Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)/Tropes Q-Z

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Tropes for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and Brotherhood

Entries Q-Z


Q

  • Quick Draw: Sword variant - Bradley can draw and strike with his sword so fast, it isn't even seen.
  • The Quisling: The higher ups in Amestris conspire with Father, motivated by promises of immortality and power, and willingly sell out their own country/humanity.


R

  • Racial Remnant: After the Ishvalan Rebellion years ago, most of the Ishvalans were massacred. The descendents of those who survived are now scattered all around Amestris.
  • Rank Up: Subverted. Major Hughes is promoted two ranks to Brigadier General and stays a mostly important part of the story. However, he is promoted posthumously, and instead of being a major character he becomes a major plot point.
    • Colonel Mustang is also promoted to full General by the end of the series (his epaulets have three stars in the photograph).
    • Subverted in also in that even though Ed ranks up from a civilian to a major within the story, it happens in the instant when he signs the state alchemist contract, and he is not often shown to have any authority (in fact he openly states in one scene that his becoming a state alchemist had nothing to do with wanting power over others). Plus he is never called "Major Elric", he is addressed as "Mr. Elric" as though he was a civilian.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: Using words like "short" around Ed, even when not talking to him or about him, causes him to go ballistic, with a line like "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A (blown out of proportion version of what was actually said)?!?!" And yes, the caps are necessary. In the 5th Lab, he even does it to himself. (He mentions that maybe being short isn't such a bad thing, and then yells "...I just called myself a tiny little pipsqueak!!!)
  • Rasputinian Death: Most of the homunculi killed. Wrath in particular took a ridiculous amount of effort to kill.
  • Rated "M" for Manly: Armstrong. Sig Curtis.
    • And then they met.
  • Really Dead Montage: Van Hohenheim gets one in the end credits for episode 63.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Hohenheim, Father, and nearly all the Homunculi (Pride in particular).
  • Reassigned to Antarctica: Mustang's male subordinates are all transfered to remote outposts on the borders of the country so that he can't make a move against the Government Conspiracy. It doesn't work.
  • Recap Episode: One of these kicks off Brotherhood's third season.
  • Recognition Failure: Al is addressed by Fuhrer King Bradley outside of the library and does not recognize him, to the horror of Lt. Hawkeye.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Played with; while Scar is definitely no one to mess with, the red eyes are an ethnic trait, not Uh-Oh Eyes.
    • Further played with in one episode of the anime. During Scar's Flashback of the Ishvalan Rebellion, everything's black and white except for the Amestrian soldiers' blue eyes and the Ishvalans' red eyes. Later in the same episode, Scar mistakenly takes warning on them and kills the Rockbells after recognizing them as Amestrians by the eyes.
    • And an anime-exclusive scene (which happened in the manga, it just wasn't shown) has the soldier Envy turned into change from blue eyes to red just before shooting a little kid and starting the war.
      • The Homunculi's eyes are shown as round and red when they really start getting dangerous. The fourth ending even plays with this.
    • Also, Kimblee's eyes turn evil!red as he attacks Scar's family in the Ishval flashback, and later on when fighting against Ed, when he reveals he still has a Philosopher's Stone in his possession.
    • One of a few subtle indicators that tell the audience that Greed is in control of Ling's body is that his eyes turn a purplish-red color, whereas they're usually a bluish-black when Ling's in control. This isn't consistent however, especially when Ling and Greed start to more regularly switch off control.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The fourth opening of Brotherhood presents Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric as this, respectively. Whether they actually are is up to the viewer's interpretation.
  • Red Rocks: Philosopher's Stones basically allow you to do anything with alchemy.
  • Remake Cameo: Young Hohenheim is played in the dub by Aaron Dismuke, Al's VA in the first anime.
  • Retraux: The flashback to Ed and Al throwing Yoki out of Youswell is presented as a silent film.
  • Reverse Mole: The end of chapter 78, when Zampano calls Envy to let him know of Marcoh's location. In chapter 79, it turns out he did this at Marcoh's request, to lead Envy into a trap.
  • Ribcage Mouth: Gluttony gets one and Swallows Ed, Lin, and Envy.
  • Rich People: The Armstrongs are loaded, and even Edward can surprise people by how much he can spend from his alchemy research budget.
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: May Chang's dwarf panda, Shao May, is adorable, and you know it. Also, Black Hayate.
  • Right-Hand Attack Dog: The chimera guarding Father's lair.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Mustang after Envy reveals he killed Hughes himself.
    • While it wasn't as awesome as Roy's, Gluttony kind of freaked when Lust got charbroiled.
    • Riza's reaction when she thought Lust had killed Roy.
  • Rousseau Was Right: Possibly a theme most of the time, although it definitely wasn't in the first anime.
  • Running Gag: Edward being called short and him spazzing out about it for one thing.
    • There's also one that occurs in the manga with Fuhrer Bradley: Whenever he pays congenial or casual visits, he always gives someone a melon. Though not constant, it happens in various chapters.
    • People mistaking Al for the Fullmetal Alchemist, due to his armor body. Ed eventually lampshades this.


