Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)/Tropes A-F

Tropes for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and Brotherhood

 * Tropes G-P
 * Tropes Q-Z

A

 * Abhorrent Admirer: Barry the Chopper, to Riza.
 * The Abridged Series: FMA Bridged, which can be found here.
 * There's also the currently inactive - FMA the Abridged made by Fullmetal Force, which can be found here here
 * Absurdly Sharp Blade: Wrath's swords, shown to slice through a tank, bullets, artillery shells, and glass bottles. Also Lust's absurdly sharp nails, which have given her the nickname The Ultimate Spear among her peers.
 * Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male: Nobody sees a problem with Winry beating Ed with a wrench whenever he pisses her off.
 * Accidental Pervert: In a chapter in the manga and the corresponding episode in Brotherhood, Winry walks into her room without noticing Edward already in there and starts undressing. By the time she realizes she's not alone, she's already uncovered some Underboobs. She almost goes ballistic on him (and everyone else who comes in hearing her scream).
 * Watch it here.
 * Achilles Heel: Alphonse's blood seal. For Roy, being a fire alchemist, it's water, but only because it disables his spark glove. Since Roy's actual alchemy deals in flammable gases (like hydrogen), if you do drench him, you'd better pray he doesn't have a backup flame source, 'cause you just gave him a WHOLE lotta fuel for his alchemy.
 * Action Girl: Hawkeye, Olivier, Lan Fan, May Chang.
 * Action Mom: Izumi.
 * Actually Four Mooks: The Slicer Brothers.
 * Actually That's My Assistant: Al is not the Fullmetal Alchemist, despite what people may think upon meeting him and Ed.
 * Aerith and Bob: Ed and Roy. Paninya and Solf.
 * Affably Evil: Quite a few villains, but Greed, Kimblee and Wrath are probably the best examples.
 * A God Am I: One of the main themes of the story,.
 * Alchemy Is Magic: Although it's presented as a science, alchemy in this series is very much fantastical.
 * All Deaths Final: Verified by Edward going off an offhand remark Hohenheim makes. Bringing back the dead via alchemy isn't just taboo, it's completely and utterly impossible, and any attempt to do so will result in a completely unrelated soul in a completely unrelated body.
 * Alliterative Name: Edward Elric and Alex Armstrong.
 * All There in the Manual: The omake comics have revealed a few things, such as how flame alchemy really works--by changing oxygen concentration in the air so the spark from the finger-snap explodes exactly where and as big as needed. Of course, the technique's Mundane Utility is also revealed--making women swoon due to oxygen poisoning so Mustang can catch them and easily woo them.
 * Alternate Character Reading:
 * The reading "Homunculus" (ホムンクルス) has been written as both "Artificial Human" (人造人間) and "the little one in the flask" (フラスコの中の小人). Fun fact:
 * The "Milos" in The Movie's title is written as "hill of grief" (嘆きの丘).
 * Kimblee's State Alchemist title has caused translation problems, given that the word guren means "crimson", but the kanji its spelled with (紅蓮) means "red lotus".
 * This is accurate within the Japanese language as well, guren meaning both "crimson" and "red lotus" simultaneously.
 * He's alternately called the "Crimson Lotus Alchemist" by some translations and sources for that exact reason. Not to mention that since crimson refers to a darker red, it doesn't change the meaning at all.
 * Altum Videtur: A few examples on the soundtrack: "Lapis Philosophorum" ("philosophers' stone"), "Ante Meridiem" ("before noon"/A.M.), "Philosophorum Omega" ("philosophers' omega").
 * Amnesiac Dissonance: After being killed, Greed is recreated and while he has the same personality, he's loyal to Father and more malicious. After unknowingly killing one of his former followers, his memories return, he freaks out and then turns face.
 * Anachronism Stew: The series is set in the early 20th century... with mechanical prosthetics that are far more advanced than anything we have now. They don't seem to have advanced nearly as much in terms of technology in other areas, depending on whether you want Amestris to be pre-first-world-war or pre-second-world-war Germany. Of course, everything more advanced in this world is only due to Alchemy, and there appears to be an even gap between technological progress and magical progress.
 * Fridge Logic points out that pharmaceuticals ought to be, as a result, on a par with (either) time period in Real Life, except it doesn't seem to be so. Fridge Brilliance, however, would like us to note that modern pharmaceuticals branched out from alchemy pretty much purely from the works of Paracelsus.
 * Also, not severely glaring or anything but given the distinctly European setting, it's slightly unusual that there are characters named "Izumi", "Yoki", "Hakuro", and "Hayate".
 * Ancient Conspiracy: Oh so much. Turns out that.
 * And I Must Scream: The fate of.
 * Also the final fate of after The Truth gives him his own special brand of punishment: despair for the conceited.
 * Animals Hate Him: Once Father starts carrying out his Evil Plan, dogs in Amestris start barking like crazy. Hohenheim is also a target of this.
 * Animated Armor: Al, of course. Barry The Chopper and the Slicer Brothers from the Fifth Laboratory also count.
 * Anime Chinese Girl: May
 * Anthropomorphic Personification: The homunculi each personify one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It's eventually revealed that.
 * It's curious to note that whilst Envy (in the end), Pride, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony and Greed (especially Greed) all show their namesake sin in their personality, Lust never really shows any Lust...
 * Gluttony shows just as much, if not more, signs of his namesake sin than Greed. His catchphrase is even "Can I eat him/her/it now?" Lust might not be as blatant as some of the other sins, but there is a reason why she is one of the hottest characters.
 * Lust does show her sin, but it's not the type of lust most people think of: it's bloodlust.
 * None of them show the said sin quite so much in the manga or Brotherhood, rather they are a target of Father's misunderstanding. He hungers for knowledge, so Gluttony is a gate of truth, Lust has her appearance because that's what Father believes to be a target to human lust, Pride is the son because a son is a father's pride and joy, etc. Though Greed and Gluttony show their qualities, they show enough traits of victims. Others, Lust and Sloth most notably, minimally show the sin.
 * Anti Hero: Arguably, Scar.
 * Anti Villain: Greed, who has headed in the direction of Anti Hero as well (or at least sort of a Lovable Traitor in an Enemy Mine situation)
 * Isaac McDougal, The Freezing Alchemist in the first episode of Brotherhood, is an unhinged Shell Shocked Senior who kills multiple soldiers. He's motivated by disgust over the genocide in Ishval. Anyone who's read the manga can easily see where he's coming from.
 * Greed also doubles as a Noble Demon. He's going to treat his henchmen well because, after all, when word gets out that he's good to them more people will want to work for him.
 * Scar, to the people who don't see him as an Anti Hero.
 * Anyone Can Die: At some points, it was like a lottery.
 * Actually subverted, since most of good guys make it alive to the series finale. However, injuries are portrayed rather realistically here
 * Apocalypse Wow: Chapter 104.
 * Armor Piercing Slap: Subverted. Denny slaps Al, and gets a sore hand for his trouble.
 * Played straight in the same incident with Maria Ross and Ed, whose face is not made of metal, and she successfully calls him out on his reckless charge into the 5th Lab.
 * Winry averts the Fridge Logic of this by hitting Al in the head with her wrench.
 * Arms and Armor Theme Naming: All the military characters are named after actual planes, tanks, weapons, and other technology from World War I onward.
 * Art Evolution: Ed as of the very first chapter looks rougher than he did in, say, chapter 104... (Though this is at least in part due to him getting older.)
 * Artificial Human: The Homunculi.
 * Artificial Limbs: Ed, of course. Also Paninya (and roughly half the residents of Rush Valley), Buccaneer, Bald, Den (a dog), and later,.
 * Ascended Meme: Fans started using the number 503 to represent the Ed/Winry pairing, based on a brand of jeans of the same number produced by a company called Edwin. In a later chapter of the manga, the creator gives a nod to this, as Ed is shown to be staying in hotel room 503 (though this is more of a Shout Out).
 * From the manga, people started calling to tell him apart from . When Ed meets him again, he decides he's going to call him this.
 * Assimilation Plot: What the higher-ups at Central take Father's scheme to be.
 * The Atoner: Dr. Marcoh, Mustang, Hawkeye... in fact, many of the characters who were part of the Ishval war and regret what happened. Also Ed and Al, after their attempt of the taboo. And Scar. Redemption is a major theme of the story.
 * Author Appeal: Hiromu Arakawa thinks men should be muscular and big, and women should be bosomy and curvy. That probably won't surprise anyone. The Armstrong siblings (with the exception of those two sisters who look like Alex) exemplify this principle.
 * Even Edward isn't immune; despite his height problems, the guy's massively ripped, though not quite the level of Armstrong. But still enough to make him smoking.
 * Author Avatar: Hiromu Arakawa draws herself as a talking bipedal cow in omake strips. She also has a cameo appearance in this form in the original anime series.
 * In the Broken Angel and Curse of the Crimson Elixir games, the cow is a rare but powerful alchemic item. She runs around and bops enemies with an oversized pen.
 * Ax Crazy: Barry the Chopper, though he prefers meat cleavers. Envy gets like this whenever he loses restraint. Then, of course, there's the psychopath Solf J. Kimblee.
 * And in chapter 95 (episode 54 of Brotherhood), was going -crazy against
 * Awesome McCoolname: Almost everyone, save maybe Yoki and Denny Brosh.
 * : Shown in the final picture montage of Chapter 108. Even applies to Black Hayate.
 * : Shown in the final picture montage of Chapter 108. Even applies to Black Hayate.

