Edward Elric is the "Fullmetal Alchemist," and is also the youngest State Alchemist in history. He and his younger brother, Alphonse Elric, are alchemists who tried to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. In the process, Edward lost his left leg and right arm, and Alphonse lost his entire body. Edward sacrificed his right arm to affix the soul of Alphonse to a suit of armor.
Roy Mustang, the "Flame Alchemist," finds the brothers, and convinces Edward to become a member of the State Military of the country in order to find a way to recover their bodies. Edward's missing limbs are replaced with two sets of automail (which is a kind of prosthetic limb), and the automail is maintained by his childhood friend, Winry Rockbell. Edward and Alphonse go on a journey to search for the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary artifact that would allow the brothers to recover their bodies.
The main antagonist of the series is Dante, the leader of the homunculi. The homunculi are artificially created humans created by Dante to help her create a Philosopher's Stone so she can prolong her life. The seven members of the homunculi are named after the seven deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, and Pride). It turns out that Winry Rockbell is being used as a hostage by the homunculi in order to keep the brothers subservient to the military.
In 2009, the remake series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was produced. Since the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime was produced before the manga had concluded, the storylines between the two mediums diverged dramatically as they progressed. At the time Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was on the air, it was being said that this version more closely resembles what appeared in the manga series. From what I've read of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga at the time I'm writing this, I would agree with this statement.
Fullmetal Alchemist is an anime that utilizes religious imagery and themes. There is also a little bit of blood that appears in the series. Fullmetal Alchemist is not an anime series aimed at younger viewers, and this fact was recognized when Cartoon Network aired the series as part of their "Adult Swim" block. Personally, I would recommend Fullmetal Alchemist to anime viewers who are 15 years of age and older.
| Fullmetal Alchemist | 51 | 2003-2004 | Seiji Mizushima | Bones | FUNimation Entertainment |
| Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa | N/A | 2005 | Seiji Mizushima | Bones/Aniplex | FUNimation Entertainment |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood | 64 | 2009-2010 | Yasuhiro Irie | Bones | FUNimation Entertainment |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos | N/A | 2011 | Kazuya Murata | Bones | FUNimation Entertainment |