S

  • Sand in My Eyes: Or rather, "It's raining."
    • Also an Ironic Echo to earlier in the series, when Riza points out that "You're useless when it's raining."
  • Save the Villain: Subverted in chapter 95 when the others stop Roy from killing Envy, not because they want Envy to live, but because they don't want Roy to give in to his anger. They just plan to kill Envy themselves.
  • Say My Name: Hilariously subverted ("Father!" "My vintage suit of armour!").
    • Subverted with Roy and Riza. "Colonel!" "Lieutenant!!!" Honestly, you'd think it was their Catch Phrase to yell each other's rank...
    • "Alphonse!!"
    • LAN FAN!!!
    • YOUNG LORD!!!
    • "ED!!!!"
    • "Brother!"
    • Everyone present yells Edward's name when he finally gets the upper hand on Father in the final battle.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Tucker; Hohenheim when he's feeling dangerous.
  • Screwed by the Network: Important bits of the plot have been cut for time from the Adult Swim broadcast, particularly regarding Mustang and his group after he makes his move just before the Promised Day.
  • Schizo-Tech: The world mixes 1920s tech with alchemy and cybernetic limbs.
    • The carbon fiber in the cold-weather automail is something that shouldn't be within the technological capabilities of a roughly 20s-era civilization. A lot of the Briggs-developed tech falls into this as well. The tank, for example, is of a design that does not look like anything we had in the 20s but resembles post-WW 2 tanks. On the other hand, despite their mechanical advancements there do not appear to be any sort of aircraft.
      • An Alchemist Did It.
        • The main power of an alchemist is that they can force almost any chemical reaction and rearrange things on the molecular level. Technology like carbon fiber would be really easy if you could rearrange the atoms individually. There are a lot of materials today that are awesome, or would be, but are extraordinarily expensive or impossible with current technology.
  • The Scream: Hohenheim, when he realizes he has become immortal. Scar, when he sees that the Ishvalan capital is completely destroyed. Al, when Gluttony swallows Ed and Ling. The fans, at the end of ch. 104.
  • Secret Test of Character: It took two years, more pain and sadness than any other pair could take, the loss of their mother, the loss of their bodies, and the loss of each other for Ed to find his answer. And finally, after all the fighting and pain, the Jerkass Truth of the Universe smiles and says:

Truth: Good answer.

