Fullmetal Alchemist

Hiromu Arakawa's acclaimed 2001 manga Fullmetal Alchemist follows the tragic yet deeply resilient journey of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric in a militaristic world governed by the scientific laws of alchemy. After a disastrous childhood attempt to resurrect their dead mother using the strictly forbidden act of human transmutation, the brothers suffer a devastating toll: Edward loses an arm and a leg, while Alphonse’s entire physical body is obliterated, leaving his soul desperately bound to a hulking suit of armor. Outfitted with mechanical "automail" prosthetics, Edward becomes the titular "Fullmetal Alchemist," serving the state military to fund their relentless quest for the mythical Philosopher's Stone—an artifact capable of defying alchemy's fundamental rule of Equivalent Exchange to restore their bodies.