Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
A faithful second anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's manga.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a Japanese anime series and the second time Hiromu Arakawa's manga *Fullmetal Alchemist* has been adapted for television. Produced by studio Bones, it was directed by Yasuhiro Irie, written by Hiroshi Ōnogi, and scored by Akira Senju. Unlike the 2003 anime, which ran out of published manga material and created an original storyline, this version was made to follow the manga's complete plot faithfully. The series ran for 64 episodes on MBS, TBS, and their affiliates from April 2009 to July 2010.
The story follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who grew up in the village of Resembool with their mother Trisha. Their father Hohenheim, a gifted alchemist, left when they were young. After Trisha died from a lingering illness, the boys were looked after by neighbor Pinako Rockbell and her granddaughter Winry, their close friend. Ed and Al trained in alchemy under Izumi Curtis, then attempted to resurrect their mother—a forbidden human transmutation. The attempt failed: Al's body was destroyed, and Ed lost his left leg. To save his brother, Ed sacrificed his right arm to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor. Fitted with automail prosthetics by Winry and Pinako, the brothers burned down their home and set out to become State Alchemists. Edward passed the exam and earned the title "Fullmetal Alchemist." Together, they search for the Philosopher's Stone to restore their bodies, guided by Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they uncover a government conspiracy involving homunculi, alchemists from Xing, a scarred killer from Ishval, and secrets about their father's past.
Production began after Arakawa announced a second anime adaptation in the 20th manga volume, released in August 2008. The Japanese title includes the English subtitle "Brotherhood" to distinguish it from the 2003 series. Voice actors Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya returned as Edward and Alphonse. Director Irie worked to make the series appealing and focused on the popular character Roy Mustang. As the manga neared its end in May 2010, Irie revealed the staff was already working on the final episodes and was surprised by the story's conclusion.
The music was composed by Akira Senju. Three soundtrack CDs were released: the first on October 14, 2009; the second on March 24, 2010; and the third on July 7, 2010.
Quick Facts
- Native Name
- 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST / Hagane no Renkinjutsushi
- Genre
- Adventure · Dark fantasy · Steampunk
- Based On
- Fullmetal Alchemist · Hiromu Arakawa
- Screenplay
- Hiroshi Ōnogi
- Director
- Yasuhiro Irie
- Voices
- Romi Park / Rie Kugimiya / Shin-ichiro Miki / Megumi Takamoto / Keiji Fujiwara / Fumiko Orikasa / Kenta Miyake
- Music
- Akira Senju
- Country
- Japan
- Language
- Japanese
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 64 + 4 OVAs
- List Episodes
- List of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episodes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are raised by their mother Trisha Elric in the remote village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young. After Trisha died of a lingering illness, the brothers were cared for by their elderly neighbor Pinako Rockbell and her granddaughter Winry Rockbell. Ed and Al traveled the world to advance their alchemic training under teacher Izumi Curtis. Upon returning home, they desperately decide to try to bring their mother back to life with alchemy, but human transmutation is a serious alchemical taboo. In the failed transmutation, Al's body is completely disintegrated, and Ed loses his left leg. Ed sacrifices his right arm to return Al's soul and binds it to a nearby suit of armor. After receiving automail prosthetics, the brothers burn down their house and head to the capital city to become State Alchemists. Edward is dubbed the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to regain their full bodies through the fabled Philosopher's Stone under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy involving homunculi, alchemists from Xing, a scarred serial killer from Ishval, and their own father's past.
Reader's Guide
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has received acclaim since its initial airing and is regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time. Praise has been given to its faithfulness to the manga and its incorporation of characters and plot details that were not present in the 2003 anime series, either due to unpublished manga material or creative changes. The climactic episodes were also lauded for both their action sequences and moral messaging. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critic consensus reads: 'With impeccable world-building, rollicking action, and emotionally intelligent themes, all the elements come together to make this Fullmetal Alchemist reboot a pristine distillation of the shounen genre.' It was the top-rated anime on MyAnimeList and Anime News Network. The series was originally licensed in North America by Funimation and broadcast English dubbed on Adult Swim from February 2010 to September 2011. In March 2016, Funimation's license expired and it was transferred to Aniplex of America.
Did You Know?
- Production for Brotherhood began in 2008.
- The series aired a total of 64 episodes from April 2009 to July 2010.
- Voice actresses Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya reprised their roles as Edward and Alphonse Elric from the 2003 series.
- The English dub of the series premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on February 14, 2010.
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Elsewhere in Fullmetal Alchemist
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