Who created Fullmetal Alchemist and when was it first published?
Fullmetal Alchemist was written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. Its first chapter was published in the August 2001 issue of Monthly Shōnen Gangan on the 12th of July 2001.
Questions about Fullmetal Alchemist
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How many copies has Fullmetal Alchemist sold worldwide?
By July 2021, Fullmetal Alchemist had 80 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Square Enix reported 70.3 million copies sold worldwide as of April 2018, with 16.4 million of those outside Japan.
What awards did Fullmetal Alchemist win?
Fullmetal Alchemist won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category in 2004, the UK Eagle Award for favorite manga in 2010 and 2011, and the 42nd Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011. Arakawa also received the New Artist Prize at the fifteenth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2011.
What is the difference between the two Fullmetal Alchemist anime series?
The first anime, which aired from 2003 to 2004, is a loose adaptation with a mostly original story and a different ending from the manga. The second series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, aired from 2009 to 2010 and faithfully adapts the original manga story.
What inspired Hiromu Arakawa to create Fullmetal Alchemist?
Arakawa became interested in alchemy after reading about the philosopher's stone, then researched the subject extensively. The concept of equivalent exchange was inspired by watching her parents work a farm in Hokkaido. Her visual setting drew from reading about England during the Industrial Revolution, which she incorporated as the series' steampunk aesthetic.
How long did Fullmetal Alchemist run and how many volumes does it have?
The series ran for nine years, from July 2001 to June 2010, across 108 chapters serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan. Square Enix collected the chapters into 27 tankōbon volumes, released between January 2002 and November 2010.