Strangely, despite the whole series focusing on Alchemy, there isn’t much delving into unique alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist. State alchemists are the biggest way we see varied techniques and usages, but there aren’t many detailed enough. However, the alchemists who grace the screen are all fun and well-crafted. For the most part, personality seems to matter just as much as alchemical ability, and the specialized characters flourish because of that.

When the series does showcase special/outlaw alchemists, they are only in one-off episodes. There, we don’t get a deep look at their abilities. This means that while we see Isaac McDougal’s cool ice alchemy and Clara’s unusual transmutations, we don’t know much about them. The additional challenge is that series regulars who are alchemists don’t always do anything personalized. For instance, Alphonse and Izumi’s alchemy are quite similar to Edward’s.