Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: The 15 Most Powerful Alchemists, Ranked
From Kimblee to the formidable father himself, here are some of the most powerful alchemists in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. One of the most impressive parts of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the alchemy that the characters use: it is presented as a magical system, even though it was supposed to be based on science. The alchemists on the show are able to use some pretty awesome powers to stop the show's villains from carrying out their plans — or help them, depending on whose side they're on. The different types of alchemy that exist in the anime world also make for intense battle scenes between characters, especially when one type of alchemy is drastically different from another. Of course, not everyone the audience meets during Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an alchemist. However, fans can see some pretty powerful ones in action, from the show's main characters, the Elric brothers, to high-ranking members of the military like Roy Mustang and Alex Louis Armstrong. Here are the strongest ones. The story of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is all about ambition, the price of arrogance, human drama and the abuse of power to cruel ends. In this series, alchemy is a powerful force that can be used to heal or harm others. Many different characters have used it for various purposes, and we decided to add five more characters to this list that make notable use of alchemy in all sorts of ways.
15: Shaw Tucker
One of the most reviled characters in all of anime, Shou Tucker is infamous for fusing his daughter Nina with their dog Alexander into a chimera in an attempt to keep his state alchemy license and impress Central.
He is known as the "alchemist of sewing life", able to understand how to use alchemy on living things and create chimeras. He's not on the same level as Tim Marcoh, but he deserved that alchemist pocket watch for a reason.
14: Giolio Comanche
Not much is seen of this alchemist, as he died in the very first scene in which he appears. This diminutive old man is well-dressed and earned the title "silver alchemist" due to his tendency to make steel weapons out of almost anything.
His hands are covered in all kinds of alchemical tattoos for the job, and he can make weapons and spin like a helicopter to cut his enemies to pieces. It didn't work so well against Scar though.
13: Basque Grand
This burly State Alchemist is known as the "Iron Blood Alchemist" due to his skill in turning stone and minerals into cannons that can actually fire projectiles like a normal cannon. It's a remarkable skill. He can also create chains and prison iron crates when needed to trap his opponent, but once he thinks he's won, he becomes careless. His cannons can be dodged and he could do little against Scar at close range.
12: Isaac McDougal
Next up is the frosty alchemist Isaac McDougal. He only appears in the 2009 anime, and even then only in the first episode. However, he made a good first impression with his flexible alchemical abilities.
Isaac can freeze any water in the area and is tricked into creating transmutation rings around Central City to perform alchemy on a large scale. It can even boil the water in the meat instead of freezing it.
11: May Chang
May Chang stands out in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood because she uses a type of alchemy that is different from other alchemists. Since May is from the eastern region of the Fullmetal Alchemist world, she practices alkahestry, a form of alchemy that is almost extinct by the time viewers are introduced to it.
Unlike alchemy, alkahestry draws energy from the Earth instead of life energy - meaning that May's powers are probably purer. They are also better for medical alchemy and have the ability to be used at greater distances. Unfortunately, May’s Alkahestry doesn’t do as well in battle as Western Alchemy.
10: Alphonse Elric
Alphonse Elric is a skilled alchemist and we see him use his powers in battle many times throughout the series - often against some pretty daunting foes. There's no denying that Alphonse is powerful, and it's fair to say that he only gets stronger as the series goes on.
Yet none of the other characters ever suggest that Alphonse is anything special when it comes to performing alchemy. Unlike his brother, who quickly became known for his alchemy skills at a young age, Alphonse often takes a back seat when it comes to his abilities. He can perform alchemy without a transmutation ring, but that's about the extent of his special skills. However, to his credit, Al has swept and saved others on numerous occasions.
9: Kimblee
It almost seems like Kimblee should be higher on this list, especially considering the havoc he wreaks with alchemy both during the war with Ishval and later on behalf of the Homunculi. But it's important to remember that Kimblee's powers, while impressive on screen, are greatly enhanced by the Philosopher's Stones he carries around.