B
"Cornello: This time I will have to send you to God myself!
 * Back for The Finale:.
 * Badass: Ed, Al, Scar, Roy, Riza, Greed, Izumi, Sig, Olivier, Wrath, Hughes, Ling, Lan Fan, Fu, Lust, Armstrong... Chapter 96 confirms that the Curtis couple is the most badass of all.
 * Bradley gets a special mention. It took chapters for someone to wound him. In chapter 97 he effortlessly destroys a  while armed with only a sword and a single grenade. And he's over 60.
 * Hohenheim is confirmed to be so in where it's revealed he managed to outgambit . This makes him a Cloudcuckoolander Badass.
 * Kimblee shows that in FMA, even people are badass. Yeah.
 * Back to Back Badasses: Roy and Riza in episode 57 of the anime.
 * Badass Adorable: May Chang. Long range alchemy is awesome!
 * See also her miniature dwarf panda, Xiaomei. She mimics May's kung fu moves rather well, and she can swallow your fist whole in the blink of a second.
 * Badass Army: Briggs army.
 * Badass Boast: Right at the beginning.

Ed: Nope. God hates us. Even if we go, He'll just send us back!"

"Alphonse:Mister Tucker, one more word out of you... and I'll be the one to snap."
 * THE ART OF BADASS BOASTING HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!
 * Badass Bookworm: The whole concept of being an Alchemist.
 * Badass Family: Ed and his brother and his father are all talented alchemists. Also the homunculi and Father are related to them by blood so one can say that all of Hohenheim's family is Badass.
 * The Armstrong family is also comprised entirely of badasses. Alexander Louis Armstrong is positively ripped, and can even hold his own against Sloth for a good while. Olivier Mira Armstrong is a no-nonsense general who shows no sympathy for physical or emotional weakness in others, and will straight-up murder your ass if you threaten her underlings. And little innocent Catherine can lift a piano with one hand.
 * Badass Grandpa: Fu, most definitely.
 * Badass in A Nice Suit: Mustang tends to clean up nicely in a snazzy period suit when not in uniform, but the prize goes to Kimblee, easily being the symbolic Man in White in manga and anime with his pristine all-white suit, Badass Longcoat, Fedora of Asskicking and pink Scarf of Asskicking.
 * Badass Long Hair: Ed certainly qualifies. As do Hohenheim, Ling, Lanfan, Izumi, Riza, Olivier, Miles, Kimblee, and even mohawk-sporting Buccaneer. You'd actually be hard-pressed to find a character in this series with long hair who ISN'T badass.
 * Long hair in FMA:B/manga = badass! Nuff said.
 * Badass Mustache: Alex Louis Armstrong and Fuhrer Bradley.
 * Buccaneer has a badass fu-manchu.
 * And don't forget Basque Grand.
 * Badass Normal: Hughes, Olivier, Riza, Havoc, Fu, Ling . Also, Lan Fan.
 * She's a now a Handicapped Badass!
 * If warrior monks count as normal, then Scar used to be one before he was given his Red Right Hand.
 * Don't forget Sig Curtis.
 * BUCCANEER.
 * Bradley himself should earn a special mention here. Sure he's a Which is certainly helpful, but all the swordfighting and his incredible reflexes? That's his own. And if he's that difficult to beat when he's 60, imagine what a terror he would've been if he were younger.
 * World of Badass: Somewhere around the housewife and the little girl punching people's faces in it becomes apparent that any random person may have ass-kicking potential.
 * Badass Pacifist: Winry, the Rockbells, and Scarbro.
 * Bad Guy Bar: The Devils' Nest
 * Bare Your Midriff: Envy. Winry's work clothes.
 * Battle Couple: Izumi and Sig Curtis.
 * Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye have the "battle" part down, at least. The "couple" bit is arguably in the works.
 * Ling fights alongside Lanfan with spectacular results, but like with the aforementioned Roy and Riza, the "couple" part is complicated.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Ed and Winry.
 * Averted with Roy and Riza, who are nearly always respectful, professional and conscientious towards one another, with the occasional very small, very subtle nod to their past.
 * Berserk Button: Ed if you insult his height or threaten Winry, and a lesser Berserk Button when people mistake Al for Fullmetal Alchemist (due to obvious reasons); Winry whenever Ed damages his automail.
 * Talking about Al's soul being affixed to armor like it's the coolest thing in the world is not a conversation to have with Ed. It will end badly.
 * For that matter, talking about anything related to the event four years prior is dangerous.
 * Ed's most frightening berserk button moment came when he realized what Tucker did to his daughter.
 * The Viz translation of the manga implies that it was very close to being one for Al too:
 * Ed's most frightening berserk button moment came when he realized what Tucker did to his daughter.
 * The Viz translation of the manga implies that it was very close to being one for Al too:


