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** The KonamiCode is visible on Fuery's locker in Chapter 47.
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** Scar's motif for killing people.
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** Scar's motif for killing people. (Said word for word in the English outtakes).
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** The entirety of season 2 of Brotherhood can be seen as this. [[spoiler: Bradley's a homunculus, Lust is killed, Greed reveals how homuncului work, Father makes his first appearance, Lan Fan has her arm cut off, Alphonse learns that he doesn't have much time left in his armor-body, and Alphonse's body is revealed to still be alive beyond the gate.]]
to:
** The entirety of season 2 of Brotherhood can be seen as this. [[spoiler: Bradley's a homunculus, Lust is killed, Greed reveals how homuncului homunculi work, Father makes his first appearance, Lan Fan has her arm cut off, Alphonse learns that he doesn't have much time left in his armor-body, and Alphonse's body is revealed to still be alive beyond the gate.]]
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** For the [[spoiler:upper levels of the military]] at least. [[spoiler:The Homunculi]] don't have such 'lofty' aspirations.
to:
** For the [[spoiler:upper levels of the military]] at least. [[spoiler:The Homunculi]] don't have such 'lofty' aspirations. Ultimately subverted even then, however, as much like [[spoiler:the King of Xerxes]] before them, the aging [[spoiler: upper military]] repeatedly demonstrates that it's fear of death rather than creating utopia that drives their actions.
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** [[spoiler: Father's apotheosis is eerily similar to the awakening of Lilith in ''EndOfEvangelion''.]]
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** [[spoiler: Father's apotheosis is eerily similar to the awakening of Lilith in ''EndOfEvangelion''.''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Evangelion]]''.]]
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* TheReveal: In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', is revealed that [[spoiler: the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone]].
to:
* TheReveal: TheReveal:
** In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', is revealed that [[spoiler: the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone]].
** In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', is revealed that [[spoiler: the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone]].
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** The fact that [[spoiler: Ashleigh, Julia's brother, isn't really his brother. [[KillAndReplace Or is He?]]]].
*** Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since [[FridgeBrilliance you always can see]] [[spoiler:Melvin/Atlas' scars]].
**** A savvy viewer may also notice [[spoiler: Colonel Herschel's disfigured face, which can be seen even when he's wearing his mask, through the eyeholes and mouth. If one picks up on both this and Melvin/Atlas's scars, most of the critical plot twists in the story can be worked out.]]
* ReusableLighterToss: Lampshaded after it is tossed
*** Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since [[FridgeBrilliance you always can see]] [[spoiler:Melvin/Atlas' scars]].
**** A savvy viewer may also notice [[spoiler: Colonel Herschel's disfigured face, which can be seen even when he's wearing his mask, through the eyeholes and mouth. If one picks up on both this and Melvin/Atlas's scars, most of the critical plot twists in the story can be worked out.]]
* ReusableLighterToss: Lampshaded after it is tossed
to:
** The fact that [[spoiler: Ashleigh, Julia's brother, isn't really his brother. [[KillAndReplace Or is He?]]]].
***He?]]]]. Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since [[FridgeBrilliance you always can see]] [[spoiler:Melvin/Atlas' scars]].
****scars]]. A savvy viewer may also notice [[spoiler: Colonel Herschel's disfigured face, which can be seen even when he's wearing his mask, through the eyeholes and mouth. If one picks up on both this and Melvin/Atlas's scars, most of the critical plot twists in the story can be worked out.]]
* ReusableLighterToss: Lampshaded after it istossedtossed.
***
****
* ReusableLighterToss: Lampshaded after it is
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*ReusableLighterToss: Lampshaded after it is tossed
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** According to WordOfGod, she couldn't marry [[spoiler:Mustang and Hawkeye because that would be against military regulations. Which also explains why they never actually admit to their feelings.]]
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** According to WordOfGod, she couldn't marry Mustang and Hawkeye because that would be against military regulations. Which implies that they would get married, if it weren't for that law.
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** According to WordOfGod, she couldn't marry [[spoiler:Mustang and Hawkeye because that would be against military regulations. Which also explains why they never actually admit to their feelings.]]
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* RiversOfBlood: Gluttony's stomach, a dimension unto itself that expands infinitely on all sides, has an ankle-deep coating of blood on the floor.
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** "It's not like they have tanks." [[spoiler: Guess what.]]
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** "It's not like they have tanks." [[spoiler: Guess what.]]
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** The [[spoiler: two]] homunculi who were once human, [[spoiler: 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 {{Tykebomb}} who doesn't even remember (or care about) his real name, and stopped being human a long time ago]].
*** The thing with [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:Greed]] identifies himself is less a case of InsistentTerminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
*** The thing with [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:Greed]] identifies himself is less a case of InsistentTerminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
to:
** The [[spoiler: two]] homunculi who were once human, [[spoiler: 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 {{Tykebomb}} who doesn't even remember (or care about) his real name, and stopped being human a long time ago]].
***ago]]. The thing with [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:Greed]] identifies himself is less a case of InsistentTerminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
***
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** The entirety of season 2 of Brotherhood can be seen as this. [[spoiler: Bradley's a homunculus, Lust is killed, Greed reveals how homuncului work, Father makes his first appearance, Lan Fan has her arm cut off, Alphonse learns that he doesn't have much time left in his armor-body, and Alphonse's body is revealed to still be alive beyond the gate.]]
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self-surgery Roy Mustang
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* SelfSurgery: Roy Mustang cauterises a large wound to his own abdomen using flame alchemy [[spoiler: after Lust stabs him under Laboratory 3]].
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**The military order that changes the fighting in Ishval from a Civil War to a War of Extermination is 30[[Film/RevengeoftheSith 66]]
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* TheReasonYouSuck: Ed delivers one to Heinkel, telling Heinkel he isn't trying to create a world of truth, he's just running away from the true reality.
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** Hughes' military identification code is USO-800. This is likely shoutout to Uso 800 potion from {{Doraemon}}.
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** [[spoiler: 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 [[FantasyCounterpartCulture 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 [[UnwittingPawn ended up making it]].]]
to:
** [[spoiler: 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 [[FantasyCounterpartCulture 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 Briggs once again proves impregnable and the attacking force is completely wiped. The Briggs soldiers weren't the blood crest, but [[UnwittingPawn ended up making it]].]]
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** Hohenheim, [[spoiler: when he realizes he has become immortal.]]
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** Hohenheim, [[spoiler: when he realizes he has become immortal.immortal at the cost of his entire civilization.]]
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** 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 though it is stated that as a State Alchemist he has an effective rank of Major, he never uses it (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.
to:
** Subverted in also in that even though Ed ranks up from a civilian to a major Major within the story, it happens in the instant when he signs the state alchemist contract, and though it he is stated that as a State Alchemist he has an effective rank of Major, he never uses it not often shown to have any authority (in fact he openly states in one scene that his becoming a State Alchemist 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.
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Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
** 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.
to:
** 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 though it is stated that as a State Alchemist he is not often shown to have any authority has an effective rank of Major, he never uses it (in fact he openly states in one scene that his becoming a state alchemist 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.
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** Falman, despite being on the verge of wetting himself, refused to get out of [[spoiler: 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.
to:
** Falman, despite being on the verge of wetting himself, refused to get out of [[spoiler: [[ImplacableMan King Bradley's 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.
Changed line(s) 339 (click to see context) from:
* TruerToTheText: ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'' was to be a far more faithful retelling of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. The anime adaptation, in this case, was [[AdaptationDisplacement quite popular in its own right]], but at the same time, [[BaseBreaker it left fans of the manga livid]]. That said, many fans found ''Brotherhood'' lacking as well.
to:
* TruerToTheText: ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'' was to be a far more faithful retelling of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. The earlier anime adaptation, in this case, was [[AdaptationDisplacement quite popular in its own right]], but at the same time, [[BaseBreaker it left fans of the manga livid]]. That said, many fans found ''Brotherhood'' lacking as well.well, in large part due to some of the stuff that was condensed to avoid repetition from the earlier series.
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reword, consolidation/rearrangement
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* RecognitionFailure: Al is addressed by Fuhrer King Bradley outside of the library and does not recognize him, to the horror of Lt. Hawkeye.
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with, the red eyes are an ethnic trait, not UhOhEyes.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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) [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: still has a Philosopher's Stone in his possession.]]
** One of a few subtle indicators that tell the audience that [[spoiler: 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.]]
** Al is a subversion, since his armor body has slightly red eyes. [[spoiler:This is much more prominent when he uses a Philosopher's Stone.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with, the red eyes are an ethnic trait, not UhOhEyes.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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) [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: still has a Philosopher's Stone in his possession.]]
** One of a few subtle indicators that tell the audience that [[spoiler: 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.]]
** Al is a subversion, since his armor body has slightly red eyes. [[spoiler:This is much more prominent when he uses a Philosopher's Stone.]]
to:
* RecognitionFailure: Al is addressed by Fuhrer King Bradley outside of the library and does not recognize him, to the horror of Lt. Hawkeye.
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with,Hawkeye
*RedEyesTakeWarning:
**Averted with the Ishvalan people, as their red eyes are an ethnic trait, notUhOhEyes.
** Further played with inUhOhEyes. (Although Ed ''does'' at one episode of point remark that the anime. During Scar's Flashback of the Ishvalan Rebellion, everything's black and white ''except'' for the Amestrian soldiers' blue eyes and the reason Ishvalans' red eyes. eyes scare him when he first sees them is because the first Ishvalan he ever met tried to kill him.)
**Played with with Scar.
**Cleverly inverted during Scar's flashback to the Ishvalan Civil War, wherein he views the Amestrians' blue eyes as something monstrous and menacing. Laterin the same episode, Scar mistakenly takes warning on them and during that flashback, we actually see him [[spoiler: kills kill the Rockbells after recognizing Rockbells]] because he saw their blue eyes and automatically took them as Amestrians by for enemies.
**Played for laughs with several characters (Izumi in particular) when they're in a particularly devilish and/or comically violent mood.
**Played straight with many of theeyes]].
** And anantagonists--especially the homunculi--frequently when they're creeping/lurking in the shadows.
***While they're normally a purplish-red anyway, Homunculus eyes occasionally get upgraded to round, ''evil'' red when they're really starting to get dangerous or menacing. An anime-exclusive scene (whichhappened technically ''was'' in the manga, it just wasn't shown) [[spoiler:has but couldn't be properly shown in black and white) has [[spoiler: the soldier Envy turned into change from blue eyes blue-eyed to red just before shooting a little kid girl and starting the war.]]
*** The Homunculi's eyes are shown ***Used 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 [[spoiler: still hasa Philosopher's Stone in his possession.]]
** One of a few subtle indicators that tellplot device to let the audience that [[spoiler: know when Greed is in control of Ling's body is that his eyes turn a purplish-red color, whereas they're usually a bluish-black and when Ling's in control. This isn't he's not. (This gets less consistent however, especially as the two pair off more frequently.)
***This happened with Kimblee whenLing he [[spoiler: attacks and Greed start kills Scar's family]] and later when he reveals to more regularly switch off control.]]
** Al is a subversion,Ed that he has ''two'' Philosopher's Stones at his disposal.
**Subverted with Al, since his armor body has slightly red eyes.[[spoiler:This [[spoiler: (This is much more prominent prevalent when he uses a Philosopher's Stone.]])]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with,
*RedEyesTakeWarning:
**Averted with the Ishvalan people, as their red eyes are an ethnic trait, not
** Further played with in
**Played with with Scar.
**Cleverly inverted during Scar's flashback to the Ishvalan Civil War, wherein he views the Amestrians' blue eyes as something monstrous and menacing. Later
**Played for laughs with several characters (Izumi in particular) when they're in a particularly devilish and/or comically violent mood.
