Are the events in Ishbal based on or inspired by the Holocaust? I've noticed that a lot of Western fans seem to associate the genocide / war in Ishval with the Holocaust (or alternatively, the Middle East). However, from somewhat secondary sources, I've heard that Arakawa was inspired by the plight of the Burakumin or Ainu. (The first I don't remember the reference for; the second appears on this page for Scar and on this reported interview, although there's no statement of where this is from.)

Given that FMA is a Japanese manga and that the direct linkage of Amestris to Germany seems tenuous, I am more inclined to assume that there isn't an exact real world parallel to Ishbal. (After all, the exact details of what happened in FMA don't entirely match up to what I know about the Holocaust. In combination with the statements by Arakawa and the fact that Amestris isn't really reducible to being a "fantasy version of German", I would assume that the events are largely fantasy, even if some portions might be inspired by various real-life events.) 

Moreover, I would see it as best to assume that the events in Ishval were inspired (at least partly) by issues such as Japanese colonialism (per statements about interviewing war veterans1), even if some aspects might be European. My cynical self suggests that Western fans are also more likely to say Ishvalan War of Extermination == Holocaust because they simply are more likely to have more experience with it (or with the Middle East being an issue) than with tensions in East Asia, and not because this was necessarily explicitly stated somewhere.

What exactly is the arc involving Ishbal supposed to be based on, if anything? Is the oft-cited factoid that it is based on the Holocaust true, or is it more reasonable to associate it with issues linked to Japan or to see it as a largely fantastic element with occasional grounding in things that have happened in real life?




(Update) I now realise that the most obvious purpose of such interviews would be to get some grounding for the experiences of military characters such as Mustang or Hawkeye. However, I'm trying to preserve the question as close to its original form as possible (and there, I had mentioned East Asia) in this clean-up.
Hiromu Arakawa, the mangaka, states that she was not influenced greatly by any specific country, but rather a collection of European countries during the Industrial Revolution, as stated in the answers to this question, sourced back to an interview in Newtype USA, January 2006.

While I'm sure Arakawa took inspiration from her own country's history, too, the fact that she was inspired by Europe at all makes a convincing argument already.

With that said, I think it's fair to say that there is a decent amount of evidence specifically toward the extermination of Ishval being inspired by the Holocaust. In the question I linked above, there's a few other points that tie Amestris to Germany, but I think there's a few specific points to consider.

The leader of the time was labelled as a Fuhrer.

Not sure there's much more to say here. Hitler and Bradley share a title and a mustache.

During the flashbacks, the most prominent feature of the Amestrian army is their eyes.

It's quite clear that there is emphasis put on the non-Ishvalan Amestrians being very similar to the Aryan race that was dominant during the Holocaust.



Ishval differs from Amestris greatly in its religious views.

Aside from their ways of living being similar to those of the Amish, the largest difference between them and the "regular" Amestrians is the fact that they believe in the creator Ishval. In the Holocaust, Hitler's motivation was a duality of both targeting their bloodlines as well as their faith.

However, the Holocaust is a very sensitive topic.

I think part of the reason Arakawa denies being inspired by this is that she does not want to take a political stance on the issue. As soon as she admits to being inspired by such a sensitive issue, she opens herself up to all kinds of criticism and alienation from specific groups, mostly notably those of Jewish faith or descent.

Answer the question already! Was the Ishvalan Extermination inspired by the Holocaust?

There is no straight answer! Sorry! If you believe what Arakawa has said publicly, then no, it wasn't. She does not admit to taking inspiration from any particular country or event, just the feel of the European countries during the Industrial Revolution as well as the 20th century development.

However, if you'd rather look past the word of God, I think there is ample evidence to suggest that there were aspects of the Holocaust and WWII Germany that were imported into Fullmetal Alchemist, with Ishval and the Extermination being two of them.