FMA has a lot of subtle symbolism but the least subtle is probably the “Ed has a lot of issues with his father” symbolism. The FMA manga starts on the Leore arc and ends on the Promises Day arc so what I mean is Ed started and ended the series by pummeling the shit out of someone named “Father”
I love all the FMA arcs in fact
Father Cornello arc - bad dad tries to cultivate religious army. Ed punches.
Shou Tucker arc - bad dad is the worst dad. Ed punches.
Hughes dies arc - good dad is dead dad :(. Ed punches himself emotionally.
Greed arc - Greed dad bad dad.
Ling and Mei arc - These two share a bad dad. They fight about it.
Hohenheim returns arc - bad dad, source of all Ed’s bad dad problems, returns. Ed punches eventually.
King Bradley reveal arc - Bradley is bad dad. Ed doesn’t punch but he did fake-assassinate him once.
Ishval backstory arc - Riza’s dad is bad dad. Ed’s not available for punching.
Promised Day arc - Boy Does Ed Sure Punch This Bad Dad
