Fullmetal Alchemist
IT ROCKS OUT LOUD!! WOOTINATOR
Dj_Hu
| Fullmetal Alchemist | |
| File:Hagaren logo.gif Fullmetal Alchemist Logo | |
| Genre | Adventure, Drama, Comedy |
|---|---|
| Created by | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Published by |  Gangan Comics  VIZ Media Chuang Yi (Chinese and English)  Tong Li Jade Dynasty Kurokawa |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Seiji Mizushima |
| Studio | BONES |
| Anime | |
| Conqueror of Shambala | |
| Directed by | Seiji Mizushima |
| Studio | BONES |
Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) is a manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa and serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan. It has also been adapted into an anime series and a movie, as well as several spin-off novels and videogames. The manga currently spans 12 volumes and 56 chapters, and is still running. The anime consists of 51 episodes and a full-length movie.
The Japanese name "Hagane no Renkinjutsushi" is translated literally into Alchemist of Steel. Fullmetal Alchemist is commonly abbreviated "FMA" or "Hagaren".
The animation studio BONES adapted the manga into a 51-episode anime series, which ran on Japanese television from October 4 2003 to October 2 2004. A one-hour OVA, Fullmetal Alchemist: Reflections Special OVA, was released in 2005. A movie, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala was made by the same studio, and theatrically released in Japan on July 23 2005.
Story
- "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth."
- — Alphonse Elric
Fullmetal Alchemist is set in the early 20th century, in an alternate-historical Earth with technology dating from the era around 1900 in Europe. In this alternate world, the science of alchemy is heavily used, but takes on a fantasy element. Real-world alchemists tried to transmute gold from lesser metals. In the series, alchemy becomes the science of transmuting matter into different matter through the use of transmutation circles -- a scientific, yet equally magical practice, with seemingly infinite uses. Talented alchemists can become the military's State Alchemists. Against this backdrop, the series portrays the quest of the young Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and his younger brother Alphonse, for the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Their adventures lead them to discover the truth about their past and the very world they live in.
Edward and Alphonse Elric were children living in the rural village of Rizembool in the country of Amestris. Their father, an alchemist, had left home when Edward was very young and Alphonse was a baby. Years later, their mother, Trisha Elric, died of an illness.
The boys decide to attempt to revive their deceased mother. They study alchemy with a teacher and then use their father's notes to recreate a human transmutation circle. However, this attempt fails, costing Alphonse his entire body and Edward his left leg. In a desperate effort to save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm to "affix" his brother's soul to a suit of armor. After that, Edward's left leg and right arm are fitted with two sets of Automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb.
A State Alchemist by the name of Roy Mustang arrives during the failed transmutation in response to letters the boys had sent out seeking information about their father. After seeing their skill at alchemy, Mustang suggests that the way to achieve their goals is to become a State Alchemist and work for him. Spurred on by the man's proposal, Edward sets out to become a State Alchemist, enabling him to use the resources available to State Alchemists to discover a way to restore what he and Alphonse have lost. The brothers eventually learn of the Philosopher's Stone and set off in search of it as a means to restore their bodies.
Major characters
Edward Elric - The protagonist of the series, Edward is the youngest state alchemist in history, having achieved the accomplishment at the age of 12. He is given the title the "Fullmetal Alchemist" by the state military. In the context of the series, the title can be seen as referring to his stubborn personality ("hagane" means both "fullmetal" and "stubborn" in Japanese; Roy Mustang called it an ironic title when he gave Ed his title as a State Alchemist). Overly sensitive about his height (or lack thereof), he is prone to throwing fits any time that someone insinuates that he's short.
Alphonse Elric - Edward's younger brother and the second protagonist of the series. He is often mistakenly thought to be the Fullmetal Alchemist because his soul is trapped in a large suit of armor. Alphonse is the calmer of the two, and can be seen as a foil to Edward's temperamental character.
Winry Rockbell - Winry is a mechanical expert and automail enthusiast who has been a friend of the Elric brothers for many years. She, along with her grandmother, Pinako, built Edward's automail, which she also helps maintain or rebuild when it becomes damaged.
Roy Mustang - Roy Mustang is the Flame Alchemist. Using transmutation circles on his gloves, he can create flames with a snap of his fingers. He is Edward's direct superior officer in the military, but has his own goals and intentions in mind.
Mäes Hughes - Member of the Investigations Division, and good friends with Colonel Mustang and the Elric brothers. Hughes loves his wife, Gracia, and is overly enthusiastic regarding his new daughter Elicia.
Riza Hawkeye - A hard-working member of the state military, and a loyal, capable aide to her superior officer, Mustang. She is especially proficient in the use of firearms.
