"But nothing’s ever perfect, haven’t you realized that yet? Earth turns on a tilted axis, just doing the best it can." - Vaꩲn Hohenhe💦im.
If you're one of those people who think cartoons are just for kids and that anyone over age twelve who watches anime is a complete loser, then you need to take a look at Fullmetal Alchemist. Released as a serialized manga from 2001-2010, the series sold 67 million volumes worldwide, making it one of ꦐthe best selling manga series of all time. It was so successful, in fact, it inspired two anime series, two animated films, several light novels, video games, card games, action figures, and other merchandise, which is all right on par with any major property ever developed by Disney, DC, or Dreamworks.
Fullmetal Alchemist by Arakawa Hiromu tells the story of two brothers (Edwaꦫrd and Alphonse Elric) who try to use alchemy to revive their deceased mother, and of course, it all goes wrong (costing Ed his arm and leg and resulting in Al's soul being bound to a metal suit of armor). They emb𓂃ark on a search for the Philosopher's Stone in an attempt to restore their bodies.
Despite its liberal use of humor, this story🎃 deals with heavy themes and sometimes delves into the truly horrifying ("Ed....waaard..."). Yet it's one of the most engrossing, action, and emotion-packed stories you'll ever experience. But even if you're familiar with the tale, I bet there are still a few facts you don't yet know. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
25 𒉰 Twic🌃e As Nice
Often when a manga series reaches a certain level of popularity, interest will arise in an anime adaptation. Although bad anime adaptations do occur (Tokyo Ghoul, what happened?), overall it's a good thing.🍌 An anime series expands the story's audience by reaching people who wouldn't normally read manga.
Problems arise, however, in the pace of production. Anime typically come out faster than manga, so unless the manga series is already complete, the anime will usually overtake its source material. When this happened with Fullmetal Alchemist, creator Arakawa Hiromu actually gave her blessing to the anime team to create their own ending which would differ from the manga. Another anime was later adapted to be true to the manga. So in the end, there are two FMA adaptations: 2003's Fullmetal Alchemist (where the anime forged ahead) and 2009's FMA: Brotherhood (which is truer to the manga).
24 ༒ Lactaphobia
One of the running jokes in Fullmetal Alchemist is that Edward hates milk. In one episode, he says that drinking milk is "like drinking vomit." This is too bad for Ed, because he's constantly getting wounded and has to be put back together again by Winry Rockbell (his childhood friend🐲 who also happens to be a talented mechanic). She wants him to d𝔍rink lots of milk for the nutrients it provides. Arguments ensue.
Why does Ed hate milk so much? Rumors abound. Some say it's because Al once made him drink spoiled milk that they found in the basement of their house. Others say it's becಌause he once went on an outing with his father (when he was too young to remember) and was attacked by a cow. Others say it's just something funny Arakawa felt like 🌺including. Whatever the truth may be, I feel you, Ed. I hate milk, too.
23 Realism, Part 1 🎐 🐻
Even though Fullmetal Alchemist i🐠s an animated story that takes place in an alternate reality, Arakawa took great pains to make sure the details in her work were as accurate as possible. For example, Riza Hawkeye (officer in the Amestrian State Military and sharpshooter bodyguard to Colonel Roy Mustang) doesn't use just any gun. Her sniper rifle is a Karabiner 98K; she also carries two FN Model 1910s. In addition to studying guns in books, Arakawa also used prop guns as drawing models (in Japan, real guns are heavily regulated).
She didn't stop there, however. Arakawa also did extensive research on various wars and even interviewed WWII veterans to help with the accuracy of the post-war world of her story. She once wrote, “One comment that affected me the most came from a former soldier ﷽who lowered his gaze to the tabletop and said, ‘I never watch war movies.’”
22 Alchemy Is Real 💮
Since the characters in Fullmetal Alchemist can accomplish pretty much anything with alchemy (including c🎃reating human/animal chimeras and stealing human souls), the practice of alchemy sounds like it belongs more readily in the dreamy realms of magic than the scientific world of cold hard facts. So it might surprise you to learn that alchemy is real. Not real in the sense that it's been proven to work, but that it's a real pursuit to which people throughout history have dedicated themselves.
Alchemy seeks to pu🦹rify, mature, and perfect certain objects, such as the oft-discussed quests to turn lead into gold or to achieve immortality (as a perfection of the human soul). The art even has its proponents in the modern day, who use it in the contexts of medicine and psychology.
