Why is Edward Elric known as the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' not simply as 'Metal Alchemist'? Is there any reason besides the names sounding better?
I've only watched the 2nd episode of FMA brotherhood.
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No one here will judge you (for what were we supposed to judge you anyway?). – Madara's Ghost Jul 20 '13 at 13:12
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i dunno.. maybe i missed something blatantly obvious :/ – full-metal-wannabe Jul 20 '13 at 13:42
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1maybe this is why people in the series get confused between him and his brother, who is a full metal suited knight :P – MichaelF Jul 20 '13 at 19:51
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@full-metal-wannabe Off-topic, but your username is funny :D – Z.. Nov 15 '13 at 18:39
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I don't think there's a reason beyond the "Cool" factor.
はがね (Hagane) translates to "Steel" or "Metal", so I don't see a real reason.
Fullmetal, refers to objects that are completely made of metal, that they aren't hollow or are composed of other, non-metallic materials.
Madara's Ghost
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2It's probably a play on the term ["full metal jacket"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet) which describes bullets that have a soft core (usually lead) and a hard metal outer layer. Or it could be a play on the movie title [*Full Metal Jacket*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/) (which the anime _Full Metal Panic_ is almost certainly parodying). – Mike DeSimone Jul 26 '13 at 23:35
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1Trivia: in the Hungarian dub of both series, Ed is always referred as "Acél Alkimista" which means "Steel Alchemist" translated to English. – Z.. Nov 15 '13 at 18:32