Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)/Tropes G-P

Tropes for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and Brotherhood

 * Tropes A-F
 * Tropes Q-Z

G
""I've got your soul, brother!""
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Winry Rockbell
 * Also her grandma Pinako Rockbell, and Garfiel and Dominic and most of the business in Rush Valley. Winry is just a particularly standout example because of her youth; she fashioned Ed's first automail at the age of eleven.
 * Gainaxing: In the episode where Lust reveals herself to Roy and Havoc (although Havoc already knows her as his girlfriend, Solaris) the camera zooms to the tattoo on her chest as they gasp, "The Ouroboros!" The camera stays on her chest for a beat, and then her breasts suddenly go 'Boing!'. Literally. That's the sound they make. Then we see Roy and Havoc, with Lust in the background, still boing-ing, as Roy says, "I can see why you were deceived by her..."
 * Riza gets a minor one as well in an early episode when she pulls a gun and shoots at Barry the Chopper. God bless you and your dedication to realistic movement, Bones Animation Studio.
 * Gaiden Game: Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel/Curse of the Crimson Elixir/The Girl Who Succeeds God are side-stories to the manga (even though they use some music from the first FMA series).
 * Gallows Humour: It goes so far that deceased characters appear on the flap of the manga volumes ascending into heaven and in Omakes parodying their own death. Ed and Al's mutilation and their resulting anguish is played for fun more than a few times too. It's just a bit less extreme than the humour in Saikano, but it tries hard.
 * Gambit Pileup: In later chapters, with  plans set in motion, it's hard to tell who's manipulating whom.
 * Father and the Homunculi still have a hand in everything that is going on.
 * Gate of Truth: Trope Namer
 * General Ripper: Many of the top military brass, most prominently General Raven. Possibly.
 * Olivier Mira Armstrong also looks like this, but since her original position is actually border patrol with a hostile nation, it's kinda justified.
 * Plus, her actual perspective is a combination of knowing that her soldiers are both more than tough enough to take it and unwaveringly loyal to her.
 * Genre Savvy: In the flashback of episode 30 of the anime, Mustang warns Hughes that the guy who brags about his wife on the battlefield almost always gets shot in all the movies.
 * Subverted, when
 * Then again, one of the last things he says to Envy
 * Genius Bruiser: Alphonse and Major Armstrong look like Dumb Muscle at first glance, but they're anything but dumb.
 * Genius Ditz: Sheska; arguably, Hohenheim.
 * Considering how he acts sometimes, I'd say Hughes qualifies for this trope as well.
 * Gentle Giant: Alphonse is an example; Major Armstrong straddles this and Boisterous Bruiser. Sig Curtis counts as well, though he can and will beat the crap out of you.
 * Actually, that last part can count for all of them.
 * Geometric Magic: Again, Alchemy.
 * Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Ross does this to Ed for his recklesness in Warehouse #5 incident.
 * Winry does this to Al (with a WRENCH, no less) for his Angst after he questions his origin.
 * Ghibli Hills: The countryside around Resembool.
 * The Ghost: The Emperor of Xing. He's never seen on-screen, but his desire for immortality is the motivation behind Ling and May Chang's actions.
 * Girl Next Door: Winry
 * Giving Up the Ghost: Ed gets smacked so hard on the head by Winry's wrench and starts bleeding profusely to the point that he passes out. His soul starts to drift out of his head wound, and Alphonse grabs it so it doesn't get away.
 * Giving Up the Ghost: Ed gets smacked so hard on the head by Winry's wrench and starts bleeding profusely to the point that he passes out. His soul starts to drift out of his head wound, and Alphonse grabs it so it doesn't get away.

"Riza: They don't work on anything these days..."
 * A Glass of Chianti: Not wine, but this trope seems to be invoked when Father drinks out of a fancy-looking chalice.
 * Glory Hound: Several of the less sympathetic military officers.
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom: Mustang. The first time he does it, it's meant for humour when he threatens to fry Barry for lusting after Riza. The second time? ...Not so much.
 * God Is Evil:
 * Go Out with a Smile:
 * Also . Manly Tears were shed.
 * Chapter 105,
 * In chapter 106,.
 * Chapter 108,
 * Good-Looking Privates: Most, if not all, of the military characters.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Wrath has an . Scar has an antiheroic scar. Roy gets a heroic scar on the back of his right hand when, and a huge burn that presumably scarred. Riza has a  that is technically heroic, but subverts the trope in that it's ugly. Ed has a heroic scar where his automail arm connects, and another that appears repeatedly on his forehead.
 * A God Am I: Father, even if to begin with.
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: How the Elrics got in their current condition.
 * Gorn: The manga and Brotherhood are nearly as violent as a Seinen manga such as Hellsing. Characters are speared, blinded, disintegrated, burned to ash, shot, stabbed and eaten. No age group is spared. Homunculi especially are torn to bloody ribbons, over, and over, and OVER with shots of viscera and exposed bone common. Awesome and yet disturbing.
 * Extra special attention was given to watching Homonculi regenerate. Every bone, muscle, and sinew are given special detail in close-ups as they grow back.
 * Government Conspiracy:.
 * Grand Finale: Chapter 108 is a whopping 113 pages and leaves no plot thread hanging.
 * Grand Theft Me: Subverted.
 * Gratuitous English: "Aye, ma'am!"
 * Kinda justified, because if the newspaper headlines shown are anything to go by, Amestris actually is an English-speaking country.
 * Also, the third opening has a LOT of English phrases thrown in.
 * Gray Eyes: As of Ch. 102, Milky White Eyes in the manga.
 * Grim Up North: Briggs. That is all.
 * Gross Up Close-Up: We get a close up of Lust's half-regenerated face after
 * Guinea Pig Family:
 * Guns Are Worthless: Used and Subverted. The Homunculi can be slain by them if killed enough times, though alchemy is much more effective since they can make them need more flesh regenerate. The, something that is nearly impossible to do with bullets alone. Hawkeye lampshades this trope in one chapter...


