The Top 10 Symbols & Logos In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Explained

 

 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is full of important symbolism and real references to religion, mythology, alchemy and more.

Hiromu Arakawa's action fantasy series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is brimming with important symbolism and real-life references to religion, mythology, alchemy and more, and all that research definitely paid off. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a story of adventure, human folly, ambition, conspiracy and the innate goodness of humanity.

Along the way, the protagonists learn all sorts of lessons about themselves and each other, and the world of Amestris is richly fleshed out during Brother Elric's journey. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a treat for anyone who likes these things, and there's a lot to learn, including the secrets behind the show's cryptic symbols and logos.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a mega-popular franchise that will be relevant for years to come. New fans and longtime fans alike will want to know the secrets behind the symbols and logos featured in the series, so we've revamped this list with even more information.

10: National flag of Amestris

First appears during the opening sequence in episode 1, "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Not much is explained about the national flag of Amestris, but some educated guesses can be made. It depicts a dragon on a green field and most likely the dragon represents the aggressive ways of this nation. Amestris is a military autocratic state where the military and big government are intertwined.

Often white is a color representing purity, but it can also represent death, such as human bones. "Death" The Horseman of the Apocalypse rides a white horse after all. This dragon's tail forms a loop, perhaps alluding to how important transmutation rings are in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

9: Ouroboros

First appears during the opening sequence in episode 1, "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Only homunculi bear the symbol of Ouroboros, revealing their status as homunculi. Greed, as pictured, has her left hand on the back, Gluttony has one on her tongue, and the symbol of anger is on her left eye.

Ouroborus, in true symbolism, represents immortality and eternity as it eats its own tail, creating an endless loop. Homunculi are not truly immortal, but they can outlive humans and are tools of the father's ambition to become an immortal god.

8: Flamel

First appears during the opening sequence in episode 1, "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Flamel is the symbol that appears on the back of Edward Elric's distinctive red coat. This cross has a draped serpent on it along with separated wings and a crown and represents Nicholas Flamel's true relationship with alchemy.

The Flamel symbol also bears a superficial resemblance to the Greek Rod Asclepius, associated with medicine in ancient Greece. It is also somewhat similar to the Greek Caduceus, the symbol of the Greek god Hermes (who controls alchemy). Izumi Curtis, the Elric brothers' teacher, has this symbol tattooed on her chest.

7: Roy Mustang's Transmutation Circle

First appears during the opening sequence in episode 1, "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Colonel Roy Mustang is an alchemist extraordinaire who can create heat and flames in any shape or pattern with the snap of his fingers. To top it off, Roy has a unique transmutation ring on his gauntlet that shows a triangle, a stylized flame, and a salamander.

In medieval Europe, salamanders were associated with fire, and this motif appears frequently in both old and new fiction. For example, Pokemon's Charmander is a fire lizard. The words "charred" and "salamander" are joined together to form the name "Charmander." and together they created the name "Charmander."

6:Kimble's transmutaton ring

First appears during a conversation between Kimblee and the prison warden in episode 8, "The Fifth Lab"

Solf J. Kimblee must clap his hands to use alchemy, and his circle is split in half on each palm. The sun symbol on his right hand represents gold and the moon symbol on his left hand represents silver.

The triangles in Kimblee's transmutation circles are also important: the upward triangle is a symbol of fire, and the downward triangle represents water. When the symbols on each hand are joined together, they form a hexagram. This action means that Kimblee's Explosive Alchemy is ready to implode.

5: Blood Seal

First appears during a flashback in episode 2, "The First Day"

Alphonse Elric is very careful to protect this transmutation ring. In a moment of desperation after committing alchemy's ultimate taboo—human transmutation—young Edward used his own blood to write it, binding Al's soul to the advanced alchemy armor.

This blood seal may represent the real-life philosophy that human life has two distinct parts: the body and the mind or soul. One might argue that killing the body doesn't kill the mind, and Alphonse is certainly a good metaphor for that.

4: The Gate of Truth

First appears during a flashback in episode 2, "The First Day"

Edward comes face to face with the Truth whenever he performs human alchemy: once as a child and once to escape the realm of Gluttony. Each time he finds himself in a white void that contains this door that oozes with symbolic meaning. In particular, it refers to the mystical branch of Judaism known as Kabbalah.

The Gate of Truth emanates from the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, and in Ed's case the tree has a crown, or "keter." The roots of this tree represent the most mundane and mundane aspect of the pursuit of divinity, and the top represents divinity. The circles also describe aspects of Ed's being and God, in Hebrew and Latin, such as Filius ("son") and El Pater ("God").

3: Alkahestry and Alchemy

The concept of alkahestra is first introduced in episode 2, "Day One"

An experimental combination of alchemy and alkahestra from Scar's late brother's notes is shown. Alkahestry, which originates from Xing, is based on pentagrams rather than hexagrams, and the star is often a symbol of the human body in real life - such as Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.

Scar's brother realized that neither alchemy nor alkahestra represented the sum total of world power and tried to reconcile them. The scar's arm tattoo, which enables alchemy, also has alkahetria symbolism in it.

2:  The Sun and Moon

First appears in the ruins of Xerxes in episode 18, "The Arrogant Palm Of A Small Human"

The ancient Xerxes of the great desert also had some symbolism to offer. Ed finds these ruins both in Xerx himself and in the stomach of Gluttony, and soon understands their meaning. According to him, the sun represents the human soul, while the moon represents the mind.

The stone itself is the human body. All these aspects form the circle of human transmutation, and Ed does not like to see it. Ed also notes that the lion is eating the sun, which represents the human soul, while the moon represents the mind.

The stone itself is the human body. All these aspects form the circle of human transmutation, and Ed does not like to see it. Ed also notes that the lion is eating the sun, which represents the attainment of the Philosopher's Stone and thus immortality.

1: Alex Armstrong's Transmutation Circle

First appears during the opening sequence in episode 1, "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Major Alex Armstrong has two copies of his transmutation ring, one on each armored gauntlet, and strikes the gauntlets to activate his own brand of alchemy. Inside the triangle is the word for "God", as seen on Xerxes' human transmutation circle.

There appears to be German text around the symbols, which is better seen in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. The text changes at some point, but it's unclear if this is an artistic oversight or if Armstrong really changed the font.