Fullmetal Alchemist

This article is about the manga series. For the title character, see Edward Elric. For other uses, see Fullmetal Alchemist (disambiguation).

Fullmetal Alchemist
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring siblings Edward (right) and Alphonse Elric (left)
鋼の錬金術師
(Hagane no Renkinjutsushi)
Genre
Manga
Written byHiromu Arakawa
Published by
English publisher
ImprintGangan Comics
MagazineMonthly Shōnen Gangan
DemographicShōnen
Original runJuly 12, 2001 – June 11, 2010
Volumes27 (List of volumes)
Light novel
Written byMakoto Inoue
Illustrated byHiromu Arakawa
Published bySquare Enix
English publisher
  • NA: Viz Media
Original runFebruary 28, 2003 – April 22, 2010
Volumes10 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Live-action film
  • Fullmetal Alchemist (2017)
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar (2022)
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: The Last Transmutation (2022)
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Fullmetal Alchemist (Japanese: 鋼の錬金術師, Hepburn: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, lit. "Alchemist of Steel") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga anthology magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected the individual chapters in 27 tankōbon volumes. The steampunk world of Fullmetal Alchemist is primarily styled after the European Industrial Revolution. Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is a widely practiced science, the series follows the journey of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are searching for the philosopher's stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy.

Fullmetal Alchemist has been adapted into various anime—two television series, released in 2003 and 2009, and two films, released in 2005 and 2011, all animated by Bones—as well as light novels. The series has generated original video animations (OVAs), video games, supplementary books, a collectible card game, and a variety of action figures and other merchandise. A live-action film based on the series was released in 2017, and two sequels in 2022. In North America, the manga was localized and published in English by Viz Media. Yen Press has the rights for the digital release of the volumes since 2014.

The manga has sold over 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It received the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category in 2004, the UK's Eagle Award for favorite manga in 2010 and 2011, and the Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011. Fullmetal Alchemist has received very positive reviews from critics, particularly for its character development, action scenes, symbolism, and philosophical references.

  1. ^ "The Official Website for Fullmetal Alchemist". Viz Media. Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Sherman, Jennifer (December 6, 2011). "Da Vinci Magazine Lists 3 Manga Among 2011's Top 10 Books". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 50million was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 荒川弘「鋼の錬金術師」の全話が3月31日までの期間限定で、スクウェア・エニックスのマンガアプリ・マンガUP！にて配信されている。. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 14, 2017. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Barnes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).