For an anime about the tragedies of war and people with, essentially, superpowers, Fullmetal Alchemist also has some of the best couples and some of the worst loves. Since there are three versions of the series, the manga, the 2003 and 2009 animes, plus a live-action movie, there are a lot of couples to cover.
Each couple was chosen because of their impact on the Elrics and the overall story, as well as their believability as a couple. They also have to be mostly canon or hinted at as cannon, so fic-ships like Roy Mustang and Ed will not be found in this list.
10 No Sense: Havoc & Solaris
While this pairing is debatable since it only makes an appearance in the manga and briefly in the 2003 series, Havoc and Solaris are the perfect examples of a pair that makes no sense. Havoc is a trusty soldier working side by side with Col. Roy Mustang and is known for being the comedy relief and country boy of the military.
Solaris is not a real person, but a character that the Homunculus Lust is portraying while trying to get information about Mustang. A fair idea on the homunculi’s part, but luckily Havoc is such a love-sick boy that he doesn’t divulge a single secret, making the pair useless to both sides.
9 Perfect: GreedLing
This entry stretches the idea of what a couple is, but Greed and Ling Yao are one of the best symbiotic relationships that have been seen on screen, perhaps even better than Venom and Eddie Brock. With Ling’s only goal being to find a Philosopher’s Stone, he readily accepted Greed into himself since he wanted the power.
As the two survived and grew together, they became close, with Ling eventually having to stand in as Greed’s backbone from time to time. They are not perfect in the traditional sense, but they have one of the strongest partnerships in the whole series.
8 No Sense: Mei & Alphonse
When Mei Chang was introduced, she was madly in love with the thought of Ed, but upon meeting him, she redirected that love to Al. That is already a bad way to start a relationship, but that is only the beginning. The two share a lot of connections as they learn from each other over the series, but the couple feels forced rather than realistic.
This should be prefaced by the fact that the couple isn’t fully canon, as fans only know that Al went to Xing with Mei and the two are seen in the same photo at the end of the series. Maybe more happened between the couple in Xing, but since the series doesn't show it, it doesn’t flow as well.
7 Perfect: Izumi & Sig
Izumi and Sig are one of the most perfect couples in Fullmetal Alchemist because they stick together through thick and thin, despite going through several personal tragedies. After taking over as a trainer for the Elric brothers, Izumi was given a depth that is not often seen tackled in anime, let alone tackled well.
Izumi and Sig felt love at first sight when he ran into her as she was carrying a bear. They got married eventually and tried to have a child, ultimately losing him during childbirth. Out of grief, Izumi tried to bring him back to life, failing and ending up extremely sick for the rest of her life. Sig stands by her every day as her rock, and that is love done well.
6 No Sense: Lujon & Lydia
Well, if Lust getting involved with Havoc was wrong, then her getting involved with Lujon was immensely worse, though Lust isn’t the only bad guy in the situation. Lujon was a talented young doctor who was engaged to Lydia, a young woman who had Fossil Disease. While the two had a fair relationship, it was discarded as Lujon fell for Lust, even leaving Lydia at the alter.
While Lujon was getting his love in another place openly, Lydia chased after him, believing their love to be stronger than the temptation of Lust, which was incorrect. After Lujon dies by Lust’s hands, Lydia ends up dying in his arms, making for a sad ending to an already sad relationship.
5 Perfect: Maes Hughes & Gracia
Quick, name the perfect husband and father in anime. Since we all know it isn’t Boruto’s Dad, the correct answer can only be Maes Hughes. A great investigator, Hughes met an extremely untimely death at the hands of the Homunculi as he was getting closer to learning certain truths about them.
Hughes was a man full of pure loving emotion when he talked about his wife and child. He is seen calling Roy Mustang just to gab about them and how much he loves them. His death is extremely poignant as he died because Envy transformed into his wife, causing him to hesitate to fight back because his love for her was so deep.
4 No Sense: Hohenheim & Trisha
It has to be stated that Hohenheim was a complex man and his reasons for abandoning his family make sense looking in from the outside. He is an unaging being who doesn’t want to see his family grow without him. However, he knew that going in, even being against seeing Trisha at first, but her attitude temporarily makes him forget who he is.
There is a certain level of awareness that Hohenheim has as a functionally immortal man, yet he disregards that to feel more human, only to turn away from it once more, eventually leading to the death of his wife. Plot-wise, this couple had to happen, but realistically it shouldn’t have.
3 Perfect: Mustang & Hawkeye
Since day one of Fullmetal Alchemist, there have been two primary couples for fans, the first being Mustang and Hawkeye. Even though their romantic entanglements are purposefully left unspoken, this couple survives together through the many tragic events over the course of the series.
Knowing each other from early in their lives, they have a strong connection, with Hawkeye being Mustang’s most trusted companion. They have genuine interactions and express real feelings throughout the series that make fans wish for a love like theirs, even if it wasn’t physically expressed through typical relationship staples such as hand-holding.
2 No Sense: King Bradley & Mrs. Bradley
This couple makes sense as far as cover stories go, seeing as two-thirds of the Bradley family are homunculi. When you look closer at the pair, it becomes truly sad for Mrs. Bradley, a woman who believes that she not only is loved but also has a deep connection to her husband and son.
There is a belief that Bradley and Selim did love Mrs. Bradley (that is her actual name), but their protective actions over her can also be seen as them trying to maintain their covers. In the end, she is a woman who cares for beings that cannot care for her back.
1 Perfect: Ed & Winry
As if there was any question about who would be the number one couple in this show. Ed and Winry are childhood friends who grew into fantastic young adults. They are both kind and sweet in their own ways and believe in the good while accepting the bad.
There are few more perfect scenes of love in anime than Ed trying to tell Winry his feelings by offering half of himself for half of her, only to be told that she wants to give and take the whole thing. It is a beautiful moment that had been being developed over the years as the series went on.