Fullmetal Alchemist: The Most Powerful Alchemists

More and more people have come to realize that anime is a great storytelling medium, and it helps when series like Fullmetal Alchemist exist. The manga began in 2001, and it spawned two anime series, including the 2009 anime which covered the entire story. Many consider Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to be one of the best anime of all time because it features great action and an incredible story with fundamentally well-written characters.

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The series revolves around Alchemy, a power system that is an ancient metaphysical science that allows individuals to manipulate and alter matter with natural energy. Alchemy has certain laws and restrictions, with Equivalent Exchange being paramount. It states that in order to create something, something of equal value must be destroyed and vice versa. Fans have seen several Alchemists in the series, but some are far more skilled than others.

Updated on October 31, 2023, by George Voutiritsas: It has been more than a decade since the story of Fullmetal Alchemist came to an end, and it is still regarded as one of the best-written manga and anime series of all time. It follows the Elric brothers as they attempt to get their original bodies back. The series also deals with issues such as war, discrimination, greed, and scientific advancement. Alchemy is the driving force behind this advancement, but it can also be used as a weapon, and it can be quite destructive and deadly. Fans of the series know who the strongest alchemists are, but there are a number of other alchemists from a movie and video games who deserve to be recognized for their skills as well.

21 Julia Crichton

Julia Crichton was one of the protagonists of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, the movie that was released after the events of FMA: Brotherhood. It may not be part of the official canon, but Julia is still a noteworthy alchemist. She specializes in medical alchemy, which she can use to heal small wounds.

She is a strong-willed woman who wishes to restore her nation to its former glory, but she is not a fan of using the Philosopher’s Stone because it would involve sacrificing too many innocent lives. That being said, when she does use the Philosopher’s Stone, she can perform powerful alchemy which allows her to release lightning, water, ice, and earth. Without the stone, though, she is not much of a fighter

20 Shou Tucker

Shou Tucker earned his State Alchemist license two years before the start of the series, and the only reason he was able to obtain it was because he created a chimera that was capable of speech. He specialized in Bio-Alchemy, which is why he was called the Sewing-Life Alchemist.

Tucker was a terrible human being. He was manipulative, selfish, and delusional. He was not a fighter, but no one can deny the fact that he was a fairly talented alchemist. It is true that he sacrificed his wife and daughter to create his prized chimeras, but he was able to perform the advanced form of alchemy nonetheless.

19 Scar’s Brother

Unlike most anime brothers, not much is known about Scar’s brother. In fact, no one even knows his real name. He was known for being a kind man with a thirst for knowledge, and that thirst led him down the path of Alchemy and Alkahestry.

His alchemy knowledge was so great that he discovered the unnatural flow of alchemy, and developed a reverse transmutation circle to fix the issue. Even Dr. Marcoh had difficulty understanding his research. Scar’s brother was a pacifist, so he did not use alchemy as a weapon. But during the Ishvalan war, he used alchemy to save Scar’s life, and he gave Scar the iconic right arm that he uses to kill State Alchemists.

18 Tim Marcoh

Dr. Tim Marcoh was known as the Crystal Alchemist, and he deserted the State Military because of the atrocities he committed during the war with Ishval. He was the lead researcher of a military project designed to create Philosopher’s Stones, and his research proved to be successful.

His method involved sacrificing a number of innocent lives, which explains why he suffers from PTSD. He possesses a unique transmutation circle on his right palm, and with it, he can deconstruct a Philosopher’s Stone with a single touch. This includes the Stone found in each Homunculus. Marcoh is by no means a fighter, but he can use his Alchemy in very creative ways.

17 Seraphy Royce

Seraphy Royce appeared in Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo – a Game Boy Advance game that was released in 2004. He was a kind and caring person who participated in the Ishval Civil War when he was a State Alchemist. He was known as the Tuning Alchemist, and when he could not deal with the pressures of war, he was stripped of his certification.

This caused Seraphy to seek revenge against the military. While he was a State Alchemist, he specialized in medical alchemy, but when he left, he began focusing on bioalchemy. As a result, he created multiple Chimera that were bred for combat. He was able to create an Ultimate Chimera that could continuously regenerate, and he went on to merge with it—thus becoming a powerful hybrid that could withstand other alchemy-based attacks.

