Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. East Asian Journal of Popular Culture
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Fullmetal Alchemist and the hero’s journey: Decoding the monomyth in Hiromu Arakawa’s shōnen masterpiece

Abstract

is a Japanese shōnen manga that is written as well as illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The story follows the journey of Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric as they try to regain their original physical bodies, which were altered due to a fatal alchemical procedure to revive their deceased mother. Existing critical studies on primarily focus on structural elements, gender, trauma and war. However, no study has been done on the monomyth aspect of the story, and the present study aims to bridge that research gap. Joseph Campbell originally conceived the hero’s journey or ‘Monomyth’ template. However, the present article utilizes Christopher Vogler’s twelve-stage revised version of the Campbellian monomyth as the primary theoretical framework to analyse Edward Elric’s journey in the story. Moreover, critical comments from critics like Angela Drummond-Mathews, Vladimir Propp, Stuart Voytilla and others have been incorporated. Shōnen manga typically follow the hero’s journey structure, but there are exceptions as well. The present study attempts to decode whether follows the hero monomyth or negates it.

© 2025 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00150_1
2025-02-28
2025-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aist, Rodney (2022), Pilgrim Spirituality: Defining Pilgrimage Again for the First Time, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Akutani, Gege (芥見下々) (2019–23), Jujutsu Kaisen (Jujutsu Kaisen) (trans. S. Koza), 21 vols., San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Allers, Roger and Minkoff, Rob (1994), The Lion King, USA: Walt Disney Pictures.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Arakawa, Hiromu (荒川 弘) (2005–11), Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) (trans. A. Watanabe), 27 vols., New York:  Yen Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Aravind, Ajay, Beckford, Brandon and Melzer, Jenny (2023), ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: The law of equivalent exchange, explained’, CBR, 22 October, https://www.cbr.com/fullmetal-alchemist-the-law-of-equivalent-exchange-explained/. Accessed 28 December 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Bacon, Eugen (2019), Writing Speculative Fiction, London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Batty, Craig (2011), Movies That Move Us: Screenwriting and the Power of the Protagonist’s Journey, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Buckingham, Ian P. (2011), Brand Champions How Superheroes Bring Brands to Life, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Campbell, Joseph ([1949] 2021), The Hero with a Thousand Faces, rpt., Mumbai: Yogi Impressions LLP.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Cole, Philip (2006), The Myth of Evil, Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Collington, Mark (2017), Animation in Context: A Practical Guide to Theory and Making, London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Donohoo, Timothy B. and Melzer, Jenny (2024), ‘A “Dark Trio” of shōnen anime have taken over the world’, CBR, 4 February, https://www.cbr.com/shonen-manga-dark-trio-why-they-matter/. Accessed 7 January 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Drummond-Mathews, Angela (2010), ‘What boys will be: A study of shōnen manga’, in T. Johnson-Woods (ed.), Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives, New York: Continuum, pp. 62–76.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Dulick, Erik (2012), ‘Survivor meets the hero’s journey: Connecting mythic structures to reality television’, in E. Torner and W. J. White (eds), Immersive Gameplay: Essays on Participatory Media and Role-Playing, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co Inc., pp. 147–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Dwipa, Bagaskara W. P. (2023), ‘The voyage of a heroic pirate: Hero’s journey in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece’, LITERA KULTURA: Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies, 10:3, pp. 1–11, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.26740/lk.v10i3.54506.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Edwards, Jason and Klosa, Brian (2010), ‘The complexity of evil in modern mythology: The evolution of the wicked witch of the west’, in J. Perlich and D. Whitt (eds), Millennial Mythmaking: Essays on the Power of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Films and Games, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 32–50.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Frankel, Valerie E. (2021), The Villain’s Journey: Descent and Return in Science Fiction and Fantasy, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Fujimoto, Tatsuki (藤本 タツキ) (2020–23), Chensō Man (Chainsaw Man) (trans. A. Haley) 13 vols., San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Gallacher, Leslie-Anna (2011), ‘(Fullmetal) alchemy: The monstrosity of reading words and pictures in shōnen manga’, Cultural Geographies, 18:4, pp. 457–73, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1177/1474474010397639.