Fullmetal Alchemist mouse pads for the desk

These Fullmetal Alchemist mouse pads and desk mats carry art inspired by Hiromu Arakawa's story of two brothers, alchemy and a country built on a secret, printed edge to edge on 3 mm neoprene with a fabric top, a non-slip base and stitched edges. The smallest size is 11.8″ × 15.7″ (30 × 40 cm), the largest 23.6″ × 47.2″ (60 × 120 cm), and between them sit six more, all printed one at a time after an order comes in.

The manga ran in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from 2001 to 2010 and was animated twice by the studio Bones: Fullmetal Alchemist in 2003, which took its own path after the early chapters, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood from 2009 to 2010, which follows the manga to its end. Edward Elric and Roy Mustang each have their own page under Fullmetal Alchemist. This page covers the world around them: alchemy itself, Alphonse, Winry, the military, the homunculi and the places of Amestris.

Why alchemy suits a desk

Fullmetal Alchemist is set in a world of trains, telephones, pocket watches and uniforms, roughly early twentieth century in feel, where alchemy is studied, tested and put to work like any other science. That gives its art a structured, almost technical look: geometric circles, engraved metal, maps and military insignia. Designs built from those pieces behave like diagrams rather than illustrations, and diagrams are easy to live with on a desk. They stay readable when something covers them and calm enough for a desk that does more work than play.

Transmutation circles as geometry

In the series, alchemists draw circles of lines, polygons and symbols to change matter from one form into another. A transmutation circle design is pure geometry, and its placement makes all the difference. A circle centered on a keyboard-width mat ends up cut in half by the keyboard, so on XL, 15.7″ × 35.4″ (40 × 90 cm), it works better off to the side, where the mouse moves over its edge. On the deep XXL, 23.6″ × 35.4″ (60 × 90 cm), a large circle can sit behind the keyboard in full view. On the small pad, a circle fits whole, the way an alchemist would chalk it on the floor.

Gold or blue lines on black look like light; black lines on cream look like an old research notebook. The first suits a gaming desk, the second a study.

Equivalent exchange

The rule that runs through the whole story is equivalent exchange: to obtain something, you have to give up something of equal value. The brothers learn it in the worst way, and their teacher, Izumi Curtis, adds a second lesson, "all is one, one is all," on a training island off Dublith. The words themselves make a quiet, text-led design for a student's desk: a short line of lettering, an outline of a circle and a lot of empty space, more like a bookplate than a poster.

Alphonse in steel

Alphonse Elric lost his whole body in the brothers' failed transmutation, and his soul is bound to a large, hollow suit of armor by a blood seal. He is gentle, polite and prone to picking up stray cats and hiding them inside himself. His armor, gray steel with a spiked helmet and a long plume, is one of the most distinctive shapes in anime, and it sits naturally on a gray or silver setup. A tall figure like that works on the deep sizes, standing behind the keyboard, or as a close crop of the helmet on the M size. A small cat peering out of the armor makes a gentler version for a light desk.

Winry and automail

Winry Rockbell, the brothers' childhood friend, builds and repairs automail, the mechanical limbs that replace lost arms and legs in Amestris. Her world is workshops, wrenches and technical drawings, and the series visits Rush Valley, a whole town of automail engineers. Designs built on that side of the story, exploded diagrams of a metal arm, bolts and gears or blueprints on blue paper, suit a maker's desk, an engineering student or anyone who likes the mechanical side more than the alchemy.

The State Military in blue

Most of the cast wears the blue uniform of the Amestrian military, and it gives the series one of its strongest colors. Maes Hughes, the officer who shows photos of his daughter to anyone who stands still, Riza Hawkeye, the sharpshooter, and Alex Louis Armstrong, who flexes and sparkles as he explains his family's techniques, all wear it. A design in that military blue, with insignia, rank marks or a crowd of uniforms, suits a navy or gray desk and a setup that leans formal.

The homunculi and the ouroboros

The villains are the homunculi, artificial beings named for the seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Greed, Sloth, Wrath and Pride. Each carries an ouroboros mark, a serpent biting its own tail, somewhere on the body. The ouroboros on its own is an old, elegant symbol and a strong design for a dark desk: a single red or black ring, nothing else. Seven marks in a row along a long mat turn the cast into a pattern, one sin to each section, and the darker palette suits black peripherals and red lighting.

Amestris on a map

Amestris is a roughly circular country with Central City at its heart, Resembool, East City and the desert region of Ishval in the east, and the mountain fortress of Briggs in the far north. Its shape is not an accident, and the map hides one of the biggest secrets in the story. A map design carries a lot of fine detail, place names, rail lines and borders, so it needs room. Choose XL or larger, where the names stay legible around a keyboard and the circle of the country still reads as a circle.