 * Guyliner: Pride seems to develop this to highlight his evilness near the climax of the anime, also to go along with the Animation Bump.
 * Also, Kimblee.

H
"Al: "Where did that come from?""
 * Hammerspace: Winry keeps wrenches there, dutifully lampshaded by Al.


 * Handicapped Badass: during his "pension", who changed from paraplegic ex-soldier into.
 * Ed for crying out loud what is wrong with you people.
 * Lan Fan.
 * Buccaneer.
 * A Housewife!
 * Hands Off My Fluffy:
 * Happily Married: Izumi and Sig Curtis, Maes and Gracia Hughes
 * Even if they weren't technically married, Trisha and Hohenheim could count.
 * Harmless Freezing: Averted. The whole Briggs episodes shows what could happen if you walk around with regular metals making contact with your skin or walking in snowstorm unprepared (hint: it's bad).
 * Heal It with Fire: Mustang. As said on the page, bonus points for doing himself. He also sears Havoc's wounds shut.
 * Healing Factor: The Homunculi all have this power, being.
 * The Heartless: Possibly, at a metaphorical level, at least.
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Ling Yao and . Ling spends alot of his earlier scenes in the series picking sides based off of who he felt could provide him with the most information on immortality, such as running around with Barry the Chopper.  on the other hand was already a defector from the rest of the antagonists to begin with, but he goes through losing his memory and working for them again, regaining his memories and becoming an Ineffectual Loner with a taste for taking over the world, and then finally performing a , cementing his place in the series as an
 * He Knows Too Much: . Many of the main characters are threatened and watched very closely for knowing too much. In Brotherhood, this is revealed to be why was killed. What? Did you think his line about  was just insane blabber? HAH!
 * Hellish Pupils: The Homunculi.
 * Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: displays a variant of this. He can encase his whole body in impenetrable armor, but almost never protects his head, even though it's repeatedly endangered (he's shot at least twice, and  almost beheads him). He finally conjures the head armor when he's about to be hit by a rocket.
 * Not helmets but neglecting use of protective headgear nevertheless: why, for the love of Truth-kun, does nobody in Briggs cover their head or at least ears against the cold? The scalp has lots of circulation, which causes it to lose an awful lot of warmth, and uncovered ears freeze very easily.
 * Hermetic Magic: Yet again, Alchemy.
 * Heroic Bastard: Ed and Al, as Trisha and Van Hohenheim never married (Edward says their parents were never 'registered'). They are given their mother's surname.
 * Fridge Brilliance when you think about it though
 * Heroic Sacrifice: More than once.
 * Especially in chapter 107 when
 * really seems to like this.  And a couple of chapters before,
 * And even earlier when.
 * Also subverted in 108 in the case of
 * Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Barry the Chopper.
 * Hero-Killer: Scar and the Homunculi.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: Scar went from a victim of genocide by alchemy to hunting down and killing every state alchemist he could find... with alchemy. Later on, Ed, Al, and Winry pretty much call him out on this..
 * He Will Not Cry, So I Cry for Him: Winry does this for Ed and Al at first, until Ed asks her to stop as it only makes things harder for him. He promises her that the next time she cries for him they'll be tears of joy and he and Al would be back to normal.
 * Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: Most of the State Military wears a blue uniform. It doesn't really blend in anywhere, but is excusable (sorta) considering the time period. But then they go to fight in the desert. Instead of giving more practical desert colors, the solution? Issue white coats out to the soldiers, which blends in better to a degree, but is an extra layer to wear in the desert and they still wear blue underneath.
 * Rule of Cool applies.
 * They're burnouses (pl?), commonly worn by desert nomads in North Africa. Makes perfect sense.
 * High Fantasy: albeit set in some form of the early 20th century, but all the elements are there.
 * High-Pressure Blood: When  It doesn't work that way!!!
 * Hilarious Outtakes: An extra in the final volume of the dub.
 * Hollywood Darkness: Ed uses alchemy to cause a blackout in order to gain an advantage over Pride, who can't use his powers in complete darkness. The characters can't see, but to the audience, the lighting is only slightly darker.
 * Hollywood Healing: Pretty much avoided. One notable instance is Mustang and Havoc's encounter with Lust. Roy takes many chapters to heal, and the scar from can be seen in much later chapters. Havoc is, of course,.
 * Also avoided in a somewhat odd example, in that the plume on Al's helmet is never restored after being in the Crocodile.
 * Also avoided in the way Ed receives a cut from his fight with the Slicer Brothers and, because of his constantly being in and out of fights, the wound continues to re-open from not having fully healed. Arakawa certainly did not let her heroes heal quickly.
 * Hostage Situation: To keep Ed and Mustang in line,
 * Mustang initially
 * Inverted when . The hostage part of it is eventually subverted as well, when.
 * Hot Dad: Hohenheim has quite a bunch of fangirls.
 * Hohenheim? He is...HOHO PAPA!!!
 * Hughes could also qualify.
 * Hot Mom: Trisha was quite the looker back when she was... Ya know... Alive.
 * Gracia Hughes is quite attractive as well.
 * Izumi definitely counts, even if her baby died.
 * Even though Pinako's a grandmother, young Pinako was pretty hot. And tall.
 * Housewife: And God knows Izumi won't let you forget it!
 * Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Sig and Izumi
 * Al and May when May actually gets to hang around with him.
 * Scar and May.
 * Human Mom, Nonhuman Dad:
 * Humans Are White: Even ignoring the fictional Ishvalans, notably averted through the presence of the distinctly Asian-looking Xingese and black Amestrians like Paninya and Jerso.
 * Al and May when May actually gets to hang around with him.
 * Scar and May.
 * Human Mom, Nonhuman Dad:
 * Humans Are White: Even ignoring the fictional Ishvalans, notably averted through the presence of the distinctly Asian-looking Xingese and black Amestrians like Paninya and Jerso.