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Greene, Barbara (2020), ‘Re-visioning the dark valley and the decline of the peace state’, in R. Rosenbaum (ed.), The Representation of Japanese Politics in Manga, London: Routledge, pp. 27–45.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Homer (1992), The Iliad (trans. R. Fagles), London: Penguin Classics.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Krutiakova, Anastasiia (2023), ‘The impact of cultural code on communication promotion of Japanese animation in the USA’, IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies, 8:1, pp. 47–63, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.22492/ijcs.8.1.03.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Kubo, Tite (久保 宣章) (2004–18), BLEACH (Bleach) (trans. J. Yamazaki) 74 vols., San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Lawrence, Kelly (2014), Compass Points: Building Your Story, Winchester: John Hunt Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Lewis, Clive S. (1950), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, London: Geoffrey Bles.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Miura, Kentaro (三浦 建太郎) (2003–22), Beruseruku (Berserk) (trans. D. Johnson) 41 vols., Milwaukee, WI: Dark Horse Comics.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Monitor Comics (2023), ‘Kishotenketsu: The best lot structure every Japanese manga artist uses’, YouTube, 9 May, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7to8TC5sJVc&ab_channel=MONITORCOMICS. Accessed 19 May 2024.
  28. Murdock, Maureen (1990), The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness, Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Nolan, Christopher (2012), The Dark Knight Rises, USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Pause and Select (2021), ‘Attack on titan: A powerhouse of the four-act structure’, YouTube, 4 April, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhtm2TS99ko&ab_channel=PauseandSelect. Accessed 19 May 2024.
  31. Perry, Melissa S., Raihanah, M. Mydin and Lazim, Zalina M. (2023), ‘Intercultural dialogue in manga: Building friendships, sharing spaces and values’, East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 9:1, pp. 65–82, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1386/eapc_00089_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Propp, Vladimir (1968), Morphology of the Folktale, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Pugh, Ben (2016), The Hero’s Journey Guidebook, Eugene, OR: Resource Publications.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Raabe, Kristin (2021), ‘Scientists on the hero’s journey: Storytelling in different communicative situations’, in O. Kramer and M. Gottschling (eds), Recontextualized Knowledge: Rhetoric – Situation – Science Communication, Berlin and Boston, MA: De Gruyter, pp. 131–48, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1515/9783110676310-007.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Rollings, Andrew, and Adams, Ernest (2003), Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design, Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Rowling, Joanne K. (1997), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, London: Bloomsbury.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Santa Monica Studio (2005), God of War, Los Angeles, CA: Sony Computer Entertainment.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Scally, Deborah (2022), Miyazaki and the Hero’s Journey, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Schell, Jesse (2020), The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, 3rd ed., Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Tajuddin, Hafiz (2022), ‘Story structure: Kishotenketsu’, Medium, 31 January, https://medium.com/@hafiztajuddin/story-structure-kishotenketsu-260577efa49a. Accessed 19 May 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Tolkien, John R.R. (1954), The Fellowship of the Ring, Crows Nest: George Allen & Unwin.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. van Vuuren, Anna-Marie J. and Stamp, Jane D. (2015), ‘“Once upon a Lager”: Transforming a batch process into the “hero’s journey” story structure’, in R. Wirth, D. Serrati and K. Macedulska (eds), Storying Humanity: Narratives of Culture and Society, Leiden: Brill, pp. 187–97, https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1163/9781848884403_019.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Vogler, Christopher (2020), The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Voytilla, Stuart (1999), Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films, Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. The Wachowskis (1999), The Matrix, USA: Warner Bros.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Yorke, John (2013), Into the Woods, London: Penguin.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Wikipedia (2024), ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’, 21 December, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist. Accessed 8 January 2025.
/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00150_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keywords: Joseph Campbell ; Japanese popular culture ; Christopher Vogler ; narratology ; anime and manga studies ; Japanese studies ; archetypes

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test