mechanics ARX-7 Arbalest Heat Dissipation Lambda Driver Mechanics ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Gates & Venom Fleet The Hong Kong Escalation
KC

Kaname Chidori

Whispered Anchor / Isolated Target

The fiercely independent young woman whose everyday student routine hides a dangerous cosmic blueprint sleeping inside her mind. When her shadow protector is suddenly reassigned, she is left entirely alone in the rainy streets of Tokyo to navigate the lethal precision of an anonymous execution squad. She relies on pure civilian resolve and a blossoming connection to her guardian to survive the descent into global warfare.
LORE
T"

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa

Mithril Captain / Tactical Prodigy

The sixteen year old commander of the state of the art submarine Tuatha de Danaan who carries the security of the free world on her fragile shoulders. Her pristine operational record faces its ultimate test when an informational leak compromises her network. She must outmaneuver the dark syndicate Amalgam while managing the internal fragmentation of her elite Special Response Team.
+2 LORE
Mithril Submarine Fleet (Tuatha de Danaan) vs. Amalgam Undersea Attack Combat Ledger Tuatha de Danaan (TDD-1) Naval & Mobile Command
MM

Melissa Mao

Squad Leader / Pragmatic Veteran

The tough ex-Marine who serves as the tactical anchor and older sister figure to her squad of erratic young pilots. When the political architecture of the war shifts, she struggles to keep her team from fracturing under the immense psychological stress. Her absolute proficiency in close quarters combat is the only reason the line holds when their tactical communications are severed.
LORE
KW

Kurz Weber

Sniper Prodigy / Carefree Foil

The laid back sniper ace whose casual demeanor masks an icy, flawless precision when looking through a rifle scope. He provides the necessary civilian lightheartedness to balance Sagara's suffocating military rigidity. When the battlefield shifts to the burning alleys of Hong Kong, his unshakeable composure under fire ensures his comrades can execute their high stakes maneuvers safely.
LORE
BC

Belfangan Clouseau

Urzu 1 Commander / Martial Master

The elite martial artist and veteran pilot who assumes formal operational command of the Special Response Team. He introduces a rigorous, unforgiving training philosophy to force Sagara to master the volatile electronic systems of the Arbalest. His disciplined execution of heavy armor maneuvers provides a vital mechanical template for the younger child soldiers under his wing.
GA

Gates

Psychotic Amalgam Executioner

The completely unhinged, theatrical commander dispatched by Amalgam to orchestrate a localized global conflagration. He listens to classical music on headphones while callously executing his own subordinates for minor structural errors. His unpredictable mood swings and erratic combat methodology make him a deeply terrifying dark mirror to the disciplined military forces trying to preserve the peace.
+3 LORE
Gates Amalgam Operations ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Plan1056 Codarl (Gates) Combat Ledger ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Gates & Venom Fleet The Hong Kong Escalation
LT

Leonard Testarossa

SPOILER!

Amalgam Mastermind / Nihilistic Genius

The silver haired executive of the shadow syndicate whose comprehension of black technology surpasses almost anyone on the planet. As Tessa's estranged twin brother, he embodies a cold, absolute nihilism that views the current geopolitical architecture as a playground to expand his designs. He moves gracefully through the upper echelons of the criminal underworld, pulling the strings of global instability.
XY

Xia Yu Lan

Ruthless Assassin / Stalking Shadow

A cold blooded child soldier raised within the elite training facilities of the shadow syndicate. She is dispatched to Tokyo with the sole objective of executing Chidori in the dark. She moves through the rain with the swift, lethal efficiency of a ghost, completely unburdened by empathy or human hesitation.
LORE
XY

Xia Yu Fan

SPOILER!

Silent Pilot / Vengeful Sister

The silent, fiercely protective sister of Yu Lan who pilots a heavy armor asset under the direct influence of Gauron's lingering malice. Her loyalty is bound entirely to her twin and the violent ideology of her creators. She brings a crushing kinetic force to the streets of Hong Kong, driving her custom machine into a suicidal clash against the Arbalest.
+2 LORE
Xia Yu Fan & Xia Yu Lan Amalgam Operations ARX-7 Arbalest vs. Gates & Venom Fleet The Hong Kong Escalation
GA

Gauron

SPOILER!

Broken Catalyst / Ghost of the Past

The sadistic mercenary from Sagara's darkest childhood memories who returns from an apparent grave to deliver a final psychological assault. Though physically crippled and confined to a high rise in a fractured city, his venomous laughter remains a lethal weapon capable of shattering a young warrior's sanity. He welcomes the impending conflagration with open arms, eager to watch the world burn with him.
AL

Al

Evolving Tactical AI / Co-Pilot

The highly advanced, analytical artificial intelligence system embedded inside the cockpit of the Arbalest. As the structural stress of the war deepens, his processing units begin to develop something resembling an authentic human soul through his continuous interactions with Sagara. He transitions from a cold data monitor into a loyal co-pilot capable of processing individual resolve.
+2 LORE
AI System: "Al" (Artificial Intelligence) Armament Index ARX-7 Arbalest Heat Dissipation Lambda Driver Mechanics