Fullmetal Alchemist Creator's Follow-up Manga is the Perfect FMA Replacement More Fans Should Be Reading

Summary Daemons of the Shadow Realm, by Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiroma Arakawa, captures the essence of familial bonds while exploring unpredictable powers.

The manga embraces moral ambiguity, blurring lines between good and evil, adding depth to the conflict and characters.

With twists and turns that keep readers on edge, fans of Fullmetal Alchemist will find a new favorite in Daemons of the Shadow Realm.

The latest manga from Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, was a return to the fantastical for the mangaka, but more than that, a return to many of the themes that made her previous hit series a success. Fans who've been longing for something like Fullmetal Alchemist may be pleasantly surprised that, despite some major differences, the two works have more in common than not.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm follows Yuru, a young boy from an isolated mountain village, who has a twin sister, Asa, who's being held in a cell near the center of town, allegedly for her own good and the good of the town. The twins' birth marked the beginning of a prophecy, kicking off a series of events that would eventually lead to the village being devastated by an attack from the outside world--an attack led by a woman who claims to be the real Asa, who escaped the village long ago.

Yuru is dragged into a massive conflict over who will control the prophesied power that the twins will inherit, but all he really wants is to be reunited with his long-lost family.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Recaptures Much of Fullmetal Alchemist's Greatness

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Much like Fullmetal Alchemist, Daemons of the Shadow Realm puts two siblings at the center of the story, but it does so by turning Ed and Al's relationship on its head. For Ed and Al, all they had was each other, but Yuru and Asa didn't even get to have each other for most of their lives. It gives the siblings a very different sort of relationship, with Yuru unable to fully trust Asa the way Ed and Al could trust each other. Yuru is very sheltered as a result of his village upbringing, despite being a skilled hunter and survivalist, while Asa is familiar with the ways of the real world.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm is set in a world much like the modern day, but for the existence of Daemons, spiritual beings that come in pairs and can be contracted with. Daemons largely take the role that Alchemy did in Fullmetal Alchemist; it's a power that's complex, but able to be understood, and always works in predictable ways. Yuru contracts with the two guardian spirits of the village, known only as Left and Right, who turn out to be incredibly powerful. Daemons, however, have their own personalities, and sometimes even wills, making them much trickier to work with.

Another thing which the new series does well is recapture that uncertainty of who's good and who's bad. Every time it looks like there's a clear-cut villainous side, new information is revealed which justifies their behavior, making the conflict very morally gray. Akin to Ed working as a State Alchemist and "Dog of the Military," Yuru and Asa must make alliances which they aren't fully comfortable with.

Given the constant subversion of who's good and who's bad, it's difficult to talk about Daemons of the Shadow Realm without getting into spoiler territory. The twists and turns of the story are half the fun, so it's recommended that readers go into it with as little foreknowledge as possible. Almost 30 chapters in now, Daemons of the Shadow Realm has been picking up steam, but it's still early enough that diving into the story isn't a major time commitment. Fans of Fullmetal Alchemist should absolutely give Daemons of the Shadow Realm a shot.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm can be read on Square Enix's Manga Up! App.