How Old is Alphonse Elric? Alphonse's Age in Fullmetal Alchemist

Despite being a male-dominated demographic, one of the most popular shōnen series is actually written by a woman.

Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa is about two brothers—Edward and Alphonse Elric—and their search for the philosopher’s stone. When they were younger, Edward and Alphonse performed Human Transmutation, which is forbidden in the practice of alchemy. Their attempt failed, causing Edward to lose an arm and a leg while Alphonse loses his whole body. 

Both brothers are remarkable alchemists in their own right. Alphonse is the younger brother. During their failed Human Transmutation, Edward binds Alphonse’s soul to a large suit of armor to save him from disappearing completely.

Due to this, Alphonse cannot eat or sleep. He often craves the feeling of being human again. He even keeps a list of food that he’ll eat when he turns back to normal, especially excited to eat their childhood friend Winry’s apple pie.

Considering Alphonse’s physical appearance in comparison to his brother, he’s often mistaken as the Fullmetal Alchemist. But how old is Alphonse in the series?

Alphonse is only a year younger than his brother. Edward and Alphonse were around 11 and 10 respectively when they performed the Human Transmutation. A while after this happened, Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, came to the brothers’ hometown of Resembool in search of potential candidates for the Amestrian State Military’s State Alchemist program.

He convinces Edward to join the program to have a better lead in finding the philosopher’s stone, which will also be for the sake of Alphonse.

Related: Fullmetal Alchemist Teases Big Announcement at Upcoming Anniversary Stream

The start of the series begins three years later. This would make Alphonse 14 years old at the beginning of the story. 

He is 14-15 years old throughout the whole story. At the end of the manga, he is 17 years old. If you haven’t seen Fullmetal Alchemist yet, then I highly recommend it. Not sure which version to watch? I can help you with that here.

Find out where to stream Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood here.