**Played straight with many of the
** And an
***While they're normally a purplish-red anyway, Homunculus eyes occasionally get upgraded to round, ''evil'' red when they're really starting to get dangerous or menacing. An anime-exclusive scene (which
** 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 [[spoiler: still has
** One of a few subtle indicators that tell
***This happened with Kimblee when
** Al is a subversion,
**Subverted with Al, since his armor body has slightly red eyes.
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* TheUnreveal: Despite being asked by multiple people and it being a point of significance for him, [[spoiler:Scar never reveals his true name]].
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* TheStinger: These cruelly start showing up occasionally partway into the anime, starting at episode 28. They are often plot-relevant, and if you miss TheStinger you may wind up very confused at the beginning of the next episode.
to:
* TheStinger: These cruelly start showing up occasionally partway into the anime, starting at episode 28.28 and ending with episode 46. They are often plot-relevant, and if you miss TheStinger you may wind up very confused at the beginning of the next episode.
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* UniquenessDecay: At the start of the series, the Philosopher's Stone was sought out as a one-of-a-kind, mystical object that could defy the laws of physics in-universe. Philosopher's Stones, as Ed and Al discover, do have incredible power, but they aren't that uncommon. The only problem is the ways of making one.
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* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Explored through the Homunculi, chimeras, and AnimatedArmor.
to:
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Explored This trope is explored through the Homunculi, chimeras, and AnimatedArmor.AnimatedArmor. Hohenheim in particular gets an episode dedicated to him debating whether he can call himself a human or if he's a monster.
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* FullmetalAlchemist/TropesGToP
to:
* FullmetalAlchemist/TropesGToP
FullmetalAlchemist/{{Tropes G to P}}
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Changed line(s) 2,4 (click to see context) from:
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesA-F}} Tropes A-F]]
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesG-P}} Tropes G-P]]
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesG-P}} Tropes G-P]]
to:
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesA-F}} Tropes A-F]]
FullmetalAlchemist/TropesAToF
*[[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesG-P}} Tropes G-P]]
FullmetalAlchemist/TropesGToP
*
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Moving off hyphenated title
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!Tropes for the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga and ''Brotherhood''
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesA-F}} Tropes A-F]]
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesG-P}} Tropes G-P]]
!!Entries Q-Z
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Q]]
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:The higher ups in Amestris conspire with Father, motivated by promises of immortality and power, and willingly sell out their own country/humanity.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:R]]
* RacialRemnant
** After the Ishvalan Rebellion years ago, most of the Ishvalans were massacred. The descendents of those who survived are now scattered all around Amestris.
** [[spoiler:Hohenheim and his sons]] are the last of the Xerxians.
* RankUp:
** Lt. Col. Hughes is promoted two ranks to Brigadier General and stays a mostly important part of the story. [[spoiler:However, he is promoted posthumously, and instead of being a major character he becomes a major plot point.]]
** [[spoiler: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.
* RantInducingSlight: 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!!!)
* RasputinianDeath: Most of the homunculi killed. [[spoiler:Wrath]] in particular took a ridiculous amount of effort to kill.
* RatedMForManly: Armstrong. Sig Curtis. Then they '''meet'''.
* ReallyDeadMontage: [[spoiler:Van Hohenheim]] gets one in the end credits for episode 63.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:Hohenheim, Father, and nearly all the Homunculi (Pride in particular)]].
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Mustang's male subordinates are all transferred to remote outposts on the borders of the country so that [[spoiler: he can't make a move against the GovernmentConspiracy. It doesn't work.]]
* RecapEpisode: One of these kicks off ''Brotherhood'''s third season.
* RecognitionFailure: Al is addressed by Fuhrer King Bradley outside of the library and does not recognize him, to the horror of Lt. Hawkeye.
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with, the red eyes are an ethnic trait, not UhOhEyes.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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) [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: still has a Philosopher's Stone in his possession.]]
** One of a few subtle indicators that tell the audience that [[spoiler: 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.]]
** Al is a subversion, since his armor body has slightly red eyes. [[spoiler:This is much more prominent when he uses a Philosopher's Stone.]]
* RedHerring: Hohenheim and Father look similar, and the latter is shown getting off his throne and walking somewhere a little while before the former returns to his home and gives Edward a BreakingSpeech.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** 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.
** [[TheHero Ed]] is a HotBlooded {{Hair Trigger Temper}}ed BrattyHalfPint in a red BadassLongcoat. [[SupportingLeader Roy]] is a laid-back [[TheAtoner Atoner]] and {{Chessmaster}} in a blue BadassLongcoat.
** Lust is the blue to Envy's red.
* RedemptionEqualsAffliction: Doctor Marcoh has his face disfigured by Scar after regretting everything he did in the Ishbalan war.
* RefugeInAudacity: Olivier's plan to infiltrate central command's ranks has her telling Bradley that she did kill Raven, and telling him that she deserved Raven's position more than he did because he was [[TooDumbToLive stupid enough to blab about the plan and get himself killed]]. Not only does this work, but her plan's audacity actually gets a laugh out of him.
** Mustang and his forces use [[spoiler: the order to kill Bradley's wife and the blowing up of Bradley's train]] as evidence that the Central Senior Command was trying to stage a coup against the Fuhrer, when in fact Mustang was himself the one staging the coup
* ReliablyUnreliableGuns:
** One of Havoc's two guns stovepipes in chapter 37 of the manga, thus allowing [[spoiler: Riza to jump into action]]. He is not shown throwing away the jammed gun, but we can assume he did, since he only carries one afterwards.
** In ''Brotherhood'', a spent round gets stuck in Riza's pistol when she is fighting [[spoiler:the leftover Fuhrer candidates]], thus enabling her enemies to capture her. (In the manga, she merely runs out of ammo). It actually made sense in this case, because the fight was at such close range that she didn't have ''time'' to clear the jam before she had a sword at her throat.
* RemakeCameo: [[spoiler:Young Hohenheim]] is played in the dub by Creator/AaronDismuke, Al's VA in the first anime.
* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Barry the Chopper really likes doing this in the manga.
* {{Retraux}}: The flashback to Ed and Al throwing Yoki out of Youswell is presented as a silent film.
* TheReveal: In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', is revealed that [[spoiler: the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone]].
** Subverted for those GenreSavvy enough to recognize [[spoiler: the circular shape of Table City]].
** The fact that [[spoiler: Ashleigh, Julia's brother, isn't really his brother. [[KillAndReplace Or is He?]]]].
*** Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since [[FridgeBrilliance you always can see]] [[spoiler:Melvin/Atlas' scars]].
**** A savvy viewer may also notice [[spoiler: Colonel Herschel's disfigured face, which can be seen even when he's wearing his mask, through the eyeholes and mouth. If one picks up on both this and Melvin/Atlas's scars, most of the critical plot twists in the story can be worked out.]]
* ReverseMole: When [[spoiler: Zampano calls Envy to let him know of Marcoh's location. It turns out he did this ''at Marcoh's request'', to lead Envy into a trap.]]
* [[RibcageStomach Ribcage Mouth]]: Gluttony gets one.
* RichPeople:
** The Armstrongs are loaded, being aristocracy and all. They seriously consider buying some elephants as souvenirs.
** Although there are jokes about him being a cheapskate, Edward has a [[UndisclosedFunds seemingly bottomless]] State Alchemist's "research budget", meaning that money is not an issue for the brothers' constant train journeys and hotel stays, automail repairs, and paying off Ling's astronomical room service bills.
** Roy also throws money around casually, paying his female informants well, carrying enough on him to buy a flower seller's entire stock and swanning around in expensive-looking suits. It would seem that being a State Alchemist is a pretty sweet deal, financially.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: May Chang's [[PandaingToTheAudience dwarf panda]], Shao May, is adorable, and you know it. Also, [[PreciousPuppies Black Hayate]].
* RightHandAttackDog: The chimera guarding Father's lair.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Mustang after [[spoiler:Envy reveals he killed Hughes himself.]]
*** Subverted in that [[spoiler:the other characters have to talk him down, noting that if Mustang lets revenge get the better of him, it will make him that much worse a person for it. [[KickTheSonOfABitch While it is certainly satisfying to see Envy get what's coming to him,]] we're clearly supposed to be scared and worried for Mustang's sanity.]]
** Gluttony kind of freaked when [[spoiler:Lust got charbroiled]], and he [[BewareTheSillyOnes grows monstrous]] when he finds the person who did it.
** [[TheStoic Riza's]] [[NotSoStoic reaction]] when [[spoiler: she thought Lust]] had killed [[spoiler: Roy.]]
* RousseauWasRight: Possibly a theme most of the time, although it definitely wasn't in the first anime.
* RulesOfOrphanEconomics: While not technically orphans, Ed and Al are left on their own. They inherited a nest egg from their mother, get taken in by Pinako, and Ed makes a nice living once he becomes a state alchemist, so money is never a problem.
* RunningGag:
** Edward being called short and him spazzing out about it.
** In Chapter 45 Mustang and Hawkeye [[FlashedBadgeHijack confiscate a rich couple's car at gunpoint]]; later in Chapter 82 Ed and the chimeras [[HeroStoleMyBike steal the same couple's car (again at gunpoint)]] to make a getaway. The couple were first seen in Rush Valley just before Winry starts squeeing over the automail in the shop window.
** 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.
** Roy's HeroicBSOD when [[ImpliedLoveInterest Hawkeye]] calls him [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything useless]].
** THIS GAG HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!!!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:S]]
* SandInMyEyes: Or rather, "[[TearJerker/FullmetalAlchemist It's raining.]]"
** Also an IronicEcho to earlier in the series, when Riza points out that "You're useless when it's raining."
* SatanicArchetype: Father, the BigBad, is a creature who seeks to usurp The Truth, which identifies itself as God, and tempts humans to evil to achieve his ends. Father is assisted by his [[TrulySingleParent "children"]], who are named after the SevenDeadlySins. Interestingly, Father is introduced looking like a GrandpaGod, [[LightIsNotGood bathed in light]], although his true form is some variety of HumanoidAbomination made of shadow.
* SaveTheVillain: Subverted when [[spoiler: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.]]
* SayMyName:
** Hilariously subverted with "''Father!''" "''My [[spoiler: [[FunnyMoments vintage suit of armour]]]]!''".
** Subverted with Roy and Riza. ''"Colonel!"'' '''"Lieutenant!!!"''' Honestly, you'd think it was their CatchPhrase to yell each other's rank...
** "Alphonse!!"
** ''LAN FAN!!!''
** ''YOUNG LORD!!!''
** "ED!!!!"
** "Brother!"
** "FU!!!"
** Everyone present yells Edward's name when [[spoiler:he finally gets the upper hand on Father in the final battle.]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses:
** Tucker
** Hohenheim when he's feeling dangerous.
** Hughes, when [[OverprotectiveDad he thinks of his daughter.]]
** Scar, back when he had CoolShades.
** The Gold-Toothed Doctor.
* SchizoTech: 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-WW2 tanks. On the other hand, despite their mechanical advancements there do not appear to be any sort of aircraft.
*** [[AWizardDidIt 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.
* TheScream:
** Hohenheim, [[spoiler: when he realizes he has become immortal.]]
** Scar, [[spoiler: when he sees that the Ishvalan capital is completely destroyed]].
** Al, [[spoiler:when Gluttony swallows Ed and Ling]].
* SecretTestOfCharacter: It took two years, more pain and anguish 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 struggling, [[spoiler:the Truth of the Universe accepts Ed's final sacrifice]], smiles and says:
-->[[spoiler:'''Truth''': Good answer.]]
* SelfInflictedHell: [[spoiler:The Truth invokes this as an ironic punishment as payment for trying to play God.]] Specifically:
** [[spoiler:Ed tried to rebuild his family, and loses the leg he stood on and his remaining family as payment.]]
** [[spoiler:Al wanted to feel his mother's warmth again, and lost his body and ability to physically feel.]]
** [[spoiler:Izumi tries to revive her stillborn baby, and loses her reproductive system.]]
** [[spoiler:Since Mustang held a strong vision for Amestris, he loses his sight and the ability to see what will become of his country.]]
