The series has been adapted into two separate anime series: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Each anime adaption follows its corresponding manga storyline, taking plot elements from both the original manga and its first two-story collections.

The original Fullmetal Alchemist anime premiered in Japan on October 4th, 2003, and ran 89 episodes until October 2nd, 2004. Brotherhood premiered in Japan on October 5th, 2009, and concluded on March 27th, 2010, after a total of 64 episodes. An animated film, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie – Conqueror of Shamballa, was released on July 23rd, 2005, and an OVA was released on February 10th, 2011 in Japan called “The Sacred Star of Milos.” A live-action film was released on December 1st, 2017, in Japan, but there has been no international release.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Plot

When people perform alchemy, they risk losing control and releasing what they call “the wrath of God”: a grotesque creature called a Homunculus. Alchemy requires that “the equivalent exchange” be paid when creating something new from nothing: living things can be sacrificed or destroyed in the process. Also, several forbidden techniques allow for more rapid growth at a high cost (such as human souls). The series follows characters who use alchemy for good or evil through various tragedies and triumphs along their knowledge and power journey.

How Much Filler is in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?

The Fullmetal Alchemist series has a remarkably low filler episode rate. There are a total of 64 episodes in the series, and there are a total of 2 episodes which are filler episodes, which gives it a score of 3% filler episodes.

Quick Filler & Canon Lists

Canon Episodes

2-26, 28-64

Filler Episodes

1, 27

Complete Filler List

#Episode TitleTypeAired
1Fullmetal AlchemistFiller04/05/2009
2The First DayCanon04/12/2009
3City of HeresyCanon04/19/2009
4An Alchemist's AnguishMostly Canon04/26/2009
5Rain of SorrowsCanon05/03/2009
6Road of HopeCanon05/10/2009
7Hidden TruthsCanon05/17/2009
8The Fifth LaboratoryCanon05/24/2009
9Created FeelingsMostly Canon05/31/2009
10Separate DestinationsCanon06/07/2009
11Miracle at Rush ValleyCanon06/14/2009
12One is All, All is OneCanon06/21/2009
13Beasts of DublithMostly Canon06/28/2009
14Those Who Lurk UndergroundMostly Canon07/05/2009
15Envoy From the EastCanon07/12/2009
16Footsteps of a Comrade-in-ArmsCanon07/19/2009
17Cold FlameCanon07/26/2009
18The Arrogant Palm of a Small HumanCanon08/02/2009
19Death of the UndyingCanon08/09/2009
20Father Before the GraveCanon08/16/2009
21Advance of the FoolCanon08/30/2009
22Backs in the DistanceCanon09/06/2009
23Girl on the BattlefieldCanon09/13/2009
24Inside the BellyCanon09/20/2009
25Doorway of DarknessCanon09/27/2009
26ReunionCanon10/04/2009
27Interlude PartyFiller10/11/2009
28FatherCanon10/18/2009
29Struggle of the FoolCanon10/25/2009
30The Ishvalan War of ExterminationCanon11/01/2009
31The 520 Cens PromiseCanon11/08/2009
32The Fuhrer's SonCanon11/15/2009
33The Northern Wall of BriggsCanon11/22/2009
34Ice QueenCanon11/29/2009
35The Shape of This CountryCanon12/06/2009
36Family PortraitCanon12/13/2009
37The First HomunculusCanon12/20/2009
38Conflict at BaschoolCanon12/27/2009
39DaydreamCanon01/10/2010
40Homunculus (The Dwarf in the Flask)Canon01/17/2010
41The AbyssCanon01/24/2010
42Signs of a CounteroffensiveCanon01/31/2010
43Bite of the AntCanon02/07/2010
44Revving at Full ThrottleCanon02/14/2010
45The Promised DayCanon02/21/2010
46Looming ShadowsCanon02/28/2010
47Emissary of DarknessCanon03/07/2010
48The Oath in the TunnelCanon03/14/2010
49Filial AffectionCanon03/21/2010
50Upheaval in CentralCanon03/28/2010
51The Immortal LegionCanon04/04/2010
52Combined StrengthCanon04/11/2010
53Flame of VengeanceCanon04/18/2010
54Beyond the InfernoCanon04/25/2010
55The Adults' Way of LifeCanon05/02/2010
56The Return of the FuhrerCanon05/09/2010
57Eternal LeaveCanon05/16/2010
58SacrificesCanon05/23/2010
59Lost LightCanon05/30/2010
60Eye of Heaven, Gateway of EarthCanon06/06/2010
61He Who Would Swallow GodCanon06/13/2010
62A Fierce CounterattackCanon06/20/2010
63The Other Side of the GatewayCanon06/27/2010
64Journey's EndCanon07/04/2010

