History YMMV / FullmetalAlchemist

* GatewaySeries: The 2003 series was a major part of the mid-00s [[UsefulNotes/TheJapaneseInvasion anime boom]]. Both series have turned a lot of fans on to anime and have a lot of appeals even outside of the otaku subculture. It doesn't hurt that the franchise was an Creator/AdultSwim[=/=]Creator/{{Toonami}} flagship for many years.

* MemeticMutation:
** Making any kind of joke about Nina and her dog getting fused into a monstrous chimera evokes all sorts of backlash from the fandom, including but not limited to NoJustNoReaction, [[YouMonster "This is NOT OK"]], and GetOut, among others. [[CrossesTheLineTwice Which is why]] [[TheGadfly people do it. Obviously.]] (To make things worse, this joke also applies to the Year of the Dog, which comes around every 12 years.)
*** Case in point: [[https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/6179036 This fanart made shortly after the announcement of (item-)fusing mechanics]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom''.
** The fate of poor Nina has been [[https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/7bxfbg/there_is_a_special_kind_of_hell_for_whoever_made/ immortalized by this shirt]]. To quote the link, there is a "special place in hell" for anyone who had the gall wearing it in public. [[note]] For the uninformed, it's a reference to the "fusion-up" from ''Franchise/DragonBall'' with two characters pulling a FusionDance. Not so funny in this context. [[/note]]
** "It's a terrible day for rain" will often appear as a comment on any TearJerker.
** FMA fans only know one joke. [[labelnote:explanation]]The fate of Nina Tucker has become something of a [[CrossesTheLineTwice dark and edgy in-joke]] with the fandom. The problem is it's been repeated ad nauseum for ''years'' to the point now where making a joke about it will earn scorn for beating a dead horse instead.[[/labelnote]]
** Regarding everything that happens once [[spoiler:Father successfully activates the national transmutation circle]]:
--->[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion I know, I know I've let you down]]\\
[[LyricalDissonance I've been a fool to myself]]...
** Major Armstrong's CharacterCatchphrase "X HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!"
** Izumi's catchphrase of "I'M A HOUSEWIFE!"
** OH SNAP SNAP, SPARK SPARK, IT'S TIME TO LIGHT UP THE DIGGY DIGGY DARK, I'M THE FLAME ALCHEMIST AND I'M GONNA BE FURHER, MY BEATS ARE HOT AND MY RHYMES ARE PURER!
** Both real and theoretical remakes of older anime (and other works) that [[TruerToTheText adapt the entirety of the source material in a more faithful way]] (instead of trailing off into a GeckoEnding) are often referred to as "[Title]: Brotherhood" or being given "the Brotherhood treatment".
** "That must've cost an arm and leg" [[labelnote:explanation]] Referencing both the common aphorism and Ed's toll for human transmutation.[[/labelnote]]
** It took God [[spoiler: to beat Wrath]][[labelnote:Spoilers]] Used to reference how Wrath is beaten thanks to the eclipse, a sign of God. Often followed by jokes about the irony of an atheist being beaten by divine intervention or comments about Wrath being so powerful that it forced God to step in.[[/labelnote]]
** Truth is God. And he's a dick. (Or similar)[[labelnote:explanation]] A lot of fans prefer calling Truth God due to it being implied to be the equivalent in the FMA world, and also joke about how cruel it is .[[/labelnote]]

** Did [[spoiler:Bradley's]] last words show that he really did care about his family or that he didn't care about them at all? It's actually fairly obvious but people love to argue. On [[spoiler:Bradley]] in general: Is he evil? Or just a PunchClockVillain that fully embraces what he is?
** And then there's Truth. GodIsEvil? GoodIsNotNice? Divine distributor of ironic punishment or just does it ForTheEvulz? It's up for debate.

* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Envy is loved by many trans and non-binary fans, despite being one of the nastiest villains, as well as an Artificial Human with two very inhuman, NoBiologicalSex true forms and a shapeshifter, which many AmbiguousGender characters tend to be designated as. Part of this is nostalgia; for many young anime fans in the 2000s, Envy was one of the first gender-ambiguous characters they were introduced to (though in the 2003 anime version, Envy is confirmed male.) It also helps that Envy is considered by many viewers to be attractive (without being a fetish object) and very entertaining, and they're never ridiculed in-universe for their gender identity or expression.

* WTHCastingAgency: While Vic Mignogna was universally praised as Edward's English dub voice, he also voices Ed during the childhood flashbacks when Ed is as young as five-years-old. Keep in mind that he [[DawsonCasting was already in his 40s when he started voicing Edward]].

** Olivier is either a badass example of a female leader whose physical and mental strength puts even higher than her muscled brother, Alex, or a self-centered and callous bitch who never really learns humility and is more just treated as always being right by other characters who don't call her out on her aggressive attitude.

Examples from the first anime go [[YMMV/FullmetalAlchemist2003 here]], and the live-action films go [[YMMV/FullmetalAlchemist2017 here]].

