Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical "auto-mail" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone.

Barry the Chopper, the psychopathic killer whose soul is encased in a suit of armor, has been captured by Colonel Mustang's troops. Fearing he will reveal the Philosopher's Stone conspiracy, Gluttony and Lust decide to kill him, using Barry's own original soulless body to track him down! Though Colonel Mustang has anticipated their moves and set up an ambush, Gluttony and Lust prove too powerful and easily fight their way through to Barry, who is being protected by Al and Lieutenant Hawkeye. In a terrible battle, a badly injured Colonel Mustang sacrifices all in a last-ditch attempt to stop Lust!

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

85 people are currently reading
2167 people want to read

About the author

Hiromu Arakawa

355 books2,869 followers
Hiromu Arakawa (author: 荒川弘) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師 Hagane no renkinjutsushi).
Her real name is Hiromi Arakawa (荒川弘美).

Arakawa was born and raised on a dairy farm in Hokkaidō.
She thought of being a manga artist since she was little. After graduating high school, she took oil painting classes while working on her family's farm. During that time, she also created dōjinshi manga with her friends and drew yonkoma for a magazine. After eight years she moved to Tōkyō and started out as assistant writer for Hiroyuki Etō.
Her debut as manga artist is in 1999 with STRAY DOG. In 2001 she started working on her famous and award winning series Fullmetal Alchemist, that soon gets a successful anime adaptation.
Other works include Silver Spoon (銀の匙 Silver Spoon, Gin no saji Silver Spoon).

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
8,551 (68%)
4 stars
3,001 (24%)
3 stars
814 (6%)
2 stars
71 (<1%)
1 star
26 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
Profile Image for Caroline.
684 reviews966 followers
July 9, 2017
CAN I just say how much I love the little extras at the end of each volume?! They are always so funny and cute and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Also this volume was excellent! So many of the characters I love were in danger and it was seriously giving me heart trouble. The fight scenes were amazing and I think the art style is so awesome. I'm starting to really love Roy Mustang (it's taken a while!) because he cares so much about his team and is a badass in fights. The ending was really good as always with this manga so now I'm super excited to keep reading and find out what happens with Edward and his father.
Profile Image for Elena Rodríguez.
1,192 reviews492 followers
November 23, 2021
“I hate to lose..but if I must die. I’m glad it’s at the hands of a man like you. Those eyes, so clear and foccused. I love them. I look forward... to seeing those eyes become clouded from suffering. That day will come...very soon...”

He vuelto al manga y decir que lo dejé en una de las batallas más interesantes hasta el momento, tanto que tuve que releer unos capítulos anteriores para recordar exactamente el contexto. Creo que otra cosa que destaco es la profundidad de los personajes, poco a poco los vamos viendo evolucionar, sobre todo los personajes secundarios. Estos poco a poco están cogiendo más relevancia a la historia y no puedo estar más contenta. Qué gran manga tengo entre manos.

“You humans are such sad and weak…foolish creatures”.
Profile Image for freddie.
706 reviews93 followers
August 24, 2018
I love the little 'extra scene' section at the end of each volume so much.
description
Profile Image for Becky.
866 reviews75 followers
August 17, 2016
I really like this one because there was very little Ed, and I don't care about Ed.

Me: is their father the leader of the bad guys? He looks really similar.
Stephanie : honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you.
Me : is he like... his twin brother that he ate in the womb?
Stephanie : I mean, you're KIND of on the right track. ..
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,356 reviews282 followers
February 10, 2021
The conclusion to Roy Mustang's first major battle against the secret cabal is quite exciting and action packed, yet the creator still makes time for all the character moments that really are the reason I keep reading. I like how she keeps working in the human toll this kind of action fantasy takes on those who are involved in it.

The second half slows down with some exposition and the set-up for the next arc.
Profile Image for Subham.
3,071 reviews102 followers
June 18, 2021
This volume was so good as it finally delves into the war between the sins and some military members and well Roy gets injured but then we have him fighting List and we learn a little about Philosophers stone and all. The fight ends with a big win but they have to recover.