I
""They don't work on anything these days.""
 * I Am Not Weasel: Shao May is constantly confused for a black and white cat rather than a tiny panda--not that an Amestrian would know what a panda is. There's also the fact that, while searching for Shao May, the characters encounter a black and white cat that does look like a panda.
 * I Am Not Left-Handed: Late in the manga
 * Icarus Allusion: A parallel is drawn between Icarus and the Elric brothers, who believed they could successfully perform human transmutation despite the fact that no one ever had before. Of course, they failed.
 * Iconic Item: Ed's watch and red coat, Roy's gloves. Ed's armblade transmutation seems to be used a lot within fanon and artwork, but doesn't really depend on it that much within the series.
 * Lampshaded slightly in the manga when Ed enthusiastically buys a length of red fabric to remake his coat, saying he 'needs all the luck and morale he can get'.
 * Ed used his armblade far more in the first anime which likely explains its popularity in the fanon. Also: It's really freaking cool.
 * Identification by Dental Records . To elaborate:
 * Idiot Hair: Ed, who tries using it to cheat on his height! Especially hilarious when Olivier threatens to "cut off that ridiculous antenna."
 * Mustang has one but it's easier to see from certain angles. (Mustang's appears to come and go, depending on the seriousness of the scene.)
 * THE IDIOT HAIR HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS! Seriously, even a flower lady that's been working for the family (for generations) has one!
 * Maes Hughes
 * If I Do Not Return: When Ed prepares to transmute himself to . Ling gives the standard response.
 * Captain Buccaneer gives such a request to General Armstrong. She doesn't follow through, giving the officer in charge of keeping track of the time they spend down there a broken watch.
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Scar is actually aware of this, and goes on killing State Alchemists anyway, believing that he's already beyond redemption, after during his huge Freak-Out.
 * Scar himself lampshades this when appling the trope to.
 * In-Series Nickname: Ed refers to Father as a "bearded bastard".
 * I Got Bigger: Ed eventually grows from being the shortest of the main cast to a respectable height throughout the series.
 * I Have Your Wife: Used several times by villains who keep the heroes, Ed and Roy in particular, on good behavior by threatening their loved ones.
 * "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Ed to . The latter shows signs of snapping out of it when Ed mentions.
 * The Illegal: Played for laughs with Ling, although it later serves the plot when Ling is in the right place at the right time.
 * Mentioned again in chapter 108.
 * Image Song: Ed, Al, Ling, Lan Fan, Riza, and Winry have at least one. Ed and Al have two duets. Roy has a song too, but there's no actual singing.
 * Immortality Immorality: . Plus the homunculi.
 * Immune to Bullets: Lampshaded.
 * Immune to Bullets: Lampshaded.

"spoiler:Ed: Winry! Uh... Um... How do I say this? Er... Like an appointment, or a promise, right? Winry: Huh? Just spit it out. Ed: Equivalent exchange. I'll give you half my life... so give me half of yours! Winry: (Confused, then frustrated). Argh, why are alchemists like this?"
 * Implacable Man: Sloth
 * Also, Wrath. Seriously, the guy
 * Also,
 * Implausible Fencing Powers: can kill a tank with a sword. And take your legs off with his teeth!
 * Improbable Age: Much is done to justify twelve-year-old Ed being accepted into the military.
 * Although, in retrospect, it's obvious why that happened: In his State Alchemist test, Ed used alchemy without a transmutation circle, and because of this Bradley  was able to tell he had opened the Gate.   As a dictator, Bradley's word is the law, so if he said that Ed be accepted to the military then Ed would be accepted.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: Riza Hawkeye manages to pull up a sniper rifle and shoot Envy (in human form) with it. Apparently she just does not care that it is nearly impossible to hit someone with a sniper rifle (even at close range) without carefully aiming first.
 * Incurable Cough of Death: Trisha
 * Subverted with Izumi. She has the cough, and the blood everywhere, but she doesn't die from it.
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons: The State alchemists' watches. And.
 * It's a single frame, blink-and-you'll-miss-it invocation, but after, his initial fireball from off camera is shaped like a lunging dragon.
 * While not dragons, Ed's sense of "style" certainly involves a lot of horns and skulls. He's constantly called out on it.
 * Instrument of Murder: A piano, of all things, used by Catherine Armstrong to attack Yoki when he tried to steal money from the Armstrongs, which is, in itself, pretty stupid.
 * Infant Immortality: Subverted with.
 * Insistent Terminology: Izumi is not an alchemist. She is a housewife.
 * Instant Runes: Averted. You have to draw them or already have one ready.
 * Although a lot of these people are amazingly quick with chalk.
 * Intergenerational Friendship: Scar and May.
 * Also General Grumman and Roy Mustang. This is especially made clear in the manga, where Grumman says that he wants Roy to marry his granddaughter. (The line becomes even funnier when you know who that granddaughter actually is.)
 * Iron Lady: The queen of this trope is of course General Olivier Mira Armstrong, but some other ladies, like Izumi and Riza, have their moments.
 * Ironic Hell:
 * Irony: Mustang tells during the Ishvalan War not to talk so much about  on the battlefield since that's how people tend to die in novels.
 * Even more ironic is the fact that he does in fact talk about.
 * It Got Worse: The Elric Brothers' backstory can easily be summed up this way. They start with their two parents. Then Papa leaves. Then Mommy gets ill. Then she dies, making them orphans. Then? It Got Worse.
 * I Uh You Too: Even at the very end of the manga, some people still can't get over their chronic Cannot Spit It Out disorder.
 * I Uh You Too: Even at the very end of the manga, some people still can't get over their chronic Cannot Spit It Out disorder.
 * I Uh You Too: Even at the very end of the manga, some people still can't get over their chronic Cannot Spit It Out disorder.


