The episodes from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist are based on the manga of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa. Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques, the story follows two alchemist brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to recover parts of their bodies lost in an attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy.
Fullmetal Alchemist was first aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) in Japan from October 4, 2003, to October 2, 2004. It later aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in the United States from November 6, 2004, through March 18, 2006. A theatrical release titled Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, a sequel to the television series, premiered in Japanese theaters on July 23, 2005; and it premiered in the U.S. on August 24, 2006. A series of five original video animations (OVAs) were also released. The majority of these OVAs are side stories and do not expand on the plot. In 2009, a new anime, named Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the English release, started broadcast on TV Tokyo being directed by Yasuhiro Irie.
The first series has been released in a series of thirteen DVDs from December 17, 2003, to January 26, 2005, in Japan. Funimation also released the same series of DVDs from February 8, 2005, to September 12, 2006, in the United States. MVM had released the first eight volumes in the United Kingdom; however, Funimation gave the rights over to Revelation Films. In March 2006 a DVD featuring the OVAs was released in Japan with the name of Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium Collection. Funimation acquired and dubbed the Premium Collection, which was released on August 4, 2009. During January from 2009, Bones released a "DVD box archives" of the anime. It includes the first anime of 51 episodes, the film, the CD soundtracks, and guidebooks from the series.