  • Sensor Character: Xingese warriors like Lan Fan have the ability to detect the Qi of others. Lan Fan can detect the homunculi because of their twisted life energy.
  • Serial Killer: Barry plays this for laughs, if you can believe that.
  • Servile Snarker: Variation with Riza's occasional tendency to yell at her 'boss'. "WHY DID YOU SHOW UP?! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF AN IDIOT?" Played for Laughs, especially because Roy shakes it off; if anyone else yelled at him that way, it's doubtful he would be so calm, but he is No Badass to His Valet.
  • Seven Deadly Sins: The Homunculi.
  • Shadow Archetype: Possibly Father to Hohenheim.
  • Shame If Something Happened: Bradley does this to Ed, concerning Winry, after he tried to quit the military.
    • Also Kimblee, who practically waves Winry's life in front of Ed's face simply because he felt like being an asshole that day.
  • Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: Envy loves this tactic. Eventually backfires on him when Roy responds to him turning into Hughes by getting considerably angrier.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: Ed does this so vehemently that he literally busts his gut! Another time he gives poor Hayate a tea-bath with an impressive Spit Take. It Makes Sense in Context.
  • Ship Tease: Winry and Ed, Mustang and Hawkeye, Ling and Lan Fan, Al and May...it's clear why the shippers love Arakawa.
    • A number of said shippers were also put off when the Brotherhood anime watered down some of the Ship Tease. Winry teasing Al about missing May when she initially had to leave was cut, and Roy and Riza's Battle Couple moment near the finale was changed from Roy and Riza leaning on each other as Riza directed Roy's attacks to Riza just standing behind Roy giving directions.
  • Shipper on Deck: For a series where romance is downplayed in favor of story, there seem to be a LOT of in-universe shippers. In fact, most of that Ship Tease seems to be coming from other characters.
  • Shirtless Scene: Armstrong is a Walking Shirtless Scene, much to other characters' dismay. Ed has a tendency to tear his shirt in order to show off his arm (and his abs), not that anyone minds. Ling loses his jacket-thing and goes around shirtless for a while (yay!).
    • And Roy too, when he kills Lust.
    • And Father too, when he reverts to his younger form.
    • Call him whatever you want, but Scar is a sexy hobo.
  • Shooting Superman: Although shooting Homunculi isn't completely useless, since they do have a limited amount of times they can regenerate, most of the people shooting them have no idea of this. So, from their perspective, it may just be better to run away.
  • The Short Guy with Glasses: Fuery.
  • Shorttank: Winry.
  • Shout-Out: To The Fly.
    • at one point Kimblee says "the life force is strong with you."
    • There are many references to historical alchemists, their beliefs and practices littered throughout the manga.
    • The scene in Gluttony's stomach where Ed boils a shoe into food is likely a reference to the Charlie Chaplin film The Gold Rush - Ed refers to getting the idea from a film he saw. How Ed and Al are familiar with movies from this world (not to mention made AFTER their time) raises some questions....
      • Boiling boots to eat the leather was common practice in desperate times of warfare. Being as they are from a war-like nation, it can be rationalized that knowledge of such practises have crept into popular culture.
    • On their first visit to Rush Valley, Winry starts Squeeing over a "Gotts 11th Year Model Automail". Compare Götz von Berlichingen's Real Life prosthetic hand.
    • The chimeras, especially the ones who worked for Kimblee, seems to be based on zoanthropes.
    • Giolio Comanche the Silver Alchemist is a lot creepier once you notice the similarities to Cowboy Bebop's Mad Pierrot.
    • The Gate is emblazoned with the Arber Sephirotheca, a diagram by historical alchemist Robert Fludd. This diagram's first appearance in anime was in the opening credits of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
      • Father's apotheosis is eerily similar to the awakening of Lilith in End of Evangelion.
    • The Elric Brothers are named for Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone.
  • Shown Their Work: We are repeatedly shown instances of Ed experiencing tremendous pain in his automail and becoming nauseated, sometimes to the point of being violently ill, when there are severe changes in barometric pressure. This is Truth in Television for people in the real world who have metal body parts. Ed suffers the symptoms to a greater extent than most because almost half his entire body is metal, but the nature of the suffering is very accurate.
    • Roy Mustang uses his gloves to create fire. It doesn't work on rainy days, but if he's a closed-off area with enough water, he can just separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen and use a source of sparks to ignite it. He can't do it in the rain because it's too open, and separating the molecules would endanger everyone around him. Also, the snapping sound he makes is the gases reacting, not the sound of him actually snapping his fingers.
  • Shut UP, Hannibal: Ed's interaction with Shou Tucker.
    • Subverted in the fight between Al and Kimblee, concerning the Philosopher's Stone Al has acquired, turning it into a Shut Up, Kirk moment.

Kimblee: Why don't you use it to regain your original bodies? You would have no trouble escaping this situation with the stone at your beck and call. And once you were in a safe place, you could both have your old bodies back. That's how your whole journey was supposed to end, wasn't it?

Al: ...But then we wouldn't save everyone else.

Kimblee: "The greater good." You can't gain something without sacrificing something else.

Al: I wonder...Why are there only two choices? "Save yourself and abandon everyone else." "Give up on returning to normal and save the world." Why are those the only two options? Why can't I choose "Save the world and get our original bodies back?"...

Kimblee: I see. That would mean there is a fourth option... *reveals his own Philosopher's Stone* "You lose your chance to return to normal, and you fail to save the world."

    • When fighting Envy, every time he tries to start a Hannibal Lecture, Mustang shuts him the hell up by burning him in the most painful way imaginable before he even finishes the first sentence. And it is AWESOME!!
  • Shut Up, Kirk: As noted above, Kimblee turns Al's Shut UP, Hannibal speech into this.
    • Additionally, Wrath's dying moments amount to this when Lan Fan confronts him. Telling somebody whose grandfather you just killed that you have no regrets and then dying with a smile on your face is a pretty devastating response.
  • Sibling Team: Ed and Al
  • Sickeningly Sweethearts: Hughes for his daughter.

Hughes: Not just my daughter! *sparkle* I'm proud of my wife too!!

    • At times, Sig and Izumi.
    • Lust and Havoc in the omake comics.
  • Simplified Spellcasting: Those who can perform alchemy by clapping (i.e. Ed, Al, Izumi, Roy).
    • Also, it's not uncommon to have a circle at the ready, such as on a glove or tattooed onto one's body. This allows for a specialized alchemic technique to be at the ready, without having to draw a circle.
  • Slasher Smile: Envy and Kimblee do this a lot. Riza, in chapter 94, to great effect. Also Roy came pretty close on one panel in ch. 95.
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Quite idealistic on the whole; but the darker side of humanity is also depicted on more than one occasion. Contrast with the first anime, which is a lot more cynical.
  • Slipknot Ponytail: Hawkeye during her showdown with Envy. Actually rather justified, since her hair was in a clip which sprang open while Envy was throwing her around the catacombs.
  • Social Darwinist: A heroic example with Olivier Armstrong and everyone at Briggs.
    • A villainous example: Kimblee.
  • Something Only They Would Say: Ed and Ling try to verify that the other isn't Envy.