21 ꦏ Principle Of Equivalent Exchange ꧟
"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." The principle of Equivalent Exchange is a reoccurring theme in Fullmetal Alchemist. It shows up right at the beginnin💎g of the story (after the brothers' disastrous attempt to resurrect their mother) and is so🅷 present throughout the series that it may as well be its own character.
When Arakawa researched alchemy for her series, she found that everything basically contradicted everything else. Instead, she took inspiration from a simpler place: her childhood on a farm. Her family owned a dairy and potato farm, and she and her sisters were expected to do chores. The farm rules were simple: if you don't work, you don't eat. ﷽The law of Equivalent Exchange comes from the idea of trading work for food.
20 German Inℱspiration
Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in an alternate history in the fictional country of Amestris. In this world, alchemists can enlist in the military to receive the automatic rank of Major; these are known as State Alchemists. Amestris is a unitary state under the rule of a parliamentary republic, and 𝓀the population both fears and resents the government, including its alchemists.
Arakawa took inspiration from the European Industrial Revolution
To create the world of FMA, Arakawa took inspiration from the Europeaꦰn Industrial Revolution, specifically the militarization of Germany around WWII. Not only are many of the characters given German names, but the Armestris Head of State is even called the Führer (in fact, in one scene 🙈you can even see Germany's own infamous WWII era Führer in the background).
19 🔜 Shorty Pan🦄ts
Despite being the older of the two Elric brothers, Edward is super short. And it's not just an optical illusion created by standing next to Alphonse's towering suit of armor. At the beginning of the manga, Ed is only 141 cm (which equals about 4'8"). It's a fact that keeps him on the defensive almost permanently, espec✤ially when meeting new people (who tend to mistake Al for the famous Fullmetal Alchemist).
Why is Ed so short? Is it simple genetics? Is Winry right that he doesn't drink enough milk? Perhaps, but there might be a deeper reason. The manga revealsꦐ that Ed and Al's minds are linked via the Gate of Truth, where Al's body is. Tꦦhis could be interpreted to mean that Ed's energy is being used to help keep Al bonded to his armor, leaving less of it for his own physical growth.
18 🌱Growth Spurt
Even though Edward's short stature is used as a running joke throughout the series, during the nine year run of the manga, a gradual change happened. Very slowly, so slowly that you didn't even really notice, Ed got taller. And suddenl🌼y it hit you: he's not shorter than Winry anymore. In fact, he's a bit taller than her, which would put him at least at 5'5". He's still not lanky by any means, but that little bit of extra stature means everything to Ed.
He wasn't good enough to earn her love
Part of the reason he always hated being called short was that it implied he wasn't good enough: not a good enough alchemist and not a good enough big brother. But when it came to🌟 Winry, the feeling was even stronger; he hated feeling that hওe wasn't good enough to earn her love.
17 Symbolism
Fullmetal Alchemist is full of strange symbols, such as the transmutation circles, but they have real meaning behind them. The tree depicted on Edward's Gate of Truth (each person has their own Gate of Truth) is called the Sephirothic Tree of Life, wherein the circles represent different truths being shown to humanity. The Tree is upside down, representing the different ways truth ca﷽n be perceived (and misused).
One reoccurring symbol in the series ✱is the logo of the State Alchemists: a white lion on a green background. But this is no random design either. In real life alchemy, the image of a green lion eating the sun is a common symbol of the purifying process, similar to how plants consume the rays of the sun to grow.
16 𝔉𒆙 Happy Birthday
People love any excuse to celebrate, or else how do you explain holidays like National Carrot Cake Day (Feb. 3rd) or National Rice Pudding Day (Aug. 9th)? So if you belong to a fandom, I suppose it's not unusual to want to celebrate the birthdays of your favorite characters. Fullmetal Alchemist fans have a bit of a problem, however. Edward was born in 18🃏99, which makes him 15 or 16 years old at the beginning of the series and around 18 by the time it ends. But as for his actual birthday, it seems Arakawa never assigned him one. Fans appear to have settled on either October 11th or Feb 3rd based on clues from the series. In the anime, it's snowing on his 12th birthday, but it's warm and sunny on his 15th birthday. Guess we'll just have two parties!