Anime NYC to Host Fullmetal Alchemist Star's First U.S. Appearance

Alphonse Elric is one of the most tragic characters in anime history. In an attempt to bring back [...]

By Evan Valentine

Alphonse Elric is one of the most tragic characters in anime history. In an attempt to bring back his mother to life alongside his brother Edward, the siblings found themselves a terrible example of the "law of equivalent exchange". Edward lost both an arm and a leg as part of the alchemy experiment, where Alphonse lost his entire body, only to be placed into a suit of body armor in an attempt to save his life. Now, the voice actor behind Alphonse from Fullmetal Alchemist, Rie Kugimiya, will be making an appearance in the Big Apple at Anime NYC to answer fan questions and discuss the popular anime franchise!

Anime News Network shared the news that Rie Kugimiya would be appearing at the upcoming Big Apple anime convention, which will mark her first time visiting North America during her career, giving western fans their first opportunity to chat with Alphonse in person:

Alphonse through both series of Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood acted as the calm and collected of the two brothers, with Edward usually flying off the handle following someone making fun of his lack of height. Though Alphonse didn't have the alchemy abilities of his brother, he was certainly no slouch and his giant form made him quite a formidable physical opponent.

Will you be making it up to Anime NYC to see Rie Kugimiya's first appearance in North America? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Fullmetal Alchemist!

Fullmetal Alchemist was originally created by Hiromu Arakawa for Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine in 2001. The story follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who learn alchemy in order to bring back their deceased mother. After a terrible miscalculation, however, the two brothers pay a terrible price with Alphonse even losing his body and linking his soul to a suit of armor. As the two boys search for an alchemy that will restore their bodies to their original forms, they join the military and deal with a whole host of new political, ethical, and moral issues.

Bones' first attempt at adapting the series into an anime successfully ran for 51 episodes in 2003, but was marred by fans for its pacing issues and deviations from the original source. Bones later produced a more faithful adaptation in 2009 with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and the series was much better received than its predecessor.

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