Ed: Hold on …
Ling: What?
Ed: You're not Envy in disguise, are you?
Ling:Oh come on, Do you want me to recite the entire room service menu, top to bottom?
Ed: Okay, you're the real Ling.
Ling: And how do I know you aren't the impostor, you li-
Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE RUNT!!!
Ling Okay, it's you.

  • Son of a Whore: Mustang. Technically nephew/foster son, but whatever.
  • Speak of the Devil: It happens a few times that people are talking about Scar and two seconds later Scar and his group walk past them or up to them.
  • Spell My Name with an "S": Lior/Liore/Reole, Resembool/Risembul/Riesenburgh/Liesenburgh, Olivia/Olivier Miller/Milla/Mira Armstrong, Solf/Zolf/Zolof J. Kimble/Kimblee/Kimbley/Kimbly, Hohenheim/Hoenheim/Hoheneim/misspelt dude, Fuu/Who, Xerxes/Cselksess (!), Lin/Rin/Ling, Mei/May Chan/Chang, Riza/Liza/Lisa/Risa (and her using the Code Name "Elizabeth" doesn't help), Ishval/Ishbal, Scieszka/Sheska/Scieska, Ranfun/Ran Fan/RanFan/Lan Fan/too tempting to write "l'enfant", Roze/Rose with or without an acute accent, Xing/Shing/Shin ... etc.
    • This is not helped by the manga and anime using different official spelling: Lin (manga)/Ling (anime), Ranfan(manga)/Lan Fan (anime), Who (manga)/Fu (anime), Reole (Manga)/ Liore (anime).
      • Heck in the official manga alone the spellings change constantly. The two that change the most are Ling and Ishval. One page of the manga has Ling's name tag bracelets say "LING YAO" but the jail guard in the next panel saying "So your name's Lin Yao, huh?".
    • The new anime finally pins down the correct name for Xerxes with the picture of a map.
  • Spit Take: Ed does a pretty spectacular one after Hawkeye suggests that he's in love with Winry. And poor Hayate gets soaked too.

Riza: Amusing. He's weak to direct hits.

    • Prior to that, in Brotherhood, he scores a hilarious one when they first discover Ling in Rush Valley's streets.
  • Spoiler Opening: Quite a few.
    • The appearance of a young Hohenheim in the first opening. But he looks incredibly like Ed, so most people don't realize who it really is.
    • Also Greedling and Sloth make an appearance alongside Wrath, Gluttony and Envy in the third opening sequence, "Golden Time Lover," before they actually debut in the series. Admittedly Sloth isn't that big a reveal, most people would just go "who's that big guy? Oh, so that's what Sloth's gonna look like." But Ling being there is a big damn spoiler, as all it takes is putting two and two together to realize Ling's gonna become a Homunculus.
      • As early as this opening, they show Kimblee tipping his hat in farewell surrounded by a red typhoon of souls - which is EXACTLY what happens in Ch. 106/near the end of the anime.
    • The fifth one spoils Roy's blindness and being the last sacrifice, Father's One-Winged Angel form, and the nationwide circle activating. And the last one, it spoils hard.
    • The reason the spoiler openings aren't such a huge deal is because the things that do happen are indistinguishable from the many things that don't happen so you can never tell without knowing in advance.
  • Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Alchemists can transmute weapons using the mass of floors or walls, although not many ever actually do so.
  • Spotting the Thread/Imposter Forgot One Detail: Envy often falls victim to this trope. The first time is when he's impersonating Maria and Hughes notices a lack of a mole. It happens again much later, when he impersonates Roy and panics when Riza suggests they are on a First-Name Basis. Turns out she's lying and thus manages to smoke Envy out.
  • Standard Evil Organization Squad: The Homunculi.
  • Standard Female Grab Area: When a thief steals Ed's watch, they spend most of a chapter chasing her through the city. She vaults over walls and bounces off pillars Ed throws up, and when Al transmutes the ground around her into a birdcage, she just kicks her way out. She's stopped by Winry grabbing her wrist.
  • Steampunk
  • The Stinger: Starts showing up occasionally partway into the anime.
  • The Stoic: Hawkeye. Except when she thinks Roy is in danger or dead.
  • Storming the Castle: The final assault on Central.
  • Stealth Pun: Envy the green monster.
    • One could say that Sloth died lying down on the job.
    • Riza and her backstory.
    • Heinkel, a lion chimera, has a solo fight against Pride.
    • Fuhrer Bradley, also known as Wrath. Fuhrer is homophonous in English with furor, which is synonymous with wrath.
    • It cost Ed an arm and a leg to save Al's soul.
  • Stereotypes of Chinese People: The characters from Xing.
  • Stylistic Suck: Brotherhood's first ending is made to look like a child's crayon drawing. Real mature, Edward!
  • Subordinate Excuse: Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang. OTP. 'Nuff said.
  • Succession Crisis: The whole reason Ling, Lan Fan, Fu, and May are even in Amestris.
  • Suddenly Shouting:

Colonel Mustang: When I'm Führer, there will be changes. That day, all female officers will be required to wear... TINY MINISKIRTS!