** Finally subverted when [[spoiler: Ed tries to bring back Al again in the finale; since Ed offers his physical ability to perform alchemy, denying himself his life specialty and the ability to bring back the dead (as he did with Al), The Truth sees Ed has learned his lesson and gave a large offering, and allows Al's body to return.]]
* SensorCharacter: 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.
* SerialKiller: Barry plays this for laughs, [[GallowsHumour if you can believe that]].
** [[YourHeadAsplode Scar on the other hand...]]
* ServileSnarker: Variation with Riza's occasional tendency to yell at her 'boss'. ''"WHY DID YOU SHOW UP?! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF AN IDIOT?"'' PlayedForLaughs, 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 NoBadassToHisValet.
* SevenDeadlySins: The Homunculi.
* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler: Father]] to [[spoiler: Hohenheim]].
* ShaggyDogStory: ''[[TheMovie The Sacred Star of Milos]]''. [[spoiler:It occurs in some ambiguous (potentially plot-hole-inducing) place in the timeline of the series and conveniently leaves Ed and Al no closer to their goal of restoring their bodies. Star IS a philosopher's stone but it gets destroyed/used up by the end of the film. Since the film takes place in Milos and Table City, far from the main plot, it has no impact on Father's plan. Within the film itself, Milos declares independence from both Amestris and Creta which would suggest some measure of change in the status quo, but since it's a tiny city-state sandwiched between two major military powers (which are explicitly stated to be mobilizing forces in retaliation), their freedom probably won't last. Especially considering Milos' military forces consists of a guerrilla terrorist group, the only chance in hell it has to survive is if the main ''FMA'' plot wraps up before either Amestris or Creta decide to quell the insurrection.]]
* ShameIfSomethingHappened: Bradley does this to [[spoiler: Ed, concerning Winry, after he tried to quit the military.]]
** Also [[spoiler: Kimblee, who practically ''waves'' Winry's life in front of Ed's face simply because he felt like being an asshole that day]].
* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: Envy loves this tactic. Eventually backfires on him when [[spoiler:Roy]] responds to him turning into [[spoiler:Hughes]] by getting ''considerably'' angrier.
* SharingABody: [[spoiler:Greed and Ling's]] relationship starts out as standard DemonicPossession, but after a lot of FightingFromTheInside, willingly trading the body back and forth, and gaining a healthy respect for each other, it evolves into this.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Ed does this so vehemently that he ''literally'' busts his gut! Another time he gives poor Hayate a tea-bath with an impressive SpitTake. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ShipTease: [[BelligerentSexualTension Winry and Ed]], [[LoveHurts Mustang and Hawkeye]], [[BodyguardCrush Ling and Lan Fan]], [[HugeGuyTinyGirl 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 ShipTease. Winry teasing Al about missing May when she initially had to leave was cut, and Roy and Riza's BattleCouple 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.
* ShipperOnDeck: 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 ShipTease seems to be coming from ''other characters''.
* ShirtlessScene:
** Armstrong is a WalkingShirtlessScene, much to other characters' dismay.
** Ed has a tendency to [[ClothingDamage 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 ([[{{Fanservice}} yay]]!).
** Roy, when [[spoiler:he kills Lust]].
** Father, [[spoiler:when he reverts to his younger form]].
* ShootingSuperman: Although shooting Homunculi ''isn't'' completely useless, since [[spoiler: 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.
** Or [[KillItWithIce freeze them]].
** Or [[KillItWithFire continually incinerate them]].
* TheShortGuyWithGlasses: Fuery.
* ShortTank: Winry.
* ShoutOut:
** Ed references ''TheFly'' as an example of transmuting people, with a person and a fly becoming a fly-man. Even if that was solely in the realm of movies, it gave Ed the inspiration to try human transmutation.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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 practices have crept into popular culture.
** On their first visit to Rush Valley, Winry starts {{Squee}}ing over a "Gotts 11th Year Model Automail". Compare GotzVonBerlichingen's '''''RealLife''''' [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]].
** The chimeras, especially the ones who worked for Kimblee, seems to be based on [[VideoGame/BloodyRoar zoanthropes.]]
** Giolio Comanche the Silver Alchemist is a lot creepier once you notice the similarities to ''Anime/CowboyBebop''[='=]s [[MonsterClown Mad Pierrot]].
*** Less creepy if you notice the similarities to [[TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}} Rich Uncle Pennybags]].
*** One of the residents of Rush Valley bares a remarkable similarity to Jet Black, complete with similar robotic limbs.
** [[spoiler: Father's apotheosis is eerily similar to the awakening of Lilith in ''EndOfEvangelion''.]]
** Possibly coincidental, but Envy's {{Eldritch Abomination}} form could be a shout out to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. The cover depicts a creature covered with human bodies, like Envy. The connection? In some religious mythology, the Leviathan [[FridgeBrilliance is a representation of the sin Envy]].
** The [[spoiler: mannequin soldiers]] are very similar in nature and looks to the mass-production Evangelion.
** Another possibly coincidental example: during Edward's fight with Kimblee, he slashes his right transmutation circle. That circle contains a triangle which contains a circle. The slash wound divides the circle in two exact halves. [[Literature/HarryPotterandtheDeathlyHallows A line, a circle, and a triangle - where we saw it before?]].
* ShownTheirWork:
** 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 TruthInTelevision 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 [[spoiler: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.
* ShutUpHannibal:
** Ed's [[TalkToTheFist interaction with Shou Tucker.]]
** Subverted in the fight between Al and Kimblee, concerning the [[spoiler:Philosopher's Stone]] Al has acquired, turning it into a ShutUpKirk moment.
--->'''Kimblee:''' Why don't you use it to regain your original bodies? You would have no trouble escaping this situation with [[spoiler:the stone]] at your beck and call. And once you were in a safe place, you could both have your old bodies back. [[MotiveDecay That's how your whole journey was supposed to end, wasn't it?]]
--->'''Al:''' ...But then we wouldn't save everyone else.
--->'''Kimblee:''' [[AMillionIsAStatistic "The greater good."]] [[EquivalentExchange You can't gain something without sacrificing something else.]]
--->'''Al:''' I wonder...Why are there only two choices? [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere "Save yourself and abandon everyone else."]] [[HeroicSacrifice "Give up on returning to normal and save the world."]] Why are those the only two options? Why can't I choose [[TakeAThirdOption "Save the world and get our original bodies back?"]]...
--->'''Kimblee:''' I see. That would mean there is a [[FourIsDeath fourth]] [[{{Deconstruction}} option]]... *reveals [[spoiler:his own Philosopher's Stone]]* "You lose your chance to return to normal, and you fail to save the world."
** When fighting [[spoiler:Envy]], every time he tries to start a HannibalLecture, [[spoiler:Mustang]] shuts him the hell up by [[spoiler:burning him in the most painful way imaginable]] before he even finishes the first sentence.
* ShutUpKirk:
** Kimblee turns Al's ShutUpHannibal speech into this.
** Additionally, Wrath's dying moments amount to this when Lan Fan confronts him. Telling somebody [[spoiler:whose grandfather you just killed]] that you have no regrets and then dying with a smile on your face is a pretty devastating response.
* SiblingTeam: Ed and Al
* SickeninglySweethearts:
** 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.
* SimplifiedSpellcasting: Those who can perform alchemy by clapping (i.e. Ed, Al, Izumi, [[spoiler:Roy]]), and those who have a circle at the ready, such as on a glove or tattooed onto one's body. This allows for a specialized alchemical technique to be at the ready without having to draw a circle.
* SinisterMinister: Father Cornello in the first two manga chapters
* SlasherSmile: Envy and Kimblee do this a lot. [[spoiler: [[NotSoStoic Riza]], in chapter 94, to great effect]]. Also [[spoiler: Roy]] came pretty close on one panel in ch. 95.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: 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.
* SlipknotPonytail: 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.
* SocialDarwinist: A heroic example with Olivier Armstrong and everyone at Briggs.
** A villainous example: Kimblee.
* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Although it's only briefly touched on in flashbacks, Riza's upbringing comes across as particularly unhealthy. She was raised by her widower father in a neglected and overgrown house described as squalid by his student [[spoiler:Roy.]] She mentions having been afraid of her father and his alchemy, which makes it all the more disturbing that he [[spoiler:tattooed his [[FantasticNuke apocalyptically destructive]] [[KillItWithFire flame alchemy research]] ''[[HumanNotepad onto her back.]]'' ]]
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay:
** 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.
** [[spoiler:Hawkeye]] plays with this in chapter 94, ratting Envy out by setting up but subverting [[BluffTheImpostor Bluffing The Imposter]].
* SonOfAWhore: [[spoiler:Mustang. Technically nephew/foster son, but whatever]].
* SpeakOfTheDevil: 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.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
** 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 CodeName "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
** 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).
*** 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?".
** ''Brotherhood'' pins down the correct name for Xerxes with the picture of a map and confirms [[http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg91/Devonjw91/FullmetalAlchemist/Olivier.jpg Olivier Mira Armstrong's]] name. This is also a TomboyishName, or just flat out AsLongAsItSoundsForeign, considering Olivier's French for [[http://www.behindthename.com/name/olivier "Oliver."]]
* SpitTake:
** Ed does a pretty spectacular one after Hawkeye suggests that he's in love with Winry. 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.
* SpoilerOpening: Quite a few, but the majority of them would only be obvious to the people who know the story beforehand.
** The appearance of [[spoiler: a young Hohenheim in the first opening. But he looks incredibly like Ed, so most people don't realize who it really is.]]
** Also [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: 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.]]
*** However, it should be noted that "Golden Time Lover" debuts only an episode before [[spoiler:Ling becomes Greed]], so it's not too much of a spoiler when you really look at the big picture.
*** As early as this opening, they show [[spoiler: Kimblee tipping his hat in farewell surrounded by a red typhoon of souls--which is EXACTLY what happens near the end]].
** The fourth opening spoils [[spoiler:Greedling]]'s defection and shows him fighting Wrath.
*** This opening also spoils [[spoiler:the Alkahestric Reverse Circle]].
** The fifth one spoils [[spoiler:Roy's blindness and being the last sacrifice, Father's OneWingedAngel form, and the nationwide circle activating.]] And the last one, it spoils ''hard''.
** The reason the [[SpoilerOpening 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.
*** Not to mention some of the sequences are completely vague and can be interpreted as metaphors to the things happening at the point in the plot.
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Alchemists can transmute weapons using the mass of floors or walls, although not many ever actually do so.
* SpottingTheThread[=/=]ImposterForgotOneDetail: Envy often falls victim to this trope. The first time is when he's impersonating Maria and Hughes [[ImposterForgotOneDetail notices a lack of a mole]]. It happens again much later, when he [[spoiler:impersonates Roy and panics when Riza suggests they are on a FirstNameBasis. Turns out [[BluffTheImpostor she's lying]] and thus manages to smoke Envy out.]]
* StandardEvilOrganizationSquad: The Homunculi.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: 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}}
* StepIntoTheBlindingFight: There's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of smell.
* SteppingStonesInTheSky: [[spoiler: How Wrath survives his train blowing up.]]
* TheStinger: These cruelly start showing up occasionally partway into the anime, starting at episode 28. They are often plot-relevant, and if you miss TheStinger you may wind up very confused at the beginning of the next episode.
* TheStoic:
** Hawkeye. [[NotSoStoic Except when she thinks Roy is in danger]] [[spoiler:or dead]].
** Scar. The best he does is smile, and he does it ''once'' in the entire series. For ''one'' panel, in the last volume.
* [[spoiler:StormingTheCastle]]: [[spoiler:The final assault on Central.]]
