In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are the stars of the show. It was they who attempted human transmutation and embarked on a quest to make things right, and they directly challenged Father the homunculus for the fate of Amestris. History owes a lot to the Elric brothers.
They are alchemists on the open road, and they make all kinds of allies on the way, such as Colonel Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, but they have some enemies, too. And in some ways, the Elric brothers are quite different from one another, despite their shared upbringing and similar journey. How do they differ, and how are they similar after all?
10 Similar: Gold Theme
Although Alphonse Elric spends most of the series with his soul in a metal suit of armor, he naturally looks rather similar to his brother. Both Elric brothers have bright blond hair, and they have gold eyes to match.
This not only marks them as blood brothers, but the gold color ties into their father, Van Hohenheim. Hohenheim is the fabled "sage of gold" who brought alkahestry to Xing, and the Elric brothers are valuable to Father, like gold. And gold is a significant element in alchemy.
9 Different: Patience
The personalities of these brothers are markedly different, and it shows. Edward Elric is quick to anger, and he will take practically any verbal bait and end up in a fight or an argument. It's funny watching him snap at people who remark on his short stature.
By contrast, Alphonse is a patient and gentle person who would much rather avoid a fight or an argument, and that makes him much better at diplomacy than Edward is. But still, Ed can be useful for interrogating someone or intimidating an enemy.
8 Same: Seeing The Truth
Since Edward and Alphonse committed the human transmutation taboo together, they paid the price together, too. Both of them opened the Portal of Truth, but it was some time before Alphonse could perform alchemy without transmutation circles as Ed did.
Still, if they could do it all over again, the brothers wouldn't dare open the Portal of Truth again. Given the choice, they would live an ordinary life of ordinary human brothers and never go near the grinning Truth.
7 Different: Official Status
There are many state alchemists in the series, and some of them are quite powerful. For example, the aforementioned Roy Mustang, and Major Alex Louis Armstrong. It's not just a title; it is also a rank.
State alchemists have a similar rank as Major when they start out, and they have all kinds of privileges and rights within the Amestris military. Ed doesn't often cash in on those privileges, but he has them as a state alchemist. Alphonse, meanwhile, is not a state alchemist at all.
6 Same: Understanding Science
The Elric brothers grew up in Resembool, a remote town surrounded by pastures and dairy farms. Out there, the Elric brothers didn't have access to a university or a decent library, but they still managed to study a great deal of science and mathematics.
They're very smart boys, and from their childhood on, they were able to understand the science of just about anything. This gives them a serious edge as alchemists, able to create or break down just about any substance, including dynamite.
5 Different: Future Plans
The Elric brothers both strove to foil Father's plan and restore peace to the world. They succeeded, but that was where their paths diverged. For a couple of years after Father's downfall, the Elric brothers helped heal the world, then they parted ways.
Edward stayed in Resembool and married his childhood sweetheart, Winry Rockbell, and had a family with her. Alphonse, on the other hand, went to the faraway Xing to study alkahestry so he can help other people in new ways.
4 Same: Being Father's Sacrifices
Edward and Alphonse had to face the deadly homunculi more than once, but they weren't always in mortal danger. Why not? Because the Elric brothers were special sacrifices for Father's plans since they had both opened the Portal of Truth.
Father needed to sacrifice five people who had opened the Portal, and that included the Elric brothers. He even healed/repaired them when they met in person and urged them to be careful. Not every supervillain is so generous.
3 Different: Relationship To Hohenheim
Edward and Alphonse lost their mother, Trisha, but they still had their father. Van Hohenheim was an immortal wanderer, and he crossed paths with his sons a few times. And got a very different reception from each.
Edward is still angry about Hohenheim doing so little to prevent Trisha's death, and Ed and Hohenheim often butted heads during the story. Alphonse, by contrast, understood Hohenheim and forgave him, and got along with him every time they met.
2 Same: Bloodless Fighting Style
The Elric brothers are both skilled fighters, and they could easily form spikes, cannons, spears, and more to stab or slash their enemies and kill them. But they would never do such a thing because they are determined to heal the world, not soak it in blood.
Against any enemy, even the powerful monk Scar, the Elrics will aim to capture or chase off their enemies, not injure them. They might make exceptions for the homunculi, but as a whole, Ed and Al aim to win without anyone getting too badly hurt. No one needs to die.
1 Different: How They Emulate Hohenheim
In a fascinating twist of fate, the Elric brothers end up emulating their estranged father over time, even if the bitter Edward would rather not admit it. How they do so differs, however. On one hand, Edward actually physically resembled Hohenheim by the story's end, from his taller stature and his facial features to his ponytail, his suits, and how he started a family with Winry.
Alphonse mimicked his father by wandering off to Xing to learn about science and healing, aiming to help as many people as possible. That's what Hohenheim did in previous centuries when he traveled to Xing to bring them the secrets of Xerxian alchemy (thus creating alkahestry).