 * If, for any reason you, YOU'RE DEAD!!! Ed may have gotten pissed at Tucker, but that was a mild tantrum compared to what he did to Father.
 * Harming Mustang's subordinates is a very, very bad idea. Or maybe the worst idea ever. In particular, never, ever, ever touch Hawkeye. Just fair warning. And in return, don't you dare lay a hand on Mustang. Hawkeye will just keep on shooting.
 * Harming Olivier's subordinates is an even worse idea.
 * Harming Hohenheim's kids is the worst idea, ever. Hell, just insulting his kids is sending you straight into an asskicking.
 * Don't call Envy "Ugly". You'll just make him/her angry, and you won't like him/her when s/he's angry.
 * Izumi Curtis will murder you multiple times if you dare to call her "old", "hag", or anything of the sort.
 * Calling her "cute", "my pretty", etc. in front of her husband is not less dangerous.
 * Trying to kidnap/harm her students will makes you wish you never lived.
 * Don't harm Lust, unless you want to get eaten by Gluttony.
 * If you took part in the Ishval Massacre, be expecting a beatdown - if not bloody murder - by Scar. Also if you're a State Alchemist, or get in between him and a State Alchemist, or get in his way at all...
 * When admitted to Scar that he not only helped in the Massacre but also experimented on Ishvallan/Amestrian soldiers he promptly asked Scar to kill him. Scar didn't because his knowledge of Alchemy would be useful, but did beat him up and then melt his face. So...don't push Scar's Berserk Button.
 * He's been getting slightly better about that lately...
 * Don't look down on Kimblee.
 * Lan Fan if you insult/belittle/threaten Ling.
 * Similarly (though perhaps less explosively) telling Ling his underlings or anyone else he cares about are expendable will ensure you an angry Xingese prince.
 * Same for Greed, as a matter of fact.
 * Y'know what? Just don't even look funny at ANYONE. That's probably the only way to avoid an asskicking.
 * Wait a minute. In that case, who says you won't still get your ass kicked for not looking at someone when you should have?
 * Berserker Tears: Hawkeye when
 * Beware the Nice Ones: After, Ed beats the ever-living crap out of him and Al has to stop his brother from killing him with his bare hands. takes this chance to gloat about having to dirty your hands to get things done. Al doesn't take to this very lightly. Considering his status as a Gentle Giant Genius Bruiser Badass Bookworm, this isn't exactly the smart thing to do.
 * Beyond the Impossible: Defied. You cannot, no matter what you do.
 * Played straight with Kimblee near the end.
 * Bicep Polishing Gesture: Armstrong, constantly. Sig Curtis joins in occasionally.
 * In fact, that's how the two of them forged their friendship.
 * Big Bad: Father. Which is ironic, considering his name...
 * Big Damn Heroes: Multiple times, especially in later chapters. Hohenheim even lampshades it.
 * Big Eater: Ling Yao and possibly Lan Fan. However, Gluttony tops them.
 * By her own admission, Olivier may be one. When Mustang offered to take her to dinner, she replied "Please. I'd eat you out of house and home."
 * Big Friendly Dog: Winry's dog Den and Nina Tucker's dog Alexander. Black Hayate is a Little Friendly Dog.
 * Big Good: Hohenheim.
 * Big Guy Little Guy: Al and Ed. Translation from a 2006 interview: The reason Al is in a huge suit of armor is to make him a large-sized character, contrasting to the short-sized main protagonist.
 * Big No: Greed,.
 * Major Armstrong gets a few during his fight with Olivier in episode 45 of Brotherhood. They only add to the humor of the scene.
 * Ed in chapter 107, when.
 * Big Screwed Up Family: The Xingese Royal Family.
 * Bishie Sparkle: The entire Armstrong family.
 * "These sparkles have been passed down the Armstrong line for GENERATIONS!"
 * Ling Yao.
 * Ed gets in on it when he's being flashy in chapter 45.
 * Add Sig Curtis to the list as of episode 55 in Brotherhood.
 * Bishonen: Parodied when May Chang imagines what the Elrics must look like.
 * Roy Mustang plays it pretty damn straight.
 * Major Armstrong, as far as Hiromu Arakawa is concerned. She loves muscled men like him.
 * Author Appeal, then?
 * Bishonen Line: crosses this with a vengeance. He goes from bearded old man to  to   to  Or as he's identified in-story,
 * Or as he's identified on the Eyecatch,.
 * Blade Below the Shoulder: Ed can transmute his automail arm into one, and  automail also includes one; Lust's Ultimate Lance is a variation, and similarly, Greed sometimes does this with his arm, using the razor-sharp claws he has in his Ultimate Shield form.
 * The Blank: is pretty literally a blank.
 * If you look closely, you realize that it
 * Blatant Lies: Olivier does it hilariously in chapter 67, while speaking one-on-one with Raven.
 * Blessed With Suck: Sure she's easily one of the most powerful alchemists ever, but in gaining the ability to transmute without a circle, and by extension kick the bad guy's ass with alchemy in a heartbeat, Izumi lost some internal organs and the ability to have children.
 * In a way, even though it is portrayed as mostly a helpful and necessary power, Alchemy in the long term is shown to be very detrimental to both those who practice it and those who don't, as Alchemy is ultimately the main source of strife within the series. Alchemists by definition are blessed with suck.
 * Being a State Alchemist is a pretty sweet deal...if you don't mind being a slave in all but name to a corrupt, ridiculously trigger happy military dictatorship, and being viewed as a freak, sellout or worse by citizens.
 * Blood Knight: Kimblee
 * Bloody Murder: Isaac McDougal transmutes blood from his wounds into spears.
 * Board to Death: An event during the Ishval war described in flashback by both Barry the Chopper and Dr. Marcoh. A group of members working for the Army were involved in the operation to make a miniature philosopher's stone for combat use. When they went to the meeting to set this plan into operation, they provided the ingredients for the stone.
 * Bodyguard Crush: Pretty much outright stated with Lan Fan and Ling. Strongly hinted at with Roy and Riza.
 * No, it's pretty damn obvious for them too.
 * Body Horror: can take advantage of this. His  consists primarily of masses upon masses of, which explains his ludicrous density and weight. Oh, and he's remarkably sloppy with them, too. If he bites down on his "tongue" a little too quickly, the pieces will go flying off.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: is the dark side of this in the manga, along with Ax Crazy and a dose of Heroic Sociopath.
 * Major Armstrong! His boistering and muscles have been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!
 * Book Ends: Almost. Take a look at Ed at the end of chapter one. Now, take a look at him at end of the penultimate chapter. He even says practically the same line:
 * Major Armstrong! His boistering and muscles have been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!
 * Book Ends: Almost. Take a look at Ed at the end of chapter one. Now, take a look at him at end of the penultimate chapter. He even says practically the same line:

""More like a joke than gossip... Scar feeding cats, undying humans, ...""
 * A straighter version would be the beginning and ending narration of the first anime. The series begins with two lines of narration about how nothing can be learned or gained without pain and sacrifice. The series ends with the same lines, plus two more lines accentuating that you can overcome that pain and gain back even more than what you originally lost.
 * Even straighter is the first and last pages of the manga. They are practically the same, and it is implied that they take place at train stations. There's only two key differences: In the first, we see Ed and Al arriving; in the last, we see Ed leaving. Also, we get to see how much Ed has progressed (both physically and mentally) from the beginning to the end of the series, with bonus points for having sense both in-story and in a meta kind of way.
 * mirrors the first time Ed opened the Gate. Truth even uses the same words that it said to Edward.
 * Brains and Brawn: Ed and Al, respectively. Although Al isn't stupid and Ed isn't weak. It can perhaps be said that Ed and Al alternate in these roles.
 * That would make it more of a subversion. Ed is a Badass Bookworm and Al is a Genius Bruiser.
 * Bratty Half Pint: "WHO DID YOU CALL A SUPER MINI SHRIMP YOU'D NEED A MICROSCOPE TO SEE!??!!?!?"
 * "THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID!"
 * Bread Eggs Milk Squick:
 * Bread Eggs Milk Squick:

"Chicken
 * Watch closely, in both the manga and the anime, the episodes during and possibly just before The Devil's Nest. If you read the sign outside (and also the board on the wall inside) you will see a list of meats available:

Beef

Pork

Mammoth"

"Hughes: We don't have many pages left, so let's get it going!"
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Throughout the manga, there are extra comics about the characters reactions and hopes about a popularity poll. This includes discussions about how much 'screen time' they've had in recent chapters and at one point Scar using alchemy to blow up the author when he reads that he has tied with her way low on the poll.
 * And the side story where Ed and Mustang have a fight.

""Poor, confused humans: feel this suffering, for it is proof that you are alive. Then, with both hands on the ground, kneel before me.""
 * In volume 14, when Ed comes out of the shower naked and finds out May is inside Al's armor, the guard comes in and says "Stop acting like you're in a manga!"
 * Break the Cutie: The Elric brothers most prominently, with Winry trailing not far behind.
 * Riza's in there somewhere too, if you take the time to think about her Backstory. (Back Story?)
 * How could anyone forget Rose? She hoped and prayed that Father Cornello could bring her boyfriend back, and the Elric brothers proved her wrong. Good thing it happened that soon and not later...
 * Break Them By Talking: The Homunculi positively love doing this, especially Envy, Lust, and Wrath.
 * Kimblee, being a sociopathic, mad bomber of a philosopher, gives out a fair share of his own to various characters.
 * More than anyone in this series. Kimblee always, ALWAYS has the last word in any philosophcal/moral debate, shutting up even the main protagonists. The only way anyone manages to quiet him down is to . But wait!
 * There was one (plus Kneel Before Zod) even on an episode preview:
 * There was one (plus Kneel Before Zod) even on an episode preview:

"Ed: What?
 * Breathless Non Sequitur: While Winry is working on Ed's arm, she asks herself why she had to fall for such an idiot.

Winry: Nothing."


 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Maes Hughes is either this or Obfuscating Stupidity.
 * A little bit of both, actually.
 * The Bus Came Back: In this case as an
 * Full of weapons.
 * Butt Monkey: Yoki. Every scene after his intro is comic abuse. Well, almost every scene
 * The Bus Came Back: In this case as an
 * Full of weapons.
 * Butt Monkey: Yoki. Every scene after his intro is comic abuse. Well, almost every scene

C
"Olivier: Hmpf... I suppose I should be grateful to you, homunculus. You spared me from having to stain, with the blood of that coward, this cherished blade that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!"
 * Call Back: In the final chapter, Ed and Al tell their reasons for, and there's only two. To repay all their friends' kindness, and because neither of them ever forgot about how  felt.
 * Something of a minor one, but in Episode 33 Scar stabs Kimblee in the stomach with a pole. Kimblee gives an inspiring rant about how being close to death is exhilarating for killers. Less than a dozen episodes later,
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Ed to Hohenheim.
 * Came Back Strong: Ed and Al both nearly die when they try to resurrect their mother. They barely survive and gain the ability to use alchemy without circles, and Al also is literally Made of Iron though that does have its own drawbacks.
 * Came Back Wrong: The Elrics' mother, Trisha, and any other attempts at bringing the dead back to life. Until.
 * The Cameo:
 * Camp Gay: Garfiel.
 * Canon Foreigner: Isaac McDougall, the Freezing Alchemist, appears in the anime but not the manga.
 * Car Fu: Yoki gets a CMOA when he uses a car to
 * Casting Gag: Aaron Dismuke, who voiced Al in the 2003 anime returns as the voice of.
 * Cast From Hit Points: The Philosopher's Stone is a variation Ed later uses what he's learned to sap at his own lifespan to heal mortal wounds.
 * Cast of Snowflakes: Arakawa is practically the manga queen of this trope.
 * Catch Phrase: One that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations.
 * It's not even exclusive to the Major. Olivier also uses it, after Sloth kills the officer she'd been keeping hostage:

"Greed: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! Oh, man! You're really kicking ass! And where did you get that girl? You been hiding her all this time?
 * Also, whenever Ed is insulted (or when he thinks he is being insulted): Who are you calling a ___ smaller than a ___!
 * Izumi's "Just a housewife"-replies could count.
 * "Can I eat him?"
 * "What a bother..."
 * Casual Danger Dialogue: Happens on occasion.
 * One especially entertaining example occurs between Ling and Greed, during the battle with Gluttony in the woods.

Ling: Oh, you know me. I'm full of surprises. *slams Gluttony into the ground*"

