What price would you pay to bring a loved one back from the dead? That’s a scenario that the Elric brothers face in Fullmetal Alchemist, an award-winning manga and anime series about siblings who pay an arm and a leg–and much more–in their misguided effort to bring their deceased mom back to life. A harsh tale of war, the rules of equivalent exchange, and mortality. Fullmetal Alchemist has long been a fantastic manga tale that everyone should read once. And right now, you can save nearly $100 off of the list price of the box set containing all 27 Fullmetal Alchemist volumes.
Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set – $125 ($220)
The nice thing about this particular manga is that it doesn’t overstay its welcome, as author and artist Hiromu Arakawa’s full series ran for 108 chapters and was collected in 27 volumes. The core plot follows the alchemist brothers Alphonse and Edward Elric as they travel the land and look for clues to the location of the Philosopher’s Stone, an object of legendary power that they believe can help restore their bodies after their disastrous attempt to bring their mother back to life. While Edward lost half his limbs in the catastrophe, his younger brother Alphonse was left without a body and his soul now resides in a massive suit of armor.
Edward joins the state military after he recovers and is fitted with mechanical prosthetics, but it’s not long before the duo discovers a sinister conspiracy that reaches all the way to the top of their government and beyond. Throw in deadly adversaries, shocking revelations, and a world on the brink of war, and you’ve got a recipe for a thrilling adventure.
For the available manga, there are some neat options to choose from. All 27 of the standard paperback volumes are available in one convenient box set that has currently been discounted by 43%. If you don’t mind purchasing from a third-party seller, you can grab the box set from Walmart for $111.
If you’d prefer to just dip your toes into the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, the omnibus editions are a great alternative here as these are three-in-one compilations of the volumes. These softcover editions typically cost $20 each, but they’ve been discounted and you can pick them up for around $14 on average.
If you’re thinking of grabbing a few of the books as a possible gift for a manga-loving friend, you’re covered on this front as well. The Fullmetal Edition of Fullmetal Alchemist are lovely prestige versions of the manga volumes that are essentially complete remasters. These hardcover versions feature an updated translation and completely fresh lettering, as well as color pages on large-trim, archival-quality paper. As an added bonus, each one comes with a new color insert and behind-the-scenes character sketches from Arakawa. These are also well-priced, and you can expect to pay $14 on average per volume.
For more manga box sets, you can check out GameSpot’s guides to Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Berserk, and Chainsaw Man.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition
Fullmetal Alchemist Omnibus Edition
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