Somewhere else we see what the sins plans are. Ed and Armstrong go to Resembool to see their friend Maria alive and what all led to saving her which was such a genius twist and the whole explanations and meeting with the Ishbalan people was quite gut wrenching
And then the end wow.

This volume just made this manga so much better for me and just shows the stakes and people involved in it. Plus I live the art and the shading especially. The twists keep on coming and the drama on both sides will only increase with elements from here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Laura A. Grace.
1,968 reviews308 followers
July 20, 2022
This manga never fails to take me on an adventure and throw a curve ball that I don't expect, but this time I can say I was ever so grateful for this one!

I totally confess I had planned to take a break from reading the series because I felt there were too many characters dying even though I'm sure it wasn't THAT bad. (I'm just use to not reading militaristic reads and honestly felt every time I started to like someone, they ended up dying. :p)

Al for the win though! He is growing so much and SO proud of him! I loved his declaration and how he wanted to protect those around him, but OHHHHH BOYYYYY Roy Mustang! I feel he really exceeds my expectations when he's on page and do echo Al in that Ed and Roy are really similar. Both of them are fantastic characters and was SO happy to see of Ed in this volume too because I was sad when our brothers had to "split up."

Though goodness, I'm pretty sure I know who the ultimate villain is now? Can't say I'm happy about it and hoping the people this person has come in contact with are okay.

I feel really excited to start diving back into this series and not worrying about all these characters dying. LOL! Such a silly thing I realize, but I really love this whole cast of characters, even though I say that the one character death in this one is one I wasn't sad about it. LOL! (However, the other one I WAS sad about and never expected I would feel that way. *sobs*)

Overall, a really on the edge volume with some good twists!
Profile Image for Esma T.
526 reviews74 followers
December 7, 2016
Çok önemli gerçekler ortaya çıktı, bu Elric kardeşleri nasıl etkileyecek merak ediyorum. Loud'un başına gelenleri keyifle okudum, artık böyle bir hamle gerekiyordu seriye. Seri şimdilik çok güzel ilerliyor.
Profile Image for Zara.
482 reviews55 followers
November 20, 2022
4.25. Ohhh the next one is going to get spicy.
Profile Image for Anna.
271 reviews19 followers
February 20, 2017
Volume bellissimo, pieni di colpi di scena e azione!
Spoiler
La lotta tra Mustang e Lust mi ha stordita!Temevo davvero che Havoc fosse morto!Invece Mustang riesce non solo a salvare loro due,.ma riesce anche a uccidere l'omuncola!Fuori una!Ho adorato particolarmente il Colonnello in questo volume!Finalmente, come avevo il sospetto, ci viene rivelato che in realtà Maria Ross non è stata uccisa, ma Mustang ha elaborato un piano per fingere la morte della donna e portarla in un luogo sicuro. La gioia!Mustang davvero mi sta piacendo ad ogni volume sempre di piú.

Come se questa rivelazione non fosse stata giá scioccante....Ed torna alla sua cittá natale e incontro il padre. Padre che ricordiamo ha abbandonato lui e Al, portando la moglie a lavorare duramente per provvedere alla famiglia. I brividi gente. I brividi. Mi sono cosí tanto affezionata a questi personaggi che davvero alla vista del padre dei ragazzi ho provato io stessa una rabbia cieca. Tutto quello che è accaduto ai fratelli è in buona parte stato causato proprio da quest'uomo. Sono davvero curiosa di capire le motivazioni che l'hanno portato ad abbandonare la famiglia.
Profile Image for Juho Pohjalainen.
Author 5 books348 followers
July 9, 2020
It's funny how you can take a shocking and tragic development, and turn it almost comedic simply by showing the full perspective of what's really going on. I don't think the new revelation scene was even meant to be that comedic, but it came across that way for me anyway.

I also appreciate the foreshadowing with Hohenheim's introduction, and the name of his introducion chapter. Maybe that was not meant in such a way either - even an author such as Arakawa can't think of everything - but it works great from that angle nonetheless.

