Full Metal Alchemist
Full Metal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師, Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi in the original Japanese) is a 52-episode anime TV series currently running in Japan. It was originally a manga series (still in production as of Feb. 2004), and also has a videogame for the Playstation 2 console. It concerns the story of two brothers: Alphonse and Edward Elric who have a talent for alchemy. The Full Metal Alchemist TV series is based on the manga published by Square Enix.
Warning: Plot details follow.
Ed and Al's mother dies when the two are young boys. Ed has a talent for alchemy and decides to find a way to revive her using alchemy. However, human transmutation is a forbidden science. For Ed and Al, attempting to do so carried a heavy price: Ed loses an arm and a leg in the process and Al loses his life, only barely remaining in existence when Ed seals Al's soul in a large suit of armor.
Now even more determined to learn human transmutation (this time to regain Al's physical body and Ed's arm and leg), Ed and Al set out to become State Alchemists, alchemists in service to the military. Their ultimate goal is to find the Philosopher's Stone, a mysterious gem that is said to be able to circumvent the standard rules of alchemy and its principle of equivalent trade.
Edward Elric - Ed is the older brother, but is short for his age (and is very sensitive about that). He is a very powerful alchemist, even more so than he understands. His special ability is that he can transmute objects without the use of a transmutation circle.
Alphonse Elric - Al is the younger brother, but is often confused for the older brother by virtue of being trapped in a suit of armor that's twice as large as Ed. Because his soul is trapped in a suit of armor, he is mostly unable to show real emotion anymore. He's an alchemist as well, but not anywhere near as powerful as his brother. Al's personality often acts as a foil for Ed.
Winry Lockbel - Ed and Al's childhood friend. She's a self-professed "gearhead" who built and maintains Ed's "auto-mail," his artificial right arm.
Roy Mustang - Ed's superior officer in the military. Often playfully mysterious, Mustang seems to have his own goals and intentions in mind as a member of the military. A powerful alchemist in his own right, Mustang wears a glove that bears a transmutation circle, allowing him to create fire at will.Characters