* StealthPun:
** Envy [[spoiler:the green monster.]]
** One could say that Sloth [[spoiler: died lying down on the job.]]
** Riza and her [[spoiler:backstory.]]
** Heinkel, a lion chimera, has a solo fight against [[spoiler: Pride.]]
** [[spoiler: 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.
* StereotypesOfChinesePeople: The characters from Xing.
* StrictlyProfessionalRelationship: Roy Mustang and his direct subordinate Riza Hawkeye claimed to have Strictly Professional Relationship. Of course, EveryoneCanSeeIt. However, [[OldFlame they had been in a relationship]] before they joined the military, which has an anti-fraternization law. They'd like to have more than a professional relationship and sometimes they slipped a bit, but they just have to.
* StrongFamilyResemblance
* StylisticSuck: ''Brotherhood'''s first ending is made to look like a child's crayon drawing. ''[[StickinAround Real mature, Edward!]]''
* SubordinateExcuse:
** Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang.
** There are some hints near the end that this may have been the case with [[PairTheSpares Olivier and Buccaneer]] as well.
* SuccessionCrisis: The whole reason Ling, Lan Fan, Fu, and May are even in Amestris.
* SuddenlyShouting:
-->'''Colonel Mustang''': When I'm Führer, there will be changes. That day, all female officers will be required to wear... TINY MINISKIRTS!
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Riza Hawkeye.
* SuperDeformed
* SuperPowerMeltdown:[[spoiler: Father IMPLODES.]]
* SuperReflexes: Subverted by [[spoiler:Sloth]]; he's super-fast, super-strong, and as nimble as an 18-wheeler.
* SupportingLeader:
** General and Major Armstrong are the ones who lead the [[BadassArmy Briggs troops]] against the hordes of [[ZombieApocalypse undead]] during the coup but they didn't take part directly in the final boss battle (which Mustang did).
*** Mustang gets a lampshade in one of the bonuses at the end of the first graphic novel:
--->'''Mustang''': In volume 2 we will be switching protagonists and the series will be retitled "Flame Alchemist".
--->'''Ed''': No it won't!
* SurpriseCheckmate: Colonel Mustang achieves one over General Grumman in their last game together. The anime version occurs in episode 13 "Beasts of Dublith".
* SurvivorGuilt: A whole slew of the them.
** Scar, whose [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:is partially responsible for the genocide of an entire race of people.]]
* SympathyForTheDevil: The 4-Koma Theater clip "The Cursed House" portrays Shou Tucker as being [[ManslaughterProvocation driven to transmutation]] from his wife's unrealistic expectations of what he, as an alchemist, can do for her, which ultimately ends up with her trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink slip wolfsbane into his food]]. This is seen to take place before [[spoiler:Shou transmutes Nina and Alexander]], so Shou doesn't end up redeeming himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:T]]
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Al's exchange with Kimblee.
--> '''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 [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice allowing Hohenheim to sacrifice himself]]]]. Ed instead decides to [[spoiler:sacrifice his ability to perform alchemy.]]
* TakeCareOfTheKids: As seen in a flashback, [[spoiler:Master Hawkeye's dying words to Roy urge him to "take care of my daughter."]]
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Played unusually: When this happens to [[spoiler:Envy]] it's both after he'd already had been beaten in combat and done ''completely by accident''.
* TalkToTheFist:
** Ed does not appreciate listening to ''[[spoiler:Tucker]]''. The only reason he didn't beat him to death was because Al snapped him out of it.
** During the fight with ''[[spoiler:Envy]]'', Roy fries ''[[spoiler:Envy's]]'' eyes every time he tries to [[HannibalLecture start gloating about how humans suck.]]
* TankGoodness: See TemptingFate.
* TearOffYourFace: In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', [[spoiler: Atlas]] did this to [[spoiler: Julia's brother, Ashley]]. Could count as NightmareFuel when you realize that, when he did it, [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror Ashley was still alive]]]].
* TeenGenius: Ed, Al, and Winry.
* TeleFrag: [[spoiler:When Edward gets his arm back, while not explicitly pointed out, you can see a few parts of the broken automail sticking out around his shoulder.]] One can assume that they had to be surgically removed afterwards.
* {{Telepathy}}: Ed tries using Al's arm after being eaten by Gluttony for RuleOfFunny to contact him. The omake expands on who was contacted.
* TemptingFate:
** "It's not like they have tanks." [[spoiler: Guess what.]]
** "[[EvilGloating You honestly believed]] [[ReverseMole you could pull one over on me]]?"
** "[[FreakOut Mr. Greed would never be in a place like this]]!"
** 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...
* TerribleTrio: Lust, Envy and Gluttony almost always act as a team, with Lust leading.
* ThatManIsDead:
** Scar threw away his name after survivng the genocide of Ishval and declaring himself on a personal war against state alchemists.
** The [[spoiler: two]] homunculi who were once human, [[spoiler: 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 {{Tykebomb}} who doesn't even remember (or care about) his real name, and stopped being human a long time ago]].
*** The thing with [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:Greed]] identifies himself is less a case of InsistentTerminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
* ThemeNaming: The homunculi are each named after one of the SevenDeadlySins. Most of the military characters are named after weapons, vehicles, and companies from World War II.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[JustifiedTrope Well, considering the time period...]]
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill:
** Roy Mustang's fighting style when he gets PISSED. [[spoiler: 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.
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow:
** Human transmutation--arguably the CentralTheme of the whole series.
** The creation of Philosopher's Stones.
---> '''Marcoh:''' My research is the work of the Devil. And it can only lead straight to Hell.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Maria Ross and Denny Brosh, though not nearly as much in ''Brotherhood'' as in the first anime.
* ThouShaltNotKill: 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, [[spoiler: during the final battle, Roy's squad use this policy against fellow soldiers.]]
* TimeSkip:
** About six months over winter, between chapters 83 and 84, giving the heroes a chance to plot offscreen.
** [[spoiler:Also the two year time skip in the middle of chapter 108, after Father is defeated and Hohenheim dies by Trisha's grave.]]
* TookALevelInBadass:
** Al, once he [[spoiler: gains the same transmutation ability as Ed]].
** Falman, despite being on the verge of wetting himself, refused to get out of [[spoiler: 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.
* TooManyMouths: The true forms of Father and Pride.
* TotalEclipseOfThePlot
* TrainingFromHell: Ed and Al had to survive on an island for 6 weeks during their training with Izumi, while Izumi herself was left to survive in the arctic with nothing but a knife for 6 ''months''. She's actually going ''easy'' on them!
* TrickingTheShapeshifter: How [[spoiler: 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:''' [[OhCrap Crap]]\\
'''Hawkeye:''' Thanks for falling for it. Now do me another favor [[BoomHeadshot and die.]]]]
* {{Trickster}}: The homunculi, especially Envy. [[spoiler: Father was one back when he was confined to a test tube]].
* TroubledBackstoryFlashback
* TrueCompanions:
** Roy Mustang and his subordinates are this. They mix it up with the BandOfBrothers subtrope.
** Heck, most of the sympathetic members of the military are this.
** [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TruerToTheText: ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'' was to be a far more faithful retelling of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. The anime adaptation, in this case, was [[AdaptationDisplacement quite popular in its own right]], but at the same time, [[BaseBreaker it left fans of the manga livid]]. That said, many fans found ''Brotherhood'' lacking as well.
* TryNotToDie: Mustang gives this as his only order to his subordinates before they [[spoiler: 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.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U]]
* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: 'The Military Festival' gaiden.
* {{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 [[OhCrap the giant monster]]. (Ed has managed to destroy smaller buildings.)
* UndisclosedFunds: Ed offers Sheska money from his research budget after hearing her story and receiving her help with transcribing Dr. Marcoh's notes. [[http://manga.animea.net/full-metal-alchemist-chapter-10-page-23.html The image on Ross's and Sheska's faces says it all.]]
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: The activation of [[spoiler: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.
* UnfriendlyFire: Really, [[WeHaveReserves don't mess with your soldiers]] in front of Basque Grand.
* UnSorcerer: [[spoiler: Edward]] eventually gives up his ability to perform alchemy [[spoiler: in order to bring Al's body back.]]
* UnstoppableRage: Subverted when [[spoiler:Riza goes into one when she thinks Lust kills Roy]] but it only puts her further in danger. Played straight when [[spoiler:Roy finds out Envy was the one who killed Hughes; he completely curbstomps Envy, and it takes his ''teammates'' to stop him]].
** When Al [[spoiler: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!"
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Poor [[spoiler:Hohenheim]] had ''no idea'' what helping [[spoiler:his little 'friend' in the flask]] would lead to... which happened to be the destruction of his country and ''everyone in it'', and a centuries' old conspiracy which required the deaths of untold millions of people.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: The cornerstone of the [[spoiler: GovernmentConspiracy]].
** For the [[spoiler:upper levels of the military]] at least. [[spoiler:The Homunculi]] don't have such 'lofty' aspirations.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:V]]
* TheVamp: Lust.
* VehicularThemeNaming: A majority of the military characters are named after World War II military vehicles. Armstrong, Mustang, Hawkeye, Hayate, Bradley, etc.
* VillainDecay: Envy starts out being manipulative, clever, and competent enough to be an infiltrator. Then xe gets soundly beaten by Marcoh and May, gets xer power back, and gets curb stomped by Roy. By this point Envy is portrayed as barely smarter than Gluttony and can't even land one blow.
** Somewhat Justified -- Envy's primary skills are disguise and manipulation. Against someone who's not falling for xer tricks, xe has only xer combat abilities, which are definitely outclassed by the main characters.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot: 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 their actions actually help Father's centuries-old plan. Once they start to encounter it, they're forced to redirect their efforts to simply [[VillainsActHeroesReact stopping it.]]
* VillainousBSOD: [[spoiler:Happens to the second]] Greed [[spoiler:after killing Bido]].
* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler:Kimblee manages to distract Pride in the nick of time.]]
* VillainOverForDinner: [[spoiler: Bradley/Wrath]], finally fed up with the actions of the Elric brothers and company after having ignored it for the most part, sits down to have a nice chat with Winry in order to bring her up as a weakness against Edward later (granted, they didn't know about the whole [[spoiler: Wrath]] business yet at that point in time; but when it's brought up again as a threat they have learned of the secret, so the effect of the trope remains the same). Couple of episodes down the line, Edward and Al are caught chatting with [[spoiler: Bradley's wife and Selim]] for an interesting twist.
* VocalDissonance:
** Al in his armor.
** [[spoiler:Father, during the climax; he keeps the voice of an elderly man even after [[BishonenLine transforming]] to look like [[MrFanservice Ed/young Hohenheim]].]]
* VoiceOfTheLegion: [[spoiler: Envy, Pride, and Father]] all get this in their [[OneWingedAngel true forms]]. It actually sounds like a simple reverb effect most of the time, with the exception of that one highly disconcerting occasion where [[spoiler:Father]] laughs out of sync.
* VoicesAreMental: [[spoiler:Whatever voice comes out of Greedling's mouth will belong to whichever of the two is in control.]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot:
** Ed is overcome with emotion and exertion and vomits (twice) when he [[spoiler: has to dig up the thing he and Al created when trying to resurrect their mother]].
** Whenever Izumi vomits blood from stress. Played for laughs, for some reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:W]]
* WackyMarriageProposal:
-->[[spoiler:'''Ed''']]: Equivalent exchange. I'll give you half my life... So give me half of yours!
-->[[spoiler:'''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 MomentOfAwesome? (Never mind the fact that it was subsequently disqualified when the judges found out it wasn't written by the person who entered it.) [[StarWars Han Solo]] and [[Film/ThePrincessBride Westley]] would be proud, [[spoiler:Ed]].
* TheWallsHaveEyes: Pride is mostly made up of darkness, this, and incredibly creepy grins.