Scar - One of the surviving Ishbalans. He is called "Scar" due to the X-shaped scar on his forehead. Scar has an elaborate alchemical array on his right arm that was given to him by his brother.
King Bradley - Known as the Fuhrer, he is the military dictator of Amestris, holding the official political title of president (King is his first name). He seems to be quite easy-going, perhaps a little eccentric, and is very skilled with his swords.
Lust - Sultry and cool-headed, she is the first of the Homunculi encountered in the series. She has the power to extend her fingers into lances to use as a weapon.
Gluttony - Having the mentality of a child and lacking a will of his own, he is always eager to eat anything, or anyone—living or dead.
Envy - Sarcastic and cold-hearted, Envy has the ability to change his appearance.
Terminology
- Alchemy - Alchemy within the Fullmetal Alchemist anime refers to a three-step process. The first step is understanding the structure of matter, followed by decomposition, and finally reconstruction and manipulation.
- Automail - A kind of prosthetics, made from metal and linked directly to the nerves of the body. Well-made automail can allow a range of movement and strength as good as or better than the original limb it replaces.
- Equivalent Exchange - The rule that alchemists in the series consider to be the foundation of Alchemy or even the fundamental law of the world: To gain, something of equal value must be lost. One of the themes of the series is examining the truth and implications of Equivalent Exchange as a philosophy.
- State Alchemist - An Alchemist serving in a special branch of the state military. State Alchemists are selected by a series of examinations.
- Transmutation Circle - Sometimes referred to as "arrays", transmutation circles are the devices alchemists use to power their transmutations. A circle may be drawn on the spot, embroidered into an article of clothing, or even tattooed onto the alchemist itself. Some elements of the design of the circle can be related to its effect.
- Philosopher's Stone - A legendary stone said to allow the holder to completely bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange.
- Philosopher's Stone, Incomplete (Akai Ishi) - An unfinished or impure Philosopher's Stone is commonly called a Red Stone. Though far less powerful than an a complete stone, a Red Stone can act as a powerful amplifier for an alchemist's abilities. The Red Stone will inevitably and unpredictably backfire on its owner. A related material is Red Water, which while toxic to humans can be refined into a Red Stone.
- Blood Seal - A special type of transmutation circle that acts as a seal to bind a person's soul to an object, such as a suit of armor. The soul is then tied to the blood. It must, as the name suggests, be written in blood. Some translations refer to it as a "Blood Array."
- Gate of Alchemy - Also known as the "Gate of Truth", it is said to be the source for all alchemic power. The gate allows the power of deceased human souls, which are the power behind all alchemy, to flow from the other world to power alchemy. An alchemist who sees into the gate can then perform alchemy without the use of a circle because of the knowledge passed during the experience. The Gate resembles Rodin's sculpture The Gates of Hell though it should be noted that this is for the anime only, currently in the manga what role the gate plays is unkown.
Manga
Release
Fullmetal Alchemist was serialized in Square Enix's monthly anthology manga magazine Monthly Shonen Gangan in July 2001, and the series is still ongoing with a new chapter in every issue. As of February 2006, there have been 56 chapters serialized and 12 graphic novel compilations released. The manga was released in North America by Viz Media in 2005. Fullmetal Alchemist is released in Singapore by Chuang Yi Publishing in both English and Simplified Chinese.
Chapter guide
 | It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Chapter guide of Fullmetal Alchemist. (Discuss) |
Note: transliterations of Japanese titles used; known English titles in parentheses, if they're not the same.
- The Two Alchemists
- The Price of Life
- The Coal Mine Town (The Mining Town)
- Battle on the Train
- The Alchemist's Anguish
- Right Hand of Destruction
- After the Rain
- Hopeful Road
- House of the Waiting Family
- Philosopher's Stone (The Philosopher's Stone)
- The Two Guardians
- Definition of a Human Being (The Definition of Human)
- Steel Body (Fullmetal Body)
- Feelings of an Only Child (An Only Child's Feelings)
- Steel Heart (Fullmetal Heart)
- Separate Ways (Separate Paths)
- In Rush Valley (The Boomtown of the Broken Down)
- Value of Sincerity (The Value of Sincerity)
- In Place of You Both (I'll Do It for You Guys!)
