Summary
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has some of the best power systems and fight sequences in shonen anime.
- The best fights in the series are judged not only by animation but also by narrative impact and strategic back and forths.
- The fights between Edward Elric and Greed, Edward Elric and Envy, and the Armstrong/Curtis families and Sloth showcase memorable moments and intense battles.
Boasting what is arguably one of the best power systems in shonen anime as a whole, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is chock-full of great fight sequences. From gruesome one-sided affairs to innovative contests of wits and even one of the best one-man army scenes in recent history, the more faithful anime retelling of Hiromu Arakawa's immensely successful manga series has more than enough jaw-dropping showdowns throughout its 64-episode run.
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While the animation definitely picks up during the more action-packed segments of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it is not the sole factor upon which the series' many fights should be judged. To compile a list of the best fights in the anime as a whole, it is also crucial to consider their narrative impact, build-up, and, of course, the flow and strategic back and forth, which help to maintain balance while raising the tension and stakes of each face-off between the series' main cast.
10 Edward Elric Vs. Greed
Episode 13
The Elric brothers' first encounter with a Homunculus in Dublith took place after visiting their former mentor, Izumi Curtis. When Alphonse was abducted by a group of chimeras working for the Homunculus, Greed, Edward was forced to make a rescue attempt that led to a confrontation with their master.
In the ensuing fight, Ed displayed his ingenuity and keen understanding of alchemy by transmuting Greed's Ultimate Shield after learning of its true composition, highlighting why he became the youngest State Alchemist in history.
9 Edward Elric And Ling Yao Vs. Envy
Episode 26
Even though this fight was fairly short-lived, it was packed with important character moments and pieces of lore. Naturally, Ed and Ling's attempt to subdue Envy within Gluttony's stomach had its fair share of action. However, the fight's true importance lay in how it shed light on the true nature of Homunculi and Envy's role in triggering the Ishvalan Civil War.
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Although the fight itself ended in a stalemate as the trio had to find a way to escape, the revelation of Envy's true form was a horrific sight to behold. Subsequently, the Homunculus also called upon the souls from its Philosopher's Stone to make Edward hesitate and hold back during the fight by challenging his sense of morality.
8 Pride And Gluttony Vs. Everyone
Episode 47 - 49
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After Pride and Gluttony ambushed Alphonse during one of his blackouts, they used his body to attack Ed, Greed (in Ling Yao's body), and all their companions in a forest. This fight showcased the full extent of Pride's fearsome shadow manipulation powers, which only grew stronger when he devoured his sibling.
It also featured the first appearance of Lan Fan after she obtained her metal arm, which she used to completely decimate a bewildered Gluttony. Finally, the appearance of Hohenheim gave the group a means to escape, as Alphonse chose to sacrifice himself in order to help his father to seal Pride inside a massive dome of soil.
7 The Armstrong And The Curtis Families Vs. Sloth And The Mannequin Soldiers
Episode 51 - 55
Carrying on for several episodes during the Promised Day, the epic battle between the Armstrong siblings and Sloth ravaged Central Command Headquarters, as the duo struggled to take down the largest Homunculus. The tide of the fight shifted constantly, with the intervention of the Mannequin Soldiers and the eventual arrival of Izumi and Sig Curtis.
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Unlike many of the other fights in the series that relied on deft applications of alchemy, this is one of the few all-out brawls between physically gifted combatants. In the end, the heroes just about managed to prevail, but not without wreaking havoc throughout Central Command Headquarters.
6 Alphonse Elric, Riza Hawkeye, And Roy Mustang Vs. Lust
Episode 19
The unlikely team of Alphonse, Hawkeye, Mustang, and Havoc found themselves in grave peril after encountering the Homunculi, Lust and Gluttony, in the Third Laboratory. Unfortunately, both Mustang and Havoc were stabbed by Lust, who used her wily charms to deceive them.
As Hawkeye and Alphonse tried to escape Wrath's clutches without much success, Mustang returned from his near-death state after cauterizing his wound to deliver one of the most iconic beatdowns in anime history. What followed was an emphatic show of the pure destructive power of Flame Alchemy in full force, illuminating why Mustang was so feared among State Alchemists.