* WalkingShirtlessScene:
** Alex Armstrong, with the added bonus of being so cartoonishly overmuscled that it's practically FanDisservice.
** 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 [[{{Fanservice}} girls dream about]].
** There was also the scene when [[spoiler:Mustang came to kill Lust]]. He was shirtless but wearing his coat, which was completely open and revealing his MrFanservice chest and abs.
* WarIsHell: 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.
* [[WhamEpisode 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'' [[spoiler: chapter 104]] which has caused all of the above. '''You Have Been Warned.'''
* WhamLine: One from ''The Sacred Star of Milos'':
-->'''Lt. Colonel Herschel:''' Don't you remember me, Atlas? [[spoiler: Before you peeled off my face, people knew me as Ashleigh Crichton.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While Arakawa mainly does a good job of resolving all plot lines, there are unresolved bits that slip by.
** Sheska never appears beyond the early parts of the storyline, even though other early characters such as Nina and Yoki reoccur.
** The scene where Winry gives Ed her earrings has no follow-up.
* WhatIf: 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, [[spoiler: "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 [[IdiotHair antenna]] caught in the door-jamb?
-->'''Ed:''' What if I [[IGotBigger 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 [[FanGirl women]] in the world won't leave me alone because of my [[TallDarkAndHandsome height]], large income and [[NerdsAreSexy deep intellect]]? What if they all start fighting one another over me? What if I incite a national emergency? [[ParanoiaFuel Oh no]] ... [Type: Gundam, Close Combat]
-->'''Al:''' This guy has totally lost it.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Explored through the Homunculi, chimeras, and AnimatedArmor.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: [[spoiler:Mustang's way of killing Lust was to simply apply more and more fire until she finally stopped regenerating.]]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The last two pages of Chapter 108.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Herschel in ''The Sacred Star of Milos''.
* WhiteSheep: Greed.
* [[WholeEpisodeFlashback Whole Volume Flashback]]: Volume 15
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler:Hohenheim decides to find a way to become a normal human again once he has a family. [[GoOutWithASmile He dies in front of his wife's grave with a smile on his face]].]]
* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: Used to depict the dead at the end of each volume.
* WisdomFromTheGutter: Kimblee to Roy during the Ishval massacre:
-->''Don't avert your eyes from death. Look straight ahead. Look squarely at the people you're killing. And don't forget them. Never... forget them. Because ''they'' won't forget ''you''.
* WishfulProjection: 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.
* WolverineClaws: Lust
* WorldOfBadass
* WorldOfBuxom: AuthorAppeal. Any girl old enough to have them, has them, sometimes to [[GagBoobs hilarious]] [[StealthPun proportions]]. Take Olivier, who [[WordOfGod has difficulty buttoning up her uniform]].
** Averted with Lan Fan and adult Mei, as Xingese people tend to have slight figures.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech:
** Scar, of all people, gives one to [[spoiler:Bradley]] when he reveals during their fight that [[spoiler:[[LookWhatICanDoNow now he can deconstruct AND reconstruct]]]]:
-->'''Scar:''' [[OhCrap Your face tells me]] [[DidntSeeThatComing 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. [[spoiler:The result of my brother's research. [[MomentOfAwesome The power to reconstruct.]]]]
** Al's confrontation with Kimblee and Pride involves one being given to him, then he gives one of his own. First, he and Heinkel are pretty much screwed, when Heinkel urges him to [[spoiler: use a Philosopher's Stone to win]], with the reason being that while he would never do such a thing for selfish reasons, there's no reason why he can't do it to save others. He also tells him that [[spoiler: to use up the souls in the Philosopher's Stone would also let the people it consumed fight, through Alphonse, which is what they would want.]] Partway through, Kimblee asks him why not [[spoiler: use the Stone to get his body back]] and leave everyone else behind, saying that one will cost the other, per EquivalentExchange. Alphone's [[ShutUpHannibal response]] is that it's not two choices, he can and will [[TakeAThirdOption to do both]].
* WorldOfMuscleMen: Part of the AuthorAppeal: Hiromu Arakawa thinks [[MenAreStrongWomenArePretty men should be muscular and big, and women should be bosomy and curvy.]] Specifically, in one of the omake in volume 12, "Men should be buffed and women should be vavoom!" Even TheHero who is TheNapoleon is still tremendously ripped, as revealed during his many, many, [[ShirtlessScene shirtless scenes]].
* WouldntHitAGirl:
** [[WouldHitAGirl Averted]] with Edward.
-->'''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.
*** He first tries this on Izumi, and is immediately shown why it's an awful idea, as Izumi proceeds to [[spoiler: figure out how to break his Ultimate Shield -- which took Ed a whole fight and a lot of injury --]] and CurbStomp him in about two seconds.
* WouldNotShootAGoodGuy:
** 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.
* WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: Kimblee to [[spoiler:Scar]], and later to [[spoiler:Maj. Miles]]. Also, Envy to [[spoiler: Roy]]. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge It doesn't end well.]]
* WrenchWench: Winry and her grandmother Pinako.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:X]]
* XanatosGambit:
** Grumman, given an estimated two hours or so of thinking time, manages to [[spoiler: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. [[MagicalEye Bradley being who he is, though]], his exit from the story wasn't permanent. Still a very impressive feat, though.]]
** Hohenheim's [[spoiler: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 HeroicSacrifice, undoing Father's dive once more over the MoralEventHorizon and leaving Father unable to effectively contain the Truth. Who's the UnwittingPawn ''now'', ya little [[SlasherSmile Slasher-Smiling]] gas cloud?]]
** [[spoiler: 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 [[FantasyCounterpartCulture 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 [[UnwittingPawn ended up making it]].]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Y]]
* YouAreWorthHell: 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.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: 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.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Best Friend]]:
** After [[spoiler: Hughes' death]], every time Roy has the chance to talk with a villain or a potential bad guy, he coldly asks them whether [[spoiler: 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'', [[spoiler: Atlas]] did this to [[spoiler: Julia's parents]].
*** Subverted for [[spoiler: Julia's brother; he was alive all along]].
* YouMonster: Early in his duel with Herschel at the climax of ''The Sacred Star of Milos'', Ed invokes this against his opponent.
-->'''Ed:''' How could a monster like you be [[spoiler: Julia's brother?!]]
* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Chapter 91: "Hearing you agree with me makes me mad for some reason..."
* YourHeadAsplode:
** Scar's motif for killing people.
** [[spoiler: Pride,]] when he dies.
** In ''The Sacred Star of Milos'', [[spoiler:Herschel]] does this to [[spoiler:Atlas]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Z]]
* ZergRush: The strategy to defeat Father.
* ZeroApprovalGambit: After the telephone booth incident Mustang [[spoiler: "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. [[spoiler: Turns out he (very convincingly) faked it.]]
[[/folder]]
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesA-F}} Tropes A-F]]
* [[FullmetalAlchemist/{{TropesG-P}} Tropes G-P]]
!!Entries Q-Z
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Q]]
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:The higher ups in Amestris conspire with Father, motivated by promises of immortality and power, and willingly sell out their own country/humanity.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:R]]
* RacialRemnant
** After the Ishvalan Rebellion years ago, most of the Ishvalans were massacred. The descendents of those who survived are now scattered all around Amestris.
** [[spoiler:Hohenheim and his sons]] are the last of the Xerxians.
* RankUp:
** Lt. Col. Hughes is promoted two ranks to Brigadier General and stays a mostly important part of the story. [[spoiler:However, he is promoted posthumously, and instead of being a major character he becomes a major plot point.]]
** [[spoiler: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.
* RantInducingSlight: 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!!!)
* RasputinianDeath: Most of the homunculi killed. [[spoiler:Wrath]] in particular took a ridiculous amount of effort to kill.
* RatedMForManly: Armstrong. Sig Curtis. Then they '''meet'''.
* ReallyDeadMontage: [[spoiler:Van Hohenheim]] gets one in the end credits for episode 63.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:Hohenheim, Father, and nearly all the Homunculi (Pride in particular)]].
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Mustang's male subordinates are all transferred to remote outposts on the borders of the country so that [[spoiler: he can't make a move against the GovernmentConspiracy. It doesn't work.]]
* RecapEpisode: One of these kicks off ''Brotherhood'''s third season.
* RecognitionFailure: Al is addressed by Fuhrer King Bradley outside of the library and does not recognize him, to the horror of Lt. Hawkeye.
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** Scar's eyes are played with: Scar is definitely no one to mess with, the red eyes are an ethnic trait, not UhOhEyes.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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) [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: still has a Philosopher's Stone in his possession.]]
** One of a few subtle indicators that tell the audience that [[spoiler: 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.]]
** Al is a subversion, since his armor body has slightly red eyes. [[spoiler:This is much more prominent when he uses a Philosopher's Stone.]]
* RedHerring: Hohenheim and Father look similar, and the latter is shown getting off his throne and walking somewhere a little while before the former returns to his home and gives Edward a BreakingSpeech.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** 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.
** [[TheHero Ed]] is a HotBlooded {{Hair Trigger Temper}}ed BrattyHalfPint in a red BadassLongcoat. [[SupportingLeader Roy]] is a laid-back [[TheAtoner Atoner]] and {{Chessmaster}} in a blue BadassLongcoat.
** Lust is the blue to Envy's red.
* RedemptionEqualsAffliction: Doctor Marcoh has his face disfigured by Scar after regretting everything he did in the Ishbalan war.
* RefugeInAudacity: Olivier's plan to infiltrate central command's ranks has her telling Bradley that she did kill Raven, and telling him that she deserved Raven's position more than he did because he was [[TooDumbToLive stupid enough to blab about the plan and get himself killed]]. Not only does this work, but her plan's audacity actually gets a laugh out of him.
** Mustang and his forces use [[spoiler: the order to kill Bradley's wife and the blowing up of Bradley's train]] as evidence that the Central Senior Command was trying to stage a coup against the Fuhrer, when in fact Mustang was himself the one staging the coup
* ReliablyUnreliableGuns:
** One of Havoc's two guns stovepipes in chapter 37 of the manga, thus allowing [[spoiler: Riza to jump into action]]. He is not shown throwing away the jammed gun, but we can assume he did, since he only carries one afterwards.
** In ''Brotherhood'', a spent round gets stuck in Riza's pistol when she is fighting [[spoiler:the leftover Fuhrer candidates]], thus enabling her enemies to capture her. (In the manga, she merely runs out of ammo). It actually made sense in this case, because the fight was at such close range that she didn't have ''time'' to clear the jam before she had a sword at her throat.
* RemakeCameo: [[spoiler:Young Hohenheim]] is played in the dub by Creator/AaronDismuke, Al's VA in the first anime.
* ReminiscingAboutYourVictims: Barry the Chopper really likes doing this in the manga.
* {{Retraux}}: The flashback to Ed and Al throwing Yoki out of Youswell is presented as a silent film.
* TheReveal: In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', is revealed that [[spoiler: the whole city is a giant, tridimensional transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone]].
** Subverted for those GenreSavvy enough to recognize [[spoiler: the circular shape of Table City]].
** The fact that [[spoiler: Ashleigh, Julia's brother, isn't really his brother. [[KillAndReplace Or is He?]]]].
*** Foreshadowing from the beginning, and during the whole movie, since [[FridgeBrilliance you always can see]] [[spoiler:Melvin/Atlas' scars]].
**** A savvy viewer may also notice [[spoiler: Colonel Herschel's disfigured face, which can be seen even when he's wearing his mask, through the eyeholes and mouth. If one picks up on both this and Melvin/Atlas's scars, most of the critical plot twists in the story can be worked out.]]
* ReverseMole: When [[spoiler: Zampano calls Envy to let him know of Marcoh's location. It turns out he did this ''at Marcoh's request'', to lead Envy into a trap.]]
* [[RibcageStomach Ribcage Mouth]]: Gluttony gets one.
