Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a well-rounded anime with a broad audience base. While most famous anime often target a specific audience, be it shounen, seinen, shoujo, or kodomo, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood appealed to otakus from every age and genre.
For almost a decade, it has reigned as the top anime/manga on Anime News Network and My Anime List. These lists are trustworthy resources for otakus and are based on the rankings of millions of anime watchers.
So when a Fall 2023 anime burst into the scene and overtook Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in a single swoop, everyone could feel a change in the air.
Which anime overtook Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, a Fall 2023 anime, took over Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood‘s top spot in the Anime News Network and My Anime List rankings.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was released in 2009. Studio Bones produced 64 episodes that won over a huge number of otakus. Its faithful adaptation of the original manga made people like it even more.
The series rose in the ranks and soon conquered both Anime News Network and My Anime List. While there have been fluctuations in the rank on My Anime List in the past 14 years, this is the first time that it has been completely dethroned from both websites.
However, this is not the first time that Frieren has overtaken Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. In November 2023, a month after it began airing, it ranked #1 on My Anime List for a whole week. But very few could have expected that it would achieve even bigger feats later.
How did Frieren overtake Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood?
Frieren is a fantastic all-rounder anime with a beautifully crafted story, animation, direction, and score. Thus, it naturally rose to the top on websites like Anime News Network and My Anime List. It is also a blend of various genres like comedy, action, fantasy, and slice of life, making it a franchise with broad appeal.
Rest assured, Frieren has already won the top anime spot for 2023-2024. Every episode and visual has a well-thought-out story behind it.
However, another important point to note is that Frieren and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood share a similar appeal. They have similar themes with action and fantasy elements, and they have enough running gags to keep comedy lovers hooked.
Both have questions of mortality and time running through the storyline. Their impressive world-building and animation stand out from their peers.
Will Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood reclaim its spot?
According to Anime News Network, Frieren‘s upcoming conclusion might affect its scores and bring down its overall ratings. It will go down to #2, yielding the spot to Fullmetal Alchemist. The reason behind this is because once it is completed, the scores of those who have watched fewer than 1/5th of the episodes will not be counted anymore.
Thus, a chunk of the ratings will no longer affect Frieren‘s ranking, giving the advantage to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which has maintained a stable score for years. Brotherhood is a classic anime that will never be forgotten and has stood the test of time.
As long as Brotherhood remains on different streaming sites, it will not be forgotten. Frieren, on the other hand, can only be streamed via a single site and is thus available to a smaller audience.
You can stream Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on Hulu, Crunchyroll. Frieren is available on Crunchyroll.