5 Alphonse Elric Vs. Pride And Solf J. Kimblee
Episode 51 - 52
Coming off the back of Alphonse's sacrifice to subdue Pride, this battle gave the younger Elric brother his own moment to shine when fighting with the aid of a Philosopher's Stone to protect everyone from the combined might of Pride and the Crimson Alchemist. Despite being outnumbered, Alphonse managed to gain the upper hand in the battle, using subtle trickery and his newfound power to overwhelm his foes.
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This eventually culminated in him being able to distract Kimblee and Pride long enough to encase the oldest of the Homunculi created by Father within a barrier of soil to prevent him from using his shadow manipulation abilities. Lastly, it also gave Alphonse a chance to escape, as the chimera, Heinkel, managed to fatally injure Kimblee after attacking him by surprise.
4 King Bradley (Wrath) Vs. Scar
Episode 59 - 61
A showdown for the ages, the battle between Amestris' leader Fuhrer King Bradley — who was also the Wrath — and the Ishvalan Scar was packed with gripping fight choreography and frames that burst with motion and ferocity. There was a poetic finality to the makeup of this fight, both due to the histories of the two combatants and their character arcs.
Bradley himself attested to this in his speech, describing it as a fight between two nameless men, fighting to the death, as he declared it to be the moment he felt most complete. In turn, Scar finally got the chance to confront the man responsible for the genocide of his people, and he seized the opportunity to showcase the reconstruction array on his left arm, indicating that he had finally accepted his brother's research.
3 Riza Hawkeye And Roy Mustang Vs. Envy
Episode 53 - 54
When Roy Mustang has a Homunculus cornered, the only real fate in store for them is a fiery, painful death, and that goes double if the target in question was also the killer of one of Mustang's closest friends, Maes Hughes. In the tunnels under Central, Mustang, Hawkeye, and a group led by Edward run into Envy and a host of Mannequin Soldiers who try to stop them from advancing further into the city on the Promised Day.
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Mustang proceeds to brutally burn Envy as vengeance for killing Hughes, which allows Edward's group to advance. Although Envy manages to escape Mustang's clutches on two separate occasions, he cannot outwit the Colonel and his second-in-command, although Mustang nearly takes his explosive assault on Envy too far by succumbing to his anger. Fortunately, Edward, Scar, and Hawkeye manage to talk him down, which leads to Envy taking his own life in one of the most pitiful death scenes of the series.
2 King Bradley (Wrath) Vs. Everyone
Episode 55 - 57
As far as one-man army scenes go, there are only a handful that can match the spectacle of Amestris' Fuhrer, King Bradley, storming his own palace alone in a head-on assault, armed with only his saber and a solitary grenade. In doing so, he decisively hammered home why his power dwarfed that of the country's entire military, where he single-handedly eliminated battalions of soldiers and even took down an armored tank while rushing toward the heart of Central Command Headquarters.
What makes this fight even more compelling is that it is made up of multiple stages, culminating in Bradley's battle against Captain Buccaneer, Fu, and Greed, who was occupying Ling Yao's body at the time. Amid an almost hopeless battle, where Bradley outclassed his opponents comprehensively, it was only after Buccaneer and Fu sacrificed their lives that they were able to wound the Homunculus, which allowed Greed to take out his Ultimate Eye.
1 Father Vs. Everyone
Episode 61 - 63
The fight to eclipse all others in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood saw Edward and all his allies take on Father, the progenitor of the Homunculi, after he had successfully absorbed the "Eye of God" from within the Gate of Truth. Unfortunately for him, Hohenheim had been plotting against him and succeeded in tainting his Philosopher's Stone, which gradually weakened his body from within.
Even with this small victory, Father's overwhelming mastery of alchemy was enough to keep most of his opponents at bay until Alphonse sacrificed himself to restore Edward's arm and leg. Filled with rage and emboldened by his brother's resolve, Edward began to pummel Father's weakening body with the aid of all his allies, culminating in his eventual defeat. Bursting with more impact frames and emotional highs than any other fight in the series, this is the payoff that the entire show was building up to, and it does not disappoint on any front.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2009 - 2010
WHERE TO WATCH
- Creator
- Hiromu Arakawa
- Number of Episodes
- 64
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
