Updated May 12, 2024 by testing

Hello guys, hope you’re doing just fine. I am back here today with a great topic. It’s Fullmetal Alchemist Watch Order. I can feel otakus who wants to watch the anime but isn’t sure what to watch first! No worries lovelies, your genie is here for you!

Today, I will provide the quick and easy-to-follow watch order guide of Fullmetal Alchemist. Don’t worry since it will also include Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Those of you who were confused between both should not worry from now on! 

Below here is the complete watch order guide, including OVA, Specials, ONAs, and Movies. So, be happy and don’t forget to thank me later, HAHA! (I’ll be waiting, LOL). Let’s dive in and find the chronological order of Fullmetal Alchemist. 

Fullmetal Alchemist Series Release Order.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist 

Fullmetal Alchemist Release Date: October 4, 2003

Duration: 24 minutes each episode

This is the story about two brothers practicing alchemy. The story is set in a world where alchemy is forbidden for human transmutation. However, both the brothers decide to perform it to bring back their dead mother.

Like I said, it’s forbidden for human transmutation, so they had to pay some cost. Therefore, as a result, one of the brothers (Edward) lost his limbs, and the other (Alphonse) lost his whole body. Later, Edward finds a way for Alphonse to stay by adjusting his soul in a suit of armor! 

The adventure begins when both brothers set in searching for the Philosopher’s stone.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist Special:

• Fullmetal Alchemist Reflections

Release Date: March 19, 2005

Duration: 55 minutes

As the name says it all, it reflects Fullmetal Alchemist. The story is nothing special, LOL! However, the plot is just the same as Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. In fact, if you want to watch Fullmetal Alchemist in a short time, then watch this special episode! (Thank me later for the tip!) 

Fullmetal Alchemist is just a 55-minute episode. Come on, guys, what else does one want? I mean, I would appreciate the creators for this special. It shows each and every vital scene of the anime! Not only that, all the settings are in chronological order!

For those confused between FMA and FMA Brotherhood, they can start the anime by watching this special. Yes, then you guys can move on to FMAB. However, it’s really not necessary to watch it before starting Brotherhood. (I am just giving you guys an idea! I am so nice, right? HAHA, Just Kidding!)

3. Fullmetal Alchemist Movies:

•  Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

Release Date: July 23, 2005

Duration: 1 hour and 45 minute

There is an exciting twist in this movie. Let me tell you what it is! Well, both the brothers got separated! Edward and Alphonse both are trying to find ways to find each other. They got separated after doing the experiment. 

Later, Edward found himself in another world. Moreover, that was also in the year 1923. A lot of things happened afterward! But yeah, it’s absolutely fun! It was a movie that will keep you on your toes till the end. (Actually, that’s what happened with me, LOL)

4. Fullmetal Alchemist OVA:

• Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium OVA Collection

Release Date: March 2006

Duration: 7 minutes approximately

Like the name says it all, it’s Premium. So, Premium offers more than average, and that’s five episodes! The premium series consist of four episodes and are released on Funimation. Moreover, each episode is approximately 7 minutes!

Name of OVAs:­

• Chibi Part

According to the release date order, you will watch this OVA after the movie (Conqueror of Shamballa)! I bet you will enjoy this OVA since you will fall for the cuteness of its characters. Yup dude! You will see the chibi versions of all characters from both the series and the movie. 

You can imagine Al and Ed in chibi versions. But in this OVA, Riza, Scar, Lust, Mustang, and many others will show their skills. Riza will ask for volunteers from the lot for an Open-mic session. Now you can imagine the chaos they will make in the after-party with their talent. 

• Kids

Kids, as the name suggests, it’s all about the kids. Can you guess whose kids? I am sure you can. LOL, the story revolves around the future grandkids of none other than our heroes. This one is more of a tribute to the protagonists to Fullmetal Alchemist. 

It is set in a distant future. Plus, the plot shows the three kids with a striking resemblance to the Elric brothers and Winry wandering around Ed’s apartment. (Sounds cute, no?) 

They are shown as the great-great-grandchildren of Edward. Their mission is to wish their great-great-grandfather a happy birthday. Man! You will be in awe of the cuteness of these kids in this OVA. Basically, fans will see the kid versions of their favorites, including Roy Mustang. 

I know this sounds really cute to have some doppelgangers in the form of grandchildren. But man! Just imagine this in reality, I will freak out to death! Is it just me, or do you feel the same? 