That's not to say Crimson Alchemist isn't still a force to be reckoned with. Kimblee's alchemy is unique in that it has literally explosive results. Couple his penchant for incineration with his sadism and a Philosopher's Stone or two and it's easy to see how he became such a problem for the Elric brothers.
8: Alex Louis Armstrong
7: Edward Elric
The Fullmetal Alchemist the series is named after, Edward Elric, has some advanced alchemical skills for his age. Even as a child, she can get pretty far with her human transmutation charm, something Colonel Mustang admits is impressive despite being illegal. He is also able to bind his brother's soul to the armor, which many alchemists in the series would not be able to do even as adults.
While Ed doesn't always come out on top in a fight, he has other skills that many of the stronger alchemists around him lack. First, he does not need to use a transmutation ring to perform alchemy. He is also one of the few people who can boast of having survived the fights with Kimblee, Scar and Homunculi - and one of the few people who opened the gate.
6: Scar
When fans of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are first introduced to Scar, he is considered one of the villains of the series. Seeking revenge against the State Alchemists for the Ishvalan War, Scar initially presents quite a problem for the US military. Having fought for Ishval during the war, he is incredibly skilled in combat. It is also sensitive to when it's his opponents' weaknesses that allow him to come out on top more often than not. The Transmutation Array tattoo on his right arm is capable of destroying anything it comes in contact with, making Scar quite a terrifying alchemist to face.
5: Izumi Curtis
Izumi Curtis taught Edward and Alphonse everything she knows about alchemy and is a force to be reckoned with - and she was even more intimidating before she attempted human transmutation and suffered injuries that destroyed most of her internal organs.
Aside from the Elric brothers, Izumi is another character we meet who is able to use alchemy without using a transmutation ring. She is also incredibly trained in martial arts and her physical strength overwhelms most other characters.
4: Roy Mustang
Roy Mustang is a formidable opponent in battle, in part because his abilities allow him to use flame alchemy. Flame alchemy is quite rare, even in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and is one of the most destructive types of alchemy there is. The Mustang has more than proven its mettle throughout the series. He uses his powers to defeat the Homunculus' desire during the first season - an iconic moment that most fans admire for the Colonel. After the confrontation, Mustang bears a scar on his arm in the shape of a transmutation circle.
3: Tim Marcoh
Dr. Tim Marcoh is the one who developed the Philosopher's Stones, although he is not proud of it. He lived in self-imposed exile until his father dragged him back to Headquarters, and his Scar snapped soon after.
His alchemy is truly advanced as he is able to create philosopher's stones from living humans. In this sense, he has complex alchemical symbols on his hands. And once he comes into contact with the homunculus, he can disintegrate the stone inside with just a touch. Few, if any, could do such a thing.
2: Van Hohenheim
Hohenheim is the father of Ed and Al, but fans know little about him until the end of the series. We're constantly told that he wasn't around much when the boys were growing up, and both Elric brothers hold a lot of grudges about it. However, during the later seasons, we learn that Hohenheim had a fairly understandable reason for disappearing so often.
As it turns out, Hohenheim has been trying to thwart his father's plans all along. Fans will learn that Hohenheim is much older and more powerful than originally thought, and that he inadvertently became the Philosopher's Stone when he was younger. With his powers, Hohenheim can perform alchemy without a transmutation ring. He can also bypass the law of equivalent exchange, which should not be possible for most alchemists. He is also immortal, with regenerative powers that slow his aging and make him harder to actually injure in battle.
1: Father
The father is the main villain of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and to be fair, a lot of his power comes from the fact that he's the original Homunculus and the Philosopher's Stone - plus someone who can use incredibly powerful alchemy. Not only can the father control all the other Homunculi with his powers, but he is also able to prevent the other alchemists from using their own powers.
As you can imagine, such things make a father a formidable opponent. His abilities certainly explain how he nearly succeeded in his quest for ultimate power. In truth, if all the other alchemists on this list hadn't worked together to overthrow the father, he probably would have won the conflict. He almost did, even with the reluctance of all of them.