Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a Japanese television anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga, produced by Bones and broadcast in Japan from April 2009 to July 2010. Unlike the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime, Brotherhood was made after Arakawa’s story had advanced substantially and follows the manga’s complete storyline. It runs for 64 episodes and was directed by Yasuhiro Irie, with Hiroshi Ōnogi credited for series composition. The Japanese broadcast began on MBS and TBS; Aniplex handled Japanese production and distribution. The series centers on brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who attempt human transmutation to restore their dead mother, Trisha Elric. The forbidden alchemical act fails: Edward loses his left leg, while Alphonse’s entire body disappears. Edward sacrifices his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. Seeking to recover their bodies, they become involved with Amestris, a militarized state where alchemy is used by State Alchemists. Edward becomes the “Fullmetal Alchemist,” a title tied to his automail prosthetic limbs. Their search exposes philosopher’s stones, objects capable of bypassing the usual law of equivalent exchange. The brothers learn that stones are made from human lives, making the moral cost central to their journey. Major supporting characters include Colonel Roy Mustang, an ambitious State Alchemist; Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Mustang’s trusted adjutant; mechanic Winry Rockbell, who maintains Edward’s automail; and Scar, an Ishvalan survivor pursuing revenge against State Alchemists. Brotherhood eventually reveals that Amestris was engineered by the being called Father, creator of the Homunculi. These include Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, and Pride, each named for a deadly sin. Father plans to use a nationwide transmutation circle and the population of Amestris in an attempt to seize divine power. The narrative joins Edward and Alphonse with Mustang, the Xingese prince Ling Yao, the automail engineer family around Winry, and others opposing that plan. The television series was animated by Bones and uses music by composers Akira Senju and Michiru Ōshima. Its first Japanese opening theme is “again” by Yui, while its first ending theme is “Uso” by Sid. In English-language release, Funimation licensed the series in North America and produced an English dub. Brotherhood is frequently distinguished from its 2003 predecessor because its later episodes adapt Arakawa’s ending. The finale resolves the Elric brothers’ central quest through sacrifices that reject using human lives as fuel for alchemy, while restoring Alphonse and giving Edward a future entirely outside the military’s control.