 * I Want Them Alive: Justified and subverted. The Homunculi need alchemists that have tried human transmutation for their master plan, so they go out of their way to make sure they survive. They're not afraid to rough them up, though, and they will kill them if they prove too big a problem. They have multiple candidates, after all.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Pinako, apparently, was pretty hot back in the day.
 * She was -- there's a picture of her drinking with Hohenheim. She looks kinda like Izumi.
 * We get to see more of young Pinako in episode 27, one of the few high points of the Recap Episode.
 * I Will Wait for You: Trisha for Hohenheim

J

 * Jerkass Gods: Despite ostensibly being a neutral force, The Truth seems to enjoy his job a little too much.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: This series is full of 'em. Edward, Roy, Izumi, Olivier,
 * Jerkass Facade: Mustang's an expert. And his teacher was.
 * Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: Various hints are dropped early on until it all starts coming together much later.
 * Just Between You and Me: Causes Cornello's downfall. Averted with the homunculi, who never share just what their plan is. Although Envy enjoys dropping hints.
 * Justified Extra Lives: The Homunculi.

K

 * Karma Houdini: If the omakes are to be believed,
 * Katanas Are Just Better: Noticeably subverted with Dolcetto, who looks like he'll be something of a Badass when he shows up with a katana, but gets quickly trounced by everyone he ends up fighting.
 * Kick the Son of a Bitch
 * In all fairness, it wasn't about, but about   After all, a major theme of the series . Given the author's Buddhist faith, it really shouldn't be surprising that it was handled like this.
 * Kill and Replace: In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos,  did this to.
 * Kill'Em All:
 * Kill It with Fire: Gee, I wonder who this could apply to...
 * Kill It with Ice: Briggs is a wonderful place.
 * Also Melvin Voyager
 * Kill It with Water: Isaac McDougal from episode one of Brotherhood uses water, ice, and steam.
 * Kill the Cutie:
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: Al, perhaps a bit too much...
 * King on His Deathbed: The reason both Ling and May are in Amestris (searching for the secret to immortality).
 * The reason that Father was able to
 * Knife Nut: Hughes
 * Konami Code : There's one written on a door in chapter 47.

