'This Will Definitely Not Sell:' Fullmetal Alchemist Creator Thought FMA Would Be Canceled After Two Volumes (2024)

Hiromu Arakawa, the author and illustrator of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, didn’t believe the popular dark fantasy series would make it past its second volume release. In a resurfaced interview, Arakawa explains why she had little faith in Fullmetal Alchemist -- and what would have happened if her prediction had come true.

Japanese entertainment website Febri interviewed Arakawa about her career as a manga artist in May 2017 for its magazine release, which was then reprinted in March 2021; the interview has once again been trending at #1 on the site in recent days. In the interview, Arakawa discussed her rural upbringing as a child in a family of farmers and her early interests in manga and illustration. As the interview digs deeper into Arakawa’s professional career as a manga artist, she revealed that she didn’t believe Fullmetal Alchemist would go on to spawn 27 manga volumes, let alone two anime TV series adaptations and movies. She wasn’t even sure it would make it past its second volume, as Monthly Shonen Gangan, the Japanese manga magazine owned by Square Enix, would typically cancel a series if it sold poorly after two volume releases.

"The first issue was published in color, but after that I didn't get any color," Arakawa said. "So I thought, 'Oh, it's not popular,' and I felt relieved (laughs). In Monthly Shonen Gangan, it is canceled at the earliest after about two volumes of a book, so I was also considering that pattern. If it doesn't work out, I'll just go 'next, next, next.' That's why when I heard the number of copies of the first volume, I thought, 'This will definitely not sell.' I talked to my editor and said, 'If it doesn't sell, let's go around the north together and sell it' (laughs)."

However, Fullmetal Alchemist would go on to become one of Square Enix’s best-selling franchises of all time, selling over 80 million volumes worldwide by July 6, 2021. The manga ran for nine years from July 12, 2001-June 11, 2010, with 27 volumes in total. Fullmetal Alchemist also inspired two anime TV series, both produced by Japanese animation studio Bones: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004) and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010).

Fullmetal Alchemist Has Since Become One of the Most Popular Anime & Manga of All Time

While both anime adaptations of Fullmetal Alchemist are critically acclaimed, they differ in two significant ways. The 2003 pivoted away from the source material when it caught up with Arakawa’s -- at the time -- ongoing run, leading to an original final storyline that concluded with the 2005 movie release, Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa. The 2009 anime remake follows Arakawa’s story to the letter but faced criticism early in its run for abridging episodes that were covered in the 2003 series to get to the unadapted material faster.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is available on multiple streaming services like Crunchyroll and Hulu. However, the 2003 anime series is no longer legally available to stream or purchase digitally or physically. The live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movies are available to stream on Netflix.

Fullmetal Alchemist

When a failed alchemical ritual leaves brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric with severely damaged bodies, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them: the fabled philosopher's stone.

Author

Hiromu Arakawa

Artist

Hiromu Arakawa

Release Date

July 12, 2001

Genre

Adventure , Fantasy

Chapters

116

Volumes

27

Adaptation

Fullmetal Alchemist

Publisher

Enix (2001–03), Square Enix (2003–10), Madman Entertainment, Viz Media, Yen Press

Source: Febri