"Roy: But wow, this place brings back memories, Lieutenant. It reminds me of your crying face. I'd like to see honest tears like that from you again someday.
 * Chainsaw Good: Buccaneer, a captain in the Briggs brigade, has several different automail arms he goes through, one of which is the "Crocodile": basically a chainsaw with a serrated clamp over it.
 * Character Development: The Elric brothers mature a lot in the story. Ed even looks older and tougher as the story goes on. Winry, Scar, Hohenheim, Roy, Ling and a few others also get a lot of development.
 * Charles Atlas Superpower: The animation in Brotherhood really helps drives these examples home. Let's see, in a series where the actual weapon-to-weapon, fist-to-fist fighting is done very realistically, there's Giolio Comanche the Silver Alchemist. Just before Scar gets his hands on him, he manages to do this weird, non-alchemic attack that lets him spin around like a top and defy gravity. He has full control over this move as shown when he hovers in place for several seconds. Next, all you have to do to give a rotting human body the ability to dodge hails of bullets is jam an animal mind into it. Barry the Chopper's body is the example here.
 * Armstrong deserves mention for being able to take hits from Sloth, a homunculus who is strong enough to lift tanks and can charge in straight lines faster than the eye can follow. In another instance, a human/bull hybrid scrapes him along a wall for twenty feet with enough force to crack stone, but only manages to give him a minor cut above his eye. There also seems to be no limit to the weight he can lift. It's worth noting that his whole family is like this to a greater or lesser extent which may make this an example of extremely good genetics. Puts a whole new spin on the whole "This method of ______ has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" thing...
 * Those examples are nothing compared to what Izumi Curtis can do.
 * Cheerful Child: Nina Tucker and Elicia Hughes.
 * Really too bad it resulted in  for both of them:   for Nina, and as for Elicia we have
 * Chekhov's Boomerang: Kimblee's Philosopher's Stone. He gets it during Ishval, uses it as a bribe for Edward to attack Briggs (he refuses), and loses it while fighting Ed. Heinkel picks it up after the fight and delivers it to Alphonse to help him fight Kimblee and Pride about 15 chapters and a few in-story months later. Toward the end of that fight, Al gives the Stone to Dr. Marcoh, who heals the wounded Heinkel, who proceeds to  The three of them, and Yoki, escape to Central to join the main battle. It seems like a well done Chekhov's Gun, but the stone has one last use in the final chapter:
 * Chekhov's Gunman: In Brotherhood,
 * In the manga: an unnamed alchemist with a gold tooth, appeared in one panel of a chapter,halfway through the story. Then he was found roughly two real-life years later.
 * This happened back in chapter 53.
 * Remember the candidates who
 * Remember when Hohenheim ? Well, they finally found their use.
 * Remember that lighter in episode 19? Neither did
 * In the final chapter, the goddamn !
 * You name it, it's saved the day at least once. Ed picturing his soul as a Philosopher's Stone to heal his mortal wound in episode 41?  Scar's brother's research on reconstruction?   Al's goddamn transmutation circle blood seal?
 * Chekhov's Skill: Yoki, of all people, displays this. When on the run from Kimblee through an abandoned mine (chapter 70), his experience as the former head of a mining town (from chapter 3) allows him to read tunnel maps to allow his group to reach safety without getting horribly lost. In this manga, that's a LONG time for a callback.
 * Rabbit snare traps also are an example of this trope.
 * Remember that one time in episode 41 where Ed gets stabbed with a girder? And everyone who watched the original series thought they were going to see a repeat of the final fight between Ed and Envy? And then, instead of dying, he used his soul as a Philosopher's Stone to heal himself? Guess how, during the final battle,  Bet you didn't see THAT one coming!
 * Chekhov MIA: Hohenheim.
 * Cheshire Cat Grin:
 * Greed, Envy, Gluttony, and Kimblee also fit this trope a lot of the time.
 * is this trope incarnate. Multiple grins simultaneously, even. also had this, back when.
 * Chess Motif: "My pawn, my knight, my rook, my bishop and my queen..." Mustang uses one of these terms as a codename/nickname for each of his five loyal subordinates, with himself as the king. Fuery is the pawn, Havoc is the knight, Breda is the rook, Falman is the bishop, and Riza is the queen. When
 * Chewing the Scenery: Everybody does it at least once.
 * "KIMBLEEEEEEEEEEE!!"
 * "DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"
 * "…hoenHEIIIIIIIIIIIME!"
 * "THIS HAMMYNESS HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!!
 * Child Soldiers: Ed became a "dog of the military" at age 12 and could be sent to the front any time. Later on,.
 * Al can count considering his young age, but he's only a fence example considering he isn't a part of it. Still he's usually dragged along with his brother on whatever adventures they're in, putting them in the same sort of dangers and having both of them experience the same traumas.
 * The Clan: Of the Xingese Royal Family, which apparently has 43 heirs, Ling and May included, who seem to all be willing to tear each other to shreds over who will inherit the empire.
 * Clark Kenting: Riza lets her hair down and wears glasses when she has to go incognito. It's surprisingly effective, actually.
 * Clothing Damage: Ed seems to project an aura that causes his shirts to dissolve. Armstrong, on the other hand, just goes bare-chested all the time because he's weird.
 * Or, he flexes his muscles and his clothes are RIPPED TO SHREDS and/or disintegrate. The same applies to Sig Curtis when the two of them meet, although Sig keeps his clothes on most of the time.
 * Ed's right sleeve is often the victim of conveniently placed attacks to dramatically remind the audience that yes, his arm is still metal and yes, it hasn't exploded again.
 * His response to this easily reversible damage is usually to tear off the right half of his shirt. Nobody objects.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Hohenheim is not like us; neither is.
 * Code Name: Every state alchemist gets one. It's where the series gets its title -- Fullmetal is Ed's code name. The Homunculi also have code names of sorts, though not all of them are stated in-series (Wrath is the Ultimate Eye, Greed is the Ultimate Shield, and Lust is the Ultimate Lance).
 * Colonel Badass: Roy Mustang. So much so that when word gets out that he's coming to the front lines, his allies need brown pants.
 * Colour Coded for Your Convenience: Masterfully inverted during the Ishval flashback in Brotherhood, where everything is depicted in monochrome except for the characters' eye color. In this flashback, though, the Amestrians, who were the attacking party, had blue eyes, while the Ishvalans, who were the victims, all have red eyes.
 * Compliment Backfire: It's more like gentle teasing, but you'd think a suave guy like Mustang could pull it off...
 * Compliment Backfire: It's more like gentle teasing, but you'd think a suave guy like Mustang could pull it off...

Riza: I thought you despised liquids. Since they make you useless.

(Mustang sweatdrops)."