Mustang: In volume 2 we will be switching protagonists and the series will be retitled "Flame Alchemist".
Ed: No it won't!

  • Surgery Under Fire: When Roy in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood realizes that Havoc's latest date is the homunculus Lust, she proceeds to try and murder them. They both put up a good fight, but Lust manages to impale them both with her regenerative abilities. Lust takes Roy's gloves as insurance before going to taunt Hawkeye. She's shocked when Roy appears and keeps incinerating her. Turns out he cauterized his wounds and cut an alchemy pentagram into his hand.
  • Surprise Checkmate: Colonel Mustang achieves one over General Grumman in their last game together. The anime version occurs in episode 13 "Beasts of Dublith".
  • Survivor Guilt: A whole slew of the them.
    • Scar, whose brother died in his place.
    • Ed, who got away with the loss of just an arm and a leg while Al lost his whole body.
    • Just about ANY person who was involved in the Ishvalan war and isn't one of the bad guys. Especially Roy, Riza, Alex, and Marcoh.
    • Hohenheim, who is partially responsible for the genocide of AN ENTIRE RACE OF PEOPLE.

T

Al: Hey, why are you saying there are only two options? It's strange to think that only one of those can be granted. Why don't you consider the possibility of getting our bodies back, and at the same time, saving everyone? I think that in order for humanity to progress, we must seek a possibility without being bound by principles.
Kimblee: Then you should prepare for another possibility. The possibility of you two not getting your bodies back, and not being able to save anyone either.

    • In Chapter 108, Ed is faced with the dilemma of using a Philospher's Stone to bring Al back (something he's promised never to do), or allowing Hohenheim to sacrifice himself. Ed instead decides to sacrifice his ability to perform alchemy.
  • Take Care of the Kids: As seen in a flashback, Master Hawkeye's dying words to Roy urge him to "take care of my daughter."
  • Talking the Monster to Death: Played unusually: When this happens to Envy it's both after he'd already had been beaten in combat and done completely by accident.
  • Talking to Himself: In the original Japanese verision of Brotherhood, Alphonse and the miniature panda Shao May are both voiced by Rie Kugimiya.
  • Talk to the Fist: Ed does not appreciate listening to Tucker. The only reason he didn't beat him to death was because Al snapped him out of it.
  • Tank Goodness: See Tempting Fate.
  • Tear Off Your Face: In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Atlas did this to Julia's brother, Ashley. Could count as Nightmare Fuel when you realize that, when he did it, Ashley was still alive.
  • Telepathy: Ed tries using Al's arm after being eaten by Gluttony for Rule of Funny to contact him. The omake expands on who was contacted.
  • Tempting Fate: "It's not like they have tanks." Guess what.
    • Speaking of the dolls, since they can't be killed "it's a good thing that they follow our orders." Guess how that turned out...
  • Terrible Trio: Lust, Envy and Gluttony almost always act as a team, with Lust leading.
  • That Man Is Dead: Scar threw away his name after survivng the genocide of Ishval and declaring himself on a personal war against state alchemists.
    • Also comes up with the two homunculi who were once human: the second Greed (Ling) and Wrath (Bradley). Several times Ed calls out "Ling" when encountering "Greed" and Greed answers back "It's Greed." Bradley was actually a Tyke Bomb who doesn't even remember (or care about) his real name, and stopped being human a long time ago.
      • The thing with Greed and Ling has more to do with the fact that they have two personalities with one controlling the body. It takes a while for them to start working together. The reason that Greed identifies himself is less a case of Insistent Terminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
  • The Faceless: Near the middle of the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, we get a glimpse of another Big Bad, using a White Mask of Doom.
  • The Reveal: In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, is revealed that the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone.
    • Subverted for those Genre Savvy enough to recognize the circular shape of Table City.
    • The fact that Ashley, Julia's brother, isn't really his brother. Or is He?.
      • Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since you always can see Melvin/Atlas' scars.
  • Theme Naming: The homunculi are each named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Most of the military characters are named after weapons, vehicles, and companies from World War II.
  • There Are No Therapists: Well, considering the time period...
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Roy Mustang's fighting style when he gets PISSED. Roy literally has to burn through several hundred lives to deplete the Philosopher's Stone that powers each Homunculus.
    • Wrath vs. Greed (the first time). Also, Briggs loves this trope. If artillery, explosives, or a tank can be involved, they will be. Even if it means driving a tank indoors.
  • These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: Human transmutation - arguably the Central Theme of the whole series.
    • Even more than human transmutation, the creation of Philosopher's Stones.

