[Top 15] Fullmetal Alchemist Best Quotes

Updated:

09 Jul 2020

Warning! SPOILERS AHEAD!

I’ve selected the best quotes from throughout both series, so proceed with caution if you haven’t finished them yet. Or, if you’ve finished both series, skip ahead to find out which quotes I think are the best fifteen of Fullmetal Alchemist. Enjoy!

15. “Get up you novice. I’m about to show you how outclassed you really are.”

Ed is hella pissed. Watch out, Father, he's coming for your face!

If you’ve read my other articles, you know that I love this quote. Ed shouts it at Father during their battle at the end of the series, and it’s such a power move.

What Makes this Quote Great:

Ed is literally telling a part-god that a human outclasses them. #bigdickenergy
This quote mirrors something that Ed tells Father Cornello in episode 4: “Just face it, you’re outclassed here.” Just goes to show that Ed knows he’s the best, no matter the episode.

14. “I will follow you into hell if you ask me to.”

My badass angel baby, Riza Hawkeye, everyone.

Riza Hawkeye isn’t a particularly sentimental woman, but she does deliver some raw one-liners in FMAB, and this one is a favorite of mine.

What Makes this Quote Great:

Roy basically just proposed to her (see #3 on this list), and THIS was Riza’s response. I swoon. I cry. Someone’s chopping onions in here.
This line embodies Riza’s unswerving loyalty to those she deems worthy of it. She will walk into hell for those she loves if they asked. (Ow, my heart.)

13. “The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it.”

I retract my original statement in my previous article. Kimblee is the OG King Explosion Murder. Sorry Kacchan.

While Kimblee is an absolute monster, he does - unfortunately - have a banger of a quote in this line. Most of what Kimblee says makes my skin crawl, but this one sentence from his disgusting pep talk with Riza is important.

What Makes this Quote Great:

I think Kimblee makes an important point: by pretending death doesn’t exist, or ignoring death, it only makes the situation worse. Acknowledging death, learning from it, and someday growing from it is the only way to move forward.
90% of what Kimblee says is absolute garbage filth, so the fact that he sometimes says meaningful stuff reminds us that he’s human (under the yuck).

12. “Destruction and creation are two sides of the same coin! You must destroy to create! That is the law of the universe!”

I want an episode of FMA that follows the Armstrongs like a reality TV show. Is that too much to ask?

Armstrong doesn’t get enough screen time, and that is the hill I will die on. This gem of a line comes to us during his fight with Scar in episode five of FMAB.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This quote does a few things: it quickly sets up Scar as the enemy (as he only destroys, and alchemists create), foreshadows the reveal of Scar’s arms (and ultimately, his redemption), and it also relates to equivalent exchange and the roots of alchemy.

11. “Dedication is a talent all on its own.”

How many cats do you think Al has in there?

For a teenager, Alphonse sometimes has the best pearls of wisdom. Now, this quote is a little weird, because he originally says a longer version to Sheska, and Ed is actually the one who boils it down to this short beauty.

What Makes this Quote Great:

Al says this to make Sheska feel better after she was saying some self-deprecating nonsense about being a pathetic mess. Then, Al swoops in with the compliments to make sure that Sheska knows that Ed and Al valued her help and expertise.
Dedication is an underrated talent. Many people give up on projects, relationships, jobs, etc. before they should. But there’s also a fine line between being dedicated and getting comfortable with sameness, I think.

10. “I know I’ll never be happy if I don’t try to make this country a better place.”

Roy looks really badass here, but in my mind all I hear is I LOVE DOGS and it ruins the whole thing.

Personally, I am suspicious of how much Roy ended up on this list. Did he sponsor this article? How did this happen? Turns out, Roy says a lot of things I agree with, like this beautiful line from episode 30 of FMAB.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This line is the heart of what drives Roy. He just wants to fix Amestris, make it better, but little does he know (at least at that point in the series) how deep the filth goes in the military and in Amestris’s history.
I think that it’s this line that convinces Riza to follow Roy into the military: that he’s not just a dog of the military, that Roy is optimistic under his strict facade, and that he’s going to work damn hard to make his dreams a reality.

9. “Like I always say, ‘Can’t find a door? Make your own’.”

Ed, why is your eye bleeding? Get that fixed ASAP.

This quote is from the original series, episode 2, where Ed and Al are fighting Father Cornello; While the same scene is in FMAB, the quote gets lost in the new series.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This quote is classic Ed. Faced with hardship, Ed never lets it get him down; he thinks around the problem and moves forward, even if it means making his own solution.
While I tend to think of Ed as a pretty pessimistic character, I like that he sometimes remembers to be positive… even if it usually comes off as cocky.

8. “There’s no such thing as no such thing.”

What is GreedLing wearing? Is that a fur vest? Oh my god, someone take this child shopping.

This quote is widely considered to be Greed’s greatest line, and it doesn’t even make it to the English dub! In episode 13 of FMAB, this quote occurs in the English subtitles.

What Makes this Quote Great:

At first glance, this quote is merely stereotypical Greed: he gets what he wants, even if someone tells him no. Even in the context of the scene, Greed is telling Al that homunculi like himself do, in fact exist.
But if you remove yourself from the context, this quote has the same kind of tone as Ed’s quote in #9 on this list… and is absolutely badass.

7. “Any man who has the brains to think and the nerve to act for the benefit of the people of the country is considered radical by those who are content with stagnation and willing to endure disaster.”

Why so mysterious, Roy?