And of course, a great climactic showdown that got my blood pumping and gave me a good fresh impression of some characters. Shame about Barry, though.
Profile Image for Nərmin.
642 reviews174 followers
October 4, 2016
Firstly, I apologise to Roy Mustang, for calling him baka. He is one hell of a clever man! I was mad hearing Ross died, but then she is alive! Thanks, Roy Mustang, for keeping my faith in you.
The battle between Lust and Roy was terrific!
And then woah! Things are going to get real. Edward's father returned! I am excited to see where the hell he was. And of course, the confortation between Ed and father.
Profile Image for Jessy.
1,021 reviews70 followers
May 24, 2023
amo al coronel Mustang 😍
Profile Image for k.
270 reviews
April 14, 2022
mannnnnnnnn, this one was WILD.

was gonna have icebreaker be my next finished read but gr says I’m still two books behind so I just decided to pick up this one ANYWAY this one was WILD.......with the fight between the homunculi and mustang being relentless and a badass and lust dying and the friggin philosopher’s stone falling apart and then edward and alphonse having to wrestle with the idea of how they move with learning about Hughes and the homunculi and who is the wrong.....and then the dad coming back!!!!!! bih..........ok ok ok but lololol he’s already suspicious......

like I said, this vol was WILD
Profile Image for marko.
658 reviews
Read
August 11, 2023
U desetom nastavaku “Čeličnog alhemičara” (čiji bi alternativni naziv mogao da bude “Požudino srce i kamen mudrosti”) desilo se više stvari nego u prethodnih devet brojeva zajedno, and I’M HERE FOR IT.
Profile Image for Noura.
666 reviews60 followers
June 22, 2022
3.5

There wasn’t nearly enough of Edward in this volume. But I loved the reveals and the action and the beautiful little character moments that make this series truly special.

Also, how the fuck did the author manage to write an even more shocking cliffhanger than the previous volume???
Profile Image for Ali.
342 reviews3 followers
October 27, 2025
A gut-punch after a gut-punch followed by a gut-punch.

A deeply satisfying battle; I'm not over the previous homunculus destroyed (who was relatable to me on personal level), but this one was always fun to see as well.

As the story reaches wider, I might need to find a good map of the areas the story takes place in, but wow, those ruins this time! And their deeper implications!
Profile Image for King Haddock.
477 reviews19 followers
February 14, 2017
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Wow.

Just wow.

Where do I begin?

Maybe with the showdown between Lust and the good guys. Yes, I'll start there.

So there will always be really intense battle scenes in these sorts of novels. And there already had been quite a bit of action in the Fullmetal Alchemist series before Volume 10. But this long, drawn-out battle in which Lust actually really seemed to be winning took it up an intensity level such as has only been done maybe once or twice before, if even that. I was reading, shocked, as Lust mortally wounded not just Havoc, but one of my favorites, Mustang. Of course, I could not believe that our author Arakawa would actually kill off Mustang just yet, but even then, between her killing off Maria Ross and now seemingly Havoc and then giving Mustang a really close call (I would NOT believe he'd die just yet), I could not get over thinking, "HOW CAN YOU JUST KILL SO MANY PEOPLE AT ONCE?!!"

I really think I was reacting like Hawkeye when Lust told her she had killed Mustang. Oh yeah, I reacted like Hawkeye. Maybe not bawling over the pages literally, but still in that state of shocked mind where I wanted to shoot the crap out of Lust. Even if I KNEW that all these people couldn't be dead yet.

And they weren't, I'm happy to say. Usually I get annoyed at the author for "bringing characters back to life" through some plot twist just to give readers some happy sentimentality --- but I REALLY was grateful and happy to see that Arakawa preserved all three of the above names. Especially since I had come to believe Mustang killed Ross. I really, really hated that he had, and was a bit disturbed when I read that scene in the previous Volume of FMA, thinking something didn't add up with his character, but I failed to see how a twist could be made. Reading through what actually occurred behind the scenes between him and Barry made my jaw drop and my absurdly happy self celebrate this unexpected twist in plot.

