Fullmetal Alchemist is an incredible manga series that was adapted into 2 really popular anime series. One of these series is named after the manga directly, and the other is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The original series was actually in production while the manga was being written, meaning that it was only lined up with the manga during about the first quarter of its production.
This means that the series is suffering from some serious Game Of Thrones syndrome, and really has too many differences from the original show to not completely overfill a 10-point list. Even though FMA: Brotherhood is derived from much more complete source material, it still contains a good deal of differences that'll be detailed here.
10 There's An Entire New Chapter After The End
In the final chapter of the manga, Alphonse hasn't fully recovered, but we see that the alchemists are safely at home with Winry, at the Rockbell house. They receive a mysterious package that contains within it Alphonse's old armor.
After deciding that Alphonse doesn't want to keep it since it would end up dusty in an attic somewhere, they decide that they're going to repurpose it by gifting the metal to people who are in need of new auto-mail limbs either due to their adventures throughout the series or due to unrelated mishaps. When they go outside, they see that the helmet has become home to a family of birds.
9 The Ice Alchemist Was Added Purely In Brotherhood
The Ice Alchemist, Isaac Macdougal, is a former official of central who understands that Fuhrer King Bradley has some sort of dark secret he's attempting to keep hidden from everyone else. After deciding that he's got to atone for his sins during the Ishvalan massacre, he's confronted by the alchemist brothers Ed and Alphonse, only to distract them and leave.
He later starts a fight with Mustang and Armstrong in which Al and Ed are involved, but escapes yet again, appearing to be a villain at this point. He jets down an alley and finally confronts the fuhrer, only to be sliced in half immediately by his sword. The show definitely likes hinting at the endgame much more than the manga does, since this already sets up Bradley to be a bit of a harsh, if not wrathful man.
8 Havoc's Legs Hadn't Made A Full Recovery In The Manga
Havoc is a bit of a hard-working country boy, and one of Mustang's closest confidants. He's been through a whole lot of abuse compared to a lot of the other characters in the series, after being stabbed in the stomach by Lust who's been posing as a woman named Solaris who pretends to be his girlfriend.
It's revealed shortly after that that Havoc is unable to feel his legs. He's bedridden for most of the rest of the series, but in Brotherhood, it's shown that he's healed. By the end of the manga, the best he gets is physical therapy.
7 Greed Gets Crucified In The Manga
In the English version of the manga and in the series, we see that greed isn't crucified, but instead either hung from a large stone slab or tied to a big metal pillar.
It seems as if the symbolism here isn't one of a martyr or anything like that, but almost like Wrath and Father are punishing Judas for his sin of greed.
6 Entire Side-Stories Are Omitted From Brotherhood
Two entire characters are omitted from Brotherhood thanks to the creators cutting out side-stories that were most likely deemed unnecessary to the main story. One of the characters is Catherine Armstrong, who's the youngest sister of Major Alex Louis Armstrong and Major General Olivier Armstrong.
The events that unfold surrounding them are mostly concerned with an affair about who gets the Armstrong mansion. The other character who is left out for some reason is a very cute pup by the name of Black Hayate, Riza Hawkeye's Shiba Inu.
5 Hohenheim's Death Is More Drawn Out In Brotherhood
The death scene that Hohenheim undergoes is tragic, but it makes sense given that there's nothing left for him to see at this point, and everything he's done is atoned for.
We see him sitting over the grave of his wife after being reunited with his children to be found there with a smile on his face.
4 The Brothers' Origin Story Is Shown Later In The Manga
In Brotherhood, we see that the brothers went through their traumatic introduction to alchemy much earlier, when they're on a train to Reole, wherein the manga we don't know what their origin story is until they go to see their teacher in Dublith.
3 Bald And The Blue Squad Don't Exist In Brotherhood
In the Manga and in the 2003 series, we see the brothers in a battle with an alchemist named Bald, who's hatched a plan to kidnap Hakuro so the blue squad can hold him hostage in exchange for their captured leader.
This scene actually didn't even happen offscreen in Brotherhood, because if it had, Hakuro would appear with an injured ear throughout the series.
2 Father Doesn't Show Up Until Issue 31 In The Manga
The reveal of Father in the first episode of Brotherhood probably shouldn't have happened so early, and in the manga, it didn't. In the manga, we see that Father and Von Hohenheim's actions are synced up almost perfectly so that the reader doesn't know who's who.
The reader isn't even sure they're separate people until a while after the start of the manga, and in the show, it seems like there must be a conspiracy immediately, and that there's a hidden hand directing the events that'll happen later.
1 Kimblee Shouldn't Be In The First Episode Either
Kimblee is a lackey of Fuhrer King Bradley who's constantly working his evil craft behind the scenes so that everything ends up working according to Bradley's plans, and by extension also Father's.
He shows up in chapter 13 of the manga but in episode 1 of Brotherhood. This sets up the character to be someone really important, but it seems like a misstep since the viewer has no real clue who he is.