Produced by Bones, the series is directed by Yasuhiro Irie, written by Hiroshi Ōnogi and composed by Akira Senju.

Reviewers noted its faithfulness to the manga and its introduction of characters and plot details that were not present in the 2003 anime; the climactic episodes were also lauded for both their action scenes and moral messages.

Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young, and while in Trisha's care they began to show an affinity for alchemy and became curious about its secrets.

In a last attempt to keep his brother alive, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al's soul back and binds it to a nearby suit of armor.

After Edward receives automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers burn down their house, symbolizing their determination and decision of "no turning back", and head to the capital city to become government-sanctioned State Alchemists.

After passing the exam, Edward is dubbed the "Fullmetal Alchemist" by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to regain their full bodies back through the fabled Philosopher's Stone under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang.

Bones produced Brotherhood with Yasuhiro Irie as director, Hiroshi Ōnogi as writer,[13][14] and Akira Senju as composer.

[18] When the manga was nearing its completion in May 2010, Irie announced that the Bones staff was already working on the final episodes adapting the ending and expressed shock at the series' conclusion.

From episode 27–38, the respective opening and ending themes are "Golden Time Lover" by Sukima Switch and "Tsunaida Te" (つないだ手, lit.

From episodes 51–62, the respective opening and ending themes are "Rain" (レイン, Rein) by Sid and "Ray of Light" by Shoko Nakagawa.

[37][38] In the United Kingdom, Manga Entertainment released the series in five DVD and Blu-ray volumes during 2010 and 2011,[39][40] and later in a two-part box set.

[47] Madman Entertainment distributed the series in Australia;[48][49] it was broadcast in Canada on Super Channel;[50] and in the Philippines on TV5's AniMEGA anime programming block.

The site's critic consensus reads: "With impeccable world-building, rollicking action, and emotionally intelligent themes, all the elements come together to make this Fullmetal Alchemist reboot a pristine distillation of the shounen genre.

[56] Smith judged the pace of the first 14 episodes to be quicker than their original-series counterparts, which he interpreted as the series presuming the viewer is already familiar with the characters.

[56] Smith also observed that while this approach enables reaching the more "exciting" story elements faster, it does exclude enjoyable moments with supporting characters, such as Winry and Major Hughes, found in the first adaptation.

[61] Much praise was given to the climactic episodes for the way the action scenes and morals were conveyed; many reviewers found them superior to the conclusion of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime.

Critics found the conclusion satisfying; Mark Thomas of The Fandom Post called it a "virtually perfect ending to an outstanding series".