Fullmetal Alchemist

In a rural town in Amestris, Edward and Alphonse attempt to resurrect their mother Trisha through human transmutation. The ritual backfires catastrophically: Edward loses his left leg, and Alphonse's soul is dragged into the Gate of Truth as his body is destroyed. To save his brother's soul, Edward sacrifices his remaining right arm and binds Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor.

With their bodies badly damaged, Edward and Alphonse receive automail prosthetics to replace their missing limbs. The town's automail mechanic forges their new limbs, and his granddaughter Winry Rockbell becomes a trusted ally and friend. The automail enables them to continue their dangerous pursuit of alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone.

Edward is invited by Colonel Roy Mustang to join the military and soon becomes the youngest State Alchemist, earning the title Fullmetal Alchemist. The appointment grants him influence and access to powerful, questionable resources. Alphonse supports his brother from the shadows as they pursue a way to restore their bodies.

Years after becoming State Alchemists, the brothers embark on a long quest to obtain the legendary Philosopher's Stone, hoping it can restore their bodies. Their pursuit takes them across Amestris to dangerous laboratories and secretive factions, drawing new allies and deadly enemies. They cling to the belief that the Stone can bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange.

Major General Hakuro helps the brothers after another failed attempt to obtain the Stone. He introduces them to a harsher reality about state alchemy and the people who profit from it. Hakuro's presence expands their understanding of systemic corruption within the military.

Hakuro directs them to Shou Tucker, a bioscience alchemist who earned his State Alchemist credential by creating a talking chimera. Tucker's experiments push ethics to the breaking point, showing how far some alchemists will go for power. The brothers realize the stone's power may come at an unbearable price.

Hakuro points them to Dr. Tim Marcoh, who once crafted a Philosopher's Stone and then went into hiding. Edward and Alphonse search for Marcoh, hoping his knowledge can guide them toward a cure. Marcoh's notes hint at the Stone's true moral cost.

Edward and Winry locate Marcoh, only to discover that Lust has murdered him. The loss hardens their resolve to uncover the truth behind the Stones and the military's complicity. The team mourns Marcoh while continuing their mission.

Back at Tucker's home, Edward and Winry confront Tucker as he has transmuted his young daughter Nina and his dog into a talking chimera, hoping to preserve his State Alchemist credentials. They arrest him, but he tries to turn Alphonse against Edward, triggering a tense confrontation between the brothers. The ethical line is crossed, and the brothers confront the consequences of their choices.

Maes Hughes uncovers crucial notes from Marcoh revealing dangerous truths about Philosopher's Stones. He is killed by Lust's associate Envy, cutting a key source of support for Edward. The discovery deepens the conspiracy surrounding the military and the stones.

Using Marcoh's notes, Edward winds his way to the clandestine Fifth Laboratory where Tucker holds Alphonse and Winry hostage. A dangerous standoff ensues as Edward fights to rescue his brother and friend. He begins to confront the grim reality of human experimentation and the cost of their pursuit.

Edward learns that Philosopher's Stones are created from human lives, a revelation that shatters his faith in the Stone's ethics. He breaks down under the weight of the truth and confronts the scope of his and his brother's actions. The moral price of their quest becomes impossible to ignore.

Lust kills Tucker, exposing herself as a homunculus. Hakuro's duplicity is revealed as he orchestrated the Stones' use and activates a Mannequin Soldier army powered by the Stones; the mastermind is killed by the very force he unleashed. Mustang kills Lust and tears out the Philosopher's Stone powering her body, signaling a collapse of the conspiracy.

Mustang tears out Lust's Stone and offers Edward the power to restore Alphonse, but the brothers refuse to rely on human lives for power. Edward instead uses the Stone to reach the Gate of Truth and appears beside his brother's corporeal body, vowing to seek another way to restore him. This marks a turning point in their quest.

In a mid-credits scene, Envy is revealed to have survived Mustang's attack, escaping its parasitic form from the charred remains of its host. The threat lingers as the credits roll.