Disney+ Magical Fantasy Anime Is Still One Of The Greatest Of All Time

Some of you might be thinking that you have already watched Fullmetal Alchemist, so why does everyone keep bringing up this other version called Brotherhood? The original Fullmetal Alchemist anime started before the manga had been completed, so the series wound up overtaking the manga and had to make up its own final antagonist and ending. Not to mention that it had a lot of filler episodes early on to try and kill time to give the manga more time put out content to draw upon.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a sequel series, but rather a remake.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was made after the manga was complete, so it faithfully follows the true story. And it does so with improved animation techniques from its predecessor series, while still bringing back almost all of the very talented voice cast from the first show. Brotherhood lets you see the story unfold the way it was meant to, and features a much stronger final antagonist in the enigmatic Father.

Like the original anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood starts off with the two young, aspiring alchemists Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse wanting to use alchemy to revive their dead mother. The act of human transmutation is forbidden in alchemy, but the two boys are too desperate to care. The result is that they create an abomination and it costs Edward one of his arms and legs and it costs Alphonse his entire body, left as nothing more than a soul bound to an empty suit of armor.

From there, the Elrics go on a mission to learn alchemy the proper way so that they can get their bodies back. When they hear about the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, they think they may have just found the key to their salvation. But instead it brings them into the middle of a conflict that will engulf the entire country, and makes them the target of monstrous creatures who want to use the powers of the Elrics for their own dark purposes. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a sprawling journey filled with exciting twists and turns over its tight 64 episode series length.

There are so many reasons to love Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. If you want an action anime, the Elric brothers fights against the homunculi are always a spectacle, with each homunculus representing one of the seven deadly sins and using these traits in their fighting style. Or if you want a powerful drama, the series contains some of the most impactful moments in all of anime, such as the story that unfolds between the alchemist Shou Tucker and his daughter Nina, or the bond shared between Maes Hughes and Colonel Mustang.

Even if you have watched the original Fullmetal Alchemist, do yourself a favor and watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as well. Both series are great companion pieces for each other, filling in more depth in story moments that the other show does not touch on as much. Though most fans would agree that Brotherhood is the superior series. This anime is right up there with the likes of Death Note or Dragon Ball as one of the most popular franchises in anime. Check it out on Disney+ today and see what everyone has been talking about.