List of filler episodes for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in chronological order – Learn if it is worth watching

Episode 1: Fullmetal Alchemist 

This is a filler episode. It is not an integral part of the plot, and only exists to bridge a time gap between the first and second anime series. The events in this episode take place during the last few chapters of manga volume one, but are not depicted in detail until much later in the series – specifically after the Elric brothers go to Reole. Therefore, an adaptation of these events would have been very difficult at this point in time.

In the manga, the Freezing Alchemist was named Isaac McDougal. This name was dropped from the anime for some unknown reason, and his real name – Isaac Ray Pelham – is only mentioned in passing in a later episode. Also in the manga, Freezing’s escape scene was depicted much differently than in the anime. The anime version is more or less faithful to the one presented in the manga, but it is far more condensed and lacks some important details that are explained later on.

This episode should not be considered canon for several reasons: 1) It does not advance the plot of series beyond this point and thus should not be included as part of any official timeline; 2) it introduces a number of new characters and events that are never shown again; and 3) it is not depicted in the manga or the later story arcs. However, this episode is still worthwhile for its portrayal of Freezing’s abilities and the introduction of Kimblee, who is an important character later in the series.

Episode 27: Interlude Party

As Hohenheim enters the house, he hears Winry talking to Ed and Al about how they’re not leaving until they finish cleaning up. Ed and Al don’t want to leave because they have nothing to do when Winry tells them that there’s a dance party at school which makes the two of them go crazy. The two of them begin packing their bags. Winry tries to stop Ed from taking everything in his bag, but the young alchemist doesn’t listen as he continues packing his bag. When Winry mentions that she was just joking, Ed is surprised that she was as he states that it’s no joke for a man who doesn’t have his priorities straight. He then notices that Winry isn’t wearing her automail arm and panics when he sees blood on it which causes him to prepare for her arm to be amputated again by Alphonse. As Alphonse prepares his vial of blood, he’s told not to be so surprised by it if this happened again and she can still use her hand even though she can’t move it without her automail arm. When Alphonse states that there are still things that are salvageable if she had an automail arm instead of just a hand, Edward shouts at him and he gets scared. Winry then tells Ed and Al to stop fighting as she already said that she was fine with it and she doesn’t want to be treated like a child. As Ed tells her that he’s not trying to treat her like a kid, but he can’t stand seeing her in pain. They then apologize to each other for their actions.

This episode is a filler episode. It’s not important on the overall plot of the series and it’s only purpose was to provide some background information for the next story arc that starts in Chapter 51. This was also released as a bonus when the manga was being released in Shounen Gangan before it became to be called Fullmetal Alchemist. In this chapter, we learn about Hohenheim’s past which is he was once an alchemist that tried to use humans as puppets to gain power, but failed and lost his body because of it. He then became immortal by attaching himself to another being.

Hohenheim’s past is revealed through several flashbacks of his life from when he met his wife Trisha who got sick and died due to an illness. The flashback shows the difficulty of living during that time because there wasn’t a way to save her life even with alchemy because she had no soul which is what makes a person alive at all when her husband tried making her into a human again via Human Transmutation, but they failed miserably and Alphonse and Edward lost their bodies in the process. The flashback also showed Hohenheim trying to get revenge against humans by trying to make them into puppets. It was revealed that he was working for King Bradley when he made the decision to change the country into a place where humans don’t have to bear the fear of death. He was also shown to be working with Dante who is also immortal because of an elixir that she took which she then tried to use her alchemy to make herself look like a human again.

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