If one anime gets recommended more than any other when someone asks "where do I even start," it's Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Studio Bones' 2009 adaptation runs 64 episodes, covers Hiromu Arakawa's manga end to end, and has spent fifteen years parked at the top of nearly every ranking that exists. So the real questions in 2026 aren't whether it's worth watching — they're where to stream it and whether the hype survives a first watch.
Quick answer
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a 64-episode action-fantasy from studio Bones (2009), adapting Hiromu Arakawa's completed manga. It streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu in most regions, with both subtitled and English-dub tracks. According to SenpaiRanks, Brotherhood holds a 9.08 adjusted score — the single highest mark on our board, and it tops both the best action anime and best fantasy anime rankings. Translation: it is the closest thing anime has to a consensus pick.
Is it actually good, or just old and famous?
Both axes on SenpaiRanks answer this without hand-waving. A single MAL-style number tells you a show is popular; it can't tell you whether people who finished it still rate it highly. Brotherhood clears both bars — broadly liked AND it holds up on rewatch — which is exactly why it sits at 9.08 rather than merely "high." The Elric brothers' hunt to restore their bodies stays tight because Arakawa's manga was finished before the anime caught up, so there's no filler drift and no anime-original ending. That structural discipline is the difference between a show people love and a show people finish.
Watch the trailer
Where to stream it
- Crunchyroll — sub + dub, the most reliable global home.
- Netflix — available in many regions; check your local catalog.
- Hulu — U.S. streaming with the English dub.
We list every platform without steering you to one — the point of a where-to-watch answer is the honest map, not a funnel toward a single service.
The call
Start here if you're new to anime, and rewatch it if you've drifted. If you want more in this lane afterward, our best action anime ranking and best fantasy anime ranking both open with Brotherhood and fan out from there, and the best Weekly Shonen Jump anime hub covers the shonen classics next to it. Curious where your own taste lands versus the crowd? Open the Brotherhood ranking page, rate it, and see whether you push it even higher.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Where can I watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
A: It streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu in most regions, with both subtitled and English-dubbed versions.
Q: Is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood good?
A: Yes — it holds a 9.08 adjusted score on SenpaiRanks, the highest on the board, and tops both the action and fantasy rankings.
Q: How many episodes is Brotherhood?
A: 64 episodes, adapting Hiromu Arakawa's manga in full with no filler arcs or anime-original ending.
Q: Do I need to watch the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist first?
A: No. Brotherhood is a standalone retelling that follows the manga; you can start with it directly.
Q: Is Brotherhood better than the 2003 series?
A: For faithfulness to the source and a complete story, most viewers and our ranking favor Brotherhood; the 2003 series diverges into its own anime-original ending.