Believe me, unexpected twists of plot are hard to come by when I've read so much. I can usually predict half a book or half a series before I'm halfway through it. Not so with FMA. Great twist in plot right there; it shows Mustang's big heart and it makes me smile.

So, that spoken of, I'll move to something else important:

Lust DIED!

Yes, that was pretty awesome to see. I almost want Arakawa to be toying with me, though. But judging from Gluttony's reaction to her death, maybe it is legitimate.

And then there's the scene where Barry's on the phone with Mustang and he pretends to be one of his ladies. Hilarious. Whenever Barry's face pops up on the pages, I immediately perk up, because I know something fun and epic is about to happen. I am usually not disappointed either.

Well, I guess here ends my review. If I can really call it a review. It's probably more of a babbling as I type out my reaction to having just finished it. But you know, whatever. The only people who are going to be reading this review are probably those who have gone through a significant portion of FMA anyway and are in the same state of mind: excited to be reading this series.

And the great thing is that I have people who have read to the end and can assure me this:

It'll only keep getting better.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ray Flores.
1,690 reviews255 followers
October 30, 2020
Mustang y sus subordinados se enfrentan contra Gluttony, Envy y Lust mientras que Barry “el carnicero” lucha contra su propio cuerpo original, ese que lo obligaron a abandonar para transmutar su alma a una armadura resistente, lo cual desata más preguntas sin responder.

En la lucha contra Lust, Mustang se muestra como alguien capaz de pensar por sí mismo y no sólo ser un soldado del ejército al que puedan manipular. Así pues, incapaz de perdonar a aquellos culpables de la muerte de su camarada Hughes, Lust perece ante su fuego calcinante.

Capítulos más tarde, conocemos el verdadero rostro del padre de los hermanos Elric y, como lo predije, es el mismo sujeto que está detrás de la creación de los homúnculos. Sin embargo, cuando se trata de los jóvenes alquimistas, parece más bien un ser pasivo en lugar de alguien atemorizante.

Ya para el final del volumen, se confirma que Maria Ross sigue con vida (también lo predije) pero debe de abandonar el país para evitar cualquier tipo de riesgo a su persona o a sus queridos.

Queda claro que quien obtiene información acerca de la Piedra filosofal pierde la vida de distintas maneras.

En este volumen se puede apreciar mejor la personalidad de Mustang y aunque no es de mis personajes favoritos, sí se nota el crecimiento a comparación de cuando le conocimos por primera vez.

Este volumen incluye los capítulos 38 – 41.

REVIEWS ANTERIORES:
Volumen 1 | Volumen 2 | Volumen 3 | Volumen 4 | Volumen 5 | Volumen 6 | Volumen 7 | Volumen 8 | Volumen 9
Profile Image for নাজমুল হাসান.
241 reviews12 followers
September 29, 2016
This volume had lots of revelations. First of all one of the biggest secret behind the Homunculis was revealed. Col. Mustang fights with his life on the line to save his subordinates. The Central gets pretty chaotic. Also a new Homunculi was mentioned but his face wasn't shown yet in this volume. Then the grand scheme made by Col. Mustang was revealed as well when Edward goes to visit the Xerxes Ruin in the desert. There he meets with more Ishvalians and learns from them the identity of Winry's parents' murderer. Lastly Elric brother's Father returns to their Hometown and Ed comes face to face with this incredibly mysterious man. What will come out of this chance meeting is waiting to be discovered in the next volume.
Profile Image for Angela.
778 reviews21 followers
November 13, 2014
This volume includes one of the most intense and game-changing battles so far. I usually skim through the fight scenes, but this one kept my attention and stuck with me long after I finished the book. There is some good character development, especially with Mustang. And of course, there’s a healthy dose of random humor. The conspiracies continue to deepen and have me eager to read the next book.

• Mild language
• No sexual content
• Battle violence
Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.