In all honesty, I have no idea what episode or series this quote is from. It’s one of those quotes that everyone says that Mustang said it, and we just believe the internet, but there’s no source for it, despite the fact that this quote is so fantastic.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This quote is Roy in a nutshell. His peers think he’s crazy for trying to change the norm and make Amestris better, when they believe everything’s fine; the reality is Amestris was founded on sacrifice and for the sole purpose of creating more destruction.
Roy’s quote also resonates with a popular Ling quote: “A king exists for his people… without subjects, rulers cannot exist”. A good ruler needs to act in the best interest of their subjects, like Roy mentions at the beginning of this quote.

6. “How can you move forward if you keep regretting the past?”

Ed's having a deep think.

This is another one of those quotes that the internet attributes to Ed, but no one WILL TELL ME ITS SOURCE. Is it from the manga? The original series? Brotherhood? I have no idea. But, it’s an excellent quote nonetheless.

What Makes this Quote Great:

Ed is weirdly optimistic for a pessimist, in the way that he’s always moving forward and looking toward the future. I mean, he burnt down his childhood home so that he could never return or fall back on it, right? This quote reminds us all of that burning building and of his watch with his reminder on the inside cover.
This quote also reminds me of the quote I selected for spot #4. I love both of them because of the “keep moving forward” theme - it keeps me motivated and disciplined, even when I want to quit or give up.

5. “It’s okay to feel lost and not have reasons.”

Actual ray of sunshine: Maria Ross.

I wish Ross said this in Brotherhood too, but unfortunately it’s only in the original series, episode 19. Ross is a great character, though, no matter the series.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This quote is timeless, and I love it. If you’ve struggled with growing up, growing older, depression, loss, grief, or any combination of the above, this quote helps in the dark times, and it’s been one of my favorite quotes from the original series for that reason.

4. “Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You’ve got two good legs, so use them. You’re strong enough to make your own path.”

Ed is done with your pity party.

Ed has absolutely no time for people feeling sorry for themselves (after an appropriate amount of sad timez). If you want to listen to him give Rose this pep talk, watch episode 3 of FMAB.

What Makes this Quote Great:

This is one of the only times in the show that Ed uses his disability to guilt trip someone. He never lets his missing arm or leg slow him down, but in this instance he subtly reminds Rose that she has two good legs and that she should be grateful.
To me, Ed is giving Rose the advice he wishes someone would have given him when his mom passed away. Rose had her entire foundation (the Church of Leto) pulled out from under her, and now she doesn’t know where she stands, similar to when Trisha died.

3. “I feel like I can trust you to watch my back. Although, I expect you to understand what this means: you’ll be able to shoot me in the back as well. If I ever deviate from this path, then I want you to shoot me, and I’m trusting you to do so.”

Okay this picture is a little intense for such a sweet picture. My bad.

This is the pinnacle of Roy and Riza’s love and I can’t even fathom my own feelings about it. If you want to squeal unintelligibly along with me, it’s in episode 30 of FMAB. (I warned you that there would be a lot of Roy quotes. The man is eloquent, what can I say?)

What Makes this Quote Great:

The loyalty and trust in this quote alone are palpable. Roy is trusting Riza with more than just watching his six; He’s trusting her to keep him in line and to keep him focused on pursuing his dreams.
Roy is either proposing here or these are wedding vows, and you can’t change my mind. Who else would Roy trust with watching his back besides Riza? Even his BEST FRIEND Hughes never got a fancy schmancy speech like this.

2. “There’s no such thing as a painless lesson. They don’t exist. Sacrifices are necessary. You can’t gain anything without losing something first. Although, if you can endure that pain, and walk away from it, you’ll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah, a heart made fullmetal.”

Final episode. Final quote. So many tears!

Let’s be honest, you probably should have seen this one coming. The cheese-factor of this quote alone makes it worthy of the top fifteen, in my opinion. If you’re wanting to listen, it’s in episode 64 of FMAB. Grab your tissues. Just in case.

What Makes this Quote Great:

I mean, Ed had to say something to make us all cry before the show ended, right? It was inevitable. Not that we haven’t cried enough watching this show. He just had to go and tell us that he’ll always be fullmetal… even if he isn’t the Fullmetal Alchemist anymore.
Mostly, I love that this quote comes full circle. It harkens back to the original opening of the FMA series where Al would recite the law of equivalent exchange, it reiterates Ed and Al’s story, and it reinforces the idea that the viewers are fullmetal (strong) too.

1. “The power of one man doesn’t amount to much. But that doesn’t matter. With what little strength I have, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the people I love, and in turn they’ll protect the ones they love. It seems like the least we tiny humans can do for each other.”

Roy needs to stop pretending to be all mysterious. We know all he thinks about is Riza, dogs, and miniskirts.

Roy says this in episode 30 of FMAB during a flashback of the Ishvalan War of Extermination. WHY IS ROY LIKE THIS? MAKING ME FEEL THINGS AND BEING SO SOFT AFTER HE WAS JUST IN A FREAKING WAR?

What Makes this Quote Great:

I love when Roy is being a big ol’ softie, especially when it’s the same Roy who went through a war and came out the other side still optimistic. Still chasing his dreams. Still wanting to change the world for the better. (Again, with the onions? Get out of here!)
This quote also made my top spot because of its timeless meaning. No matter where or when, the power of one person isn’t that great, but the love and effort you put into those you love has a ripple effect and gradually makes the world a better place.