Briggs in the snow

At the northern border, Fort Briggs is held by Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong and soldiers who live by her rule that the weak die and the strong survive. The arc set there is white, gray and steel blue, all snow, cliffs and fortress walls, and it gives the series its coldest palette. A Briggs design suits a white desk and cool white lighting, and it is a refreshing alternative to the warm reds and golds of most Fullmetal Alchemist art.

Xing and alkahestry

East of the desert lies Xing, a vast empire whose people practice alkahestry, a related art that draws on the flow of energy through the earth and can heal as well as fight. Its visitors bring a new palette to the story: Ling Yao, a prince who wants immortality for his clan, his bodyguard Lan Fan, and May Chang with her tiny panda, Xiao-Mei. Red, gold and dark green designs inspired by Xing suit a warm desk with wood and brass, and they are a lighter, livelier side of the series.

Scar and the tattooed arm

Scar, an Ishvalan survivor with an X-shaped scar across his forehead, begins the story hunting State Alchemists. His right arm is covered in tattoos inherited from his brother, and it lets him destroy whatever he touches. His look is stark: dark skin, white hair, sunglasses, and that arm traced with lines like a circuit diagram. Designs built on the tattooed arm alone are bold and graphic, and they suit a dark desk with white or gray peripherals for anyone drawn to the series' heavier, more political side.

Pride and the shadows

The eldest homunculus, Pride, hides in plain sight as a small boy, Selim Bradley, and fights with living shadows that spread across the floor, full of staring eyes and grinning mouths. It is one of the most unsettling images in the series, and it works surprisingly well on a desk: black on black, with just the eyes and teeth picked out in red or white. On the 4XL, 23.6″ × 47.2″ (60 × 120 cm), the shadows can creep in from every edge toward the keyboard, a striking choice for an all-black setup.

2003 or Brotherhood

The two anime share a beginning and then split. The 2003 series has a darker, moodier palette and its own story and ending, followed by the film Conqueror of Shamballa in 2005. Brotherhood is brighter, sharper and faithful to the manga. Someone who discovered the series in the mid-2000s may picture the first version; someone who came to it later probably pictures Brotherhood. Asking which they watched is a quick way to choose a design, and its palette, for them.

A desk for research and play

The Elric brothers spend much of the story in libraries, reading coded research notes, and a Fullmetal Alchemist pad suits the same kind of desk: books, notes and long sessions. The fabric top gives a steady glide for everyday work and for games, the non-slip base keeps the mat still when you reach for a notebook, and the 3 mm neoprene cushions the desk under your wrist. If you want the series without characters for a work desk, a black-on-cream circle or the ouroboros keeps it discreet.

Sizes for Fullmetal Alchemist desks

Sizes differ from design to design, and each product page lists the options. These suit Fullmetal Alchemist art.

Setup	Size	Good for
Mouse only	S, 11.8″ × 15.7″ (30 × 40 cm)	A complete transmutation circle
Laptop or study desk	TCG Mat, 14″ × 24″ (35.5 × 61 cm)	Equivalent exchange in lettering
Compact keyboard	M, 11.8″ × 27.6″ (30 × 70 cm)	Alphonse's helmet in close-up
Keyboard and mouse	XL, 15.7″ × 35.4″ (40 × 90 cm)	The map of Amestris
Deep desk	XXL, 23.6″ × 35.4″ (60 × 90 cm)	A large circle behind the keyboard
Full desk	4XL, 23.6″ × 47.2″ (60 × 120 cm)	The seven sins in a row

Between those, L, 11.8″ × 31.5″ (30 × 80 cm), and 3XL, 19.7″ × 39.4″ (50 × 100 cm), are there for desks with plenty of width and limited depth.

Gifts for an alchemist

A Fullmetal Alchemist pad suits a friend who rewatches Brotherhood every few years, a chemistry or engineering student, or someone who still remembers the 2003 series on late-night TV. Choose by the character or symbol they mention most; when the size of their desk is a guess, go for XL, 15.7″ × 35.4″ (40 × 90 cm), which leaves room for a keyboard and a mouse without crowding the desk.

Making a pad takes 1–3 business days. It ships from Turkey after that, and delivery to the US normally takes another 2–5 business days.

Cleaning without a transmutation circle

For everyday dust, a damp cloth is all a pad needs. When it needs a real wash, use a basin of lukewarm water and a little mild soap, wash it gently by hand, then rinse it until no soap is left. Lay it on a towel, fold the towel over and press down to soak up the water, and leave the pad flat to dry. Keep it away from the washing machine, the dryer and the iron, and the fade-resistant print keeps fine circle lines crisp.

A note on names

Fullmetal Alchemist and the names of its characters, places and ideas are mentioned here only to describe the inspiration for our designs. Padrift is not affiliated with Hiromu Arakawa, Square Enix, Bones, Aniplex or Viz Media, and these pads are not sponsored or endorsed by any of them.