 * Conspicuous CG: Used liberally; especially noticeable in 's true form.
 * Continuity Nod: A long time after he died, the remains of Barry The Chopper are still there under research lab #3 when the coup de'tat and the attack on Father begin. Darius even fights with his trademark cleaver.
 * Similarly, the aftermath of Ed's fight with Cornello is still in Liore when the town is revisited late in the series.
 * Corner of Woe: Al visits it occasionally.
 * Also, Yoki.
 * Couldn't Find a Pen: Used as a gag in an Omake.
 * Credits Running Sequence
 * Creepy Child:, who is also an Enfant Terrible.
 * Cross Dressing Voices: Played straight with Ed and Al in the Japanese version. Averted with Ed in the English version, but unlike the first anime, Al plays it straight in Brotherhood's dub.
 * Cross Popping Veins: A lot. Ed sometimes seems to have them permanently.
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: Hohenheim, Havoc,.
 * Ling usually is just tying to weasel a free meal out of anyone he can and generally making Ed look silly, but if you threaten Lan Fan or anyone else that he cares about, he can fight well enough to keep up with Wrath.
 * Sloth sort of qualifies. Although he is gigantic, imposing, and incredibly strong, you don't find out until almost the end that
 * Hughes is totally in love with his family (and he's not shy about making sure you know that). He actually would've killed Lust AND Envy had they been normal people and not Homonculi because of his skill with push knives.
 * Armstrong is an overemotional goofball with a tendency to rip off his shirt, but when he puts on his game face, he can go toe to toe with SLOTH in a BOXING FIGHT.
 * Crucified Hero Shot: Greed -- censored in the English version of the manga, and in Brotherhood.
 * And, in ch. 101, . Ow.
 * Cry Cute: Roy lampshades the trope, telling Riza he'd like to see her cry again, as she had such 'pure tears'.
 * This is kind of funny, considering she was pretty much a total wreck at the time.
 * Crystal Dragon Jesus: Father Cornello's cult has their clothing based off of Catholic priests, but with a Greek god and a secret army plan added.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: The first fight between Scar and the Elric Brothers is this. They eventually catch up with him, though.
 * Any battle Wrath takes part in is one of these,
 * The fight between in Chapter 94 is basically just 20 solid pages of this, with
 * The final beatdown of  And there was much rejoicing.
 * Cursed With Awesome: If Ed's arm wasn't mechanical, he'd have lost it several times over by now. Although you could argue that he wouldn't be in a position where he could lose his arm so much if he didn't have a mechanical one to begin with.
 * Brought up in one chapter. Two chimera wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone to make themselves human again, but after their cool powers help save their lives, they start to rethink their situation.
 * Custom Uniform: Partially averted, since most people in the military seem to conform to their uniform, even the tippity-top brass, with the exception of the titular character: Ed seems to be able to get away with a red cloak. The only means of identifying him as part of the military is his pocketwatch.
 * Then again, the same goes for Tucker and Kimblee (except in the flashbacks). Presumably the rules are a little more flexible for State Alchemists.
 * It seems more to do with combat status. Characters in the military wear the official uniform when involved in combat operations (or on or near the front lines in the Ishbal flashbacks). Ed, Tucker and so on can get away with not wearing the official uniform because they're not involved in a combat situation. Sort of Fridge Brilliance when you remember what the main purpose of uniforms is. Kimblee is actually ex-military (considering he killed his commanding officers) so he's no longer really able to wear the uniform.
 * Cut the Fuse: Bradley stops Fuu's Taking You With Me attempt with bombs strapped to his stomach by doing this, in addition to slicing Fuu's stomach.
 * Cute Bruiser: May, master of alkahestry (Xingese alchemy).
 * Cute Kitten: A Running Gag in the omakes.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy: Alphonse was this before his soul was placed in a suit of armor. Ed, when he was little, also qualified.
 * Also Selim Bradley...
 * Cuteness Proximity: Al loves small animals. Scar loves small animals.
 * Cycle of Revenge: Examined through Scar's character.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy: Alphonse was this before his soul was placed in a suit of armor. Ed, when he was little, also qualified.
 * Also Selim Bradley...
 * Cuteness Proximity: Al loves small animals. Scar loves small animals.
 * Cycle of Revenge: Examined through Scar's character.

D
"Hawkeye: You don't think Edward will sacrifice himself, do you...?
 * Daddys Girl: Elysia Hughes
 * Dark Action Girl: Lust - she nearly oneshots Colonel Mustang's team, and if Roy didn't live, things would be bad.
 * Dark Is Evil: Most of the homunculi, being eerie pale skinned brunettes who dress in all black, but especially.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Greed post-Heel Face Turn (and "Greedling"); all of the chimeras.
 * The animated armors look quite intimidating, with the Spikes of Villainy and the red glowing eyes, but only one (Barry the Chopper) is evil (and even so Affably Evil), while Alphonse is one of the two main characters.
 * The other Animated Armor, the Slicer  is likewise intimidating, but quite honorable. While this sounds to be playing this trope straight (like Al), having commited countless crimes (like Barry) this trope isn't exactly averted, either.
 * Ed typically wears a black outfit.
 * Dark Skinned Blond: Most Ishvalans, it would seem.
 * Darker and Edgier/Bloodier and Gorier: Brotherhood is more violent than the first anime, and the Media Classifications reflect it; at least two episodes are rated TV-MA by Adult Swim, and some of the DVD boxes are rated MA15+ in Australia. (The original anime was never rated higher than TV-14 in America and M in Australia.)
 * The Dead Have Names: Van Hohenheim has quite a list of them.
 * Death By Irony: Every Homunculus who has died has gone out in a manner thematically appropriate to the associated Deadly Sin:
 * Greed (original model).
 * Lust.
 * Gluttony.
 * Envy.
 * Sloth.
 * Wrath's Death By Irony is all over the place, both for his character and his Deadly Sin. Whew!
 * Pride
 * Father
 * Death By Origin Story: Trisha Elric,
 * Death Glare: The Fuhrer,, and Mustang.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: The Führer (meaning "leader" in german) of Amestris, effectively the president and prime minister is named King Bradley.
 * Destructive Savior: Most alchemists are capable of being this, Edward being the poster child of this trope with Alex Armstrong following close behind, but they can just as easily repair the buildings and streets.
 * Determinator: Edward to the extreme.
 * . Yeah, Ed qualifies.
 * Also Izumi: even though
 * Lan Fan, who
 * It's actually even better than that.  And WON.
 * Fuhrer President King Bradley is a peerless warrior who won't let any amount of opposition prevent him from advancing.
 * Hell, the author herself. When the deadline of when the anime would overtake the yet-unfinished manga was dangerously close (she was involved to make sure it would follow the manga's ending), she put in the effort to dish out several 100 page chapters in order to finish the manga in a short amount of time.
 * Devour the Dragon:
 * Did Mom Just Have Tea With Cthulhu:, finally fed up with the actions of the Elric brothers and company after having ignored it for the most part, sits down to have a nice chat with Winry in order to bring her up as a weakness against Edward later (granted, they didn't know about the whole   business yet at that point in time; but when it's brought up again as a threat they have learned of the secret, so the effect of the trope remains the same). Couple of episodes down the line, Edward and Al are caught chatting with   for an interesting twist.
 * Did Not Do the Research: A very minor example. In one episode of the dub Ed is reciting the periodic table to distract himself from his feelings for Winry, and he skips Boron.
 * Fridge Brilliance: That could actually have been intentional, suggesting he's not fully succeeding.
 * Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu:
 * And it is AWESOME.
 * Diesel Punk
 * Disappeared Dad: Hohenheim
 * Disconnected By Death:.
 * Discontinuity Nod: A possible one in Chapter 108 against the ending of the first anime series, when Hawkeye wonders if Ed will sacrifice himself to get Al's body back.
 * Disconnected By Death:.
 * Discontinuity Nod: A possible one in Chapter 108 against the ending of the first anime series, when Hawkeye wonders if Ed will sacrifice himself to get Al's body back.
 * Discontinuity Nod: A possible one in Chapter 108 against the ending of the first anime series, when Hawkeye wonders if Ed will sacrifice himself to get Al's body back.

Roy: No. He knows the fear and despair of being left alone... He wouldn't put Alphonse through that."