Marcoh: My research is the work of the Devil. And it can only lead straight to Hell.

  • Those Two Guys: Maria Ross and Denny Brosh, though not nearly as much in Brotherhood as in the first anime.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Ed, who gets a lot of flak for it because he's in the military. (Though a few of his detractors admit they felt the same way at his age.) Also, during the final battle, Roy's squad use this policy against fellow soldiers.
  • Time Skip: About six months over winter, between chapters 83 and 84, giving the heroes a chance to plot offscreen.
    • Also the two year time skip in the middle of chapter 108, after Father is defeated and Hohenheim dies by Trisha's grave.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Al, once he gains the same transmutation ability as Ed.
    • Falman, despite being on the verge of wetting himself, refused to get out of King Bradley's way during the battle at Central HQ. Now put yourself in his shoes and dare say you wouldn't get out of there screaming like an infant child.
  • Too Many Mouths: In the manga, the true forms of Father and Pride.
  • Total Eclipse of the Plot
  • Training from Hell: Ed and Al had to survive on an island for 6 weeks during their training with Izumi, while Izumi herself when she was left to survive in the arctic with nothing but a knife for 6 months She's actually going easy on them!
  • Tricking the Shapeshifter: How Hawkeye outwits Envy.

[[spoiler: Hawkeye: (to Envy disguised as Mustang) When we're alone together the Colonel always calls me 'Riza.'
Envy: You two are together!?
Hawkeye: Just kidding.
Envy: Crap

Hawkeye: Thanks for falling for it. Now do me another favor and die.]]

  • Trickster: The homunculi, especially Envy. Father was one back when he was confined to a test tube.
  • Troubled Backstory Flashback
  • True Companions:
    • Roy Mustang and his subordinates are this. They mix it up with the Band of Brothers subtrope.
    • Heck, most of the sympathetic members of the military are this.
    • He might deny it, but Greed and his band of followers were also this before they were slaughtered by Bradley. It also turns out that this was Greed's greatest desire.
  • Truer to the Text: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was to be a far more faithful retelling of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. The anime adaptation, in this case, was quite popular in its own right, but at the same time, it left fans of the manga livid. That said, many fans found Brotherhood lacking as well.
  • Try Not to Die: Mustang gives this as his only order to his subordinates before they storm the capital.
  • Tsundere: Winry and Izumi. Winry is type B, which means she's normally 'dere' but can get 'tsun' when someone annoys her (often Ed). Izumi is type A as she seems to be 'tsun' when not putting up a "sweet housewife" front, but is unbelievably 'dere' with her husband.
  • Two Guys and a Girl: Ed, Al and Winry
    • They eat like MP EVAs too, as seen from Ep 51 of Brotherhood


U

  • Understatement: While in Gluttony's stomach and having met up with Envy, Ling comments to Ed that based on his footprint size in the previous fight, Envy "might be a little bit bigger than he looks." Cue the transformation into the giant monster. (Ed has managed to destroy smaller buildings.)
  • Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: The activation of doll soldiers. The villains are losing, so the military decides to use them, and scientists warn him that the tests aren't done yet. However, he ignores the warning, activates them and both get killed.
  • Unfriendly Fire: Really, don't mess with your soldiers in front of Basque Grand.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Subverted when Riza goes into one when she thinks Lust kills Roy but it only puts her further in danger. Played straight when Roy finds out Envy was the one who killed Hughes; he completely curbstomps Envy, and it takes his teammates to stop him.
    • When Al sacrifices his soul so that Ed can get his arm back, Ed goes extremely berserk on Father...and HOW!

"Get up, you novice! It's time you learned why you're not in our league!"


V

Ed: Equivalent exchange. I'll give you half my life... So give me half of yours!
Winry: You really are dumb. You want half? I'll give you all of it.

    • A Japanese newspaper ran a contest to find the best words to use to propose marriage, and the above quote won. How's that for a Moment of Awesome? (Never mind the fact that it was subsequently disqualified when the judges found out it came from a manga.)
  • Vehicular Theme Naming: A majority of the military characters are named after World War II military vehicles. Armstrong, Mustang, Hawkeye, Hayate, Bradley, etc.
  • Villainous BSOD: Happens to the second Greed after killing Bido.
  • The Villain Makes the Plot: Double Subversion, all of the protagonists begin the story pursuing their own goals for reasons that don't really have to do with the villains (Get their bodies back, overthrow the government, find the secret of immortality to become emperor of Xing, etc.) but once they start to encounter Father's real plan, the sheer magnitude of it forces them to redirect their efforts to simply stopping it.
  • Villainous Rescue: Kimblee manages to distract Pride in the nick of time.
  • Vocal Dissonance: Al in his armor. Father, during the climax; he keeps the voice of an elderly man even after transforming to look like Ed/young Hohenheim.
  • Voice of the Legion: Envy, Pride, and Father all get this in their true forms. It actually sounds like a simple reverb effect most of the time, with the exception of that one highly disconcerting occasion where Father laughs out of sync.
  • Voices Are Mental: Whatever voice comes out of Greedling's mouth will belong to whichever of the two is in control.
  • Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Ed is overcome with emotion and exertion and vomits (twice) when he has to dig up the thing he and Al created when trying to resurrect their mother.
    • And whenever Izumi vomits blood from stress. Played for laughs, for some reason.


