Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood #5 Reaction Early Access

I haven't watched the 1st series since it aired on Adult Swim, but from what I remember, it actually did a better job and took a little time to draw attention to Mustang's gloves and Armstrong's knuckles so that you knew those were the mechanisms through which they performed their alchemy. I think Brotherhood kinda rushed past them under the assumption that most people would know already, and those who didn't would figure it out eventually.

Brendan Horn

Just sitting here waiting for them to get to the episodes in the 20s because once they get there I don't think they're going to be able to stop. I legimately do hope this becomes another twice-weekly show eventually. It seems like FMAB has a nearly exponential growth curve in terms of entertainment and plot.

Brendan Horn

Armstrong has his own glyph as well, you guys just didn't notice it. He is wearing metal gloves and it's on the top. Also, without the specific glyph it's impossible to use that type of alchemy. Hence why every glyph you see is different in its own way.

Daulton

everyone needs a glyph only those who have done human transmutation and seen "the truth" beyond that door don't need glyphs.

Eric, i have had that same school dream as well. Like its pretty much word for word. Like i havent been to the class for several months and i keep meaning to go. its like i go to all my other classes but miss one of them for the whole 4 years and come back and i have so much homework due. I thought i was the only one! thats fucked up! maybe its the repetition of going to school so many times in your life that the process is burned into your subconcious.

Coty Keziah

Also Calvin's subtle not so subtle glances after Gluttony's "Can I eat him?" stuff. I see you there. I see what you're doing. :P

JojoInSpace

The transmutation circles are required to use alchemy except an incredibly rare few. Both Mustang and Armstrong have circles on their gloves/gauntlets. How the circles ACTUALLY work is never really explored, but the assumption is that certain circles effect different materials. One circle might alter the states of water (Like in the first EP) while another might alter the shape of certain stones. Another may be used to change metals. Etc.

Charcuterie

armstrong and mustang both have circles on their gloves

Firefan

Only a few certain people can transmute without the Transmutation Circles. A lot of characters have permanent ones they can use. Like printed on a glove or a tattoo.

CaseOPictures

Those damn memes on the beginning lmao, great job making me laugh and feel miserable at once! Loving the reactions, that debate in the end got a little heavy but hey, this is FMA, it'll always be heavy =x

Mordirit

The picture of the real dog with a black wig freaked me the hell out. Good choice on that one. I can't imagine my reaction if someone pulled that prank on me. At least you've now prepared me for that possibility.

007

Including those memes was an a+ editing choice. Love it. I know everyone is going on about things you guys miss, but I think you're still picking up on an awful lot and I'm enjoying your theories. Eric's completely right in that there's a lot being thrown at you here in the beginning which makes it harder to get fully immersed, but I hope you'll get there. What you're behind on in details, you make up for in emotional reactions, and we clearly all live off you getting scared and disturbed at what's going on. :P Great reaction, that dream still freaks me out. Really enjoyed the (brief) discussion about the Ishvalan situation and what that would count as. I look forward to once you get further in and can full on speculate. Even if you don't read comments, I hope people try to avoid spoilers. Here's to more disturbing content and awesome fights and stripping strong arm alchemist! :)

JojoInSpace

Mustang has gloves with transmutation circles on them. Armstrong has brass knuckles with transmutation circles on them. They technically still need the glyphs to perform alchemy. If you notice, some people have tattoos on their hands that take the place of transmutation circles. Ed is a special case. For anyone that enters the void after attempting human transmutation they have then gained the "knowledge" to use alchemy without glyphs.

Rustic Randy

Not to be "that guy", but TECHNICALLY anyone can do flame alchemy. It's just that Mustang is the only one who knows how. It's not like other alchemists couldn't do research and figure out the technique on their own. They are physically capable of doing it. It's just a lot more work than just checking out a library book, as is the case with most alchemy skills.