 * It may not be the case as Arakawa stated that she enjoyed the first anime's ending.
 * These are all over the place if you look. For example, the fact that Selim, Bradley's in the first anime . Or how the manga deliberately goes back to show that dead people can't be brought back to life.
 * Disney Death:
 * Distressed Dude For a hypercompetent hero with scientific/magical powers and two artificial limbs, Ed sure gets helplessly pinned an awful lot.
 * The Dog Bites Back
 * And then.
 * Doesn't Like Guns: Ed.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything: The author has commented that the whole Ishval situation was inspired by the plight of the Ainu people, which is unsurprising given that she's from Hokkaido.
 * Most Western fans have little to no clue of who the Ainu people are, or their relation to Ishvalans. Ironically, though, they notice a strong (but likely accidental) resemblance to the Islamic peoples of the Middle East (single god, desert-dwelling, very traditional yet advanced culture and a reverence for not messing with "God's creations"), and given that Amestris seems pretty well based on a certain European power and the time period of the show (self-proclaimed to be in the 19-teens), it's very easy to see why everyone west of the Ganges would come to that conclusion.
 * Not only Westerners. Interestingly enough, track #20 of the second Brotherhood OST, Land of Ishvala, has a decidedly Oriental/Arabic tone.
 * She has also said she gets ideas from befriending people in complicated personal situations, like disabled people, war refugees, and (wait for it) a former Yakuza. The similarity between and the social stigma a bearer of Yakuza tattoos has to endure in Japan is actually made fun of in a yonkoma.
 * If you look at Maes Hughes' grave, the date of his death is 1914. 1914... now where have I heard that date before? The situation of the country goes downhill from there really fast. Soon Amestris (or at least the part Ed and Al visit) seems to have collapsed into war. Sound like World War One to anyone else? ...And would that make Hughes Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
 * Glorious Mother Drachma?
 * The scene in The Sacred Star of Milos where  tries to take Julia's blood has some very rape-y overtones.
 * The Dog Was the Mastermind: The Homunculus Pride is . In fairness, the biggest clue to his identity is his speech patterns in the original Japanese, which wouldn't get through to an American reader. One translator did pick up on this and correctly predicted his identity.
 * Don't Look Back: Ed and Al burn down their house as a reminder to never turn back until they can get back to normal. Ed even keeps the date etched into his pocket watch.
 * Double Entendre: The homunculus named Lust is also referred to as the Ultimate Lance. (She's a woman, but I mean come on!)
 * Come on?
 * Greed is quick to point it out in episode 14.
 * Also see Chapter 106, page 25. Poor Roy.
 * Dramatic Irony: The very next scene after dies is a lighthearted scene with Ed, Al, and Winry, talking about what they're going to talk about the next time they meet him and his family..
 * Dramatic Wind: what every opening and closing credit sequence is filmed in.
 * Dreadlock Rasta: Izumi Curtis.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: One can make a strong case about Envy, whose usual form looks perfectly female but for its obvious booblessness
 * In a troubling scene in a recent chapter, Envy and, with his usual body language... looks like a male transvestite.
 * Word of God stated that Envy's gender is ambiguous, even to Envy. Many fans take this to mean that Envy is genderless. May be a justification for the of Envy's abhorrent true true form.
 * Having looked at other figures, Envy's 'normal' form has more of a masculine build to it. Despite the ambiguous look, including clothing preference, Envy seems to favor the male form. More envious of the male strengths (and their more pronounced physical features) than the female ones (and less fanservice-y), or just Author Appeal?
 * DVD Bonus Content: Each one comes with a short series of animations adapted from the manga's bonus Yonkoma. Four of the DVDs also come with adaptations of more dramatic short stories from the series.

E

 * Early Bird Cameo:, Solf J. Kimblee, Hughes and Armstrong all pop up in the first episode of Brotherhood. is in the first shot of the opening.
 * Note that that last one
 * Izumi and Sig can be seen in the background fairly early in the manga.
 * In episode 9 of Brotherhood they walk across just behind Winry when she first arrives in Central.
 * Inverted hilariously for Yoki in Brotherhood; despite the writers knowing that he'll join team later on, Brotherhood chooses to skip the seemingly-filler episode in which the Elrics first defeat him. Instead he retells the entire thing in flashback when they meet later and is enraged to find that they neither remember nor care.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending
 * Where to start...
 * Ling
 * Easily Forgiven: Averted quite nicely for the most part, especially with
 * Easter Egg: A character keeps popping in the manga and the anime by the name of Mobuo Mobuta. This page accounts some of the page appearances he's been in.
 * Eccentric Mentor: Hohenheim, maybe. Also Bradley acts very similar to this until the Greed arc, at which point he changes completely.
 * Eldritch Abomination:, perhaps most explicitly portrayed during the events of Chapter 104.
 * Empathy Doll Shot: In the Ishval backstory.
 * Empty Piles of Clothing: Happens to Al after the failed human transmutation.
 * Engineered Public Confession: Used to take down Cornello.
 * Episode Title Card
 * Equivalent Exchange: Trope Namer and the foundation of Alchemy.
 * Esoteric Motifs:
 * Ouroboros: All the homunculi have Ouroboros tattoos. We still haven't seen where Pride's is, though. Ed, Al and Izumi sport the Flamel.
 * The symbol for Amestris (as seen in its flag, other banners and military badges) is a white dragon, a figure often associated with Arthurian legend and some mythical tales in Asia. The dragon is also engraved in all State Alchemists' pocket watches, circumscribed by a hexagram, which is also a well-known religious symbol.
 * By extension, teenage Hoenheim. The fact that he looks like a taller, blonder version of Ed is pretty sweet too.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: One of, was mentioned to be a terrible criminal seemingly beyond rehibilitation, but agreed that.
 * Many characters react with horror to Pride's cruelty and callousness toward his allies, even Kimblee.
 * Everyone Can See It: Arakawa loves this trope to death. See Shipper On Deck and Ship Tease entries below.
 * Everythings Better With Princesses: Princess May Chang. Also, in the English translation of the manga, the Briggs Bears sometimes refer to General Armstrong as "the Princess."
 * Evil Counterpart: King Bradley arguably serves as this to several characters, but Ling is the most obvious example. They are both figures with authoritative positions, but while Bradley sees the people f his nation as little more than cannon fodder, Ling strongly believes in the idea that people with power exist to serve those who don't. The parallels become even stronger when.
 * Greed himself serves as a counterpart to Bradley, as he too values the existence of his underlings
 * Scar is a counterpart to Bradley, being a devoutly religious ex-monk who was a victim in the civil war that atheistic Bradley led and, like Bradley, a warrior without a true name.
 * Even Roy has his parallels with Bradley due to his A Father to His Men nature and desire to become Fuhrer to better Amestris.
 * Another parallel is that Fuhrer Bradley's first name is King and Mustang's first name, Roy means "King" in French.
 * Evil Detecting Dog: Den growls at Hohenheim, although that is a subversion since he isn't evil. Possibly he senses that Hohenheim.
 * Animals reacting badly on the Promised Day.
 * Black Hayate is given the honorary rank of Second Lieutenant because of his ability to detect the presence of Homunculi, and in fact attacks Gluttony to protect Riza. He's also shown alerting Riza to the presence of Barry the Chopper (only in Brotherhood).
 * Evil Eye:
 * Evil Twin: play with this trope, though not quite literally.
 * Evil Costume Switch: After.
 * Exactly What It Says On the Tin: Subverted. Everybody assumes Al is the Fullmetal Alchemist because he's wearing a giant metal suit.
 * Expressive Mask: Played with a bit. Al's face doesn't move, of course (outside of humorous moments), but things like rain, light and shadow are often used to give emotion to his face. Also, when drawn in "chibi" style, his face can be more flexible.
 * Same with Barry the Chopper.
 * Expy: Jean Havoc's characterization and design originates from an earlier Arakawa manga, Shanghai Youma Kikai, along with those of Lust.
 * Dorchet/Dolcetto/what have you is a human/dog hybrid, with a ring around his pupil, and he's loyal to his master to a fault. These traits come from the Military Dogs (sound familiar?) from Arakawa's first professional manga, Stray Dog.
 * Lan Fan's design is nearly identical to the main heroine of Raiden-18, yet another one/two-shot from Arakawa.
 * Extreme Omnivore: Gluttony.
 * Eyepatch of Power: King Bradley.
 * Eyes Always Shut: Falman, Dr. Marcoh, and Ling. Later, when Ling is . A related convention is used with King Bradley: when his one eye shown is open, he's getting serious. When.
 * Eye Scream: Mustang boils Envy's eyes multiple times.
 * Chapter 104 presents us with Pride having his right eye removed...
 * The process of cause his eye to melt.
 * Eyes of Gold: Ed, and also Al before he got stuck in his Animated Armor.
 * Chapter 104 presents us with Pride having his right eye removed...
 * The process of cause his eye to melt.
 * Eyes of Gold: Ed, and also Al before he got stuck in his Animated Armor.

