Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)

Though the anime is based on it, the manga has a completely different storyline that it follows. Both start out roughly the same with minor differences, but change drastically as the story proceeds. Many fans consider the major point of plot divergence to be chapter 15/episode 25.

On the second page of chapter 3, if you look closely at the left side of the map Ed is holding, you can see the words "Mount Fuji" written on it.

Throughout the manga you can spot Ed and Al's teacher Izumi and her husband Shigu looking at a map or something in the train stations.

On the spine of the manga Hiromu Arakawa had put various characters that have died going to heaven. The only person to go to hell was Shou Tucker. Oddly enough even other villains have gone to heaven the homunculi Greed and Lust, Cornello, The Slicer Brothers, Barry the Chopper (the armor and the flesh) and the followers of Greed.

There are many references to Arakawa's first manga Stray Dog throughout Fullmetal Alchemist. The term Military Dog was used in Stray Dog which are artificially created beings. When Roy Mustang makes his speech about dogs in general the line, “No matter how badly you treat a dog they will never complain” is used to described the military dog in Stray Dog. There is also a brand of liquor called Stray Dog it’s label is a skull and crossbones.

It was said in interview with Arakawa that Barry the Chopper's wife was a beautiful person who looks a lot like Lust.

As a running gag every time one of the Elric brothers had transmuted a spear it was quick rendered useless, mainly by being cut. First when Ed was fighting the lion-like chimera second, when drawing the spear on Bradley and Al when he transmuted a spear to fight Lust.

When Ed and Al are on a train to see the Rockbells to get their bodies repaired. Lust can be seen reading a newspaper with the headline "Britsh Naval Commander Murder". There is a similar headline in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.

The Konami Code (up, up down, down, left, right, left, right, A, B) is posted in one of Kain Fuery's secret communication hideouts.

In chapter 17 of the manga, when Ed, Al and Winry first enter Rush Valley, You can see a picture of Bald (the train-jacker from chapter 4) in an automail advertisement at the top of the fourth page.

The Gold Tooth Doctor that made King Bradley into a Homunculi is based on the Spider-Man villain Jonas Harrow. Creator Hiromu Arakawa was inspired by American comic books on her works including Spider-Man and Hellboy.