Ryan Kosier

This is only true if you know what to look for. Watching the openings without any knowledge of events is not spoilery. Especially when most of the openings are symbolism or fluff action scenes, with only a few bits of foreshadowing thrown in. Basically, there's no reason for them to skip the openings

Ryan Kosier

Ed said that he was able to clap his hands together and do alchemy after he came back from that weird void place. Alphonse didnt go there so he still has to make the formulaic circles to create effects. Mustang's glove has a glyph on it therefore the alchemical effect is always happening.

Aarush Azizi

Well, my comment that said exactly the same thing as the highest voted comment(except mine was first) got deleted somehow.

Trent Deuster

btw, the opening for future episodes spoil huge plot stuff. I would suggest skipping the openings for future episodes.

Ed claps his hands together because he has seen the Truth from doing the human transmutation which caused Alphonse to lose his body, and he gained superior knowledge of Alchemy and he as himself is the transmutation circle. Mustand and Armstrong have the transmutation circles on their gloves/gauntlets. Mustang is the only one alive who can use flame alchemy (they explain why later in the series) Alchemists need to study the science behind the types of alchemy they wish to perform or use in which there are certain transmutation circle designs to bring out the desired alchemy. Again SCIENCE

Ghost

If you look carefully Armstrong has an Alchemy Circle on his gauntlets. And Mustang has them on his gloves.

Andrew

Here is a list of all the CURRENTLY KNOWN State Alchemists, and their code names, in no particular order. Colonel Roy Mustang, codenamed The Flame Alchemist, carries with him specialized gloves. These gloves have flint and steel in the fingertips, so that when he snaps his fingers, a spark is created. He then uses alchemy (using the transmutation circle on the backside of the gloves) to alter the air pressure and composition around the spark to cause explosions. This is where his name came from. Major Alex Louis Armstrong, codenamed The Strong Arm Alchemist, got his name from his fighting style, a unique mixture of hand-to-hand and destructive alchemy. He uses two bracers, his right bracer has a transmutation circle that turns rocks and boulders into mortar-like projectiles, which he fires off with great speed, while his left bracer has a transmutation circle that causes spikes of rock to rise from the ground (which seems to be a go-to for combat alchemists, as we have seen Ed do the exact same thing multiple times already). Edward Elric, codenamed The Fullmetal Alchemist, so named because of his solid-as-steel resolve and metal limbs. Edward's unique ability to use alchemy without transmutation circles makes him incredibly variable. Unlike most combat alchemists, who prepare one or two different attacks ahead of time (due to the insane complexity and specificity behind transmutation circles and how alchemy works), Edward is actually capable of transmuting just about anything into anything else at any given time. However, this is not as big of an advantage in combat as you might think, as he still needs to know the formula for a transmutation before he actually performs it, and, in case it wasn't obvious, doing advanced chemistry work in your head, while in the heat of battle, doesn't typically work out well. So, while he COULD do just about anything (so long as it follows the law of Equivalent Exchange), more often than not, he sticks to the tried and true method of turning cobbled streets into spears, or his own metal arm into a blade. Brigadier-General Basque Grand, codenamed The Iron Blood Alchemist, deceased. Murdered by Scar, he was the guy who transmuted the cannons. Very little is known about him, other than that he was a weapons expert, who was highly revered by resident badass, Roy Mustang. From a plot perspective, it seems he existed only to drive home just how much of a threat Scar is. Isaac Dougal, codenamed The Freezing Alchemist, deceased. The renegade from the first episode, who fought using ice and water and steam. He believed that the government had become corrupt and evil, and sought to kill Fuhrer King Bradley by freezing over all of Central Command Headquarters. In the end, it was Bradley who killed him. (Also, important note, the leader of the country, Fuhrer King Bradley... King is his NAME, his title is Fuhrer. The country is NOT a monarchy.) Shou Tucker, The Sewing Life Alchemist, deceased. I don't think I need to explain who he was, or why he was called The Sewing Life alchemist. His expertise was bio-alchemy, presumably for medical purposes, but it was never specified. Solf J. Kimbly, codenamed The Crimson Alchemist. He appeared briefly in the first episode. A prisoner that The Freezing Alchemist tried to get to join him. He murdered several of his commanding officers, and was thrown in prison because of it. The Freezer thought that that meant he was fighting against an evil and corrupt government, but when asked to join forces, Kimbly said, no, he killed his commanders because he felt like it. That is all we know about him, at this time. However, he WAS in the brief scene showing the Ishvalan War in this episode. So you know, safe to assume we haven't seen the last of him. Also, he's not an Alchemist, but another important character is Lieutenant-Colonel Maes Hughes, head of the investigation division, and best friends to Roy Mustang. The goofy guy who goes gaga for his wife and daughter all the time. There are several other important characters, but they haven't been introduced yet, so.... yeah...

