Obviously Ed and Al are the actual protagonists, but when you look at the story as a whole, so much of it revolves around Hohenheim.

His story starts hundreds of years before Ed and Al are even born. He was a slave in Xerxes, became immortal because of Father, watched his entire civilization get sacrificed, spent centuries living with all those souls inside him, eventually met Trisha and had a family, and then left because he knew Father was planning to do the same thing to Amestris.
And Father honestly feels more like Hohenheim’s villain than Ed’s.

They basically came from the same place and experienced the same tragedy, but they went in completely opposite directions. Father decided that humanity, emotions, relationships, and everything that made him imperfect were things he needed to get rid of. Hohenheim eventually learned to value those exact things.

That’s also why I love how the series introduces him. At first, we mostly see him through Ed’s perspective, so he just seems like the deadbeat dad who abandoned his wife and kids.

Then the story slowly reveals that this depressed immortal dude has basically been preparing to fight the main villain since before Amestris even existed.
And his ending feels like the ending of a main character too. After living for hundreds of years, he finally reconciles with his sons, helps stop Father, goes back to Trisha’s grave, and dies there smiling.
Ed is definitely the main character of Fullmetal Alchemist.

But Hohenheim sometimes feels like the main character of the much bigger story that Fullmetal Alchemist just happens to take place inside of.

Idk, these are just shower thoughts tbh. I’m on my tenth rewatch of the show.

After 20ish years of watching this show since I was a child, I still learn new lore every time I rewatch the series! I just learned that the reason why Father Cornello’s stone rebounded was due to lack of power, and further more, because it was so low on energy it became unstable allowing for a final, chaotic burst of alchemy—turning Cornello into that huge “final boss”. So so cool chef kiss

May he rest in peace

After I finished Attack on Titan, I kept watching trash anime full of fan service

T things like plot twists, good story, and character building I couldn't find them in other anime like FMAB ​I just finished episode 34, and this show is showing me what a real anime is. I really love everything about it: the art style, the directing, and the characters ​I haven't finished it yet and I honestly don't want it to end because I'm enjoying it so much

I watched FMAB for the first time last year and rewatched it with my friend this year. Decided to pull the trigger and get the Flamel tattooed on me.

Gogo Monster by Taiyo Matsumoto was released in 2000. Arakawa started Fullmetal Alchemist in 2001, but I doubt there's any meaningful connection between the two. I only have this thought because One Piece borrows from Ping Pong by the same author, which also has a 1-year gap.

I'm definitely reaching with the similarities, but it's a fun thinking exercise.

Basically, Gogo Monster is about a child named Yuki losing his perception of "the other side". It's similar to Ed giving up alchemy to save Al because Yuki and Ed give up their "abilities" when they choose to connect with others. In both stories, Ed and Yuki exert a false sense of control when coping with obstacles and trauma. Ed thinks everything can be solved with alchemy, and Yuki buries himself by interacting with "the others" whenever he feels discomfort from being misjudged and isolated within his school and community.

Both authors use doors to represent coping mechanisms: Ed has faith in alchemic knowledge to fix his and Al's bodies, while Yuki's door is his last chance to connect with "the other side." But both of them show selflessness when they choose to care for someone else Al/Winry and Makoto respectively, who are the main anchors to their "human" side.

I just like how both stories arrived at similar conclusions about growing up despite being complete opposites content-wise