The series has been adapted into two separate anime series: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Each anime adaption follows its corresponding manga storyline, taking plot elements from both the original manga and its first two-story collections.
The original Fullmetal Alchemist anime premiered in Japan on October 4th, 2003, and ran 89 episodes until October 2nd, 2004. Brotherhood premiered in Japan on October 5th, 2009, and concluded on March 27th, 2010, after a total of 64 episodes. An animated film, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie – Conqueror of Shamballa, was released on July 23rd, 2005, and an OVA was released on February 10th, 2011 in Japan called “The Sacred Star of Milos.” A live-action film was released on December 1st, 2017, in Japan, but there has been no international release.
Table of Contents
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Plot
When people perform alchemy, they risk losing control and releasing what they call “the wrath of God”: a grotesque creature called a Homunculus. Alchemy requires that “the equivalent exchange” be paid when creating something new from nothing: living things can be sacrificed or destroyed in the process. Also, several forbidden techniques allow for more rapid growth at a high cost (such as human souls). The series follows characters who use alchemy for good or evil through various tragedies and triumphs along their knowledge and power journey.
How Much Filler is in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
The Fullmetal Alchemist series has a remarkably low filler episode rate. There are a total of 64 episodes in the series, and there are a total of 2 episodes which are filler episodes, which gives it a score of 3% filler episodes.
Quick Filler & Canon Lists
Canon Episodes
Filler Episodes
Complete Filler List
| # | Episode Title | Type | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fullmetal Alchemist | Filler | 04/05/2009 |
| 2 | The First Day | Canon | 04/12/2009 |
| 3 | City of Heresy | Canon | 04/19/2009 |
| 4 | An Alchemist's Anguish | Mostly Canon | 04/26/2009 |
| 5 | Rain of Sorrows | Canon | 05/03/2009 |
| 6 | Road of Hope | Canon | 05/10/2009 |
| 7 | Hidden Truths | Canon | 05/17/2009 |
| 8 | The Fifth Laboratory | Canon | 05/24/2009 |
| 9 | Created Feelings | Mostly Canon | 05/31/2009 |
| 10 | Separate Destinations | Canon | 06/07/2009 |
| 11 | Miracle at Rush Valley | Canon | 06/14/2009 |
| 12 | One is All, All is One | Canon | 06/21/2009 |
| 13 | Beasts of Dublith | Mostly Canon | 06/28/2009 |
| 14 | Those Who Lurk Underground | Mostly Canon | 07/05/2009 |
| 15 | Envoy From the East | Canon | 07/12/2009 |
| 16 | Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms | Canon | 07/19/2009 |
| 17 | Cold Flame | Canon | 07/26/2009 |
| 18 | The Arrogant Palm of a Small Human | Canon | 08/02/2009 |
| 19 | Death of the Undying | Canon | 08/09/2009 |
| 20 | Father Before the Grave | Canon | 08/16/2009 |
| 21 | Advance of the Fool | Canon | 08/30/2009 |
| 22 | Backs in the Distance | Canon | 09/06/2009 |
| 23 | Girl on the Battlefield | Canon | 09/13/2009 |
| 24 | Inside the Belly | Canon | 09/20/2009 |
| 25 | Doorway of Darkness | Canon | 09/27/2009 |
| 26 | Reunion | Canon | 10/04/2009 |
| 27 | Interlude Party | Filler | 10/11/2009 |
| 28 | Father | Canon | 10/18/2009 |
| 29 | Struggle of the Fool | Canon | 10/25/2009 |
| 30 | The Ishvalan War of Extermination | Canon | 11/01/2009 |
| 31 | The 520 Cens Promise | Canon | 11/08/2009 |
| 32 | The Fuhrer's Son | Canon | 11/15/2009 |
| 33 | The Northern Wall of Briggs | Canon | 11/22/2009 |
| 34 | Ice Queen | Canon | 11/29/2009 |
| 35 | The Shape of This Country | Canon | 12/06/2009 |
| 36 | Family Portrait | Canon | 12/13/2009 |
| 37 | The First Homunculus | Canon | 12/20/2009 |
| 38 | Conflict at Baschool | Canon | 12/27/2009 |
| 39 | Daydream | Canon | 01/10/2010 |
| 40 | Homunculus (The Dwarf in the Flask) | Canon | 01/17/2010 |
| 41 | The Abyss | Canon | 01/24/2010 |
| 42 | Signs of a Counteroffensive | Canon | 01/31/2010 |
| 43 | Bite of the Ant | Canon | 02/07/2010 |
| 44 | Revving at Full Throttle | Canon | 02/14/2010 |
| 45 | The Promised Day | Canon | 02/21/2010 |
| 46 | Looming Shadows | Canon | 02/28/2010 |
| 47 | Emissary of Darkness | Canon | 03/07/2010 |
| 48 | The Oath in the Tunnel | Canon | 03/14/2010 |
| 49 | Filial Affection | Canon | 03/21/2010 |
| 50 | Upheaval in Central | Canon | 03/28/2010 |
| 51 | The Immortal Legion | Canon | 04/04/2010 |
| 52 | Combined Strength | Canon | 04/11/2010 |
| 53 | Flame of Vengeance | Canon | 04/18/2010 |
| 54 | Beyond the Inferno | Canon | 04/25/2010 |
| 55 | The Adults' Way of Life | Canon | 05/02/2010 |
| 56 | The Return of the Fuhrer | Canon | 05/09/2010 |
| 57 | Eternal Leave | Canon | 05/16/2010 |
| 58 | Sacrifices | Canon | 05/23/2010 |
