There are three versions of Full metal alchemist. There’s the original incarnation, Hiromu Arakawa’s 108-chapter manga that ran from 2001 to 2010, serialized by Square Enix. The manga was first adapted into an anime in 2003, but since the source material wasn’t even close to completion, the anime series went in an original direction.
Arakawa’s manga took until 2009 to get a true-to-text adaptation in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Manga fans were very pleased with this adaptation as there were more characters and new storylines to explore in animated form; some important characters Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood he never appeared in the 2003 adaptation.
10 Ling Yao is the first big absence of 2003
There is no precise cutoff point between 2003 full metal alchemist Y Fraternity, but if there was one, it would be the arrival of the Xingese Prince Ling Yao. Ling, the first major supporting character left out of the first anime, arrives in Amestris in search of a philosopher’s stone to unite the warring clans of his country. He meets the Elric brothers in Chapter 33 and joins the search for him. Along the way, he bonds with the Homunculus Greed and it is his influence that turns Greed from enemy to ally.
9 Lan Fan and Fu arrive with Ling
In fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Ling doesn’t come to Amestris alone. She also brings two bodyguards with her: Lan Fan, whose loyalty to the prince goes beyond mere duty, and her grandfather Fu de Ella. While Ling is bonded to Greed, Lan Fan loses an arm and needs to have an automail replacement installed. She and her grandfather run away from the story while she recovers, but they return towards the end. Fu loses his life, but Lan Fan returns to Xing and stays by Ling’s side as he rises to become Emperor.
8 May Chang is the last major character of Xingese
Another minor character in full metal alchemist sleeve and Fraternity who comes from Xing is May Chang. A princess of Xing, May has the same goal as Ella’s half-brother Ling; she only brings her pet dwarf panda, Xiao-Mei, on her journey with her. However, she teams up with another person to achieve her goal: Scar. However, May ends up being a positive influence on Ishvalan. May initially has a crush on Ed, but transfers her affections to Al after Fullmetal Alchemist fails to live up to her expectations.
7 The father is the main villain in the manga and the brotherhood
Father, creator and leader of the homunculi, he is one of the most important characters in full metal alchemist. Created centuries ago in the nation of Xerxes, he was once a simple homunculus unable to survive outside the jar in which he was created. Still, the being that became a Father always yearned to be more. To that end, he befriended a slave (whom he named “Hohenheim”) and tricked him into taking down Xerxes through a country-wide transmutation, all so the Dwarf could acquire a body modeled after him. of Hohenehim.
While the homunculi mention their father early on in the full metal alchemist sleeve and Fraternity, had not debuted properly when the ’03 anime premiered. As such, that series excluded him entirely and came up with an original main villain named Dante. The father’s absence from that adaptation is the most significant, as it had a significant ripple effect on the depiction of the homunculi, Hohenheim, and full metal alchemist mythology.
6 General Olivier Mira Armstrong outshines even her brother
Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Alchemist with the Strong Arm, is a major character in all versions of full metal alchemist. However, only manga readers and Fraternity viewers met her older sister, General Olivier Mira Armstrong. Commanding Fort Briggs in North Amestris, the area’s frozen tundra is a fitting home for an ice queen like Olivier. She may not be an alchemist like her brother, but Olivier’s mastery with a sword more than makes up for it.
5 Miles is another main character of Ishvalan
General Armstrong is not the only supporting character introduced at Fort Briggs. His second in command is Major Miles. Unlike most military men, Miles is not a full-blooded Amestrian: he is a quarter Ishvalan; His dark skin, white hair, and red eyes (which, like Scar, he hides with tinted glasses) give him away. However, unlike Scar, Miles is more concerned with justice for his people than revenge. Like Roy Mustang, Miles is an internal reformer who wants to change the military from within, starting by getting it to recognize the Ishvalan War as genocide.
4 Buccaneer is the third main character in Briggs
Third in command in the Fort Briggs hierarchy is Buccaneer. While Miles serves as Armstrong’s backup brains, Buccaneer is the brawn. A huge man who dwarfs the officer commanding him, Buccaneer has an automatic right arm, much like full metal alchemist hero Edward Elric. However, Bucaneer’s artificial arm is not a simple prosthetic; he equips it with a serrated pincer weapon he calls The Crocodile. Unfortunately, Buccaneer’s upgrades aren’t enough to save him from Wrath’s sword.
3 Sloth’s absence made the first anime better
full metal alchemist ’03 has faded from public consciousness since Fraternity debuted. It’s a shame, as the first series is pretty strong in its own right and even does a few things better than the source material, like the Homunculus Sloth. In it full metal alchemist sleeve and Fraternity, Sloth is a slow-minded brute who just wants to sleep. Thanks to the character not yet debuting and the different origins of the homunculi, the 2003 anime used the facsimile of Trisha Elric, which Ed and Al created as Sloth.
two Selim Bradley is no pride in anime ’03
Technically, Selim Bradley appears in 2003 full metal alchemist anime, but he is exactly what he appears to be: the adopted son of King Bradley and a normal human boy. He even meets a grisly end when his own father, in this iteration the homunculus Pride, strangles him. However, in the manga and FraternitySelim himself is Pride.
Despite living in the shell of a human child, Pride is the oldest and most powerful homunculus; his true form is a mass of shadows with ravenous eyes and mouths through them.
one Mannequin soldiers are basically zombies
The Mannequin soldiers are not a singular character, but their absence is still indicative of the differences between the two versions of full metal alchemist. The Mannequin Soldiers, or the “Immortal Legion”, are a product of illegal science conducted by Amestris’s military figureheads in collusion with Father. Created to be an unquestionably loyal army, the Mannequin Soldiers were created by implanting Philosopher’s Stones into mass-produced Homunculi bodies. However, they failed to be the army their creators wanted; in practice, they were much closer to a zombie horde.
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