* RichPeople:
** The Armstrongs are loaded, being aristocracy and all. They seriously consider buying some elephants as souvenirs.
** Although there are jokes about him being a cheapskate, Edward has a [[UndisclosedFunds seemingly bottomless]] State Alchemist's "research budget", meaning that money is not an issue for the brothers' constant train journeys and hotel stays, automail repairs, and paying off Ling's astronomical room service bills.
** Roy also throws money around casually, paying his female informants well, carrying enough on him to buy a flower seller's entire stock and swanning around in expensive-looking suits. It would seem that being a State Alchemist is a pretty sweet deal, financially.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: May Chang's [[PandaingToTheAudience dwarf panda]], Shao May, is adorable, and you know it. Also, [[PreciousPuppies Black Hayate]].
* RightHandAttackDog: The chimera guarding Father's lair.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Mustang after [[spoiler:Envy reveals he killed Hughes himself.]]
*** Subverted in that [[spoiler:the other characters have to talk him down, noting that if Mustang lets revenge get the better of him, it will make him that much worse a person for it. [[KickTheSonOfABitch While it is certainly satisfying to see Envy get what's coming to him,]] we're clearly supposed to be scared and worried for Mustang's sanity.]]
** Gluttony kind of freaked when [[spoiler:Lust got charbroiled]], and he [[BewareTheSillyOnes grows monstrous]] when he finds the person who did it.
** [[TheStoic Riza's]] [[NotSoStoic reaction]] when [[spoiler: she thought Lust]] had killed [[spoiler: Roy.]]
* RousseauWasRight: Possibly a theme most of the time, although it definitely wasn't in the first anime.
* RulesOfOrphanEconomics: While not technically orphans, Ed and Al are left on their own. They inherited a nest egg from their mother, get taken in by Pinako, and Ed makes a nice living once he becomes a state alchemist, so money is never a problem.
* RunningGag:
** Edward being called short and him spazzing out about it.
** In Chapter 45 Mustang and Hawkeye [[FlashedBadgeHijack confiscate a rich couple's car at gunpoint]]; later in Chapter 82 Ed and the chimeras [[HeroStoleMyBike steal the same couple's car (again at gunpoint)]] to make a getaway. The couple were first seen in Rush Valley just before Winry starts squeeing over the automail in the shop window.
** 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.
** Roy's HeroicBSOD when [[ImpliedLoveInterest Hawkeye]] calls him [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything useless]].
** THIS GAG HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!!!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:S]]
* SandInMyEyes: Or rather, "[[TearJerker/FullmetalAlchemist It's raining.]]"
** Also an IronicEcho to earlier in the series, when Riza points out that "You're useless when it's raining."
* SatanicArchetype: Father, the BigBad, is a creature who seeks to usurp The Truth, which identifies itself as God, and tempts humans to evil to achieve his ends. Father is assisted by his [[TrulySingleParent "children"]], who are named after the SevenDeadlySins. Interestingly, Father is introduced looking like a GrandpaGod, [[LightIsNotGood bathed in light]], although his true form is some variety of HumanoidAbomination made of shadow.
* SaveTheVillain: Subverted when [[spoiler: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.]]
* SayMyName:
** Hilariously subverted with "''Father!''" "''My [[spoiler: [[FunnyMoments vintage suit of armour]]]]!''".
** Subverted with Roy and Riza. ''"Colonel!"'' '''"Lieutenant!!!"''' Honestly, you'd think it was their CatchPhrase to yell each other's rank...
** "Alphonse!!"
** ''LAN FAN!!!''
** ''YOUNG LORD!!!''
** "ED!!!!"
** "Brother!"
** "FU!!!"
** Everyone present yells Edward's name when [[spoiler:he finally gets the upper hand on Father in the final battle.]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses:
** Tucker
** Hohenheim when he's feeling dangerous.
** Hughes, when [[OverprotectiveDad he thinks of his daughter.]]
** Scar, back when he had CoolShades.
** The Gold-Toothed Doctor.
* SchizoTech: 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-WW2 tanks. On the other hand, despite their mechanical advancements there do not appear to be any sort of aircraft.
*** [[AWizardDidIt 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.
* TheScream:
** Hohenheim, [[spoiler: when he realizes he has become immortal.]]
** Scar, [[spoiler: when he sees that the Ishvalan capital is completely destroyed]].
** Al, [[spoiler:when Gluttony swallows Ed and Ling]].
* SecretTestOfCharacter: It took two years, more pain and anguish 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 struggling, [[spoiler:the Truth of the Universe accepts Ed's final sacrifice]], smiles and says:
-->[[spoiler:'''Truth''': Good answer.]]
* SelfInflictedHell: [[spoiler:The Truth invokes this as an ironic punishment as payment for trying to play God.]] Specifically:
** [[spoiler:Ed tried to rebuild his family, and loses the leg he stood on and his remaining family as payment.]]
** [[spoiler:Al wanted to feel his mother's warmth again, and lost his body and ability to physically feel.]]
** [[spoiler:Izumi tries to revive her stillborn baby, and loses her reproductive system.]]
** [[spoiler:Since Mustang held a strong vision for Amestris, he loses his sight and the ability to see what will become of his country.]]
** Finally subverted when [[spoiler: Ed tries to bring back Al again in the finale; since Ed offers his physical ability to perform alchemy, denying himself his life specialty and the ability to bring back the dead (as he did with Al), The Truth sees Ed has learned his lesson and gave a large offering, and allows Al's body to return.]]
* SensorCharacter: 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.
* SerialKiller: Barry plays this for laughs, [[GallowsHumour if you can believe that]].
** [[YourHeadAsplode Scar on the other hand...]]
* ServileSnarker: Variation with Riza's occasional tendency to yell at her 'boss'. ''"WHY DID YOU SHOW UP?! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF AN IDIOT?"'' PlayedForLaughs, 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 NoBadassToHisValet.
* SevenDeadlySins: The Homunculi.
* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler: Father]] to [[spoiler: Hohenheim]].
* ShaggyDogStory: ''[[TheMovie The Sacred Star of Milos]]''. [[spoiler:It occurs in some ambiguous (potentially plot-hole-inducing) place in the timeline of the series and conveniently leaves Ed and Al no closer to their goal of restoring their bodies. Star IS a philosopher's stone but it gets destroyed/used up by the end of the film. Since the film takes place in Milos and Table City, far from the main plot, it has no impact on Father's plan. Within the film itself, Milos declares independence from both Amestris and Creta which would suggest some measure of change in the status quo, but since it's a tiny city-state sandwiched between two major military powers (which are explicitly stated to be mobilizing forces in retaliation), their freedom probably won't last. Especially considering Milos' military forces consists of a guerrilla terrorist group, the only chance in hell it has to survive is if the main ''FMA'' plot wraps up before either Amestris or Creta decide to quell the insurrection.]]
* ShameIfSomethingHappened: Bradley does this to [[spoiler: Ed, concerning Winry, after he tried to quit the military.]]
** Also [[spoiler: Kimblee, who practically ''waves'' Winry's life in front of Ed's face simply because he felt like being an asshole that day]].
* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: Envy loves this tactic. Eventually backfires on him when [[spoiler:Roy]] responds to him turning into [[spoiler:Hughes]] by getting ''considerably'' angrier.
* SharingABody: [[spoiler:Greed and Ling's]] relationship starts out as standard DemonicPossession, but after a lot of FightingFromTheInside, willingly trading the body back and forth, and gaining a healthy respect for each other, it evolves into this.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Ed does this so vehemently that he ''literally'' busts his gut! Another time he gives poor Hayate a tea-bath with an impressive SpitTake. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ShipTease: [[BelligerentSexualTension Winry and Ed]], [[LoveHurts Mustang and Hawkeye]], [[BodyguardCrush Ling and Lan Fan]], [[HugeGuyTinyGirl 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 ShipTease. Winry teasing Al about missing May when she initially had to leave was cut, and Roy and Riza's BattleCouple 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.
* ShipperOnDeck: 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 ShipTease seems to be coming from ''other characters''.
* ShirtlessScene:
** Armstrong is a WalkingShirtlessScene, much to other characters' dismay.
** Ed has a tendency to [[ClothingDamage 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 ([[{{Fanservice}} yay]]!).
** Roy, when [[spoiler:he kills Lust]].
** Father, [[spoiler:when he reverts to his younger form]].
* ShootingSuperman: Although shooting Homunculi ''isn't'' completely useless, since [[spoiler: 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.
** Or [[KillItWithIce freeze them]].
** Or [[KillItWithFire continually incinerate them]].
* TheShortGuyWithGlasses: Fuery.
* ShortTank: Winry.
* ShoutOut:
** Ed references ''TheFly'' as an example of transmuting people, with a person and a fly becoming a fly-man. Even if that was solely in the realm of movies, it gave Ed the inspiration to try human transmutation.
** 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 [[spoiler: 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 practices have crept into popular culture.
** On their first visit to Rush Valley, Winry starts {{Squee}}ing over a "Gotts 11th Year Model Automail". Compare GotzVonBerlichingen's '''''RealLife''''' [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]].
** The chimeras, especially the ones who worked for Kimblee, seems to be based on [[VideoGame/BloodyRoar zoanthropes.]]
** Giolio Comanche the Silver Alchemist is a lot creepier once you notice the similarities to ''Anime/CowboyBebop''[='=]s [[MonsterClown Mad Pierrot]].
*** Less creepy if you notice the similarities to [[TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}} Rich Uncle Pennybags]].
*** One of the residents of Rush Valley bares a remarkable similarity to Jet Black, complete with similar robotic limbs.
** [[spoiler: Father's apotheosis is eerily similar to the awakening of Lilith in ''EndOfEvangelion''.]]
** Possibly coincidental, but Envy's {{Eldritch Abomination}} form could be a shout out to Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. The cover depicts a creature covered with human bodies, like Envy. The connection? In some religious mythology, the Leviathan [[FridgeBrilliance is a representation of the sin Envy]].
** The [[spoiler: mannequin soldiers]] are very similar in nature and looks to the mass-production Evangelion.
** Another possibly coincidental example: during Edward's fight with Kimblee, he slashes his right transmutation circle. That circle contains a triangle which contains a circle. The slash wound divides the circle in two exact halves. [[Literature/HarryPotterandtheDeathlyHallows A line, a circle, and a triangle - where we saw it before?]].
* ShownTheirWork:
** 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 TruthInTelevision 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 [[spoiler: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.
* ShutUpHannibal:
** Ed's [[TalkToTheFist interaction with Shou Tucker.]]
** Subverted in the fight between Al and Kimblee, concerning the [[spoiler:Philosopher's Stone]] Al has acquired, turning it into a ShutUpKirk moment.
--->'''Kimblee:''' Why don't you use it to regain your original bodies? You would have no trouble escaping this situation with [[spoiler:the stone]] at your beck and call. And once you were in a safe place, you could both have your old bodies back. [[MotiveDecay That's how your whole journey was supposed to end, wasn't it?]]
--->'''Al:''' ...But then we wouldn't save everyone else.
--->'''Kimblee:''' [[AMillionIsAStatistic "The greater good."]] [[EquivalentExchange You can't gain something without sacrificing something else.]]
--->'''Al:''' I wonder...Why are there only two choices? [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere "Save yourself and abandon everyone else."]] [[HeroicSacrifice "Give up on returning to normal and save the world."]] Why are those the only two options? Why can't I choose [[TakeAThirdOption "Save the world and get our original bodies back?"]]...
--->'''Kimblee:''' I see. That would mean there is a [[FourIsDeath fourth]] [[{{Deconstruction}} option]]... *reveals [[spoiler:his own Philosopher's Stone]]* "You lose your chance to return to normal, and you fail to save the world."
