Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist follows the story of a pair of brothers who are talented alchemists in a world that juxtaposes brilliant colors with a dark tone. It’s a vibrant world full of consequences and vile people who just do bad things.
That said, it’s not a very easy series to follow. Even when a point is explained, it can often be hard to digest. All incarnations of the series, from manga to anime to live-action adaptations, are full of complicated hooks and plot threads that take a lot of explaining, and sometimes an episode or chapter doesn’t have time for it. It doesn’t help that Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in a fantastical alternate history setting that’s close to but not quite like the real world with its own unique rules.
10 What Does Alchemy Cost?
Edward spends a good chunk of the series explaining how alchemy works in the universe, and yet it’s still hard to pick apart in a way that doesn’t just lead to more questions. First and foremost, there must be an equivalent exchange. That’s why Edward is working so hard to bring back his brother and inevitably gives up his own alchemy abilities to do so.
Ed and Al each lost physical aspects of themselves when they tried to resurrect their mother; what do the other alchemists exchange for their abilities? Few other talented alchemists seem to as lose much. Was it just that human-based alchemy costs so much more compared to elemental or strength-based Alchemy styles?
9 What Is Even Going On With The Homunculi?
Named for the seven deadly sins, the Homunculi make themselves major antagonists in the series, with almost every one of the Homunculi really getting in tune with their namesake sin. Each of these artificial humans possess really awesome abilities due to having a shard of the Philosopher’s Stone in them, but in the end, it’s really hard to understand their motivations at all.
The series often makes it feel like they’re being played as puppets by the true antagonist, but it doesn’t quite seem that way. Everything about the Homunculi is just a disaster to try and unravel. It happens eventually, but it’s just not easy.
8 Why Did Ed Lose So Much Less Than Al?
At the very beginning, and often referenced throughout the series, Edward and Alphonse tried to resurrect their dead mother using alchemy. They did succeed, technically, but at the cost of Alphonse. In exchange for his brother’s soul back, Ed literally paid an arm and a leg.
Why did the botched resurrection take so much from one brother instead of splitting the toll evenly between the two? Was Alphonse’s entire body worth that much less than Edward’s limbs? Or was it because Alphonse was younger and thus less valuable?
7 Are State Alchemists The Only Good Guys?
Are the State Alchemists even good? Is it just because they’re regulated and militaristic that they’re considered good, and anyone who does alchemy outside of their ranks is considered bad? The State Alchemists all seem to have significantly different reasons behind being there, and most of them inevitably achieve those goals.
For the most part, yes, they are meant to be the good guys; at least, the ones Fullmetal Alchemist focuses on are trying their best to be. However, this series is set in a time of war and thus it can be difficult to determine who is actually right and wrong. It’s meant to be challenging and difficult to understand, but there are points where the overall morality of the State Alchemists does get looked at more in-depth.
6 What’s The Difference Between Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) And Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
Short answer: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are the two anime adaptations of Arakawa’s manga. There are numerous plot differences between FMA and Brotherhood, particularly towards the end of the series. Brotherhood is more closely aligned to the manga than FMA, due to the fact the manga didn’t conclude until 2010. Eventually, the original FMA anime passed the manga and had to fill in the gaps with its own storylines.
However, there were some character differences and motivational changes that had a good handful of fans scratching their heads. It’s hard to explain to even the most hardcore fans.
5 Why Is Ed Called The Fullmetal Alchemist?
This is actually a question that shows up constantly in the series, and even then it’s still a bit of a wonder. Alphonse was bound to a suit of armor by his brother Edward in order to save his soul, so Al is often mistaken as the Fullmetal Alchemist, when that’s actually Edward’s title.
Ed has the title due to his prosthetics and the fact he is actually a State Alchemist, whereas Al is not, and all State Alchemists are identified by a moniker that reflects their alchemic specialty. Long story short, it’s just Ed’s title given to him via the military. “Fullmetal Alchemist” is also similar to the term “full metal jacket,” referencing real-world militaries, though this similarity is limited to the localization; the series’ title in Japanese most directly translates to Alchemist of Steel.
4 What Is With The Gate Of Truth?
The Gate of Truth is a major feature of the series and it is so confusing. How does this state of metaphysical limbo keep what it has from totally fading away? This gateway to God just leaves a lot of good questions hanging with few explanations.
The Gate is understood to be the source of alchemy itself, a place where the pieces that are taken in exchange go to wait it out, like Al’s body. Presumably, it ought to be a much weirder place than viewers got to see. There are entire body parts and souls in there! Is it less creepy without them, or more? The good news is the Gate does get better explained within Brotherhood and in the manga than in the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult to understand. It’s a very complicated piece of lore that’s difficult to follow, but at least it’s got something.
3 Wait, Ed’s How Old?
Edward Elric is a child prodigy. This is a point made clear multiple times throughout the series. He gained his official certification as a State Alchemist at age 12, making him only somewhere between 15 and 16 during the time of the story. At this point, he also technically holds the rank of Major, even though he’s not always treated like that due to his age.
The fact of the matter is that Ed being so young boggles the mind. Why was he even allowed to take the exam in the first place? How is he handling all this at his age?
2 Why Does Ed Hate Milk?
A constant gag in the series is that Ed really hates milk. Is that all it is? Just a gag? A strange character trait? Does he not like it because of an intolerance or an allergy, or does he just not like the taste? What is the point of the milk thing in the first place? He doesn’t seem to have much aversion to other dairy products and isn’t vegan, so perhaps it’s just a weird quirk to go with his thousands of other weird quirks.
One possible explanation comes from Arakawa’s real-life background; after all, the mangaka grew up on a dairy farm and her author avatar in manga extras is a cow wearing glasses.
1 Was Colonel Mustang Forgotten?
Every one of the major characters who survives the series accomplishes their goals. They grow old, have families, and successfully achieve their hopes and dreams. Yes, even Ed and Al. The thing is, despite being incredible, Colonel Roy Mustang didn’t.
He practically faded away, never clearly obtaining what he set out to do. Why? Was there just too much else to deal with? Was he forgotten? Was he just never checked up on again? If nothing else, he can boast about staging a successful coup d’état by the end of the series.
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