* EvilIsSexy:
** Lust, [[TheVamp a seductress as gorgeous as she is cruel.]] Despite using her beauty to charm and manipulate men to further the Homunculi's agenda, she herself isn't that lustful in the sexual sense. [[SoftSpokenSadist Instead, she has a passionate lust for bloodshed.]]
** Greed, who is introduced with [[TheCasanova two attractive women hanging on either arm]] and is quite TheCharmer on top of being TallDarkAndHandsome. His [[EvenEvilhasLovedOnes genuine care for his subordinates]] can even further this.
** Father [[spoiler:after absorbing the Truth]] is a [[WalkingShirtlessScene completely topless]] {{Bishonen}}, yet for some it crosses over into FanDisservice when he talks, [[VocalDissonance revealing his voice is still that of an old man.]]
** Envy ''almost'' reaches this due to being an [[AmbiguousGender androgynous]] {{Bishonen}}. However, their [[EvilSoundsRaspy raspy voice]], many KickTheDog moments, association with [[BodyHorror horrific]] [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting,]] and [[spoiler: their pitiful, fetus-like true form]] can make Envy too frightening and disturbing to be sexually appealing for some. Of course, this doesn't deter everyone, and Envy is still viewed by a rather large part of the fanbase as attractive and alluring.
** Solf J. Kimblee. Combined with his [[BadassInANiceSuit awesome sense of fashion]], well-groomed appearance, and sophisticated tone, it's no wonder he has so many fangirls.
** Wrath, to some, for being quite muscular and shredded [[SilverFox even in old age]]. Even more so [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZCjsPKtJo-Y/S_S6hL0KYTI/AAAAAAAABpM/1V_ku-sB_OY/s1600/young+Bradley.jpg back when he was young]].

** Izumi doesn't even need vital organs to kick your ass! [[CatchPhrase SHE'S A HOUSEWIFE!]]

** Major Armstrong's CatchPhrase "X HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!"
** Izumi's CatchPhrase of "I'M A HOUSEWIFE!"

** Xing's answer to alchemy (''renkinjutsu'') is ''rentanjutsu''. This word refers to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_alchemy Chinese alchemy,]] but actually using something like "Oriental alchemy" or "Xingese alchemy" would get pretty stale and unwieldy after a while. The ''rentan'' refers to the goal of Chinese alchemy, the elixir of life. Drawing off of this, Funimation dubbed it as "alkahestry", after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkahestry alkahest]]. As a universal solvent, alkahest was another hypothetical goal of alchemy and would have had valuable medicinal applications; [[GeniusBonus if you understand the reference]], "alkahestry" manages to convey Chinese alchemy's greater concern with medicine than with gold and sounds exotic next to "alchemy". The substance was supposedly invented by Paracelsus, whose birth name was Von Hohenheim, and the fictional Von Hohenheim was the inventor of Xingese alkahestry.

* MisaimedFandom: The series offers an example that [[{{Anvilicious}} beats the readers/viewers in the head with its message]], but it's still missed by a good portion of the fandom. [[spoiler:Roy Mustang [[CurbStompBattle destroying Envy in the most painful way possible]] isn't supposed to be enjoyed by the audience. Envy is a psychopath who [[KickTheSonOfABitch had it coming]] for killing Hughes, and other characters like Riza and Edward do agree that Envy deserves to die. But the audience is supposed to be [[HeWhoFightsMonsters worrying for Mustang's sanity]], since he's coming dangerously close to JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and [[YouAreWhatYouHate becoming what he hates]]. Killing Envy to avenge Hughes would completely destroy Roy's lifelong dream to purify the country/military and atone for the sins of the Ishvalan War. As such, the intended message of Roy's assault on Envy was that VengeanceFeelsEmpty. However, a few fans either A) missed the point of the scene, or B) got the point but didn't care. The ''Brotherhood'' anime clears this up a bit with the voice acting: Roy's tone is that of a savage madman who has completely lost his mind, while Envy sounds like a terrified child as Mustang burns them alive.]] Despite all of the above, some fans still insist that this is a badass moment, cheering at the nightmare of circumstances which led to it, and getting angry at people who point out how terrible the whole situation became. Even to this day, the argument still goes on. The source for this very page now includes a request to not make any more justifying edits, since we're tired of all the arguing and we're not looking to start any more fights.

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: While the series' main villains, the Homunculi, have performed some extremely cruel acts and have a plan of mass genocide, they still have plenty of fans due to their [[EvilIsCool scheming, charisma, and powers]], as well as the fact that they aren't human. Instead, the title for "most hated character in the entire series" goes to [[TheSociopath Shou Tucker]], one of the most infamous examples of AbusiveParents in anime, since he [[GuineaPigFamily turned his own daughter and dog into a chimera, just to keep his job]]. [[LampshadeHanging This opinion is even shared by the mangaka herself]], as in the "In Memoriam" strips at the end of each manga volume, Shou is the only character to go to hell. Other characters like [[spoiler:[[SmugSnake Envy]], [[TheGeneralissimo Wrath]], and [[SociopathicSoldier Kimblee]]]] get to go to heaven.

** ''Shou Tucker''. He's an [[CompleteMonster absolutely horrible, vile, atrocious excuse]] for a human being, but the sheer universal hatred for him has arguably resulted in him becoming one of the most memorable characters in the entire series. He's also a OneShotCharacter done right with the express purpose of showing the audience the consequences of what a horribly evil character can do with alchemy and the dark impact he leaves behind for the Elric Brothers and the series as a whole. He's so iconic that he evens later ends up being used [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_2023_07_17_184338972.png in a very clear]] ShoutOut in Arakawa's later work, ''Manga/DaemonsOfTheShadowRealm''.

** ''Shou Tucker''. He's an [[CompleteMonster absolutely horrible, vile, atrocious excuse]] for a human being, but the sheer universal hatred for him has arguably resulted in him becoming one of the most memorable characters in the entire series. He's also a OneShotCharacter done right with the express purpose of showing the audience the consequences of what a horribly evil character can do with alchemy and the dark impact he leaves behind for the Elric Brothers and the series as a whole.

** Van Hohenheim is named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus Paracelsus]], a.k.a. Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus ''von Hohenheim''. In-story, the dwarf in the flask [[spoiler:i.e. Father]] names him Van Hohenheim but initially suggests he take on the name Theophrastus Bombastus.