** When fighting [[spoiler:Envy]], every time he tries to start a HannibalLecture, [[spoiler:Mustang]] shuts him the hell up by [[spoiler:burning him in the most painful way imaginable]] before he even finishes the first sentence.
* ShutUpKirk:
** Kimblee turns Al's ShutUpHannibal speech into this.
** Additionally, Wrath's dying moments amount to this when Lan Fan confronts him. Telling somebody [[spoiler:whose grandfather you just killed]] that you have no regrets and then dying with a smile on your face is a pretty devastating response.
* SiblingTeam: Ed and Al
* SickeninglySweethearts:
** 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.
* SimplifiedSpellcasting: Those who can perform alchemy by clapping (i.e. Ed, Al, Izumi, [[spoiler:Roy]]), and those who have a circle at the ready, such as on a glove or tattooed onto one's body. This allows for a specialized alchemical technique to be at the ready without having to draw a circle.
* SinisterMinister: Father Cornello in the first two manga chapters
* SlasherSmile: Envy and Kimblee do this a lot. [[spoiler: [[NotSoStoic Riza]], in chapter 94, to great effect]]. Also [[spoiler: Roy]] came pretty close on one panel in ch. 95.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: 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.
* SlipknotPonytail: 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.
* SocialDarwinist: A heroic example with Olivier Armstrong and everyone at Briggs.
** A villainous example: Kimblee.
* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Although it's only briefly touched on in flashbacks, Riza's upbringing comes across as particularly unhealthy. She was raised by her widower father in a neglected and overgrown house described as squalid by his student [[spoiler:Roy.]] She mentions having been afraid of her father and his alchemy, which makes it all the more disturbing that he [[spoiler:tattooed his [[FantasticNuke apocalyptically destructive]] [[KillItWithFire flame alchemy research]] ''[[HumanNotepad onto her back.]]'' ]]
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay:
** 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.
** [[spoiler:Hawkeye]] plays with this in chapter 94, ratting Envy out by setting up but subverting [[BluffTheImpostor Bluffing The Imposter]].
* SonOfAWhore: [[spoiler:Mustang. Technically nephew/foster son, but whatever]].
* SpeakOfTheDevil: 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.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
** 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 CodeName "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
** 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).
*** 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?".
** ''Brotherhood'' pins down the correct name for Xerxes with the picture of a map and confirms [[http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg91/Devonjw91/FullmetalAlchemist/Olivier.jpg Olivier Mira Armstrong's]] name. This is also a TomboyishName, or just flat out AsLongAsItSoundsForeign, considering Olivier's French for [[http://www.behindthename.com/name/olivier "Oliver."]]
* SpitTake:
** Ed does a pretty spectacular one after Hawkeye suggests that he's in love with Winry. 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.
* SpoilerOpening: Quite a few, but the majority of them would only be obvious to the people who know the story beforehand.
** The appearance of [[spoiler: a young Hohenheim in the first opening. But he looks incredibly like Ed, so most people don't realize who it really is.]]
** Also [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: 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.]]
*** However, it should be noted that "Golden Time Lover" debuts only an episode before [[spoiler:Ling becomes Greed]], so it's not too much of a spoiler when you really look at the big picture.
*** As early as this opening, they show [[spoiler: Kimblee tipping his hat in farewell surrounded by a red typhoon of souls--which is EXACTLY what happens near the end]].
** The fourth opening spoils [[spoiler:Greedling]]'s defection and shows him fighting Wrath.
*** This opening also spoils [[spoiler:the Alkahestric Reverse Circle]].
** The fifth one spoils [[spoiler:Roy's blindness and being the last sacrifice, Father's OneWingedAngel form, and the nationwide circle activating.]] And the last one, it spoils ''hard''.
** The reason the [[SpoilerOpening 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.
*** Not to mention some of the sequences are completely vague and can be interpreted as metaphors to the things happening at the point in the plot.
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Alchemists can transmute weapons using the mass of floors or walls, although not many ever actually do so.
* SpottingTheThread[=/=]ImposterForgotOneDetail: Envy often falls victim to this trope. The first time is when he's impersonating Maria and Hughes [[ImposterForgotOneDetail notices a lack of a mole]]. It happens again much later, when he [[spoiler:impersonates Roy and panics when Riza suggests they are on a FirstNameBasis. Turns out [[BluffTheImpostor she's lying]] and thus manages to smoke Envy out.]]
* StandardEvilOrganizationSquad: The Homunculi.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: 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}}
* StepIntoTheBlindingFight: There's a fight scene in the dark that renders the heroes unable to fight very well. Gluttony solves the problem by using his sense of smell.
* SteppingStonesInTheSky: [[spoiler: How Wrath survives his train blowing up.]]
* TheStinger: These cruelly start showing up occasionally partway into the anime, starting at episode 28. They are often plot-relevant, and if you miss TheStinger you may wind up very confused at the beginning of the next episode.
* TheStoic:
** Hawkeye. [[NotSoStoic Except when she thinks Roy is in danger]] [[spoiler:or dead]].
** Scar. The best he does is smile, and he does it ''once'' in the entire series. For ''one'' panel, in the last volume.
* [[spoiler:StormingTheCastle]]: [[spoiler:The final assault on Central.]]
* StealthPun:
** Envy [[spoiler:the green monster.]]
** One could say that Sloth [[spoiler: died lying down on the job.]]
** Riza and her [[spoiler:backstory.]]
** Heinkel, a lion chimera, has a solo fight against [[spoiler: Pride.]]
** [[spoiler: 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.
* StereotypesOfChinesePeople: The characters from Xing.
* StrictlyProfessionalRelationship: Roy Mustang and his direct subordinate Riza Hawkeye claimed to have Strictly Professional Relationship. Of course, EveryoneCanSeeIt. However, [[OldFlame they had been in a relationship]] before they joined the military, which has an anti-fraternization law. They'd like to have more than a professional relationship and sometimes they slipped a bit, but they just have to.
* StrongFamilyResemblance
* StylisticSuck: ''Brotherhood'''s first ending is made to look like a child's crayon drawing. ''[[StickinAround Real mature, Edward!]]''
* SubordinateExcuse:
** Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang.
** There are some hints near the end that this may have been the case with [[PairTheSpares Olivier and Buccaneer]] as well.
* SuccessionCrisis: The whole reason Ling, Lan Fan, Fu, and May are even in Amestris.
* SuddenlyShouting:
-->'''Colonel Mustang''': When I'm Führer, there will be changes. That day, all female officers will be required to wear... TINY MINISKIRTS!
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Riza Hawkeye.
* SuperDeformed
* SuperPowerMeltdown:[[spoiler: Father IMPLODES.]]
* SuperReflexes: Subverted by [[spoiler:Sloth]]; he's super-fast, super-strong, and as nimble as an 18-wheeler.
* SupportingLeader:
** General and Major Armstrong are the ones who lead the [[BadassArmy Briggs troops]] against the hordes of [[ZombieApocalypse undead]] during the coup but they didn't take part directly in the final boss battle (which Mustang did).
*** Mustang gets a lampshade in one of the bonuses at the end of the first graphic novel:
--->'''Mustang''': In volume 2 we will be switching protagonists and the series will be retitled "Flame Alchemist".
--->'''Ed''': No it won't!
* SurpriseCheckmate: Colonel Mustang achieves one over General Grumman in their last game together. The anime version occurs in episode 13 "Beasts of Dublith".
* SurvivorGuilt: A whole slew of the them.
** Scar, whose [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:is partially responsible for the genocide of an entire race of people.]]
* SympathyForTheDevil: The 4-Koma Theater clip "The Cursed House" portrays Shou Tucker as being [[ManslaughterProvocation driven to transmutation]] from his wife's unrealistic expectations of what he, as an alchemist, can do for her, which ultimately ends up with her trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink slip wolfsbane into his food]]. This is seen to take place before [[spoiler:Shou transmutes Nina and Alexander]], so Shou doesn't end up redeeming himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:T]]
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Al's exchange with Kimblee.
--> '''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 [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice allowing Hohenheim to sacrifice himself]]]]. Ed instead decides to [[spoiler:sacrifice his ability to perform alchemy.]]
* TakeCareOfTheKids: As seen in a flashback, [[spoiler:Master Hawkeye's dying words to Roy urge him to "take care of my daughter."]]
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Played unusually: When this happens to [[spoiler:Envy]] it's both after he'd already had been beaten in combat and done ''completely by accident''.
* TalkToTheFist:
** Ed does not appreciate listening to ''[[spoiler:Tucker]]''. The only reason he didn't beat him to death was because Al snapped him out of it.
** During the fight with ''[[spoiler:Envy]]'', Roy fries ''[[spoiler:Envy's]]'' eyes every time he tries to [[HannibalLecture start gloating about how humans suck.]]
* TankGoodness: See TemptingFate.
* TearOffYourFace: In the film ''Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'', [[spoiler: Atlas]] did this to [[spoiler: Julia's brother, Ashley]]. Could count as NightmareFuel when you realize that, when he did it, [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror Ashley was still alive]]]].
* TeenGenius: Ed, Al, and Winry.
* TeleFrag: [[spoiler:When Edward gets his arm back, while not explicitly pointed out, you can see a few parts of the broken automail sticking out around his shoulder.]] One can assume that they had to be surgically removed afterwards.
* {{Telepathy}}: Ed tries using Al's arm after being eaten by Gluttony for RuleOfFunny to contact him. The omake expands on who was contacted.
* TemptingFate:
** "It's not like they have tanks." [[spoiler: Guess what.]]
** "[[EvilGloating You honestly believed]] [[ReverseMole you could pull one over on me]]?"
** "[[FreakOut Mr. Greed would never be in a place like this]]!"
** 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...
* TerribleTrio: Lust, Envy and Gluttony almost always act as a team, with Lust leading.
* ThatManIsDead:
** Scar threw away his name after survivng the genocide of Ishval and declaring himself on a personal war against state alchemists.
** The [[spoiler: two]] homunculi who were once human, [[spoiler: 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 {{Tykebomb}} who doesn't even remember (or care about) his real name, and stopped being human a long time ago]].
*** The thing with [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:Greed]] identifies himself is less a case of InsistentTerminology and more to clarify which is the currently dominant personality.
* ThemeNaming: The homunculi are each named after one of the SevenDeadlySins. Most of the military characters are named after weapons, vehicles, and companies from World War II.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[JustifiedTrope Well, considering the time period...]]
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill:
** Roy Mustang's fighting style when he gets PISSED. [[spoiler: 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.
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow:
** Human transmutation--arguably the CentralTheme of the whole series.
** The creation of Philosopher's Stones.
---> '''Marcoh:''' My research is the work of the Devil. And it can only lead straight to Hell.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Maria Ross and Denny Brosh, though not nearly as much in ''Brotherhood'' as in the first anime.
* ThouShaltNotKill: 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, [[spoiler: during the final battle, Roy's squad use this policy against fellow soldiers.]]
* TimeSkip:
** About six months over winter, between chapters 83 and 84, giving the heroes a chance to plot offscreen.
** [[spoiler:Also the two year time skip in the middle of chapter 108, after Father is defeated and Hohenheim dies by Trisha's grave.]]
* TookALevelInBadass:
** Al, once he [[spoiler: gains the same transmutation ability as Ed]].
** Falman, despite being on the verge of wetting himself, refused to get out of [[spoiler: 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.
* TooManyMouths: The true forms of Father and Pride.
* TotalEclipseOfThePlot
* TrainingFromHell: Ed and Al had to survive on an island for 6 weeks during their training with Izumi, while Izumi herself was left to survive in the arctic with nothing but a knife for 6 ''months''. She's actually going ''easy'' on them!
* TrickingTheShapeshifter: How [[spoiler: 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:''' [[OhCrap Crap]]\\
'''Hawkeye:''' Thanks for falling for it. Now do me another favor [[BoomHeadshot and die.]]]]