L

 * A Lady on Each Arm: Greed is introduced this way.
 * The Lady's Favour: Winry gives Ed her earrings as they separate on Briggs.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice: Armstrong is a straight example but Al has one built right into his armor for some reason.
 * Large Ham: ARMSTRONG'S HAMMINESS HAS BEEN PASSED THROUGH THE ARMSTRONG LINES FOR GENERATIONS!
 * The Last DJ: Roy appears to be an inversion at first (has no morals and is only after promotions) but we eventually learn that he's a straight example, since part of his plan for what to do after taking over the country include ending the military dictatorship, which would strip away his own immunity from being charged with the war crimes he committed while "just following orders." Riza, who would likewise lose her immunity from the charges, fully supports his efforts. There's also Armstrong, who refuses to follow orders and kill indiscriminately in favor of his own sense of honor and justice, and he flat out gets told that's why he is never promoted.
 * Left for Dead: Lust leaves  to bleed to death.
 * In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos,  did this to , after all, he is Just a Kid.
 * Let's Get Dangerous:
 * Ling. When he's introduced, he doesn't seem to take anything seriously, he mooches food, and generally acts flippant. He's the last person you probably expect to put up a decent fight against  while carrying his injured bodyguard. Is it any wonder he survived  ?
 * Dr Marcoh defeats  in a single transmutation. Turns out a guy who can  also knows how to destroy one.
 * Yoki hits  with a car.
 * Life Energy: Souls have power, quite literally. In fact
 * Life or Limb Decision: to lure away the two Homunculi chasing after . (This was in imitation of a less painful example earlier which Ed does with his automail arm when they fought.)
 * And, of course, Ed sacrificing his right arm for Al.
 * Chapter 107:
 * In a flashback, sacrifices his arm to save Scar from bleeding out after he.
 * Notable in that it resembles Ed's as well:
 * Lighter and Softer: Compared to the first anime in some ways., they travel around with a cute little girl and her panda, , less good characters permanently die, and the ruthlessness of several characters is toned down compared to their incarnations in the first series, or are Played for Laughs like Barry The Chopper. Not necessarily  a bad thing, and the dark side of humanity is still shown on several occasions.
 * It's simultaneously Darker and Edgier than the first anime though; it's bloodier and more graphic, the added backstory to some characters can make their ruthless actions more heinous and the morality grayer, two episodes are devoted to watching a genocide occurring,.
 * Light Is Good: Although there are many subversions (see below), this trope is occasionally played straight -- the Elric brothers and Hohenheim have both Hair of Gold and Eyes of Gold and are good guys, and the Phenotype Stereotype features of the Armstrong family seem to be a mark of them being Amnestrian nobility; and there are several good blond characters.
 * Light Is Not Good: The very first villain faced is a megalomaniac priest who pretends to be a kind messiah like figure. From there, we also have The Truth, Fullmetal's version of God, who appears as a white form and is quite cynical and sadistic; Scar, who often wears white or other lively colours and has some religious symbolism attached to him; Solf J. Kimblee, who also pretty much wears white and has light symbols that form the alchemical circle on his hands; Dolcetto, one of the chimeras following Greed, who isn't particularly dark and also wears white; Pride, a living shadow-made Eldritch Abomination who's powers only works with a source of light; and The Man In White, a gold-toothed scientist who works for Father, who himself also has a lot of light symbolism, specially in the Brotherhood anime.
 * Not to mention Father himself, who wears white robes and resembles Zeus and whose evil lair is more or less lit up until he sheds his human skin... Which leads one to believe that Father was the one emitting that light in the first place.
 * Lightning Bruiser:.
 * Also, Scar's biggest asset is his speed. He literally dodges bullets.
 * No mention of Alex Louis Armstrong? He's outsped both Scar and
 * Like Father, Like Son: Ed spends years trying to undo his big mistake; Hohenheim spends centuries trying to undo his. And (for an inversion), during Hohenheim's climactic counter-alchemy, notice Hohenheim even remarks on the trope's presence, saying that Ed is "just like I was at his age."
 * Literal Split Personality: has this down to a science.
 * Living Shadow: Pride's real body is not this, but can make any shadow one and control it, OM NOM NOM.
 * Loads and Loads of Characters
 * Local Reference: An offhand comment about an "eastern island" from which Shogi was imported.
 * Lock and Load Montage: Mustang and Hawkeye have this in chapter 50.
 * Look What I Can Do Now!: When Ed and Ling are having trouble fighting Gluttony  shows up and kicks his ass with brand new automail.
 * Love At First Punch: It was implied by King Bradley's wife that they fell in love soon after she slapped him for his rudeness.
 * Love Hurts: Mustang and Hawkeye have each been near-directly responsible for almost all the things in the other's life which cause him/her guilt and pain. Not on purpose, of course, but still. And in spite of this, it's made ridiculously clear that they pretty much can't live without each other.
 * Love Is a Weakness: At least, the Homunculi think so.

M
"Editor: Chapter 38 is supposed to be serious stuff. Take out the comedy. Arakawa: Hmm...You're right. The plot may flow better that way. Editor: Yeah, that way we can replace 'em with more action. Arakawa: Sure thing...But can I keep the boobs in?
 * Magic A Is Magic A: This trope lies at the very core of alchemy.
 * Magic by Any Other Name
 * Magic From Technology: Alchemy is used as an explanation for the Dieselpunk setting.
 * Manly Tears: Armstrong does it a lot (both for humor, and in all seriousness). Roy, once (almost twice). Ed, on occasion. Al has many moments where he would cry, but can't, due to his "condition." Hohenheim had a pretty spectacular Manly Tears moment was actually very weirded out at this reaction. Ling
 * Roy's moment (blaming his tears on the rain, on a cloudless day) doubles as a brilliant metaphor; Roy is powerless, and useless in the rain. That's how he felt. Sniff. Also serves as a Ship Tease moment, since the only person who witnesses the tears is Riza - who agrees that yes, it is raining.
 * Let's not forget the family picture with Hohenheim, Trish, and young Ed and Al. Manly Tears indeed.
 * Mauve Shirt: The Chimeras working for both Greed and Kimblee..
 * Roy's team, as well as Maria Ross and Denny Brosh.
 * Maybe Ever After: For.
 * Mayfly-December Romance: Hohenheim and Trisha, on account of him being
 * Episode 27 of Brotherhood may even hint at a Jail Bait Wait and/or Precocious Crush story between them, as Hohenheim has a dream involving Trisha as a child, asking him to dance. The episode is anime-only so the dream isn't considered Canon, but it's not too much of a stretch to think he did know Trisha when she was young, since he was stated in the manga to . Some may go as far as to consider it a hint of Wife Husbandry, although that's a bigger leap considering he turned her down in his dream.
 * Meaningful Echo: Not dialogue, but in.
 * Meaningful Funeral:
 * Roy and Riza have their own private one for.
 * Meaningful Name: The Fuhrer is named King Bradley . There's also sharpshooter Riza Hawkeye (it's even lampshaded a couple of times, especially in the manga where Roy is said to have 'the Eye of the Hawk' protecting him). Everyone in the Armstrong family seems to be ridiculously strong, and on a subtler level, Roy (Roi means King in French - guess who wants to replace King Bradley as Fuhrer?). "Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim", the full name that Hohenheim was intended to receive, is the real name of the real world's most famous alchemist, Paracelsus, plus Riesenburg being his home. Amestris was the consort of the Persian king Xerxes. Ścieżka is Polish for 'path', and she is a living path to lost documents.
 * Of course all of the Homunculi as well.
 * Riza Hawkeye becomes more poignant
 * Xingese alchemy is called alkahestry. "Alkahest" is an ancient name for the Philosopher's Stone.
 * Measuring the Marigolds: Edward can be this trope, especially in the beginning.
 * Mega Manning: Pride and promptly gains his
 * Meganekko: Sheska. Also Riza, on those occasions when she wears glasses as part of her Clark Kenting disguise.
 * Me Love You Long Time:
 * Mildly Military: The Amestrian military has more of the feel of an urban police department than an army.
 * Considering over the entire run of the series, there are no police, only military police, this can pretty much be assumed to be true.
 * A Million Is a Statistic: Averted when it is shown that
 * Miniature Senior Citizens: Pinako.
 * Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: Between the Elric brothers' attempt at human transmutation,, at least two points in the story could be considered either the minor crime or the major plot.
 * Monkey Morality Pose: A rather creepy example -- in one of the eyecatches for episode 51, three of the mannequin soldiers are shown the classic "See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" pose.
 * Monster Modesty: Al still wears a loincloth despite being an animate suit of armor. (Though later he puts that spot to good use as a hiding place.)
 * Mood Whiplash: The series goes straight from an epic chase sequence involving Alphonse Elric, Roy Mustang, Barry the Chopper, Ling Yao, and several Homunculi to jokes about the Gag Boobs and then straight back.
 * In Volume 10, an Omake makes fun of this:

Editor: Of course! You must keep the boobs in!

Arakawa: I'm so glad you're my editor, Shinomura sir."


 * The fight between May and Lan Fan, with Knox putting them in their place, is entirely played for laughs. Then we have a flashback to Ishval and Knox talking about how he doesn't want to see kids killing each other. Whiplash enough to rattle brains.
 * Mook Face Turn: All four of the Chimeras that were with Kimblee, after being saved by Ed and Al on different occasions. Not one of them had a name until they turned.
 * Mook Horror Show: Lan Fan has a He's Back moment in which she shows that she's recovered from the loss of her arm by rescuing Ed and his group from Gluttony by cutting Gluttony to ribbons with the blade attached to her automail. It's an awesome scene, but it's initially shown from the perspective of Gluttony, an Obliviously Evil Psychopathic Manchild who is overwhelmed with pain and fear.
 * Toward the end of the series, Mustang goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Envy, and despite Envy being one of the most sadistically cruel characters in the series, you actually feel kind of bad for it.
 * "Greedling" helps the rebel forces hold back the soldiers loyal to Central Command. This entails a Terminator-inspired scene where Greedling is in the Ultimate Shield Instant Armor and smashes tanks like toys while the enemy soldiers futilely try to shoot him. Someone on the heroes' side even comments "Good thing he's on our side."
 * Badass Teacher Izumi has a couple of scenes where she takes out soldiers while sporting Glowing Eyes of Doom, and it's shown from their perspective.
 * In a humorous example, at one point, Ed is being hunted by soldiers from Central Command after going rogue. In a scene shown from their perspective, an unseen Ed calmly takes out the group looking for him, finishing up with the unfortunate soldier who, when describing Ed, just had to note his short stature.
 * Morality Chain: Lust seems to have served as Envy and Gluttony's: Gluttony becomes directionless (except regarding Mustang obviously) and Envy begins heading toward Stupid Evil after her death.
 * Morality Pet: Both King Bradley and have a soft spot for Mrs. Bradley, despite being
 * May has acted as a morality pet for several people, but most often she's Scar's.
 * Riza is occasionally this for Roy, in part because of the promise he extracted from her that she will be his conscience and shoot him if he strays from the righteous path. Particularly,
 * More Dakka: Basque Grand's favored strategy.
 * Motherly Scientist: Winry acts motherly with Ed, taking care of his automail and worrying a great deal about him (although it could be argued it's more of a "Motherly Technician").
 * Mr. Fanservice: Roy Mustang and Edward Elric are proof that God loves fangirls and wants us to be happy.
 * Ling and Havoc have their appeal, as well.
 * Father after absorbing . Whew.
 * By extension, teenage Hoenheim. The fact that he looks like a taller, blonder version of Ed is pretty sweet too.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Lust does tend to be popular among the series' male fans. I wonder why?
 * Murder-Suicide: Discussed. Riza tells Roy that she is willing to keep her word and shoot him if there is no other option, but then she'll kill herself too as she sees no point in living without him.
 * Must Make Amends: The events of Fullmetal Alchemist all get their start when Ed and Al try to bring their dead mother back to life, and pay a terrible price. Their quest to set things right and get their bodies back is a major theme of the show.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: The five Human Sacrifices who survived the Gate. Ed in particular because he has to bear the burden that his little brother lost his entire body in the process. Al in a lesser but still meaningful sense since it was because the price of his soul being bonded to the armor was Ed's arm.
 * My Greatest Failure: Nina for Ed and Al.
 * Mysterious Parent: Hohenheim.
 * My Greatest Failure: Nina for Ed and Al.
 * Mysterious Parent: Hohenheim.

