Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, known in Japan as Alchemist of Steel: Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師 フルメタルアルケミスト, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Furumetaru Arukemisuto), is the second independent anime adaptation developed by Bones from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series by Hiromu Arakawa. Yasuhiro Irie worked as director, and Hiroshi Ōnogi as writer. The series follows the story of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to restore their bodies after a disastrous failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. Unlike the first anime, which added original elements to the story, the second series follows the manga. The series comprises a total of 64 episodes and four original video animations.
The series premiered on April 5, 2009, on MBS-TBS's Sunday 5:30 pm JST anime timeblock, replacing Mobile Suit Gundam 00. It received its English language premiere five days later on Animax Asia, with Japanese audio and English subtitles. Anime distributor Funimation streamed English subtitled episodes four days after the Japanese air dates on both its website and its YouTube channel. Funimation suspended streaming of the series for a few weeks in May following the accidental leak of an episode of One Piece from its servers before it had aired in Japan. All episodes were also available on American subscription service Hulu, showing 14 days after their original airing, as well as via Australia's Madman Entertainment. English dubbed episodes of the show started on American cable channel Adult Swim from February 13, 2010, onwards, as part of their Saturday anime block.
Aniplex began releasing the series in DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2009. The first one contains two episodes and an original video animation (OVA). Three more OVAs were included in the fifth, ninth and thirteenth volumes alongside four episodes. Other volumes feature four episodes and no OVAs. A total of sixteen volumes were released, with the last one on November 24, 2010. Funimation released the episodes on Blu-ray and DVD in five volumes, each of thirteen episodes on May 25, 2010.
Brotherhood's music composer is Akira Senju. Ten pieces of theme music were used in Brotherhood. The respective opening and ending themes for the first 14 episodes are "Again" by Yui, and "Uso" (嘘, lit. "Lie") by Sid. From episode 15-26, the respective opening and ending themes are "Hologram" by Nico Touches the Walls, and "Let It Out" by Miho Fukuhara. From episode 27-38, the respective opening and ending themes are "Golden Time Lover" by Sukima Switch, and "Tsunaida Te" (つないだ手, lit. "Tied Hands") by Lil'B. From episode 39-50, the respective opening and ending themes are "Period" by Chemistry, and "Shunkan Sentimental" (瞬間センチメンタル, Shunkan Senchimentaru, lit. "Sentimental Moment") by Scandal. From episodes 51-62, the respective opening and ending themes are "Rain" (レイン, Rein) by Sid, and "Ray of Light" by Shoko Nakagawa. While episodes 63 and 64 do not use opening themes, they use "Rain" and "Hologram", respectively, for the endings.