W

  • Wacky Marriage Proposal: See Victorious Childhood Friend above. Han Solo and Westley would be proud, Ed.
  • The Walls Have Eyes: Pride is mostly made up of darkness, this, and incredibly creepy grins.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Alex Armstrong, with the added bonus of being so cartoonishly overmuscled that it's practically Fan Disservice.
    • In more straightforward Fan Service-y terms, Ed appears to be unable to so much as walk within ten feet of a bladed object without his shirt dissolving to show off the sort of physique girls dream about.
    • And there was also the scene when Mustang came to kill Lust. He was shirtless but wearing his coat, which was completely open and revealing his Mr. Fanservice chest and abs.
  • War Is Hell: If there's ever been a manga that did a good job of showing what a war can really be like (alchemists aside), this is it.
  • Wasted Song: The ending themes are even further truncated in the American airing.
  • Wham Arc: All manga chapters following chapter 99 may cause screaming, ranting, stress, crying, irritation, cursing, shock, headaches, nausea and lack of sleep. Read at your own risk/discretion - especially chapter 104 which has caused all of the above. You Have Been Warned.
  • What Did You Expect When You Named It? - I understand why Father went with the naming after the Seven Deadly Sins for the Homunculi, (because they are formed from the sins within him). But he really should not have been surprised when GREED decided to betray the others because he felt that he needed more power and wealth.
  • What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: Several Christianity references in the manga, most obviously the names of the homunculi. There's even a crucifixion (censored in the English release), to boot.
    • Even so, Arakawa says that "Christianity doesn't exist in that world", so who knows?
      • Crucifixion existed as a punishment/death sentence centuries before the purpoted birth of Jesus, much less Christianity. It's not unreasonable to think that some ancient culture in the FMA universe used it and the cross ended up symbolically into said nation's culture.
      • I mean, if it did, think how messed up it would be for the Big Bad to be called "Father".
    • Aversion: When Roy is talking about how all his loyal men (and woman) have been taken away, while going over the chess pieces representing them, the bishop in the panel is tipped onto its side. Definitely symbolic.
    • During Father and Hohenheim's initial fight, notice the dragons they use against each other. Notice a difference?
    • People from Milos trying to reach Table City are shot down, and the whole issue of deporting illegal immigrants.
      • And the fact that most people from Milos (at least the ones whom name we know) are named with Mexican-sounding names, like Carlos, Santos, Julia, Miranda, Raúl, Anita, Pedro and Gonzalez.
  • What If: In a gag comic at the end of volume 20, Ed starts a long string of "What Ifs":

Ed: The reason I failed last volume was because I didn't think to myself, "What if Kimblee has another philosopher's stone?" So from now on, I need to think about all the "what ifs" in the world, and live more cautiously!
Al: Wow, big brother! Very wise!
Ed: What if I hit my head on the doorway? What if I get my precious antenna caught in the door-jamb?

Ed: What if I grow 30 cm while I'm asleep? What if I can't fit into any of my clothes that following morning? What if no one recognizes me because I'm so tall?

Ed: What if all the women in the world won't leave me alone because of my height, large income and deep intellect? What if they all start fighting one another over me? What if I incite a national emergency? Oh no ... [Type: Gundam, Close Combat]

Al: This guy has totally lost it.

Accept that you are killing people. Look them in the face and don't forget them--because they won't forget you.

  • Wishful Projection: May hears about the Fullmetal Alchemist from various people, and forms a mental image of a tall, gentlemanly prince... and is horrified to find the short, rude reality. She later forms a similar image of Al's real body, after Alphonse, offended that she would think him similar to his brother, provides an exaggerated opinion of his own traits.
  • Wolverine Claws: Lust
  • "World of Cardboard" Speech: Scar, of all people, gives one to Bradley when he reveals during their fight that now he can deconstruct AND reconstruct:

Scar: Your face tells me you had absolutely no idea. It's true. I can do that as well. Although until a moment ago I had neither the confidence nor the imagination to make it work...I spent ages thinking about what I should be doing. And this is the answer I found waiting for me. The result of my brother's research. The power to reconstruct.

Edward: I'm gonna kick her butt!!
Alphonse: Kick her butt? I mean, if it was a guy that would be one thing, but...You're gonna beat up a girl?
Edward: I'm not sexist!