16 Giolio Comanche

Giolio Comanche is arguably the oldest State Alchemist in the series, and he participated in the Ishvalan War. In fact, he was the only State Alchemist who smiled when the order to deploy was given. He goes toe-to-toe with Scar until the Ishvalan destroys his peg leg, which causes him to fall into a river.

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Comanche was known as the Silver Alchemist because of his skill with metal, which he used to create weapons like swords, shuriken, and chained blades during battle. He had transmutation circles tattooed on the palms of his hands, as well as a number of alchemical markings tattooed on his fingers. Despite his age, Comanche was a capable fighter. who could turn himself into a deadly spinning top.

15 Issac McDougal

Issac McDougal is an original character who was introduced in the first episode of FMA: Brotherhood. He was once a State Alchemist, but he resigned from the military shortly after the Ishvalan Civil War. He was skilled with water-based Alchemy, and he would often freeze the water that he used, which is why he was named the “Freezing Alchemist.”

He could control large amounts of water, as well as any liquid source that possessed the essence of water. The ice he created could withstand Mustang’s flames, and if he touched someone, he could kill them by freezing or boiling the blood within their body. McDougal’s skill with ice was so great that he was able to immobilize all of Central Headquarters by himself.

14 Aston Martins

Aston Martins is another State Alchemist who was introduced in Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo. He is pretty laid-back most of the time, but he becomes far more focused and ruthless during battle. Aston is very interested in the Samurai Code, which explains why he trained to become a skilled swordsman.

He is known as the Thunder Alchemist because of his fondness for electricity. He mainly combined his electrical alchemy with his sword skills. By doing this, he was able to enhance his sword’s cutting power. Roy Mustang knew how skilled Aston was, which is why he personally recommended him for a dangerous mission involving multiple chimera. He took out an especially dangerous chimera by overloading it with electricity.

13 Basque Grand

Basque Grand rose to the rank of Brigadier General, making him one of the highest-ranking State Alchemists. During the Ishvalan Civil War, he led Amestris forces to a number of victories on the Eastern battlefield.

He was known as the Iron Blood Alchemist because he utilized a pair of gauntlets with metallic plating and rings that had alchemical markings on them. When he slammed the gauntlets together, he created transmutation circles. He was a master in hand-to-hand combat, but he specialized in creating functional armaments and canons out of rock and stone.

12 Jack Crowley

Jack Crowley is the main antagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir – a PS2 game that was released in the Fall of 2004. He lost his State Alchemist certification a long time ago. He was known as the Silver Bullet Alchemist, and he tried to bring his girlfriend back to life via Human Transmutation. This is the reason why he was able to perform Alchemy without Transmutation Circles.

Crowley used his Alchemy knowledge to create an army of Golems, and he used his soul-binding skills to bind his soul to some of those Golems. This allowed Crowley to stay alive. He was able to fight the Elric brothers on even ground for a time, and he was able to withstand Mustang’s flames.

11 Ashleigh Crichton

Ashleigh Crichton is Julia’s older brother, and he serves as the main villain of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos. As a child, Ashleigh studied the alchemy notes that his parents made, and he stumbled upon his parents being killed by an attacker named, Atlas. Ashleigh survived the encounter, but he was left horribly disfigured.

The only reason he lived is that he swallowed the Sanguine Star, which was actually a Philosopher’s Stone. He assumed a different identity and became a high-ranking member of the Cretan military. He could control a unit of wolf chimeras, and if he had not been stopped, he would have destroyed the Milosians because of how they treated his family. All of Ashleigh’s power came from the stone, but it was still incredible power.

10 Mei Chang

Mei Chang is one of the many princesses of the Xingese Empire, and she ventures to Amestris to learn about the Philosopher’s Stone. She does this because her father wishes to find the secret to immortality, and if she is successful, the Chang family will be elevated at the royal court.

Mei is capable of using Alkahestry, which is classified as a slightly different form of alchemy. Alkahestry focuses on the natural energy found in the world and living things. The term Chi is used to describe the flow of this natural energy, and it allows Alkahestrists like Mei to use advanced medical transmutations to heal people. She uses throwing knives to enhance the range of her attacks. Mei is considered an Alkahestry prodigy who can use Chi to track others, and she can use it to learn how their abilities work.

9 Alphonse Elric

Edward unintentionally caused a great deal of mayhem throughout the series, and his little brother was by his side for most of it. Alphonse lost his body when he and Ed tried to bring their mother back to life, but Ed was able to affix his soul to a suit of armor.

