While manga and traditional comics may have had a chokehold on readers for the last few decades, there’s no denying that vertical-scrolling webcomics have become all the rage in the last few years. The new digital format has been made even more popular by hit anime adaptations like Viral Hit, Lookism, True Beauty, and The God of High School, to name only a few. Unsurprisingly, manga publishers have begun to give in to the webtoon mania, with more and more franchises making the leap to digital comics, and the newest to join the party are none other than Amazon Prime’s hit new fantasy series, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, and one of the best shonen anime of all time, Fullmetal Alchemist.
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In a new press release, Webtoon has announced the release of fully colored, vertical-scrolling webtoon adaptations of Hiromu Arakawa’s beloved dark fantasy series, Fullmetal Alchemist, as well as Shigeru Sagazaki’s hit light novel turned manga, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman. Both series will be available on the platform in English, with From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman releasing on May 2nd, 2025 at 5:00 PM PT (Pacific Time) and Fullmetal Alchemist launching on May 7th, 2025, with an exact release time yet to be revealed. While the artists in charge of illustrating each series have yet to be revealed, Webtoon has shared posters for both series, giving fans a glimpse of the art style for either upcoming webtoon.
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Fullmetal Alchemist and Amazon Prime’s New Seinen Hit Are Getting Webtoon Adaptations
As far as Fullmetal Alchemist goes, the series needs no introduction and has been a beloved shonen staple for well over two decades since its publication in Monthly Shonen Gangan from July 2001 to June 2010. The series’ anime adaptations by Studio Bones, imperfect as the first one may have been, are still regarded as the best shonen series of all time, and the new webcomic adaptation coming to Webtoon promises fans a whole new way to experience the series, which will be fully colored and reformatted for mobile reading.
In the press release, Yongsoo Kim, the Head of Global Webtoon at Webtoon Entertainment, perfectly describes the series and its impact saying, “Fullmetal Alchemist is the kind of story that stays with you for life—whether you’ve read the original manga, watched the anime, or found it through its passionate global fandom.” He also hypes the digital comic’s release, adding, “Bringing this iconic series to Webtoon audiences gives both longtime fans and first-timers a new way to enjoy this story. It’s emotional, it’s intense, and now it’s easier than ever to fall in love with it all over again.”
As for seinen aficionados, Webtoon has you covered as well with From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman which is based on a light novel written by Shigeru Sagazaki and illustrated by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima, with a manga adaptation published via Akita Shoten illustrated by Kazuki Sato. The hit seinen fantasy series has especially been making waves as of late since its anime debut on Amazon Prime on April 5th, 2025, and may even be shaping up to be the best seinen fantasy of Spring 2025.
For those unacquainted with the story of From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, Webtoon describe’s the series as such:
“From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman follows middle-aged swordsman Beryl Gardenant, who has only ever accomplished one thing: running a humble sword-fighting dojo in the quiet countryside. But when he’s paid a visit by his former pupil, Allucia, he discovers that she has become an elite commander—and she’s not the only one of his students who’s a renowned warrior. Forced by Allusia to become a special instructor to the strongest order of knights in the kingdom, Beryl must confront whether he’s able to reach his full potential, even as an old man.”
Source: Press release courtesy of Webtoon Entertainment.
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