N
"Roy: When I become Fuhrer, all female officers will be required to wear... TINY MINISKIRTS!"
 * Naked First Impression: A non-embarrassing male variation:
 * No Face Under the Mask: In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, it is revealed that.
 * The Napoleon: Ed, and he is not happy about it. Apart from being played for laughs in the manga though, it is.
 * It's also explained, in the Profiles book, that the weight of his automail helped to stunt his growth somewhat. Which only makes sense, because Ed outgrowing his automail would've easily gotten in the way and raised so many questions…
 * Natural Spotlight
 * A Nazi by Any Other Name: Amestris itself, when one General makes clear his feelings on the Ishval massacre.
 * The Nazi connection is MUCH stronger in the original anime, though. Word of God says that Amestris is based just as much on the British Empire at its peak as it is on Germany (which is why all the names are English-sounding).
 * Necromantic: Trying to bring back the dead with alchemy is a bad idea.
 * Never Trust a Trailer: In the English manga, at least, the "next volume" previews always seem to take panels out of context, or translate certain sentences in such a way as to change the meaning of what is being said to make it mor dramatic or to give it different implications entirely.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Alex Armstrong vs Cue Moment Of Awesham.
 * Nigh Invulnerability: Homunculi, and . Tied right into their immortality.
 * Nightmare Face
 * Night of the Living Mooks:
 * Ninja: Lan Fan and Fu are as close as it's gonna get...
 * No Conservation of Energy: Averted hard.
 * No Loves Intersect: If you live in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist you may have to accept Ship Tease, Love Hurts, Unequal Pairing, and Cannot Spit It Out getting in the way of your potential relationships, but you'll never have to deal with a viable Love Triangle. Especially remarkable since this is a land where almost Everyone Is Single and heavily populated by Good-Looking Privates. The closest there's ever been to a Love Triangle are Al mentioning that he used to fight over Winry with Ed and Ling hitting on her a few times.
 * No Name Given: Scar and his brother.
 * Hey, don't forget the "gold-toothed doctor".
 * No One Gets Left Behind: Mustang (with Havoc and Hawkeye), Ling (with Lan Fan).
 * Non-Serial Movie: Appears to be the case with The Sacred Star of Milos, considering that it involves an armored Al and new enemies.
 * No Romantic Resolution: Few romances are actually resolved or given anything beyond subtext.
 * Nosebleed: In an omake...
 * Nosebleed: In an omake...


 * Not Afraid of You Anymore:
 * Not So Stoic: Riza, when . It was...impressive.

O

 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Hughes. King Bradley, oh so much. To a certain extent, Roy, Ling, and Hohenheim.
 * Ocular Gushers: Al shows this in comedic moments despite not having any tear ducts. Also Armstrong, whenever he sheds his Manly Tears. May can put out fires with her tears. Denny.
 * Odd Friendship: May, cute little princess with the pet panda, and Scar, alchemist-hunting serial killer, get along surprisingly well.
 * Offered the Crown: In Chapter 108,
 * Official Couple: As of Chapter 108, we've got four that count.
 * Oh Crap: Many. For example, the faces of the Briggs' soldiers when they hear Mustang's back in Chapter 107. "Hit the deck" indeed.
 * The climax of episode 41 has two massive ones for Ed, likely shared by the audience. The first? . The second? Ed seems only moderately injured from falling down a mine shaft. Must be Made of Iron, right?   Meanwhile, due to the empathic bond between Ed and Al,   Oh Crap indeed.
 * Omake: Hiromu Arakawa has one mean sense of humor and it shows in the "extras" pages in the back of every manga volume. The content of them occasionally make it into either of the anime (two words: TINY MINISKIRTS).
 * They've been animated as DVD extras.
 * One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: Edward Elric is (unlike almost every other Alchemist on the planet) able to do alchemy without first drawing a circle.
 * 108: The manga ended with exactly 108 chapters.
 * One-Sided Arm Wrestling: At Rush Valley.
 * One-Winged Angel: Envy, Gluttony, and Pride all have monstrous true forms.
 * There's also a fairly big subversion of this trope during the final fight between Roy and
 * In the new anime,  gets this during a fight, in true Batman Beyond fashion.
 * In chapter ninety-seven of the manga,.
 * And then in Chapter 104.
 * : from the end of chapter 104 to the middle of chapter 105.
 * Ouroboros: All the homunculi (save Pride and Father) sport one somewhere: Lust - above her breasts, Gluttony - tongue, Envy - upper left thigh, Greed - back of his left hand, Wrath - left eye, Sloth - back of his right shoulder. Pride probably has one somewhere, we just never see it.
 * The Other Darrin: Brotherhood replaced a good deal of the Japanese voice actors from the first anime. Two who returned ended up playing different characters. In contrast, the English dub retained nearly all of the original voice actors; the changes basically amount to Al, Scar, Hohenheim, Marcoh, and Breda.
 * Over Enthusiastic Parents: Hughes, oh so much.
 * : inflicts this on  in . He clearly learnt from his past experience as an Unwitting Pawn.
 * Overprotective Dad: Hughes confronts a trio of three-year-olds who want to play with his daughter with a gun. Complete with Scary Shiny Glasses.