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Alphonse was brought before his Gate of Truth during this failed Human Transmutation attempt, and as a result, he gained the ability to perform alchemy without the need for transmutation circles. In terms of intellect, he is a prodigy like his brother, and his skill with Alchemy allowed him to take on Pride, the second oldest Homunculus.

8 Scar

When Scar was first introduced, he was considered to be a villain because he was actively hunting down and killing State Alchemists in order to avenge his fellow Ishvalans, but he and Ed eventually ended up working together for the greater good. Scar was originally an Ishvalan warrior-monk, which explains why he is a competent hand-to-hand fighter.

Scar does not consider himself to be an alchemist, but he uses it nonetheless when he uses the Transmutation Array tattooed on his right arm. This type of alchemy is quite powerful and advanced, and it allows him to destroy anything that his arm touches via comprehension and deconstruction. He was able to fight Ed to a virtual standstill, and he managed to defeat Wrath—the Homunculus who possessed an all-seeing eye.

7 Alex Louis Armstrong

Major Alex Louis Armstrong is known as the Strong Arm Alchemist because he incorporates his physical prowess into his alchemy. This is a special type of combat alchemy that has been passed down through his family for generations, and he uses a pair of metal gauntlets that are marked with Transmutation Circles.

He transmutes objects by punching them, and he mainly uses this ability to create spikes, walls, and other objects when he hits the ground. He was able to fight Sloth, the most physically imposing Homunculus.

6 Kimblee

Kimblee, otherwise known as the Crimson Alchemist, was a recurring antagonist who served directly under King Bradley as a special agent. He is known for using a special type of combustion-based combat alchemy, and he was imprisoned for using it against civilians during the Ishvalan War.

He has transmutation arrays tattooed on his palms which allow him to create explosions that follow the law of equivalent exchange. If he has a Philosopher’s Stone, he can ignore the law and produce explosions that are far more powerful. The Stone also allows him to create explosions with just one hand instead of two.

5 Izumi Curtis

Everyone needs a teacher, including Edward and Alphonse, who were lucky enough to be trained by Izumi Curtis for six months. She is a skilled martial artist, but more importantly, she is a master alchemist who saw her Gate of Truth when she attempted a Human Transmutation of her own.

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Izumi may have lost most of her internal organs in the exchange, but she gained the ability to perform alchemy without Transmutation Circles. Her style of alchemy mainly focuses on her surroundings, which she uses to her advantage. She can produce metal during combat, and she can knock out an opponent by targeting the flow of ions in their nerves. She can take out multiple opponents at once, and she was able to briefly overpower Sloth.

4 Roy Mustang

Roy Mustang may be a side character, but he plays a major role in the story. He is Edward’s superior officer and a recognized war hero, but he is also an extremely powerful and dangerous alchemist. He is known as the Flame Alchemist because of his use of fire.

Mustang uses a pair of white cloth gloves which have flame-oriented Transmutation Circles embroidered onto them, and they allow him to alter the oxygen levels around him. He can create intense flames by snapping his fingers, flames that are able to severely damage Envy and kill Lust.

3 Van Hohenheim

Van Hohenheim is Edward and Alphonse’s father. He unintentionally became the first Human Philosopher’s Stone hundreds of years ago when he decided to trust a Homunculus who ended up destroying the kingdom of Xerxes. This is the reason behind Hohenheim’s immortality and the reason he can heal like a Homunculus.

He is the oldest alchemist alive, and his power is quite extensive. Not only does he not require Transmutation Circles, but he can also perform alchemy without even moving. He is able to perform biological transmutations that go against Equivalent Exchange, and he can use alchemy in multiple locations at the same time.

2 Edward Elric

Edward Elric may be short-tempered, but his knowledge of alchemy and the physical world makes him one of the smartest shonen anime protagonists of all time. He is known as the Fullmetal Alchemist because of his automail arm and leg, but he often creates metal weapons for combat.

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He does not require Transmutation Circles to perform alchemy, instead, he simply claps his hands together. Thanks to his genius-level intellect, Edward is essentially a master of his surroundings, and best of all, he can incorporate his opponent’s style into his own, which means he can adapt to situations very quickly. Father was still a god when Greed weakened him, but Ed was able to beat him by punching a hole in his chest.