| 59 | Lost Light | Canon | 05/30/2010 |
| 60 | Eye of Heaven, Gateway of Earth | Canon | 06/06/2010 |
| 61 | He Who Would Swallow God | Canon | 06/13/2010 |
| 62 | A Fierce Counterattack | Canon | 06/20/2010 |
| 63 | The Other Side of the Gateway | Canon | 06/27/2010 |
| 64 | Journey's End | Canon | 07/04/2010 |
List of filler episodes for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in chronological order – Learn if it is worth watching
Episode 1: Fullmetal Alchemist
This is a filler episode. It is not an integral part of the plot, and only exists to bridge a time gap between the first and second anime series. The events in this episode take place during the last few chapters of manga volume one, but are not depicted in detail until much later in the series – specifically after the Elric brothers go to Reole. Therefore, an adaptation of these events would have been very difficult at this point in time.
In the manga, the Freezing Alchemist was named Isaac McDougal. This name was dropped from the anime for some unknown reason, and his real name – Isaac Ray Pelham – is only mentioned in passing in a later episode. Also in the manga, Freezing’s escape scene was depicted much differently than in the anime. The anime version is more or less faithful to the one presented in the manga, but it is far more condensed and lacks some important details that are explained later on.
This episode should not be considered canon for several reasons: 1) It does not advance the plot of series beyond this point and thus should not be included as part of any official timeline; 2) it introduces a number of new characters and events that are never shown again; and 3) it is not depicted in the manga or the later story arcs. However, this episode is still worthwhile for its portrayal of Freezing’s abilities and the introduction of Kimblee, who is an important character later in the series.
Episode 27: Interlude Party
As Hohenheim enters the house, he hears Winry talking to Ed and Al about how they’re not leaving until they finish cleaning up. Ed and Al don’t want to leave because they have nothing to do when Winry tells them that there’s a dance party at school which makes the two of them go crazy. The two of them begin packing their bags. Winry tries to stop Ed from taking everything in his bag, but the young alchemist doesn’t listen as he continues packing his bag. When Winry mentions that she was just joking, Ed is surprised that she was as he states that it’s no joke for a man who doesn’t have his priorities straight. He then notices that Winry isn’t wearing her automail arm and panics when he sees blood on it which causes him to prepare for her arm to be amputated again by Alphonse. As Alphonse prepares his vial of blood, he’s told not to be so surprised by it if this happened again and she can still use her hand even though she can’t move it without her automail arm. When Alphonse states that there are still things that are salvageable if she had an automail arm instead of just a hand, Edward shouts at him and he gets scared. Winry then tells Ed and Al to stop fighting as she already said that she was fine with it and she doesn’t want to be treated like a child. As Ed tells her that he’s not trying to treat her like a kid, but he can’t stand seeing her in pain. They then apologize to each other for their actions.
This episode is a filler episode. It’s not important on the overall plot of the series and it’s only purpose was to provide some background information for the next story arc that starts in Chapter 51. This was also released as a bonus when the manga was being released in Shounen Gangan before it became to be called Fullmetal Alchemist. In this chapter, we learn about Hohenheim’s past which is he was once an alchemist that tried to use humans as puppets to gain power, but failed and lost his body because of it. He then became immortal by attaching himself to another being.
Hohenheim’s past is revealed through several flashbacks of his life from when he met his wife Trisha who got sick and died due to an illness. The flashback shows the difficulty of living during that time because there wasn’t a way to save her life even with alchemy because she had no soul which is what makes a person alive at all when her husband tried making her into a human again via Human Transmutation, but they failed miserably and Alphonse and Edward lost their bodies in the process. The flashback also showed Hohenheim trying to get revenge against humans by trying to make them into puppets. It was revealed that he was working for King Bradley when he made the decision to change the country into a place where humans don’t have to bear the fear of death. He was also shown to be working with Dante who is also immortal because of an elixir that she took which she then tried to use her alchemy to make herself look like a human again.