- Master's Fear (The Terror of the Teacher)
- The Two's Only Secret (The Brothers' Secret)
- Masked Man
- Knock on Heaven's Door
- Fullmetal Alchemist
- Resolution Between Master and Apprentice
- To the Master
- Beasts of Dublith
- Bravery of a Coarse Guy
- Eye of the King
- Inside the Armor, the Hidden Truth
- The Serpent that Devours Its Own Tail
- Envoy to the East
- Battle in Rush Valley
- Footsteps of a Comrade
- Scapegoat
- Bitter Alchemist
- The Criminal's Body
- Counterattack, Signal, Fire
- Intricacies of Central
- Western Sage
- Arrogant Palm of a Child
- Father in Front of the Grave
- River of Mud
- Nameless Grave
- Return of the Man with the Scar
- Distant Backs
- Girl on the Battlefield
- Promise of the One Who Waits
- Monster Within
- Inside the Stomach
- Doors of Darkness
- King of the Den of Thieves
- The Soul's Guidepost
- The Fool 's Struggle
- A Sin is Born Anew..
- Lions of the Round Table
Anime
Production broadcast history
The animation studio BONES adapted the manga into a 51-episode anime series, which ran on Japanese television from October 4 2003 to October 2 2004. A one-hour OVA, Fullmetal Alchemist: Reflections Special OVA, was released in 2005. A movie, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala was made by the same studio, and theatrically released in Japan on July 23 2005.
The series has also been broadcast across several regions
- United States, Cartoon Network (Adult Swim) on November 6 2004
- Hong Kong, TVB Jade on February 26 2005
- StarHub's SCV, Channel 56, on March 9 2005 in Singapore
- Latin America, Animax on July 31 2005
- UK, Rapture TV on November 17 2005
- Canada, YTV's Bionix block on March 3 2006.
- Australia, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, late 2005
As there was a limited amount of manga material available to adapt at the time of production, the storyline of the anime diverges from that of the manga around the middle of the series. The anime's later story and conclusion by BONES is different from that of the manga.
DVD releases
The DVDs of the anime have been licensed by various companies for different languages and regions (refer to infobox on right). Some known firms releasing the DVDs are:
- Aniplex R2(JP), R3(TW)
- Asia Animation R3(HK)
- TIGA R3(TH)
- FUNimation R1(NA), R4(MX, SA)
- Madman Entertainment R4(AU)
- MVM R2(UK)
- Odex R3(SG)
The 51 episodes in the series are divided into 13 DVD volumes. In the original Japanese DVDs, Volume 1 consisted of the first two episodes, Volume 13 contained the last five, and all of the volumes in between had four episodes each. So far, Funimation's English DVDs all have four episodes each, and only the first seven volumes have been released in the USA:
- Volume 1: the Curse (Ep. 1-4)
- Volume 2: Scarred Man of the East (Ep. 5-8)
- Volume 3: Equivalent Exchange (Ep. 9-12)
- Volume 4: the Fall of Ishbal (Ep. 13-16)
- Volume 5: the Cost of Living (Ep. 17-20)
- Volume 6: Captured Souls (Ep. 21-24)
- Volume 7: Reunion on Yock Island (Ep. 25-28)
The eighth volume, Altar of Stone, is scheduled for release in the USA on March 7, 2006. However, MVM has only released the first five volumes in the UK.
Opening and end themes
- Openings
- "Melissa" by Porno Graffitti (Episodes 2-13, also used as ending for episode 1)
- "Ready Steady Go" by L'Arc~en~Ciel (Episodes 14-25)
- "Undo" by Cool Joke (Episodes 26-41)
- 「リライト」/"Rewrite" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Episodes 42-51)
- "Ready Steady Go" and "Rewrite" are the only openings playing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim because of a deal with L'Arc~en~Ciel and Asian Kung-Fu Generation to promote their songs. The DVD releases from FUNimation will include all openings in their original places and format.
- Endings
- 「消せない罪」/"Kesenai Tsumi" ("Indelible Sin") by Nana Kitade (Episodes 2-13)
The alternate title used by some fansubbers is "Unerasable Sin", which is also the title given to it on the American release of the first soundtrack but not on the American DVD releases. - 「扉の向こうへ」/"Tobira no Mukou e" ("To the Other Side of the Door") by YeLLOW Generation (Episodes 14-24)
The alternate title used by some fansubbers is "Beyond the Door" - "Motherland" by Crystal Kay (Episodes 26-41)
- "I Will" by Sowelu (Episodes 42-50)
All the ending theme songs and animation on Adult Swim are edited down for time. The DVD releases from FUNimation include the unedited full endings.
The ending of episode 25 consists of a piece of incidental music from the series followed by 「扉の向こうへ」/"Tobira no Mukou e" ("To the Other Side of the Door"). The end credits for the episode are presented on a black background.
