Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Series, 2009, Brotherhood, Set in Amestris
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is #3 of 4 in release order and #1 of 4 in chronological order in the Fullmetal Alchemist.
The story
Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone. Enemies and allies – the corrupt military, the Homunculi, and foreign alchemists – will alter the Elric brothers course, but their purpose will remain unchanged and their bond unbreakable.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood recap
Ed and Al Elric, who lost their bodies trying to bring back their mother, hunt for the Philosopher's Stone. In the opening arcs they expose the false priest Cornello in Liore, see Shou Tucker turn his daughter Nina into a chimera, and are attacked by Scar, an Ishvalan who kills State Alchemists in revenge for the Ishval war. In the Laboratory 5 arc, they learn the Stone is made from human souls and meet the homunculi, Lust, Gluttony and Envy. Maes Hughes, close to the truth, is murdered by Envy. The Xingese prince Ling Yao arrives seeking immortality and becomes the vessel of Greed. Roy Mustang kills Lust and learns that the Fuhrer, King Bradley, is the homunculus Wrath. At Fort Briggs, under General Olivier Armstrong, the brothers find a tunnel tracing a country-wide transmutation circle, and the homunculi's creator, Father, plans to sacrifice all of Amestris to absorb God. The brothers' own father, Hohenheim, is Father's original template and the survivor of the fall of Xerxes, and he prepares his own counter. The arc of the Promised Day brings every ally together in Central as the eclipse arrives.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ending explained
Father activates the circle, but Hohenheim's counter returns the souls of Amestris. Mustang, forced to open the Gate, is blinded. Al trades his soul to restore Ed's arm, and Ed defeats Father. Ed then gives up his Gate, and with it his alchemy, to bring Al back in his own body. Hohenheim dies at Trisha's grave, Mustang's sight is restored and Ling becomes emperor of Xing. Two years later, the brothers travel separately to learn more, and Ed and Winry marry and have children.
Where to watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Amasian TV in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 9.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 100%, MyAnimeList 9.11
Where it fits
- Release order: after Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, before Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.
- Chronological order: first, before Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.
What to watch before Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Nothing. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the first of the Fullmetal Alchemist essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Romi Park as Edward Elric (voice)
- Shin-ichiro Miki as Roy Mustang (voice)
- Fumiko Orikasa as Riza Hawkeye (voice)
- Megumi Takamoto as Winry Rockbell (voice)
- Rie Kugimiya as Alphonse Elric (voice)
- Iemasa Kayumi as Narrator (voice)
- Kenta Miyake as Scar (voice)
- Yuki Hayashi as Denny Brosh (voice)
- Mai Gotou as May Chang (voice)
- Hidekatsu Shibata as King Bradley (voice)
- Kenji Utsumi as Louis Armstrong (voice)
- Mamoru Miyano as Ling Yao (voice)