For years now, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has consistently been ranked #1 on MyAnimeList.net’s ranking of the Top Anime of all time, calculated by the site’s weighted score. It’s been almost 14 years since Brotherhood aired, and while it’s been dethroned a number of times, it always seems to take the top spot again, but it does it still need the appellation of “#1”?
Brotherhood aired on April 5, 2009, and aired all 64 episodes consecutively over the next year until the series concluded on July 4, 2010, only five months after it began airing on Adult Swim in the U.S. It immediately received critical acclaim and after its highly-praised conclusion, it’s been widely considered one of the greatest animated series of all time.
A Demographic-Transcending Hit
Everyone is different, and not everyone will agree that it is the be-all-end-all of entertainment, nor that one website’s scoring is a definitive signifier of its right to such a title. But even if Brotherhood isn’t one’s favorite series and if someone doesn’t care for it, it shouldn’t be impossible to look at it in recognition of its praise and think “yeah I can see why it’s beloved.”
And the reason is that it’s an “everything series” that can appeal to the broadest possible audience. Like a lot of landmark anime, it successfully made anime fans of some and otherwise ensnared those who typically forgo the medium for any number of reasons. Hiromu Arakawa crafted a grand story that could appeal to large audiences, but what’s impressive is how she didn’t let the broad appeal dull her ideas.
The series tackles heavy subjects constantly, from imperialism to genocide, to say nothing of its take on various philosophical concepts. Arakawa’s characters can be simple or complicated, but they are all moved by the world and its history in dynamic ways. And no matter how grim the subject matter can get, the story never loses its sense of humor - the key to latching onto these characters.
Whereas other widely popular media like the Marvel Cinematic Universe can play things safe in its attempt to appeal to all audiences, Fullmetal Alchemist always feels like it's committing fully to its ideas. It might not always be avant-garde but between the bombastic score, the animation, and the impeccable performances, there is plenty of heart to it.
And a lot of this has been said before and will be said time and time again ad infinitum. Brotherhood is simply good fiction that a lot of people will enjoy, and even if some only find it okay, its appeal is clearly defined in numerous ways. The question isn’t “why has nothing surpassed it?” but instead “why does it never stay that way when something does?”
Battle For The Top
It’s interesting to note that Brotherhood wasn’t even close to the top of the charts until around June 2010, a month before its conclusion, and after it ended it quickly took the top spot. There are two distinct possibilities: either it was due to the reception of the finale after it aired in Japan or the increase in viewership in the states when it started airing on Adult Swim. It’s likely that both contributed.
And for years it hadn’t garnered the reputation as the unwavering king that it is now, especially with shows like Gintama shooting up to the top with every new season, even competing with itself at one point. YouTube channel RankingMan has a thorough and hilarious timeline of the Top 15 anime on the website from 2006 to 2019 that paints quite a picture.
But from around 2013 onward, Brotherhood seems to steadily hold its place on the ranking for longer and longer. The times when it is dethroned tend to be briefer, often from unfinished anime with positive preliminary scores. It’s not unheard of for currently airing anime to have a bump in score thanks to the hype only to die down later. It’s happened numerous times with the likes of Gintama, Attack on Titan, and Monogatari.
In the past, when these shifts happened, they were met with large upsets, as if Brotherhood had been felled like a dragon presiding over its hoard. As time goes on, however, the reactions have turned more into disinterest at how fleeting it is. Some months ago, Bleach’s new arc took the top spot. At the time of writing, Attack on Titan: The Final Season - The Final Chapters (these titles are awful) is #1.
But who knows how long that will last? Maybe the score will just go down over time or people will accuse Brotherhood fans of leaving negative reviews to keep their favorite on top. But the acknowledgment of such obfuscation sparks the question: why does anyone care about the score? Does it truly have much impact on the series’ enduring legacy? I would argue no, except the rating isn’t meant to be objective.
A Place In Time
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was a colossal success, the enduring critical acclaim of which arguably eclipsed the similarly massive arrival of shows like Attack on Titan in the years following it. Its persistent seat at the top of the ranking isn’t an objective truth, but an extended proclamation of its merits as an all-time classic. So for something to surpass it implies that one art moment is merely being succeeded by another.
On one hand, Brotherhood feels like it marks the end of an era of productions of its kind. A 64-episode series released weekly for over a full year, and that was produced well, rarely showing the strain of such a large undertaking. We’ve written in the past how shows like Soul Eater couldn’t be made today, and the same might be just as true of Brotherhood.
On the other, there have been numerous shows that have come along since that have similarly captivated audiences en masse, albeit in different ways. And the ways it captures imaginations should be different. The successor to Brotherhood shouldn’t just be Brotherhood again. Brotherhood doesn’t have to be rendered inferior by being succeeded in the ranking.
It’s a time capsule of time in this industry, in fandom, and in the cultural zeitgeist. And it could be well argued that the time has come for a new series to be recognized as #1. Maybe it’ll be Attack on Titan, and it probably won’t be Bleach but over a decade later, we’re due for something new to deal a shock to the system. It’s just a matter of waiting for it to happen naturally.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s status as the #1 was never about declaring that nothing else was better, but pronouncing how powerful the art moment it created was during its time. When it is eventually dethroned, that shouldn’t be a moment of mourning or anger, but excitement at what’s going to come next.