Physical Versions
Fullmetal Alchemist
Edward Elric is pretty much everywhere! He is not just a cartoon character, but he is also in video games and figure collections. There isn’t a consistency in the drawing style for the Fullmetal Alchemist characters because there are a lot of artist working on the series, but if you want to see the real Edward. The original Edward is of course from the manga. The first time Edward Elric was introduced to me is when I watch the first episode of Fullmetal Alchemist first anime version. I wasn’t those lucky ones who were able to read the pilot chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist from the GanGan magazine ten years ago. Anyway, here are Edward Elric from the original manga to the first anime until brotherhood and the newest 2011 movie.
In the manga:
This is Edward Elric from the first cover of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga in 2001. This is pretty much what started everything, and the concept of all the things Edward related nowadays. If you would carefully check Edward through the volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward has gone from the adorable teenager to a full fledged edgy man.
First Anime
In 2003, Bones produced the first anime version of Fullmetal Alchemist. The plot is very similar but it change after a couple of episodes since the manga was still fresh and ongoing at that time. Some of the anime fans who were just new to FMA are being stereotypical and hates the first anime. But in my opinion, the first anime showed the more serious emotional Edward. And his attitude pretty much changed also. But a lot of questions were not answered in this anime of course.!
First Movie
After they wrapped up the first anime in 51 episodes, a movie was released to conclude the story. The plot is very different from the original, but it was still a good movie. The heartbreaking loneliness of the two brothers were just immensely fascinating. The ending was great and I was totally in love with their relationship as brothers. The older Edward was more matured and lonely. Edward was more focused and less tempered which is pretty different from the real Edward.
Brotherhood
This is the 2009 version of the anime. I remember having a countdown in 2008 because I can’t wait to watch the new version of the anime. This anime starts from scratch and follows the original story from the manga until the end. I think Fullmetal Alchemist is the first anime to get a re-version, and it went beyond my expectations. I suggest that you should watch this first than the other ones!
Figures & Collectibles
Yes! Edward is a collectible figure as well. He has a lot of figures nowadays and they are still releasing new ones as of today. If you would like to collect some, I suggest you buy the self produced FMA figures by Hiromu Arakawa herself. There are a lot of chibi key chains and figures of Edward too!
Video Games
There are a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist video games out there. From PS2 to PS3 to Wii, Xbox, DS, PSP, and more! I haven’t seen a final fantasy-ish Edward Elric in any other video games yet. He is always in 3d but with a cartoon shader. He is still in the anime style.
2011 Movie
The movie FMA: Sacred Star of Milos was released in Japan on July 7, 2011. On November 2011, screening for the movie in North America has started. The drawing is very different from the other anime styles and it is more bloody and mature. However, the effects and animation were exceptional. It also won international awards in the animation category.
There are still a few versions of Edward Elric like the short movie when they showed a grown up Edward who looks exactly like his father. But these are the few that should be mentioned on this site.