Ryan Kosier

Which is also why we don't see Alphonse use alchemy so far. While he has the knowledge about alchemy, to an extent, that his brother does, he doesn't have a pre-made circle to utilize when battle breaks out. It's more fortuitous in a fight for him to focus on strength rather than take the time to stop and draw a transmutation circle.

I've seen this touched on above, but it's also important to note that in addition to having the transmutation circle, the alchemist must also have the knowledge of how to utilize the circle. The circle that Mustang has on his ignition glove is only good for that. If he wanted to transmute a metal weapon like Edward, he'd still have to know how to draw and utilize the specific transmutation for that purpose. This is why Edward's ability to replicate the circle with his arms is so amazing - he still has to have an understanding of what he's aiming to transmute but doesn't have to physically draw the unique circles to do so.

Other people have explained that Armstrong and Mustang have glyphs on their gauntlet and gloves respectively. In respect to Colonel Mustang, he has the glyphs on the glove and they're also made of a special material that is able to make a spark which is why he's useless in the rain as mentioned by Lieutenant Hawkeye.

pseudo93

Dude careful. Remember they don't know what that is yet. Let the show explain it.

Jordan Feeg

Ed doesn't use circles because he saw the Truth when they tried to bring back their mom. Everyone else has to use them. Each circle is used for a specific thing. It's like writing down a command. And Al can use alchemy

Jacob Leach

All alchemists need transmutation circles. Most PROFESSIONAL alchemists have clothing with the circles stitched into them, or they have circles tattooed onto their skin. Next time you see Colonel Mustang or Major Armstrong fight, look at their gloves or bracers. They are always using transmutation circles. Edward is an exception, he can turn his entire body INTO a circle by clasping his hands together. It has been heavily implied already, but not directly stated, that this is because he saw "The Truth". Alphonse CAN do alchemy, but, he has to have a circle, just like anyone else, but UNLIKE anyone else, he doesn't have any circles stitched into his clothes or any tattoos. So, if he wanted to use alchemy, he'd have to stop and get down on his knees and actually draw a circle in chalk on the ground, which he just cant do in the middle of a fight, which is why we haven't seen him do it yet. But he can.

Ryan Kosier

In case Eric didn't catch it during the editing, the new Sin member was referred to as Envy during the episode.

Alphonse can still do alchemy, he just needs the transmutation circles. You saw him do this when he fixed the radio in episode 3. In fact most alchemists need the circles to do alchemy, even Armstrong and Musanf have circles on their gauntlets and gloves, respectively. Eds case is extremely rare.

Arnold Kim

As for the glyphs themselves, think of them as formulas. Each and every symbol does specific things that creates certain effects. Which is why most alchemists seem to have a specialization. The water guy from the first episode. Scar and his destruction touch. Armstrong and his earth manipulation. Mustang and fire. Which is why Ed can do so many different things. He doesn't have the limitation of the glyphs and thus can use all his knowledge on the fly. But he still needs to know the basics before he can do the fancy stuff that you will see some of the future Alchemists do.

Chance Lewis ^ means Ed. Al needs a Transmutation Circle and he uses it in Episode 3 when he fixes the radio in Liore. He uses chalk to make the circle.

Jose

Look at the guy above for the general info but for people like Armstrong, Mustang, and Scar here is the deal. Any Alchemist that plans to be in combat will figure out a way to do alchemy as fast as possible. So they will create items like Armstrong's gauntlet and Mustang's glove. This lets them use their usual (and strongest) Alchemy with small simple gestures to activate them. Armstrong always punches the things he transmutes before they change. And I'll let you guys see the awesomeness. of Mustang yourselves.