* {{Trickster}}: The homunculi, especially Envy. [[spoiler: Father was one back when he was confined to a test tube]].
* TroubledBackstoryFlashback
* TrueCompanions:
** Roy Mustang and his subordinates are this. They mix it up with the BandOfBrothers subtrope.
** Heck, most of the sympathetic members of the military are this.
** [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TruerToTheText: ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'' was to be a far more faithful retelling of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. The anime adaptation, in this case, was [[AdaptationDisplacement quite popular in its own right]], but at the same time, [[BaseBreaker it left fans of the manga livid]]. That said, many fans found ''Brotherhood'' lacking as well.
* TryNotToDie: Mustang gives this as his only order to his subordinates before they [[spoiler: 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.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U]]
* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: 'The Military Festival' gaiden.
* {{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 [[OhCrap the giant monster]]. (Ed has managed to destroy smaller buildings.)
* UndisclosedFunds: Ed offers Sheska money from his research budget after hearing her story and receiving her help with transcribing Dr. Marcoh's notes. [[http://manga.animea.net/full-metal-alchemist-chapter-10-page-23.html The image on Ross's and Sheska's faces says it all.]]
* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: The activation of [[spoiler: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.
* UnfriendlyFire: Really, [[WeHaveReserves don't mess with your soldiers]] in front of Basque Grand.
* UnSorcerer: [[spoiler: Edward]] eventually gives up his ability to perform alchemy [[spoiler: in order to bring Al's body back.]]
* UnstoppableRage: Subverted when [[spoiler:Riza goes into one when she thinks Lust kills Roy]] but it only puts her further in danger. Played straight when [[spoiler:Roy finds out Envy was the one who killed Hughes; he completely curbstomps Envy, and it takes his ''teammates'' to stop him]].
** When Al [[spoiler: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!"
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Poor [[spoiler:Hohenheim]] had ''no idea'' what helping [[spoiler:his little 'friend' in the flask]] would lead to... which happened to be the destruction of his country and ''everyone in it'', and a centuries' old conspiracy which required the deaths of untold millions of people.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: The cornerstone of the [[spoiler: GovernmentConspiracy]].
** For the [[spoiler:upper levels of the military]] at least. [[spoiler:The Homunculi]] don't have such 'lofty' aspirations.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:V]]
* TheVamp: Lust.
* VehicularThemeNaming: A majority of the military characters are named after World War II military vehicles. Armstrong, Mustang, Hawkeye, Hayate, Bradley, etc.
* VillainDecay: Envy starts out being manipulative, clever, and competent enough to be an infiltrator. Then xe gets soundly beaten by Marcoh and May, gets xer power back, and gets curb stomped by Roy. By this point Envy is portrayed as barely smarter than Gluttony and can't even land one blow.
** Somewhat Justified -- Envy's primary skills are disguise and manipulation. Against someone who's not falling for xer tricks, xe has only xer combat abilities, which are definitely outclassed by the main characters.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot: 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 their actions actually help Father's centuries-old plan. Once they start to encounter it, they're forced to redirect their efforts to simply [[VillainsActHeroesReact stopping it.]]
* VillainousBSOD: [[spoiler:Happens to the second]] Greed [[spoiler:after killing Bido]].
* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler:Kimblee manages to distract Pride in the nick of time.]]
* VillainOverForDinner: [[spoiler: Bradley/Wrath]], finally fed up with the actions of the Elric brothers and company after having ignored it for the most part, sits down to have a nice chat with Winry in order to bring her up as a weakness against Edward later (granted, they didn't know about the whole [[spoiler: Wrath]] business yet at that point in time; but when it's brought up again as a threat they have learned of the secret, so the effect of the trope remains the same). Couple of episodes down the line, Edward and Al are caught chatting with [[spoiler: Bradley's wife and Selim]] for an interesting twist.
* VocalDissonance:
** Al in his armor.
** [[spoiler:Father, during the climax; he keeps the voice of an elderly man even after [[BishonenLine transforming]] to look like [[MrFanservice Ed/young Hohenheim]].]]
* VoiceOfTheLegion: [[spoiler: Envy, Pride, and Father]] all get this in their [[OneWingedAngel true forms]]. It actually sounds like a simple reverb effect most of the time, with the exception of that one highly disconcerting occasion where [[spoiler:Father]] laughs out of sync.
* VoicesAreMental: [[spoiler:Whatever voice comes out of Greedling's mouth will belong to whichever of the two is in control.]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot:
** Ed is overcome with emotion and exertion and vomits (twice) when he [[spoiler: has to dig up the thing he and Al created when trying to resurrect their mother]].
** Whenever Izumi vomits blood from stress. Played for laughs, for some reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:W]]
* WackyMarriageProposal:
-->[[spoiler:'''Ed''']]: Equivalent exchange. I'll give you half my life... So give me half of yours!
-->[[spoiler:'''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 MomentOfAwesome? (Never mind the fact that it was subsequently disqualified when the judges found out it wasn't written by the person who entered it.) [[StarWars Han Solo]] and [[Film/ThePrincessBride Westley]] would be proud, [[spoiler:Ed]].
* TheWallsHaveEyes: Pride is mostly made up of darkness, this, and incredibly creepy grins.
* WalkingShirtlessScene:
** Alex Armstrong, with the added bonus of being so cartoonishly overmuscled that it's practically FanDisservice.
** 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 [[{{Fanservice}} girls dream about]].
** There was also the scene when [[spoiler:Mustang came to kill Lust]]. He was shirtless but wearing his coat, which was completely open and revealing his MrFanservice chest and abs.
* WarIsHell: 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.
* [[WhamEpisode 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'' [[spoiler: chapter 104]] which has caused all of the above. '''You Have Been Warned.'''
* WhamLine: One from ''The Sacred Star of Milos'':
-->'''Lt. Colonel Herschel:''' Don't you remember me, Atlas? [[spoiler: Before you peeled off my face, people knew me as Ashleigh Crichton.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While Arakawa mainly does a good job of resolving all plot lines, there are unresolved bits that slip by.
** Sheska never appears beyond the early parts of the storyline, even though other early characters such as Nina and Yoki reoccur.
** The scene where Winry gives Ed her earrings has no follow-up.
* WhatIf: 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, [[spoiler: "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 [[IdiotHair antenna]] caught in the door-jamb?
-->'''Ed:''' What if I [[IGotBigger 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 [[FanGirl women]] in the world won't leave me alone because of my [[TallDarkAndHandsome height]], large income and [[NerdsAreSexy deep intellect]]? What if they all start fighting one another over me? What if I incite a national emergency? [[ParanoiaFuel Oh no]] ... [Type: Gundam, Close Combat]
-->'''Al:''' This guy has totally lost it.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Explored through the Homunculi, chimeras, and AnimatedArmor.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: [[spoiler:Mustang's way of killing Lust was to simply apply more and more fire until she finally stopped regenerating.]]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The last two pages of Chapter 108.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Herschel in ''The Sacred Star of Milos''.
* WhiteSheep: Greed.
* [[WholeEpisodeFlashback Whole Volume Flashback]]: Volume 15
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler:Hohenheim decides to find a way to become a normal human again once he has a family. [[GoOutWithASmile He dies in front of his wife's grave with a smile on his face]].]]
* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: Used to depict the dead at the end of each volume.
* WisdomFromTheGutter: Kimblee to Roy during the Ishval massacre:
-->''Don't avert your eyes from death. Look straight ahead. Look squarely at the people you're killing. And don't forget them. Never... forget them. Because ''they'' won't forget ''you''.
* WishfulProjection: 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.
* WolverineClaws: Lust
* WorldOfBadass
* WorldOfBuxom: AuthorAppeal. Any girl old enough to have them, has them, sometimes to [[GagBoobs hilarious]] [[StealthPun proportions]]. Take Olivier, who [[WordOfGod has difficulty buttoning up her uniform]].
** Averted with Lan Fan and adult Mei, as Xingese people tend to have slight figures.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech:
** Scar, of all people, gives one to [[spoiler:Bradley]] when he reveals during their fight that [[spoiler:[[LookWhatICanDoNow now he can deconstruct AND reconstruct]]]]:
-->'''Scar:''' [[OhCrap Your face tells me]] [[DidntSeeThatComing 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. [[spoiler:The result of my brother's research. [[MomentOfAwesome The power to reconstruct.]]]]
** Al's confrontation with Kimblee and Pride involves one being given to him, then he gives one of his own. First, he and Heinkel are pretty much screwed, when Heinkel urges him to [[spoiler: use a Philosopher's Stone to win]], with the reason being that while he would never do such a thing for selfish reasons, there's no reason why he can't do it to save others. He also tells him that [[spoiler: to use up the souls in the Philosopher's Stone would also let the people it consumed fight, through Alphonse, which is what they would want.]] Partway through, Kimblee asks him why not [[spoiler: use the Stone to get his body back]] and leave everyone else behind, saying that one will cost the other, per EquivalentExchange. Alphone's [[ShutUpHannibal response]] is that it's not two choices, he can and will [[TakeAThirdOption to do both]].
* WorldOfMuscleMen: Part of the AuthorAppeal: Hiromu Arakawa thinks [[MenAreStrongWomenArePretty men should be muscular and big, and women should be bosomy and curvy.]] Specifically, in one of the omake in volume 12, "Men should be buffed and women should be vavoom!" Even TheHero who is TheNapoleon is still tremendously ripped, as revealed during his many, many, [[ShirtlessScene shirtless scenes]].
* WouldntHitAGirl:
** [[WouldHitAGirl Averted]] with Edward.
-->'''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.
*** He first tries this on Izumi, and is immediately shown why it's an awful idea, as Izumi proceeds to [[spoiler: figure out how to break his Ultimate Shield -- which took Ed a whole fight and a lot of injury --]] and CurbStomp him in about two seconds.
* WouldNotShootAGoodGuy:
** 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.
* WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied: Kimblee to [[spoiler:Scar]], and later to [[spoiler:Maj. Miles]]. Also, Envy to [[spoiler: Roy]]. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge It doesn't end well.]]
* WrenchWench: Winry and her grandmother Pinako.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:X]]
* XanatosGambit:
** Grumman, given an estimated two hours or so of thinking time, manages to [[spoiler: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. [[MagicalEye Bradley being who he is, though]], his exit from the story wasn't permanent. Still a very impressive feat, though.]]
** Hohenheim's [[spoiler: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 HeroicSacrifice, undoing Father's dive once more over the MoralEventHorizon and leaving Father unable to effectively contain the Truth. Who's the UnwittingPawn ''now'', ya little [[SlasherSmile Slasher-Smiling]] gas cloud?]]
** [[spoiler: 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 [[FantasyCounterpartCulture 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 [[UnwittingPawn ended up making it]].]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Y]]
* YouAreWorthHell: 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.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: 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.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Best Friend]]:
** After [[spoiler: Hughes' death]], every time Roy has the chance to talk with a villain or a potential bad guy, he coldly asks them whether [[spoiler: 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'', [[spoiler: Atlas]] did this to [[spoiler: Julia's parents]].
*** Subverted for [[spoiler: Julia's brother; he was alive all along]].
* YouMonster: Early in his duel with Herschel at the climax of ''The Sacred Star of Milos'', Ed invokes this against his opponent.
-->'''Ed:''' How could a monster like you be [[spoiler: Julia's brother?!]]
* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Chapter 91: "Hearing you agree with me makes me mad for some reason..."
* YourHeadAsplode:
** Scar's motif for killing people.
** [[spoiler: Pride,]] when he dies.
** In ''The Sacred Star of Milos'', [[spoiler:Herschel]] does this to [[spoiler:Atlas]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Z]]
* ZergRush: The strategy to defeat Father.
* ZeroApprovalGambit: After the telephone booth incident Mustang [[spoiler: "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. [[spoiler: Turns out he (very convincingly) faked it.]]
[[/folder]]
