Real Name: Edward Elric | Universe: Anime | Rating: 85 OVR (Prodigy Alchemist Combatant)
"A lesson without pain is meaningless. For that is the Law of Equivalent Exchange."
Writer/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa | Format: Hardcover Deluxe Graphic Novel
After a forbidden human transmutation costs Edward his limbs and his brother Alphonse his body, they seek the Philosopher's Stone.
Why Start Here: One of the most celebrated and perfectly plotted shonen manga journeys of all time.
Writer/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa | Format: Manga Volumes 16-18
The Elric brothers travel to the freezing northern fortress of Briggs under General Olivier Armstrong to fight Homunculi.
Why Start Here: High-stakes military strategy and intense alchemy combat against Sloth.
Writer/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa | Format: Manga Volumes 26 & 27
Edward leads a coalition of alchemists, soldiers, and chimera to take down Father before he absorbs God.
Why Start Here: The flawless, emotionally breathtaking series finale that cemented Arakawa's legacy.
Documented Weakness: Physical human mortality, vulnerable if automail joints seize in extreme cold or rain.
Citation: Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga Ch. 107)
Countered the pseudo-god Father's energy barrier by transmuting the ambient stone into continuous kinetic pillars and finishing him with an automail barrage.