Hiromu Arakawa's smash-hit manga series Fullmetal Alchemist inspired a 2003 anime loosely based on its premise, and in 2009, the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood started airing. It soon became hugely popular with viewers and audiences alike, with its gripping plot, fun characters, creative battle scenes, and deep philosophy and real-world commentary.
Still, even a hit show like this may have some weaker episodes, and fans had a pretty lukewarm response to them. Some of the most popular episodes have cool fights and scary villains, while the so-so episodes mainly advance the plot through talk and adventure. These aren't bad episodes, but fans didn't quite take to them. Which are they? Let's look at the 10 lowest-rated episodes, according to IMDb. Note: this list excludes bonus episodes or animations, or those without a listed episode number.
10 Episode 29: "Struggle of the Fool" (7.7)
The first four episodes to appear on this list are all rated 7.7 out of 10. The fans may have liked these episodes okay, but none of these episodes were truly dazzling or thrilling compared to some others. In episode 29, a lot is happening, and this episode is really just meant to set up future events.
Envy leads Ed and Al out of Father's base and into the Central HQ, where Bradley threatens the Elric brothers to keep them under control. Elsewhere, Alphonse takes May to Dr. Knox for treatment, and Roy lets Armstrong in on the big secret: King Bradley is a homunculus.
9 Episode 7: "Hidden Truths" (7.7)
The Elric brothers are eager to uncover the truth about the Philosopher's Stone, and they arrive in Central to find that Dr. Marcoh's lab has been burned down! Fortunately, some officers lead them to a librarian named Sheska, who memorized all of the research notes.
Ed and Al are confronted with a heavily encoded set of data, and after some hard work, they crack the code... and don't like what they see. To verify all this, the brothers head off to Lab #5, but someone is watching them...
8 Episode 3: "City of Heresy" (7.7)
This episode is where the events of Fullmetal Alchemist really get going, though it's pretty tame compared to what is to come later on. Ed and Al arrive in the large town of Liore, watched over by a seemingly benevolent Father Cornello. His ring has a Philosopher's Stone, and once Ed and Al get on his bad side, a battle ensues.
The brothers subdue the Father, and find out that his Stone was a low-power imitation! Before they leave, the brothers console Roze and tell her to find courage and strength from within, not from miracles.
7 Episode 1: "Fullmetal Alchemist" (7.7)
And now for the very first episode, which features material that the source manga did not have. This is practically a filler episode, where the Elric brothers battle the ice-slinging alchemist Isaac McDougal. A fierce battle in nighttime Central ensues.
This rogue alchemist is certain that the military is horribly corrupt, and tries to talk the Elric brothers into taking his side. For now, though, Ed and Al are totally loyal to the state, and they defeat their foe with the aid of Roy and Armstrong. Bradley soon ends the ice alchemist's life with a sword strike.
6 Episode 31: "The 520 Cens Promise" (7.6)
This episode, taking place soon after "Struggle of the Fool," is more setup. Ed and Al are puzzled about how Scar and May didn't suffer from Father's alchemy nullification ability, and they resolve to locate May and find out for themselves. Roy, meanwhile, faces pressure from Bradley as his minions (like Falman and Riza Hawkeye) are scattered across Amestris.
The bad guys are still gathering power, and Envy picks up a newly-released Solf J. Kimblee and gives him a mission: find Scar, and kill him! Dr. Marcoh, meanwhile, is to be brought back to Father alive. Elsewhere, Scar and Dr. Marcoh have become travel companions, and Scar damages Dr. Marcoh's face to help disguise him.
5 Episode 15: "Envoy From the East" (7.5)
This episode is all over the place. To start with, Scar returns to his hideout and meets not only Yoki, but also a Xingese girl named May and her tiny panda friend, Shao Mei. Over in Rush Valley, Winry repairs Ed's automail, and Ed's group meets Prince Ling of Xing right there in the dusty street.
Ling is no ordinary boy; he's desperate to become emperor of Xing, and he's hunting the Philosopher's Stone. Ed warns him against it, but Ling's bodyguards, Fu and Lan Fan, attack. Ed and Al win that scuffle, and after the town is repaired (the battle caused some damage), Ling insists that he must complete his quest. So, Ed, Al, and Winry decide to escort him to Central.
4 Episode 6: "Road of Hope" (7.5)
Here is another episode that is meant primarily to set up what is to come. And no, there aren't any cool battle scenes, unless you count Ed and Al doing some light sparring. As pictured, Major Alex Armstrong brings the Elric brothers to a town to meet Dr. Marcoh, who refuses to show them the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone. But Ed still gets a lead.
There's other work to be done first. Ed and Al return to their hometown of Resembool, and Winry works hard to fix Ed's limbs. Once that's done, Ed repairs Al's body with alchemy, and the brothers are ready to resume the quest.
3 Episode 32: "The Fuhrer's Son" (7.4)
To clarify, "Fuhrer" refers to King Bradley, who sometimes goes by that title. Here, as with many other episodes on this list, a lot of things are simply being set up. Grumman passes some information on to Roy, who sends Alex Armstrong to pass it to the Elric brothers.
In a library, Ed and Al come face to face with Selim Bradley, King Bradley's young son, and the boy absolutely adores them. There is still some action, though. Ed and Al take a train north to pursue May, and Kimblee attacks Scar on a different north-bound train. Scar is forced to start traveling on foot, and Kimblee has some injuries to deal with.
2 Episode 11: "Miracle at Rush Valley" (7.1)
This episode is total filler, but at least it's somewhat interesting. The Elric brothers and Winry arrived at the famed Rush Valley, a haven for automail engineers. But trouble strikes: an acrobatic pickpocket named Paninya swiped Ed's state alchemist watch, and it's quite a workout catching her.
Later, Winry meets a master automail mechanic named Dominic, though he refuses to accept her as an apprentice. Soon, a heavy thunderstorm strikes and Dominic's daughter in law goes into labor. There's no chance to get to the hospital, so Winry takes responsibility and helps deliver the child.
1 Episode 27: "Interlude Party" (6.3)
It should come as no surprise that this episode settled right to the bottom of the list, since it is anime's most dreaded trope: a recap episode! Hohenheim and Pinako are at a fireside festival, and Hohenheim recalls... well, a bunch of stuff, really. It's not even interesting to describe.
By the end, Hohenheim awakens from sleep on board a train that's headed to Resembool, so we'll have to wait until episode 28 for some actual plot.