Fullmetal Alchemist: Breaking Down the Non-Canon Ending of Elric Brothers

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most popular anime series, as its intricate plot and character development have a universal appeal. 

Its dark setting, tactical foreshadowing, and unexpected twists are bound to get you hooked; it has the perfect balance of humor to lighten your grim day. 

The franchise has two anime adaptations, Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (2009).

In this article, we will explain Fullmetal Alchemist’s ending, which was non-canon, as it deviated from the manga’s ending, which was still ongoing.

Fullmetal Alchemist anime concluded with its movie, “Conqueror of Shamballa,” where Edward Elric tries to return to his world (Amestris, Shamballa) after living for two years in the parallel world (Earth).

This is because, at the end of the series, she ordered Envy to kill Alphonse during the final encounter with Dante.

In desperation to salvage Alphonse, Edward carried out the forbidden transmutation by sacrificing his gate. 

This had the consequence of “Truth” intervening. During this vulnerable moment, Dante pushes Edward to the other side of the gate, resulting in him landing on Earth and losing his alchemic abilities. 

Meanwhile, Alphonse had been restored to his body because of the Law of Equal exchange in Alchemy.

The movie “Conqueror of Shamballa” takes two years after the series of events where the brothers had been separated. 

Edward had been living in Munich, Germany (Earth), in 1923 and was working as a rocket scientist, hoping to find a way back to his home, Amestris. 

He made friends with a young man named Alfons Heiderich, who was like Alphonse’s counterpart and even resembled him.

Edward rescued a Roamni woman named Noah from being sold and used for her psychic abilities. Noah was like Rose’s counterpart.

Meanwhile, the Thule Society was introduced, an enigmatic group of Pro-Nazis led by Karl Haushofer and Dietlinde Eckhart. 

They opened a gate to Amestris, believing that it was the utopia, Shamballa, and used its power to give impetus to the Nazis after being influenced by Hohenheim.

The soldiers sent through the portal are transformed into zombie-like creatures and enter the city of Loire (Reole). Alphonse happened to be there as well and engaged in battle. 

Meanwhile, Edward meets a man who is King Bradley’s counterpart. He was a Jewish film director named Fritz Lang and was looking for a dragon for his film.

Guess what? The dragon they had been looking for was the Homunculus Envy, which the Thule society used to open the portal. 

Edward infiltrated the Thule society headquarters and inadvertently reopened the portal.

This led to the zombie-like creatures being transported back to Earth, and Edward briefly reunited with Alphonse’s soul.

This sparked a fire of determination in him to return to his real home and be reunited with Alphonse. 

Alphonse sacrificed Wrath and Gluttony to open another gate to Earth. This happened at the same time when the Thule society also opened a gate. 

Edward learned the true intentions of the Thule society and how they would harness that energy to aid Adolf Hitler in his revolution. 

With both worlds converging, Dietlinde Eckhart (leader of the Thule Society) led a fleet into Amestris and attacked the central city. 

Edward was reunited with Alphonse and Winry. With Roy Mustang’s help, they fight Eckhart and her soldiers. 

Alphonse can send Eckhart back to Earth, where she was killed by an officer who was the counterpart of Maes Hughes.

However, the portal connecting Amestris and Earth was still open. Edward knew about the consequences, so he decided to go back to Earth and seal the portal while he had asked Alphonse to fill the other end from Amestris.

Fortunately, Alphonse followed Edward and had Roy Mustang seal the portal in Amestris.

Alphonse had made it alive, but his counterpart, Alfons, had died.

After Alfon’s funeral, the Elric brothers continued their journey with the counterparts of Lust and Scar on Earth to destroy the Uranium bomb to make their new home a better place.

The movie ended on a happy note; however, If you’ve watched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, it’s disheartening to know that Edward didn’t end up with Winry in this version. 

On the bright side, the military dictatorship was dissolved in Amestris after the death of King Bradley. 

A parliamentary system was set up, and the surviving Ishbalans had their land returned to them. 

About Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga-based anime written by Hiromu Arakawa. It was first published in Monthly Shonen Gangan. The story is about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse.

Both of them gifted with the powers of alchemy. While trying to bring their mother back to life, they fail and are left with severely damaged bodies. They then begin their quest for the philosopher’s stone, which is the only thing that would save them.