I think you clarified it much better than I did lol.

Voreni

Dude people miss stuff, it happens.

Voreni

The way alchemy works is they alter any material so long as it is the same on a chemical level. So you can change ice into water but you couldn't make metal out of it. State alchemists are just code named based off of personalities or specialties. Mustang is the flame alchemist because he uses alchemy to adjust the composition of air in a certain direction and the spark from the snap of his glove ignites it. He can do alchemy like Ed does and Ed could do the flame alchemy but Mustang is known for it. There's a reason why Ed doesn't need transmutation circles to perform alchemy. They touch on it in the episode he loses his arm but they will go into more detail on it soon. Outside of the few people who have undergone a certain ordeal, you need to use a circle to perform alchemy. Mustang has the circle on his gloves and Armstrong has circles on his gauntlets. The lightning is just the alchemy happening. They're not summoning lightning to melt ice or whatever it happens anytime they use alchemy. The dude with Lust and Gluttony is called Envy (they said his name in the episode). I think this answers most of what your mistaken about that wouldn't be a spoiler to answer.

swampskater

Ed can transmute without a circle because he went through the gate of truth in episode 2

Philip Geiger

I don't know why nobody has mentioned this but... Some of these episodes have little extra scenes at the end of them that only appear at the end of the credits. The more important ones aren't till later in the series, but just a heads up for you to be looking out for those now.

They called the girl envy geez you guys need to listen lol

Habbit44

Not sure if you guys read the comments or not, but in case you do Edward is one of the rare cases of someone who doesn't have to use glyphs. Characters like Mustang and Armstrong do use glyphs, but they have them pre done on their clothing and weapons. If you look at Mustangs white gloves he wears he does have glyphs on the back of them. Armstrong has glyphs on the back of his knuckle weapons he uses as well. If I remember correctly different glyphs have different effects, which is why you have state alchemists who specialize in different fields. They are all technically capable of utilizing the same alchemy, if at differing power levels, but since there is such a variety of uses and effects they specialize to better focus their talents. Alphonse can and has done alchemy, but unlike his brother he still needs to use glyphs to do so. You may have missed it as well, but the two pulling the strings have called each other by name as Lust and Gluttony. They also did mention the third person's name before it changed back to its original form. Before it dropped its disguise as the priest they called it Envy.

Voreni

perhaps 3 a week

Ray Souza

I'm glad they're starting to get into it

Andrew Reise

All Alchemists are required to use a transmutation circle. That's the only way to use alchemy. Ed is special and does not require one. Mustang has a circle on his glove and Armstrong has one on his gauntlet.

Nicholas Roca

Edwards the only one who doesn't need glyphs. I don't want to spoil anything for you guys, but he is special when it comes to glyphs.

The more knowledgeable and strong of will the alchemist. The more powerful the alchemist.

Chance Lewis

It isn't a matter of how strong they are. Strong arm has glyphs on his gauntlets. Mustang has glyphs on his gloves. to not spoil anything but Edward is just very VERY special in this case since he doesn't need any markings to do alchemy. Besides him it's a necessity for everyone.

Markel Thomas

And they called the shapeshifter envy

Chance Lewis

Episode

Chance Lewis

And Alphonse used alchemy in the first epidemic

Chance Lewis

Everyone uses glyphs except al. Armstrong glyph are on his spiked gloves. And Mustang are on his white gloves. And the lightning is just the alchemical energy that alchemy produces when affecting matter.

Chance Lewis

Was thinking the same exact thing. Should move this to a twice a week schedule once ATLA is done, with Korra once a week. Honestly feel they should take a mini break from Avatar (a few weeks) before starting up Korra for it to have a better impact.

SomeGameNews

Yay it's uploaded

julio morales

Love these reactions. Maybe when avatar ends this can be twice a week and Korra once a week. I think that would be pretty cool.

Nicholas Roca

more more we need more

hamad