Watch order guide · Fullmetal Alchemist

How to watch the Fullmetal Alchemist movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read · 4 titles · 51 hours

Start with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009), which adapts the whole manga. The 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime and its film, Conqueror of Shamballa (2005), split from the manga halfway and tell a different story, so treat them as a separate alternate version. The Sacred Star of Milos (2011) is an optional side story.

Titles

4

Films

2

Series

2

Watch time

51 hours

Box office

$18 million

Avg IMDb

7.9

Fullmetal Alchemist movies in release order

Here is every Fullmetal Alchemist title in the order it came out, 2003 to 2011: 2 films and 2 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.

Fullmetal Alchemist timeline: movies in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 4 titles here. In release order you start with Fullmetal Alchemist (2003); in story order you start with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, set in Amestris, which came out 6 years later.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Fullmetal Alchemist into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Fullmetal Alchemist also runs a separate continuity: The 2003 anime. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.

Where to start

Every Fullmetal Alchemist movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

No. 01 · 2003 · Series · 20h 24m · 3rd in story order

Fullmetal Alchemist

Two young brothers are raised as alchemists, but when they are severely injured trying to perform a forbidden act, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them; the fabled philosopher's stone.

Why it matters: An earlier anime that splits from the manga halfway.

Starring

Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, and Megumi Toyoguchi

Scores

IMDb 8.5

Episodes

51

No. 02 · 2005 · Film · 1h 45m · 4th in story order

Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa

Munich, Germany, 1923. Two years have passed since Edward Elric was dragged from his own world to ours, leaving behind his country, his friends and his younger brother, Alphonse. Stripped of his alchemical powers, he has been all this time researching rocketry together with Alphonse Heiderich, a young man who resembles his own brother, hoping to one day find a way back home. His efforts so far had proven fruitless, but after lending a hand to a troubled gipsy girl, Edward is thrown in a series of events that can wreak havoc in both worlds. Meanwhile, at his own world, Alphonse Elric ventures deeper into the mysteries of alchemy in search for a way to reunite with his older brother.

Why it matters: Concludes the 2003 anime.

Starring

Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, and Toru Okawa

Director

Seiji Mizushima

Box office

$10 million

Scores

IMDb 7.3

No. 03 · 2009 · Series · 26h 40m · 1st in story order

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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.

Why it matters: The whole manga, start to finish; the place to start.

Starring

Romi Park, Shin-ichiro Miki, and Fumiko Orikasa

Scores

IMDb 9.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

Episodes

64

No. 04 · 2011 · Film · 1h 50m · 2nd in story order · optional

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

A fugitive alchemist with mysterious abilities leads the Elric brothers to a distant valley of slums inhabited by the Milos, a proud people struggling against bureaucratic exploitation. Ed and Al quickly find themselves in the middle of a rising rebellion, as the exiled Milos lash out against their oppressors. At the heart of the conflict is Julia, a young alchemist befriended by Alphonse. She'll stop at nothing to restore the Milos to their former glory – even if that means harnessing the awful power of the mythical Philosopher's Stone.

Why it matters: A side-story film; optional.

Starring

Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, and Maaya Sakamoto

Director

Kazuya Murata

Box office

$8 million

Scores

IMDb 6.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 83%

Fullmetal Alchemist box office and budgets

The 2 Fullmetal Alchemist films with reported numbers have grossed $18 million worldwide. The biggest is Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa at $10 million, 57% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos ($8 million).

The best and worst rated Fullmetal Alchemist movies

Across 4 rated titles, Fullmetal Alchemist averages 7.9 on IMDb. The top of the list is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood at 9.1, then Fullmetal Alchemist (8.5) and Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (7.3). At the bottom: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (6.8) and Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (7.3).

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood9.1 · RT 100%
2. Fullmetal Alchemist8.5
3. Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa7.3
4. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos6.8 · RT 83%

Who appears in the most Fullmetal Alchemist movies

Romi Park leads with 4 appearances as Edward Elric, ahead of Rie Kugimiya (4) and Megumi Toyoguchi (2). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

Fullmetal Alchemist directors and creators

2 filmmakers have directed or created Fullmetal Alchemist.

• Seiji MizushimaFullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)
• Kazuya MurataFullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (2011)

How long it takes to watch every Fullmetal Alchemist movie

All 4 titles add up to 51 hours: 4 hours of film and 47 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 26 two-hour evenings, or 6 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 49 hours. The longest film is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos at 1h 50m.

Which Fullmetal Alchemist movies can you skip?

1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 2 hours.

• Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos2011 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalA side-story film; optional.

Common questions

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