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There’s never a bad time to get into the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom. 

But if ever there were a good time, its now, with two complete series — one far superior to the other — available to stream or purchase, and a complete, 27-volume manga series to enjoy. Not all of these FMA offerings are equal, as noted above, but each one offers up plenty of alternate qualities worth checking out.

Confusion around the FMA franchise is fair, given its confusing titles and various additions to the main canon. There are, in total, two full-length television shows, one completed manga series, and five films dedicated to the story of Fullmetal Alchemist, but not all of these stories are connected. You don’t need to watch each and every one to enjoy a compete FMA experience — in fact, I’d recommend against it.

Should you watch Fullmetal Alchemist before Brotherhood?

The first, and most pressing question, on an incoming FMA fan’s mind is almost always the same: do I need to watch the original series first? 

As a longtime fan of the series, and as someone who’s watched and — for the most part — enjoyed each and every one of the franchise’s offerings, I’d heavily recommend against ever watching some of them. They’re simply not worth it, and in some cases will alter your view of the incredible core to this story. 

But first, let’s get to the point. No, you do not need to watch Fullmetal Alchemist before you watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The two stories start in the same place, take slightly different paths through the first half of the story, and then veer wildly away from one another in the latter half. There is no need to watch the original series, because Brotherhood, in most respects, can be considered a remake of the popular show.

See, when FMA first earned an anime adaptation, the manga’s writer, Hiromu Arakawa, and the talent behind the series decided they wanted to veer away from the manga’s story and, in particular, its conclusion. There are a few things the original does better than Brotherhood — not many, I assure you — but there’s no denying the clear dominance of the original’s soundtrack. While Brotherhood makes plenty of solid audio decisions, there’s no beating the iconic soundtrack of the first.

That’s pretty much it, though. The story warps itself into weird, wild fanfiction mid-way through, and the resulting ending is honestly pretty absurd. Its also genuinely confusing in far too many ways, and — once you’ve laid eyes on Brotherhood — you’ll realize just how much the original pales in comparison to its followup, which actually follows the events of the manga to a T. 

And, blessedly, the vast majority of the voice cast returned for Brotherhood, so you’re not even missing out on the vocal talent of Vic Mignogna, Travis Willingham, or Laura Bailey. You are, unfortunately, missing out on the talented Aaron Dismuke, who played the original Alphonse Elric when he was only 12. He aged out of the role, but did return to voice young Van Hohenheim for Brotherhood. 

The correct order to watch FMA

If you, like me, enjoy this story enough to take on even its more meager offerings, there is plenty of FMA to enjoy. As noted above, I wouldn’t recommend watching several elements of the franchise, namely the branching films, several of which supplement the original series, and the others of which attempt to retell the story via a fresh medium. For the most part, I would advise any incoming FMA fan to simply watch Brotherhood and call it good — its incredible all on its own — but I do understand the desire to soak up every aspect of the franchise, even if some of these releases don’t deserve your attention. Thus, for the completionists among us, I would recommend you approach your viewings a bit sporadically. 

Fullmetal Alchemist

Why not, right? While it might slightly color your viewing of Brotherhood, particularly since most of the first half is generally the same, its worth starting at the beginning. The first Fullmetal Alchemist anime fleshes out some of the background stories much more than Brotherhood — which was a bit too focused on telling a complete and tight story — and its aforementioned soundtrack is stunning. You’ll definitely miss it by the time you get around to Brotherhood, but you won’t miss this story’s wild, erratic ending.

Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa 

An erratic ending that was continued in Conqueror of Shamballa, an even more insane left turn for the Fullmetal Alchemist story. This film attempts to gather up the shambles of a story left hanging at the conclusion of Fullmetal Alchemist and tie them up into an extremely messy bow. It’s… not great, by any means, but if you’re aiming for a complete FMA binge-session, its a necessary (if disappointing) inclusion.

Netflix’s Fullmetal Alchemist films

Remember Netflix’s terrible excuse for a live-action adaptation? Well, if you’re looking to enjoy every on-screen version of Fullmetal Alchemist you’ll have to add this one, and its sequels, to the list. The flick did its best to translate the beloved anime to live-action, but it turns out alchemy just looks better animated. Its not surprising to learn that feats like summoning fire and transmuting stone into canons is a technical challenge, in live-action, which begs the question: why did they try this in the first place?

The live-action FMA films work to tell generally the same story told in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, with a few predictable detours, but they simply don’t capture the same magic as the anime. Once again, I encourage you to save yourself six hours and just watch Brotherhood.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Finally, we get to the main event. I can’t say this enough, folks — ignore the other options on this list, and enjoy Brotherhood, in all of its glory, without sullying your experience with the shoddy alternates. I love this series more than most, and I’ve put myself through the pain of all those alternates, and I can tell you — for a fact — that Brotherhood is easily the best of the batch. It’s what I was looking for when I concluded the first FMA back in the late 2000s, and found myself massively disappointed.

That’s because, at the end of the day, it seems creative diversions rarely pay off. Game of Thrones proved it on a far larger scale, but Fullmetal Alchemist did it first. It had stellar, addictive, rich source material, which made for an incredible first half of the story, and then the showrunner’s hubris — to be fair, hubris that was condoned by both original authors — led the story sharply astray. Brotherhood is the coarse correction FMA needed, and Game of Thrones never got, and it is incredible. It balances the same humor and heart of the original, but dives far, far deeper into political intrigue, alchemic plots, and the consequences of thirsting after power. It is worth a watch for any viewer, and deserves to serve as your palate cleanser after you ignore all my advice and witness its lackluster peers for yourself. 

Do yourself a favor and end your enjoyment of the Fullmetal Alchemist story here, so that your memory of the story holds up to the very best Hiromu Arakawa could offer. Or, if you insist on pushing forward, you can add the final FMA film to your watch list. 

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

Another unnecessary addition to the Fullmetal Alchemist lineup, The Sacred Star of Milos is none-the-less an option for anyone looking to soak up each and every offering in the franchise. The 2011 film takes place during Brotherhood’s storyline, but remains separate from the primary plot. Still, it’s a much better addition to the story’s canon than Conqueror of Shamballa — by a long shot — and it allows fans of the Elric brothers to enjoy one last outing with the brilliant pair.

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