Fullmetal Alchemist has two different anime adaptations. What is the difference between them?
Fullmetal Alchemist is widely regarded as one of the greatest manga and anime of all time. The story of the Elric Brothers, who search for a way to return their bodies to normal, only to eventually stumble upon a deeper conspiracy that threatens the entire continent, is a story that has appealed to audiences for years.
However, if viewers are interested in watching FMA until now, they may be confused that there are actually two Fullmetal Alchemist series. Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood may sound quite similar, but there are drastic differences between the two that viewers need to know before watching.
Loyalty versus Freedom
The main difference between Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood is how liberally they adapt Hiromu Arakawa’s manga. When the first series of Fullmetal Alchemist premiered in October 2003, only five volumes of the manga had been published, with a sixth coming later that month. By the time the anime series ended in October 2004, eight episodes had been released. This meant that Bones, the animation studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist, only had a fragment of the 27-volume manga to edit.
In contrast, the final episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood aired in time with the release of the final chapter. The anime was meant to be a more faithful adaptation of the manga. To use a common point of comparison, both series adapt the events of the manga up until the death of Maes Hughes, only to turn in different directions after that. So it would be redundant to say that Fullmetal Alchemist after episode 26 and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood after episode 10 are completely different stories.
However, the original series makes choices that expand events and characters. We spend more time with people like Barry Chopper and Shou Tucker so we get to know them better. Brotherhood, meanwhile, introduces these supporting antagonists when they’re relevant. Of all the supporting characters whose roles have been changed, Rose’s changes are the most drastic. He goes from a minor character introduced in the beginning to a mainstay in Dante’s villainous plan. Rose is brutalized and used as a vessel for Dante once he obtains the Philosopher’s Stone.
Even in the first episodes, a lot of content is added that is not in the manga. For example, Russell and Fletcher Tringham are original characters taken from the light novel The Land of Sand instead of the manga. However, some manga characters, such as Olivier Mira Armstrong, do not appear in the original anime. And a common complaint is that women in the original series, like Winry or Riza, aren’t given the same level of development or importance as they are in Brotherhood.
Homunculi
Homunculi serve as the primary antagonists in both Fullmetal Alchemist series, however their creators and even their identities shift from series to series. Each Homunculus is named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In both animes, Lust, Gluttony, and Envy remain essentially the same, though Lust plays the role of the primary antagonist in the original with a massively expanded role. In contrast, Lust in Brotherhood dies first.
However, pride, anger, laziness and envy are completely different. In Brotherhood, Wrath is Fuhrer Bradley while Pride is his son. But in the original anime, he is Bradley Pride. Wrath is a failed transmutation of Ed and Al’s mentor, Izumi, in the original anime, while Greed is created by Izumi’s mentor. Probably most surprising of all is Sloth, who is actually Ed and Al’s mother in the original.
This of course leads to how the Homunculi are created. In Brotherhood and the manga, all Homunculi are created by the father, the real antagonist of the series. However, in the original, the Homunculus is created from a failed human transmutation found and rechristened by Dante. Ed and Al make Sloth near the beginning of the original series, while in Brotherhood their re-alchemized mother is just a mess of flesh. Additionally, since each Homunculus is a recreation of previous humans, when a Homunculus comes into contact with the rest of their former selves in the original series, they are extremely vulnerable.
While there are many other minor differences, the last drastic difference is the final villains. Both Dante and the father have ties to Hohenheim, with Dante being the father’s former immortal lover of the Elric Brothers. The father is connected to his origin as an alchemist and immortal. Although the father created the Homunculi, Dante simply stumbled upon them. Their plans diverge, and as the series centers more and more around their goals and desires, the plots become further divided.
Fullmetal Alchemist Vs. Brotherhood Endings
The biggest difference between FMA and FMAB is undoubtedly where each series ends. Brotherhood faithfully adapts the ending of the manga, tying together every plot point and character in a beautiful, epic style. It works organically, weaving into every previously introduced element and completing the story in its natural conclusion.
However, the original ends with its film The Conqueror of Shamballa, which is bizarre to say the least. The events of the finale send Ed into an alternate dimension similar to our own, where he struggles to survive in what is essentially Nazi Germany while the series’ characters try to find him. The ending includes lots of characters scattered across dimensions, Greed taking on a new transformation, and even a Hitler cameo.
The ending of the original rubbed many fans the wrong way. This is not to say that the original anime is bad; it’s just different from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Hiromu Arakawa’s manga.