    • Greed plays it straight.
  • Would Not Shoot a Good Guy: When they rebel against the military, Mustang and co. avoid fatally wounding any of the soldiers going after them. Subverted by Olivier and her subordinates.
    • This is also subverted by Mustang's crew as a sort of psychological warfare. Leaving the men alive showed how easy it was for them and served as a way to mock the superior officers, thereby making them angry and clumsy.
  • Would You Like to Hear How They Died?: Kimblee to Scar, and later to Maj. Miles. Also, Envy to Roy. It doesn't end well.
  • Wrench Wench: Winry and her grandmother Pinako.


X

  • Xanatos Gambit: Grumman, given an estimated two hours or so of thinking time, manages to turn the situation of the Fuhrer President himself overseeing the annual training exercises into a situation he simply cannot walk away from without a victory. He does this by leaking information about a planned attack on Central. If the Fuhrer stays, Central is defenseless. If he leaves, Central is defenseless and Bradley gets dropped down a ravine by a well-placed train bomb. Bradley being who he is, though, his exit from the story wasn't permanent. Still a very impressive feat, though.
    • Hohenheim's Umbral Circle failsafe. In the event that Father succeeds in transmuting the entire nation into a massive Philosopher's Stone, minutes later the eclipse's umbra would align with crests made from the lucid and cooperative souls from Hohenheim's own internal stone all willing to make a Heroic Sacrifice, undoing Father's dive once more over the Moral Event Horizon and leaving Father unable to effectively contain the Truth. Who's the Unwitting Pawn now, ya little Slasher-Smiling gas cloud?
    • The blood crest for the country-sized transmutation circle at Fort Briggs. Our Heroes find that the base seems to be the location for one, so they're concerned there'll be a bloody mess amongst the ranks. Turns out that Kimblee roused the antagonistic Russian-like northern neighbors into attacking the fort under the ruse that there were traitors among the Briggs soldiers. There weren't. The result? The attacking force is completely wiped. The Briggs soldiers weren't the blood crest, but ended up making it.
  • Xanatos Roulette: Father's plan involves the creation of a whole empire from scratch!


Y

  • You Are Worth Hell: When he asks her to be his bodyguard/conscience, Riza tells Roy that she'll follow him into Hell itself if that's what it takes. This turns out to be very true -- and very mutual.
  • You Can't Go Home Again: Invoked by Ed and Al. They burned their house down, specifically so that they could not settle back down again. Of course, they do pop by for a visit every now and then.
  • You Fail Physics Forever: Arguably justified, but Conservation of Energy DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!
    • Equivalent Exchange is more like Conservation of Mass than of Energy. With exceptions for souls/stones, and don't ask how those pillars of rock sprouting all over are supported...
      • Of course, per Einsteinian Relativity, mass = energy. That's how nuclear reactions -work.-
    • Alchemists use geothermal energy to move things and start reactions. It's technically used up, but the planet isn't exactly going to run out of heat because of a handful of people. As for the massive pillars of stone, note that they're generally a lot more fragile than a piece of rock that size should be; I presume that they're a lot less dense, or possible hollow. The stone is stretched, not created out of nowhere. Whenever someone needs something strong, like a weapon, they transmute it much more slowly and the ground around it is removed. The way stones work is that, in universe, souls contain massive quantities of energy, allowing you to do things requiring far more energy than you normally could, or create small amounts of matter from the pure energy. The souls still get used up, so thermodynamics is still in effect. The magical part is that alchemists can convert energy into other forms and cause reactions which would otherwise be impossible by moving individual atoms around and pulling energy from elsewhere.
    • So basically the only true power of alchemists is that they can AVERT THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS WITH THEIR WILLPOWER ALONE. They make things which would be possible but highly improbable happen by dwelling on a very degraded and usually unusable form of energy (the heat generated from geological movements). You could say FMA is one of the best examples in manga of physics actually being pretty much respected, except for the miraculous exception which was needed to make the whole thing enjoyable, and a little random mysticism here and there.
  • You Killed My Best Friend: After Hughes' death, every time Roy has the chance to talk with a villain or a potential bad guy, he coldly asks them whether they killed Hughes, alternatively if they know who did it. When he does get a "yes" out of someone, all hell breaks loose.
    • In the film Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Atlas did this to Julia's parents.
      • Subverted for Julia's brother, he was alive all along.
  • Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Chapter 91: "Hearing you agree with me makes me mad for some reason..."


Z

  • Zerg Rush: The strategy to defeat Father.
  • Zero-Approval Gambit: After the telephone booth incident Mustang "kills" Maria Ross. Her partner and parents (presumably) hate him, and the military, Ed, and the reader are convinced that he will do anything to get to the top. Turns out he (very convincingly) faked it.
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