Original soundtracks
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 1 (Released 24 March, 2004)
- Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Best (CD+DVD) (Released 14 October, 2004)
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 2 (Released 15 December, 2004)
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 3 (Released 18 May, 2005)
Other releases in music
- Paku Romi (Edward Elric's Seiyū)
- 明日への場所 / Asu e no Basho ("The Place Toward Tomorrow")
- RETURNABLE MEMORIES
- Ohkawa Toru (Roy Mustang's Seiyū)
- 月の裏側 / Tsuki no Uragawa ("Far Side of the Moon")
- Kugimiya Rie (Alphonse Elric's Seiyū)
- あの夢の向こうへ / Ano Yume no Mukou e ("To Beyond That Dream")
- ボクハココニイル / Boku wa Koko ni Iru ("I Am Here")
- Toyoguchi Megumi (Winry Rockbell's Seiyū)
- BOY FRIENDS!
- 時計 / Gindokei ("Silver Watch")
- Fujiwara Keiji (Maes Hughes' Seiyū)
- そして今日も世界は / Soshite Kyou mo Sekai wa (Literally, "And Today World")
- ANGEL HEART
- Multiple
- 鋼のこころ / Hagane no Kokoro ("Heart of Steel" or "Fullmetal Heart"), by Paku Romi, Kugimiya Rie, Toyoguchi Megumi
- 雨の日はノー･サンキュー / Ame no Hi wa No Thank You ("A Rainy Day is a No Thank You"), by Ohkawa Toru, Neya Michiko(Riza Hawkeye's Seiyū)
- 少年よ、信じるなかまよ / Shounen yo, Shinjiru Nakama yo ("Oh Boy, Oh Trustworthy Companions"), by Ohkawa Toru, Saiga Mitsuki (Maria Ross' Seiyū), Fujiwara Keiji, Shimura Tomoyuki (Heymans Breda's Seiyū), Matsumoto Yasunori (Jean Havoc's Seiyū), Shiratori Tetsu (Kain Fuery's Seiyū), Murozono Takehiro (Wattearu Falman's Seiyū), Shibata Hidekatsu (Fuhrer King Bradley's Seiyū)
- TRANCE to Homunculus, by Yamaguchi Mayumi (Envy), Yuuko Sato (Lust), Jun'ichi Suwabe (Greed). Yoshino Takamori (Sloth), Shibata Hidekatsu (Pride), Yasuhiro Takato (Gluttony), and Nana Mizuki (Wrath)
- 恋愛参考書～Love reference book～ / Renai Sankoushou ~ Love Reference Book ~, by Toyoguchi Megumi, Wakabayashi Naomi (Schiezka's Seiyū)
- パパと遊ぼう / Papa to Asobou ("Play with Papa"), by Fujiwara Keiji and Yoshida Mayumi (Elysia Hughes' Seiyū)
- LAST MEETINGS, by Paku Romi, Kugimiya Rie, Toyoguchi Megumi, Ohkawa Toru, and Fujiwara Keiji
- Good!, by Paku Romi, Kugimiya Rie, Toyoguchi Megumi, Ohkawa Toru, and Fujiwara Keiji
Other merchandise
Video games
Video games based on the Fullmetal Alchemist world, have also been released. Sony-Square Enix have released a few titles in the Japanese RPG (3 titles), and Fighting (1 title) genre for the PlayStation 2. Bandai has released other titles in the Japanese RPG vein for the Game Boy Advance (2 titles) and the Nintendo DS (1 title).
The storylines of the games often diverges from both that of the anime and of the manga.
A fan-based video game called Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion was also created, and was only sold in Hong Kong. It is said that there were only around 100 copies of the game made, and that they were auctioned off on Yahoo!Auctions Hong Kong.
Novels
Several novels have also been written as sidestories or spinoffs to the original manga. In September 2005, Viz Media released an English translation of the first of these novels, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand (written by Makoto Inoue). The second one, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Abducted Alchemist, is due for release in early 2006 (Also by Makoto Inoue).
Trading card game
A Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game was published in 2005. There are currently three releases, namely Premier Edition, Blood & Water Expansion and Artificial Human.
A Hero's Passing, Alchemist's Gate and Seven Deadly Sins are the upcoming releases as stated in the Official Website
See also
- Amestris (Fullmetal Alchemist)
- Episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala
- Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel
- Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir
- Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami wo Tsugu Shoujo
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Carnival of Dreams
- Gate of Alchemy
- Paracelsus (Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim)
- Transmutation circle
External links
Official
Unofficial Non-Exclusive Sites
Unnofficial Fan Sites
- Fullmetal Alchemist complete resource site
- Fullmetal Alchemist at Indepth Anime
- Fullmetal Alchemist Warcry
- "Shrimpedia" -(a FMA wiki)
- "FreeFMA" a resource site