• Live-Action

As for this one, the name tells it all. Many fans have imagined Alphonse walking in his armor in the real world. Well, get ready because in this OVA Alphonse is set to find his brother, Ed, in the real world.

His search for his brother will ultimately lead him to Studio Bones.

Yup, you guessed it right. Studio Bones takes the crown for producing this masterpiece. However, our poor, little, and innocent Alphonse never got a chance to see the studio. Can you imagine the reason?

Come on, guys, it is so apparent…Alphonse couldn’t even enter the studio because he was stuck in the small door, LOL!

• Alchemists vs. Homunculi

This one is pretty fun to watch. It is an interactive OVA where the viewer is assigned to Mustang’s group. They set on a mission to rescue the Elric brothers and Winry from the Homunculi. But it is not just a simple rescue mission.

It is more like a showdown between Greed, Envy, Lust, Mustang, Armstrong, and their troops. There are a lot of action and exciting fight sequences. However, everything ends well when the viewer activates an alchemy ring. 

In short, this one is full of twists and turns. You are going to love it. 

 

5. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 

Release Date: April 2009

Well, my lovelies, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood has the same storyline as that of Fullmetal Alchemist. Both the Elric brothers wanted to bring back their late mother. To do so, they did something forbidden. 

Yeah, the same here as well, they perform human transmutation. 

There you go again! Both the Elric brothers were forced to pay the cost. Now Edward lost his limbs, and Alphonse is only left with his soul! 

They somehow have found a way to overcome the aftereffects. However, it was just temporary. They need to look for a permanent solution to get their lost body parts. This could only be done with the help of the Philosopher Stone. I bet you can guess that they set out to find the Stone next.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is just like Fullmetal Alchemist. The main difference is just the plot. The plot of Brotherhood follows the manga much better. Whereas the simple Fullmetal Alchemist diverts from the story of manga!

Phew! This was really a task! I hope you are cleared with all the confusion, right?

6. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Specials

These specials consist of only 4 episodes. These episodes are named as;

• The Blind Alchemist 
• Simple People
• The Tale of Teacher
• Yet Another Man’s Battlefield.

 

• The Blind Alchemist:

Release Date: August 26, 2009

As the name of the Special suggests, the plot revolves around a blind alchemist. The Elric brothers found that the Blind alchemist was famous for successful human transmutation. The next was expected from the Elric brothers. They both set out to get answers from the blind alchemist.

The blind alchemist told them about a girl named Rosalie on whom he performed the experiment. As expected, both the heroes went to Rosalie, but she refused to answer. However, later on, she revealed that the transmutation was a failure. Plus, this girl wasn’t the real Rosalie. Yes, she only resembled Rosalie, and her original name was Amy.

Let me tell you, the blind alchemist also didn’t lie to the brothers since he also believed the lie. Dang, that makes me sad! He literally thought that the transmutation was a success, which was actually not!

• Simple People:

Release Date: Dec 23, 2009

This is a pretty sweet special, and it emphasizes the life of simple people. The story is a good time killer, and nothing important is shown there. Edward’s arm got broken somehow, and it was all about finding ways to repair it. Plus, to escape from the anger of Winry, both the brothers decide to buy some earrings!

So if you like to treat yourself to a cute and sweet episode, don’t forget to watch this one!

• The Tale of Teacher

Release Date: April 21, 2010

The plot revolves around a girl named Izumi. Izumi wanted to be the apprentice of an alchemist named Silver Steiner. After meeting him, she had to complete a task. That task was none other than to survive one month in Briggs. 

With only a single knife, she succeeded in surviving. Though she was near to death many times. Later on, after returning back to Silver Steiner, the truth made her furious. (Even I got frustrated!) Izumi found that the guy wasn’t Silver Steiner but instead Gold Steiner. He was Silver’s older brother.

 

• Yet Another Man’s Battlefield

Release Date: August 25, 2010

The story revolves around Mustang and his ups and downs during his military days. Mustang saw some seniors picking on a recruit named Heathcliff. Later on, he gets into a fight with the seniors to save Heathcliff.

This incident is followed by a lot of drama, despair, fights, and whatnot. I hope you will enjoy this special!

7. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: 4-Koma Theater

Release Date: August 2009

These are also termed as extras of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. It has a total of 16 episodes. Hey, do you know the manga omakes? Yes, the one that shows the background details. Well, the episodes are just similar to them. Not really identical, but this 4 Koma Theater is somewhat the same as manga omakes!

They are just the extras, so you will not find a lot of important information in them. However, if you want to watch them, they are pretty good!

8. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos Specials

Release Date: June 2011

Okay, dude, this is an ONA. It’s a video that the Eiga Seikasu website posted. In this video, the heroes are in a short interview. You got that right. This shows an interview of the Elric brothers. 

There are also other casts present, but they have a brief appearance. I am sure you will love this ONA!

9. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

Release Date: July 2011

The plot revolves around the Elric brothers, a criminal, and Julia. Julia is a girl who saw her family die in front of her eyes. Well, not just naturally; her parents were brutally murdered. This was the scene that was shown at the beginning of the movie. 

Her brother wanted to create a different world with the help of alchemy. However, after his death and some incidents, she was arrested for specific reasons.

The story begins when the Elric brothers search for a criminal (Alchemist). He had some mysterious powers. But meanwhile, both the heroes also get a task to investigate the events. 

The plot becomes even more exciting when the murderer of Julia’s family appears. This movie is full of suspense and mysteries. A lot happened in between, and Alphonse became close to Julia. Long story short, it ends with the Elric brothers preparing to set out on their journey. 

This is a really complex story revolving around the city of Milos and its mysteries!

10. Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action Film 

Release date: December 1, 2017

Duration: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Well, guys, this is a live-action film. To be honest, nothing is different from the original plot because the characters aren’t animated. The story is just the same about the Elric brothers looking for the Philosopher’s Stone. You know why! Yes, because of the aftereffects of human transmutation.

In short, it’s a good movie to spend time on. 

 

Release Date Watch Order:

• • Fullmetal Alchemist Released in 2003
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Reflection Released in 2005
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa Released in 2005
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium OVA Collection Released in 2005
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Released in 2009
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Specials Released in 2009
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: 4-Koma Theatre (2009)
  • The Sacred Star of Milos Specials (Fullmetal Alchemist): (2011)
  • The Sacred Star of Milos (Fullmetal Alchemist): (2011)
  • Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action Film (2017)

 

Recommended Watch Order:

Following is the recommended watch order for the ones who don’t like wasting their time watching unnecessary content. So, here we go!

1. Start with FMA (2003)
2. FMA: The Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)
3. FMA (Brotherhood) (2005)
4. FMAB (specials)
5. FMA (The Sacred Star Of Milos) 

So guys, you can also watch FMA according to the release date provided. However, if you only want to watch the main story without any irrelevant stuff, then you can consider this one. I hope this will help my buddies.

 

Some Important questions regarding the Fullmetal Alchemist Series.

Is there any Spin-off of Fullmetal Alchemist?

Well, the answer to your question is Yes. The manga of Fullmetal Alchemist indeed does have spin-offs. These spin-offs are the novels of Fullmetal Alchemist.

 

Do I Need To Watch Fullmetal Alchemist Before Brotherhood?

My lovelies, the answer is NO. You don’t need to watch Fullmetal Alchemist before starting Brotherhood. Both the stories are almost the same! However, Brotherhood’s story is mainly based on the manga.

If you have read the manga and are looking for the same story, you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Because Brotherhood’s ending is just like in the manga.

While on the other end. Fullmetal Alchemist follows the manga, but it diverts from the path after a few episodes. 

 

How Many Episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood are there?

I bet this question is the primary one that each FMA fan is concerned about. No worries because your genie is back with all the answers! Fullmetal Alchemist has 51 episodes, whereas Brotherhood has 64 episodes. 

 

Conclusion: 

Okay, fellas, I hope you find it interesting to read the blog. I also hope that you find it easier to watch the anime. Because I tried my best to list out the watch order as easy to follow as possible. Many of you guys were confused about Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood. Then, dude, you don’t need to worry. 

You can watch both, it’s up to you. The significant difference between both is just that Fullmetal Alchemist doesn’t follow the manga. Yes, and to talk about Brotherhood, it’s based on the manga plot.

You can also watch the movies released in between! However, it’s totally fine to skip them since nothing much is related. The watch order listed above is Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. 

If you have any questions or confusion regarding this, you’re more than welcome to ask. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Till then, Good Bye!