The Themes of Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist & Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are two of the most complex & compelling series in history, set in an alternate reality where humanity developed alongside the study of alchemy rather than engineering, the story follows two brothers, Edward & Alphonse Elric. After the two performed a dangerous experiment, it left Edward partially losing his body while Alphonse lost his entire body and his soul is now sealed to a suit of armour. The two set out to find an artifact known as a philosopher's stone (No relation to Harry Potter) in the hopes that it can return them to their original bodies. Both series' are considered to be some of the greatest works in anime & manga and have a massive following amongst both; and rightly so, it is truly a masterpiece in terms of characters, story & animation, but another element that stands out against other anime are the themes explored within the anime, and that is what I shall be discussing in this post.

(Spoilers Ahead)

What it means to be human
Both versions of the show bring up multiple points about the state of humanity, what does it mean to be human? How much is a human life worth? What separates the humans from other animals? The entire reason behind the tragedy of the Elric brothers is that they were trying to bring their mother back to life; they failed which caused them to lose their bodies. The reason why they failed is because as stated in the show, nothing is equal to a human soul, and therefore cannot be exchanged. But then they raise the question, what counts as human? Alphonse does not have a real body, he doesn't eat, sleep or breathe, he doesn't feel pain and doesn't tire out, so is he human? They even question within the show on whether or not he is even alive, let alone a human being. This is also raised with the chimera, half human, half animal beings.
The argument is raised on whether or not they qualify as human, the best known example in the show is Nina, a small child who loved her dog, until her father turned her into a chimera, by combining the bodies of Nina and her dog. The Elric brothers claim this is a sin against nature and inhumane, but it is then brought up that they committed a similar inhumane act by trying to resurrect the dead. So if they are neither human in body or morality, what makes a human, human?
There are multiple points within both shows that bring up the topic of humanity, who we are, what we are meant for and how we are viewed. Such as Envy a homunculus views humanity, first behaving as if we are disgusting creatures below the food chain of them, but as true to his name (Yeah, Envy's a dude, go figure), is actually jealous of humanity and the bonds we make to other people, so is that what makes us human? The way we interact with other people? I'm not gonna begin debating the real philosophical views of humanity but I'm just saying, it's an interesting point made in the show.


Right & Wrong
A major part of the show is how the military are represented. It is made very clear early on that the state alchemists are nothing more than "dogs of the military" there to obey orders without question. This is best shown in the war in Ishval, a nation that believes alchemy (science) is a sin against god, and after both sides being manipulated by the homunculi, a war breaks out, and the alchemists are ordered to exterminate the Ishvalens, whether they are soldiers or civilians. The best part about this conflict is that neither side is shown to be right nor wrong, if anything, it's both. Brotherhood in particular explores the cultures of science vs religion, the benefits from both as well as the negatives, but this is one of the rare cases in fiction where not only are both sides shown equally, but both turn out to be true, not to the extent that people believe, but still in some form are they true.
But back to the war, while looking at it at an unbiased point of view, the military could be seen as the villains, they're the ones who started the war and invaded the Ishvalen's homes, killing everyone, regardless of their intent. The people who we connect to and are supposed to root for, are the villains. However, the series delves deeper into the conflict, while the soldiers will obey their orders, they are not happy about it, the two seen actively ashamed by their involvement are Major Alex Louis Armstrong and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.
However, the Ishvalen’s aren't completely blameless either, most effectively is Scar, who actively seeks revenge against all alchemists for what they did to both his people and his own brother. Again, this just leads to even more moral debate and conflict, is revenge worth it? Will it solve anything? Does it just spread more and more hate?
Every event in the shows just extend to more conflict and more themes to be explored, and the fact that it does it so seamlessly is just magnificent, this is just barely scratching the surface of what lies beneath the subtext of Fullmetal Alchemist, including the theory of equivalent exchange, the real world parallels to the Iraq War and the themes of sacrifice and mortality. If you have read this without actually watching the shows then I would highly recommend doing so and enjoy one of the greatest anime of all time.

-Danny