F

 * Faceless Eye:.
 * Face Stealer: Played straight in the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, is revealed that  did this to.
 * Fake Memories: Barry the Chopper suggests to Al that his memories aren't real, that Ed created him himself, and the human boy Al never existed..
 * Family Unfriendly Death:
 * Fandom Nod: 503 as shorthand for Ed/Winry shipping,.
 * Fan Service: Lust and Winry's skimpy outfits; Ed, Ling and Armstrong's constant shirtlessness. Several gratuitous bath/shower scenes, for Riza, Winry and Ed. The opening to season five, in which a very clearly maturing Ed is asleep and looking downright beautiful, may also count.
 * Though to be fair, Armstrong's shirtlessness may count as Fan Disservice.
 * Speak for yourself.
 * Winry's Underboobs shot probably counts for this.
 * Winry's bath scene as well. More than enough cleavage.
 * Roy's Shirtless Scene . As if he needed any.
 * In the scene at the end of episode 46 of Brotherhood, we're treated to a good three to four seconds of observing Riza put on a holster and jacket. Except the view goes from just below her nose into some very impressive cleavage, considering that she's fully covered wearing what seems to be a fairly thick-fabric turtleneck (and there is still plenty of *ahem* movement on display).
 * Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Xing with China and Amestris as a mix of Industrial Revolution and World War era Europe. Drachma's soldiers look like that of a Tsarist Russian Army while the Briggs troopers' attitude and their snow uniforms resemble that of the Red Army Siberian units during WW 2. The ancient nation of Xerxes seems to be a cross of Greece and Persia. The Japanese-exclusive Mangaverse/Brotherhood games suggest that Aerugo is FMA's version of Italy.
 * Fun fact: Amestris was the wife of Xerxes, King of Persia.
 * Far East: Xing
 * Fatal Family Photo: Explicitly pointed out by Roy, who uses it to warn Hughes against talking about his girlfriend on the battlefield. However,.
 * Also played with with, who gets shot repeatedly just after showing his family picture to a young mother but.
 * Fate Worse Than Death: The people of Xerxes who.
 * Also, . But then again, it wouldn't be a satisfying ending with anything less.
 * A Father to His Men: Roy Mustang is a prime example. Olivier also counts, if not for the fact that the "Briggs Bears" can hold up on their own. But when they really need her assistance, Olivier can be a really terrifying Mama Bear To Her Men.
 * Ling qualifies, though he's royalty rather than military personnel. He's got a really protective streak when it comes to his bodyguards.
 * Fedora of Asskicking: Kimblee sports a very, very fine hat he does.
 * Femme Fatalons/Wolverine Claws: Lust; her fingernails are an actual weapon.
 * Fighting From the Inside:.
 * Figure It Out Yourself: Izumi gives one month for Ed and Al to figure out the meaning of "All is One, One is All" before they begin their official training.
 * Finger Snap Lighter: Roy, of course.
 * First Episode Spoiler: Al is an empty suit of armor and Ed has two artificial limbs.
 * Five Man Band: The members of Team Mustang.
 * Flat Earth Atheist: Ed doesn't believe in God, which is strange given that he has met the man.
 * He once once went so far as to say that if he and Al ever went to see God that they would probably just be sent back. They did, and they were.
 * Making this even stranger is how Ling noted once during Brotherhood's 26th episode "Reunion" that Ed's transmutation motion resembles a prayer stance.
 * Although, no one besides Father (and maybe Hohenheim) seemed to think of The Truth as God.
 * Actually, it's more like he knows from personal experience that God doesn't grant favors, rather than not actually having belief that God exists.
 * Foreshadowing: Lots. Especially prevalent in the first episode of Brotherhood.
 * A particularly emotional one (if you know the whole story, potentially making it Fridge Brilliance/Fridge Logic) is depicted in the second opening sequence of Brotherhood, when . In the manga, . These events take place in episode 19 of Brotherhood.
 * An especially chilling example appears in Episode 9's Post Episode Trailer, featuring a 3-second shot of a certain phone booth...
 * Also one that's basically an in-series Funny Aneurysm Moment. During his fight with Lan Fan, Ed defeats her by leaving his automail arm as a decoy/booby trap. He explains that he got the idea from a common trick in hunting..
 * Could be this troper looking too much into things, but when Edward and the first Greed's battle is interrupted by the arrival of the military, Greed's words when he leaves are "See you later, kid," not "Goodbye." He gets killed soon after that, but
 * Think that's looking too much into things? Try asking yourself why Marcoh calls the Philosopher's Stone "the Devil's research".
 * Does anyone else remember what Dominic said at Rush Valley!? He said that if Ed had lighter automail he'd get taller, and
 * When callously rejecting the Ishvalan leader's offer to take his own life and spare those of his people, King Bradley is told by one of the leader's envoys that he shall suffer the hammer of God.
 * Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted hard in Chapter 108, when Al reveals that he and Ed never forgot about their inability to save Nina, referring to an incident that occured 102 chapters ago and three years ago in-story. Major Tear Jerker when one of the chimeras asks his motivation for his journey of roaming the land seeking to right the wrongs done by alchemy. His simple reply is, "...There was a little girl that we weren't able to save."
 * Four Philosophy Ensemble: Roy as Cynic, Ed as Optimist, Riza as Realist, Al and Winry as Conflicted.
 * Four Star Badass: Olivier, Bradley.
 * Freak Out: A massive one in Scar's Backstory..
 * Functional Magic: Alchemy
 * Funny Background Event: When the forces of good prepare to  you can spot the presence of   as a pair of scary red eyes in the background.
 * Funny Money: The Amestrian Cen's value is apparently roughly equivalent to the Yen.
 * Functional Magic: Alchemy
 * Funny Background Event: When the forces of good prepare to  you can spot the presence of   as a pair of scary red eyes in the background.
 * Funny Money: The Amestrian Cen's value is apparently roughly equivalent to the Yen.