Content & Trigger Warnings for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
19 content warnings identified across 4 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) contains 19 content warnings : Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Religious persecution, Death of a child, Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Kidnapping / abduction, War / combat, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Needles / medical procedures, Animal cruelty / animal death, Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Slavery / forced labor, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Racial slurs / racism (depicted) (severity 4/5), Death of a child (severity 4/5), Death of a parent (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 5/5), War / combat (severity 5/5), Blood / medical gore (severity 5/5), Body horror (severity 5/5), Animal cruelty / animal death (severity 4/5), Child abuse / harm to children (severity 5/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 5/5), Gun violence (severity 4/5), Torture (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
Set up your trigger profile to see which warnings affect you.
Does It Get Worse?
6 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The Ishvalan genocide is driven by ethnic hatred; survivors face discrimination and persecution in the aftermath |
| Religious persecution | All | 3/5 | Depicted | The Ishvalan people are persecuted partly due to their religious beliefs |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Nina is killed after her transformation; her death is shown and deeply mourned by the protagonists |
| Death of a child | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Children are killed during the Ishvalan genocide; a child's death directly triggers a major character's moral crisis |
| Death of a child | S4 | 3/5 | Referenced | Children are threatened by the nationwide transmutation; Selim Bradley's true nature as Pride endangers those around him |
| Death of a parent | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | The Elric brothers' mother dies from illness early in the story, motivating their entire quest; her death is shown in flashback |
| Death of a parent | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Hughes is murdered and his young daughter cries at his funeral asking why they are burying her daddy; an iconic and devastating scene |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | The brothers grieve their mother's death profoundly; their desperate attempt to resurrect her drives the entire plot |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters continue to process loss; Hughes' death is a devastating emotional blow that affects the entire cast |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Soldiers grapple with the moral weight of genocide; guilt and grief consume multiple characters across the arc |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Character deaths during the final battle bring devastating grief; sacrifices made carry enormous emotional weight |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple characters express suicidal thoughts related to war trauma and guilt |
| Other | ||||
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | The Ishvalan genocide is shown in extended flashback with graphic detail; soldiers systematically exterminate an entire ethnic group including women and children |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S4 | 5/5 | Referenced | Father's plan to sacrifice the entire nation's population is the central threat; a nationwide transmutation circle activates |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and held against their will in Laboratory 5 and other locations |
| Kidnapping / abduction | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are abducted multiple times throughout the series |
| War / combat | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | The Ishvalan War is referenced and beginning to be explored; military characters hint at past atrocities |
| War / combat | S2 | 3/5 | Referenced | Ishvalan War flashbacks become more detailed; the scale of the military campaign is revealed |
| War / combat | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | The Ishval War arc depicts brutal combat with state alchemists used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians |
| War / combat | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Large-scale military battle at Central Command; soldiers fight homunculi and each other in chaotic urban warfare |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Significant blood during combat and the human transmutation scene; blood seals are a recurring visual element |
| Blood / medical gore | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Blood features heavily in combat scenes and in the discovery of laboratory experiments |
| Blood / medical gore | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Extreme blood during the war sequences and combat scenes; blood-soaked battlefields |
| Blood / medical gore | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | Extensive blood throughout the climactic battles; characters sustain severe injuries with graphic bleeding |
| Body horror | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | Nina Tucker is fused with her dog into a chimera by her father; a deeply disturbing transformation that is one of anime's most infamous scenes |
| Body horror | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Laboratory 5 reveals rows of failed chimera experiments and human-based transmutation ingredients; homunculi demonstrate grotesque regeneration abilities |
| Body horror | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Homunculi reveal their true forms; Envy's monstrous transformation and Pride's shadow form are deeply unsettling |
| Body horror | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | Father's transformations are grotesque; Pride consuming other homunculi, and the Gate of Truth sequences are deeply disturbing |
| Needles / medical procedures | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Automail surgery and attachment shown in detail; medical procedures and prosthetic installation are painful and graphic |
| Needles / medical procedures | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Medical procedures and automail maintenance continue; Rush Valley showcases prosthetic surgery |
| Needles / medical procedures | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Medical treatment of severe battlefield injuries; automail procedures and surgical interventions |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Animal cruelty / animal death | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Animals are used in horrific alchemical experiments and chimera creation |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | Shou Tucker experiments on his own young daughter, transforming her into a chimera; his previous wife suffered the same fate |
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Graphic violence in combat scenes; Ed loses limbs during the failed human transmutation and the results are shown in bloody detail |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Combat violence intensifies with graphic injuries; Greed's repeated deaths and regenerations are viscerally depicted |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Extremely graphic war violence including charred bodies, dismemberment, and mass death from alchemical attacks |
