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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood cover art

鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

TV · Spring 2009 · 64 episodes · bones

ActionAdventureDramaFantasy

Ren's take

The rare long series that plans its ending from the first episode and delivers it.

Brotherhood is the show I recommend when someone asks for “the one”. It starts as an adventure about two brothers fixing a terrible mistake, and it keeps widening until it’s about war, guilt and what people owe each other.

What makes it work is control. Sixty-four episodes is long, but almost nothing is wasted, and small details from early on matter later. The villains have real reasons, the side characters get their own arcs, and the action always serves the story.

If you only ever watch one long anime, this is a safe choice.

Watch it if you want one complete story with no filler and an ending that lands.

Watch order

  1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (64 episodes) (the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist is a separate adaptation, not a prequel)

By · Updated

Story

"In order for something to be obtained, something of equal value must be lost." Alchemy is bound by this Law of Equivalent Exchange—something the young brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric only realize after attempting human transmutation: the one forbidden act of alchemy. They pay a terrible price for their transgression—Edward loses his left leg, Alphonse his physical body. It is only by the desperate sacrifice of Edward's right arm that he is able to affix Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor. Devastated and alone, it is the hope that they would both eventually return to their original bodies that gives Edward the inspiration to obtain metal limbs called "automail" and become a state alchemist, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Three years of searching later, the brothers seek the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical relic that allows an alchemist to overcome the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Even with military allies Colonel Roy Mustang, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes on their side, the brothers find themselves caught up in a nationwide conspiracy that leads them not only to the true nature of the elusive Philosopher's Stone, but their country's murky history as well. In between finding a serial killer and racing against time, Edward and Alphonse must ask themselves if what they are doing will make them human again... or take away their humanity. (Source: MAL Rewrite)

Where to watch

Official links. Availability varies by region.

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