FullMetal Alchemist vs Brotherhood: Which show is better?

The debate Fullmetal Alchemist vs Brotherhood has been going on in the anime community for some time now. Considering how brotherhood is still the top-rated anime on My Anime List, it’s pretty clear that most people tend to prefer it over Fullmetal Alchemist.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that people who think Fullmetal Alchemist is superior don’t have valid arguments. In fact, both sides have great arguments. We will break down each one to decide which one is superior.

Why do most people consider brotherhood to be superior?

The prime reason brotherhood is considered superior to Fullmetal Alchemist in the Fullmetal Alchemist vs Brotherhood debate is because it stayed true to the manga. Fullmetal Alchemist started while its manga was ongoing. Eventually, the anime caught up to the manga and made its own ending. The ending in the manga ended up being fairly different.

Most people criticizing Fullmetal Alchemist make this argument. Not only that, but they also consider the anime original ending to be fairly bad compared to the manga. Brotherhood, on the other hand, was made after its manga had finished, so it managed to stay true to its source material.

I, on the other hand, find the reasoning to be a bit absurd. You can’t say that an anime is bad just because it doesn’t stay true to the manga. It should be considered bad if it has flaws of its own.

The difference in ending:

You can’t have a Fullmetal Alchemist vs Brotherhood debate without discussing the ending.I actually consider the ending of Fullmetal Alchemist to be beautiful in its own way. Yes, a lot of questions were indeed left unanswered, and the ending was basically a cliffhanger, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Fullmetal Alchemist intentionally leaves it that way to keep the viewers thinking about it.
This isn’t something an average Shonen anime would do, which is what makes it good in my opinion. In fact, I like how Fullmetal Alchemist was made boldly.
On the other hand, we have Brotherhood that does everything by the book. It wraps up the ending explaining everything but just leaves a few things unanswered for the viewers to wonder about. This may not be bold but it certainly makes it close to perfection.

Core difference in the viewers experience:

In the debate of Fullmetal Alchemist vs Brotherhood, if one of them is boiled water, the other is ice cold water. Because even though they’re both Shonen anime, Brotherhood focuses on things completely different from Fullmetal Alchemist.
If you’re watching brotherhood, it’s most likely that you will experience great fights till the characters collapse, and some of the best comedy scenes out there. It’ll have all the great attributes you’d want from any Shonen anime.
However, when you start watching Fullmetal Alchemist, it’ll have a much more serious and darker tone. The fights aren’t like your typical Shonen fights. Instead of the characters fighting till the very end, most fights reach their conclusion quickly but theyre just as a cleaver.
Again, I’d like to say that just because the fight isn’t “epic” by typical Shonen standards doesn’t mean they’re bad. In fact, in my opinion, this is one of the best things about Fullmetal Alchemist. Instead of giving long fights that would be resolved till both the characters are faint, It gave us quick fights that are just as clever.

On the other hand, brotherhood gives what every other Shonen anime strives to perfect, and that is long intense fights with the characters on their knees by the end of the fight.

Fullmetal Alchemist vs brotherhood: which show is better? – Final verdict:

If I’m being honest, I like both of them on equal footing. If your someone looking for Shonen perfection that does everything by the book and does it perfectly, then chances are, you might side with brotherhood in the debate of Fullmetal Alchemist vs brotherhood.
On the other hand, if you’re tired of Shonen clichés, and wish to watch a Shonen anime that takes a bold approach, then you might enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist more.
My final take on the Fullmetal Alchemist vs brotherhood debate is that even though they’re both Shonen anime, they still hold core differences, and are unique in their own way. Some of you may side with brotherhood, and others may enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist a bit more