| Gore / graphic violence | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | The final battle features extreme violence including characters being impaled, torn apart, and consumed; the Promised Day involves mass casualties |
| Gun violence | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Military characters use firearms in combat; shootings occur during action sequences |
| Gun violence | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Firearms are used in combat and assassination; Hughes is killed by gunshot |
| Gun violence | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Extensive military gunfire during the war arc; Hawkeye's sniper kills are shown affecting her psychologically |
| Gun violence | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Heavy military combat with firearms throughout the Promised Day battle; multiple characters are shot |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | A military doctor commits suicide rather than continue participating in the genocide; Hawkeye asks Mustang to burn her tattoo off her back |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters make self-sacrificial choices; Mustang nearly destroys himself pursuing revenge against Envy |
| Slavery / forced labor | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are enslaved and forced into labor by the homunculi's plans |
| Torture | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and subjected to physical torment; interrogation scenes involve violence |
| Torture | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and tortured; Envy psychologically torments captives with shapeshifting |
| Torture | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters endure physical torment during the final confrontations; Pride forcibly possesses others |
| Torture | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Characters are tortured and subjected to agonizing alchemical experiments |
Identity & Discrimination
The Ishvalan genocide is driven by ethnic hatred; survivors face discrimination and persecution in the aftermath
The Ishvalan people are persecuted partly due to their religious beliefs
Mental Health & Emotional
Nina is killed after her transformation; her death is shown and deeply mourned by the protagonists
Children are killed during the Ishvalan genocide; a child's death directly triggers a major character's moral crisis
Children are threatened by the nationwide transmutation; Selim Bradley's true nature as Pride endangers those around him
The Elric brothers' mother dies from illness early in the story, motivating their entire quest; her death is shown in flashback
Hughes is murdered and his young daughter cries at his funeral asking why they are burying her daddy; an iconic and devastating scene
The brothers grieve their mother's death profoundly; their desperate attempt to resurrect her drives the entire plot
Characters continue to process loss; Hughes' death is a devastating emotional blow that affects the entire cast
Soldiers grapple with the moral weight of genocide; guilt and grief consume multiple characters across the arc
Character deaths during the final battle bring devastating grief; sacrifices made carry enormous emotional weight
Multiple characters express suicidal thoughts related to war trauma and guilt
Other
The Ishvalan genocide is shown in extended flashback with graphic detail; soldiers systematically exterminate an entire ethnic group including women and children
Father's plan to sacrifice the entire nation's population is the central threat; a nationwide transmutation circle activates
Characters are captured and held against their will in Laboratory 5 and other locations
Characters are abducted multiple times throughout the series
The Ishvalan War is referenced and beginning to be explored; military characters hint at past atrocities
Ishvalan War flashbacks become more detailed; the scale of the military campaign is revealed
The Ishval War arc depicts brutal combat with state alchemists used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians
Large-scale military battle at Central Command; soldiers fight homunculi and each other in chaotic urban warfare
Phobias & Sensory
Significant blood during combat and the human transmutation scene; blood seals are a recurring visual element
Blood features heavily in combat scenes and in the discovery of laboratory experiments
Extreme blood during the war sequences and combat scenes; blood-soaked battlefields
Extensive blood throughout the climactic battles; characters sustain severe injuries with graphic bleeding
Nina Tucker is fused with her dog into a chimera by her father; a deeply disturbing transformation that is one of anime's most infamous scenes
Laboratory 5 reveals rows of failed chimera experiments and human-based transmutation ingredients; homunculi demonstrate grotesque regeneration abilities
Homunculi reveal their true forms; Envy's monstrous transformation and Pride's shadow form are deeply unsettling
Father's transformations are grotesque; Pride consuming other homunculi, and the Gate of Truth sequences are deeply disturbing
Automail surgery and attachment shown in detail; medical procedures and prosthetic installation are painful and graphic
Medical procedures and automail maintenance continue; Rush Valley showcases prosthetic surgery
Medical treatment of severe battlefield injuries; automail procedures and surgical interventions
Violence & Physical Harm
Animals are used in horrific alchemical experiments and chimera creation
Shou Tucker experiments on his own young daughter, transforming her into a chimera; his previous wife suffered the same fate
Graphic violence in combat scenes; Ed loses limbs during the failed human transmutation and the results are shown in bloody detail
Combat violence intensifies with graphic injuries; Greed's repeated deaths and regenerations are viscerally depicted
Extremely graphic war violence including charred bodies, dismemberment, and mass death from alchemical attacks
The final battle features extreme violence including characters being impaled, torn apart, and consumed; the Promised Day involves mass casualties
Military characters use firearms in combat; shootings occur during action sequences
Firearms are used in combat and assassination; Hughes is killed by gunshot
Extensive military gunfire during the war arc; Hawkeye's sniper kills are shown affecting her psychologically
Heavy military combat with firearms throughout the Promised Day battle; multiple characters are shot
A military doctor commits suicide rather than continue participating in the genocide; Hawkeye asks Mustang to burn her tattoo off her back
Characters make self-sacrificial choices; Mustang nearly destroys himself pursuing revenge against Envy
Characters are enslaved and forced into labor by the homunculi's plans
Characters are captured and subjected to physical torment; interrogation scenes involve violence
Characters are captured and tortured; Envy psychologically torments captives with shapeshifting
Characters endure physical torment during the final confrontations; Pride forcibly possesses others
Characters are tortured and subjected to agonizing alchemical experiments