P
"Fu: So, who is this man who remains uninjured despite both our best efforts? Ling/: That'd be . Fu: "''Oh ho! I've never seen him with my own eyes...So this is the man !!!"
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Lust and Izumi. There's a good reason in both cases: Lust is an artificial human and Izumi is deathly ill.
 * Freudian Trio: A villainous one formed by Lust (Superego), Envy (Ego) and Gluttony (Id). Until, that is.
 * The Paid for Harem: Greed's girls.
 * Paint the Town Red:  is the initially the biggest perpetrator of this , but
 * Pair the Spares: According to the picture montage in Chapter 108,.
 * To be fair,
 * Papa Wolf: Hohenheim is one absurdly powerful and protective case of this, even if he doesn't act like it the first time we see him. Also Fu to Lan Fan, which makes him a Grandpa Wolf.
 * Papa Wolf: Hohenheim is one absurdly powerful and protective case of this, even if he doesn't act like it the first time we see him. Also Fu to Lan Fan, which makes him a Grandpa Wolf.

"Ed: (To the rhythm of his hits) Hey! Hey, hey, wait, wait! No, no, no, no, no, no! Fight back you idiot! Don't let him overpower you!"
 * Parental Abandonment: Ed and Al. It's worth noting that in Brotherhood, it's stated that their mother died ten years before the present day events. As Al states their ages later, this means that they were orphaned at the ages of four and five.
 * Party Scattering: Fuhrer Bradley feels that Colonel Mustang and the people under him are capable of dethroning him, so at one point in the story, Bradley uses his position to reassign the entire Mustang group to far corners of the country, each doing a job they're not very good at..
 * Path of Inspiration: Cornello's cult.
 * Patrick Stewart Speech: Multiple characters deliver these to the homunculi in response to claims of humans being foolish animals..
 * Pec Flex: Armstrong's manly physique has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations! (Looking at some of his sisters, it has.)
 * At one point, he has a flex-off with Izumi's husband. They end up as friends as a direct result.
 * Percussive Maintenance: In episode 45, Ed starts hitting him on the head to stop this from happening.

""Let's pump this guy full of hurt!""
 * Person of Mass Destruction: Arguably, every State Alchemist can be considered this; Mustang even commented that their job is like an "artillery person who gets sent in when everything else fails". Father and Hohenheim also count.
 * Pet the Dog: Hawkeye with Black Hayate. Plus, Scar really likes cats.
 * Phantom Zone: Gluttony's stomach.
 * Phlebotinum Breakdown: If you don't know your stuff, alchemic reactions can backfire on you pretty spectacularly.
 * Photographic Memory: Sheska and Kimblee. Falman may not be quite this level, but it's still described as being "so sharp it's scary."
 * Pieta Plagiarism: Twice in one scene.
 * Pin-Pulling Teeth: Olivier Armstrong does this when she takes a grenade from a fallen soldier to attack Sloth. Lan Fan in episode 62 against.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Ed (just don't call him that) and May Chang.
 * A Plague on Both Your Houses: gets a good one off at Roy. 's, meanwhile, probably sounded hollow even to himself considering the remainder of the scene.
 * Playing with Fire: Roy Mustang is not called the "Flame Alchemist" for nothing.
 * Please Wake Up:
 * When the Elric brothers visit their teacher in chapter 20, there's a little girl who comes to Izumi in hopes that she would fix her cat since she won't move.. It takes a while for Izumi to explain her that you can't bring back living once they're dead.
 * Mustang says this almost verbatim to
 * Plot Based Photograph Obfuscation: Hohenheim's face is obscured on the only family picture the Elrics have. It's to hide the fact that, and also that . The hiding is a bit of Fridge Brilliance - Ed loathes his father and probably arranged the photographs so he wouldn't have to see his face.
 * Poisonous Captive: Envy, when trapped in a flask. Even as a prisoner he was dangerous enough to talk his way out.
 * Post Dramatic Stress Disorder: All the dang time.
 * Mustang invokes this trope one hundred percent after one of his most awesome comebacks in the series - specifically, when he  Unsurprisingly,   he collapses.
 * Posthumous Character: Several. Trisha Elric, Scar's brother, Riza's father, and Winry's parents for starters.
 * The Power of Blood: Used in Ed and Al's attempt to bring their mother back.
 * Powered by a Forsaken Child: Used as The Reveal twice.
 * Pragmatic Adaptation: Various scenes are either omitted or tweaked from the manga (be it time or budget), but Brotherhood stays quite spot on with the key elements.
 * Brotherhood also condenses the events of the beginning part of the manga which were already covered in the first anime adaptation (before it Overtook the Manga). For example,.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: Ed gets one inside of, during his and Ling's fight with Envy's.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: Ed gets one inside of, during his and Ling's fight with Envy's.


 * Precious Puppy: Black Hayate.
 * Proper Lady: Trisha might fit the bill.
 * Gracia as well, although arguably that could be because we haven't seen that much of her.
 * Psycho for Hire: Kimblee and Envy
 * Psycho Strings: "Tribute to W.C. I", used when.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Gluttony
 * Public Domain Artifact: The Philosopher's Stone.
 * Public Service Announcement: Don't get into cars with strangers. Really.
 * Puss in Boots: Hughes, Hawkeye.
 * Put on a Bus:  and , though the latter's departure was brief and The Bus Came Back with the former at the wheel.
 * Putting on the Reich: Amestris in general. The use of the title "Fuhrer" is just the most blatant.