Full Metal Alchemist
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Full Metal Alchemist is a manga and anime series from Bones and distributed in the US by FUNimation. The series follows Edward and Alphonse Elric in their quest to regain their original bodies after losing them to a failed human transmutation (an attempt to revive their late mother). While searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, the two become entangled in a deep rooted government plot, which goes deeper than the military itself. The manga, written by Hiromu Arakawa, first began publication is 2001 and is still on-going. The anime started in October of 2003 with music by Mitsuma Masafumi and Oshima Michiru. The series has 51 episodes, with a movie released in July 2005.
Contents |
Characters
Main Characters
Military
These characters are all part of the State Military, though some are protagonists while others antagonists.
- Maes Hughes
- Alex Louis Armstrong
- Riza Hawkeye
- Fuhrer Bradley
- Roy Mustang
- Zolf J. Kimbley
- Basque Gran
- Shou Tucker
Homonculi
A Homunculi is a result from a failed human transmutation, which is a taboo in alchemy. Although the Homunculi appear to be human, they are different in the fact they that possess no souls. Most of the homunculi are commanded by Dante, however Greed lives and acts of his own accord, and Wrath is not even discovered until later in the series. Lust is shown to abandon Dante at the end before she is sealed by Wrath. The Homunculi follow Dante because she has told them that if they are able to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, she will make them into humans. The seven Homunculi of this series are named after the Seven Deadly Sins as classified by Pope Gregory the Great in 6th century.
Alchemists
Here are other notable alchemists who were not mentioned in another category.
Civilians
These people are not alchemists, homunculi, nor in the military, but they do play a notable role in the story.
Plot
The series begins as Edward and Alphonse Elric fail in their attempt to revive their dead mother. Their attempt at human transmutation was a taboo of alchemy, and thus they suffered the consequences. Al lost his entire body, while Ed lost his left leg. Ed then sacrificed his right arm in order to bind Al's soul to an empty suit of armor so that he could remain in this world. Ed is then affixed with automail, which are advanced metal prosthetic limbs made by their childhood friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother. From that point on, the two brothers vowed to seek out a means to return themselves to their original bodies, which led them to the quest to obtain the Philosopher's Stone. They decide to become State Alchemists, or "dogs of the military" as Ed prefers to put it. In the middle of the examination, Al agrees to not go through to the end because of a complication, so only Ed passes and joins the military (giving him access to all of the military libraries, which contained vast amounts of books about alchemy). Ed receives the second title "Fullmetal Alchemist," because of his automail. He is known to citizens all over as the alchemist of the people: one who combats unjust behavior displayed by corrupt military members, despite being in the military himself. Ed reports to Colonel Roy Mustang, who agrees to allow Ed to search for the Philosopher's Stone when he has no other tasks for the military, and even gives him some leads as to where he might find it. 3 years after joining the military, this leads them to city of Lior. The citizens of Lior are all loyal to a priest named Cornello, who performs "miracles" to maintain loyalty, though these miracles are simply alchemy amplified by the use of the Red Stone, an incomplete version of the Philosopher's Stone. Ed and Al see this right away, and go on to battle the priest and reveal him as a fake. They meet a girl named Rose who is set on having Cornello revive her dead boyfriend with his "miracles," and is angry with Ed and Al for exposing Cornello and ruining the city's hope. Ed says that they just need to move forward. They bid farewell to Rose (for now) and Ed leaves the city believing he saved it, though in actuality it later breaks out in riots and rebellion. The two brothers continue their search for the Philosopher's Stone, leading them down some dangerous paths, eventually putting them face to face with deadly homonculi, military corruption, Ed and Al's estranged father Hohenheim of Light (not an adversary), his former lover and expert alchemist Dante, as well as the State Alchemist murderer known as Scar.
