List of Fullmetal Alchemist characters
The Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques. Although they essentially start off the same, the 2003 anime series features an entire original story while adapting the first seven volumes of the manga, which were the only ones available from the source material at the time. However, the second anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, follows the manga exclusively.
The story follows the adventure of the titular character, Edward Elric, also known as the "Fullmetal Alchemist", who is frequently accompanied by his brother Alphonse. While trying to revive their mother, the brothers lost parts of their bodies, with Alphonse's soul being contained in a suit of armor, and Edward replacing his right arm and left leg with two sets of automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb. Advised by Roy Mustang, an alchemist from the State Military, Edward becomes a State Alchemist, and starts traveling with Alphonse through the country of Amestris in order to find a way to recover their bodies. In their search, they hear of the Philosopher's Stone, a powerful alchemy artifact that the brothers can use to recover their bodies.
When creating the series, Arakawa took her inspiration from several experiences in her childhood, including her parents' jobs and the manga she used to read. She also interviewed real war veterans for inspiration of her characters. Several types of merchandising have also been released based on the characters from the series. Reviewers from manga, anime, and other media have also commented on the characters. Most of them have praised their development in the story as well as Arakawa's artwork.Creation and conception
The author Hiromu Arakawa integrated several social problems into the story after talking to people who had suffered and lived through them, such as refugees, war veterans and former yakuza, or simply by watching news concerning those issues. Several plot elements expand on these themes, such as Pinako Rockbell caring for the Elric brothers after the death of their mother, and the brothers helping people all over the country to gain an understanding of the meaning of family. Many characters of the series differ from the manga to the first anime, the [|homunculi] being the most notable, which was because Arakawa wanted the first anime to have a different ending from the manga, to avoid repeating the same events in both series.
Arakawa said that she became attracted by the idea of using alchemy in the manga after reading about the philosopher's stone. She liked it so much that she started reading books of alchemy, which she found very complicated because some books contradicted others.
In the making of the characters' designs, Arakawa has commented that the manga authors Suihō Tagawa and Hiroyuki Eto are her main inspirations, and she also mentions her artwork is a mix of both of them. When drawing the series' characters, Alex Louis Armstrong and the little animals are the easiest for her to draw. Due to the fact she likes dogs, Arakawa added several of them in the story. She also adds various muscles to most of the characters fearing that otherwise they may look much too thin to the point they could look unhealthy. Despite being requested several times by fans to show the characters' birthdates, Arakawa has claimed that she never thought of them.
In the two animated adaptations of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, the characters have been voiced by famous voice actors such as Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya who portray Edward and Alphonse, respectively, in Japanese. In the second adaptation, most of the Japanese voice actors were replaced with the exception of a few, including Park and Kugimiya who reprised their roles. On the other hand, most of the English voice actors from the first anime reprised their roles for Brotherhood with the exception of a few such as Aaron Dismuke and Dameon Clarke who are replaced by Maxey Whitehead and J. Michael Tatum, respectively.Main characters
Edward Elric
Edward "Ed" Elric, the "Fullmetal Alchemist", is the youngest State Alchemist in history, joining the program at the age of 12. He and his younger brother, Alphonse, scour the world in search of the Philosopher's Stone, in the hopes of restoring their bodies. Edward lost his left leg in a futile attempt to revive his mother, Trisha, using an illegal method of human transmutation, and lost his right arm in exchange for attaching Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor. Edward now employs the use of metal prosthetics, known as automail, as replacement limbs. However, as attempting to resurrect a human opens a portal called the to allow the committer/s to see the, Edward gained great knowledge of the universe as well as the powerful ability to perform transmutations without transmutation circles. Edward is smart, brave and even bold, but also has a prideful tendency to be harsh and arrogant. He harbors a sharp sensitivity to his short height; a recurring gag in both manga and the anime series is for Edward to overly react to people who call him short. Romi Park and Vic Mignogna voice him in the Japanese and English versions, respectively. In the live-action film adaptation, he is portrayed by Ryosuke Yamada.Alphonse "Al" Elric is Edward's younger brother. Together, both of them scour the country in search of the Philosopher's Stone in the hopes of restoring their bodies. Unlike Ed, who lost one of his legs in the failed attempt to revive the brothers' mother, Al lost his entire body. At the last moment, and at the cost of one of his arms, Ed sealed Al's soul in a large suit of armor, making Al almost invulnerable. Follow the incident, he and Edward together join the journey in order to recover the body back. Rie Kugimiya voices him in the Japanese series, Aaron Dismuke in the first English series, and Maxey Whitehead in the second English series.Roy Mustang
Colonel/Major Roy Mustang, the "Flame Alchemist", is a State Alchemist and Edward's direct superior. He is promoted to Brigadier General at the end of the series and is a General in the epilogue. He aims towards becoming the next Führer of Amestris, heavily relying on the support of his loyal subordinates to propel him along that path. Mustang finds this path interrupted by the murder of his best friend and confidant, Maes Hughes; afterward, he begins an almost behind-the-scenes investigation into finding the true culprit. Tōru Ōkawa and Travis Willingham voice Mustang in the Japanese and English versions, respectively. In the second anime series, he is voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki with Travis Willingham reprising the role in the dub. In the live-action film adaptation, he is portrayed by Dean Fujioka.Winry Rockbell, a childhood friend of Edward and Alphonse Elric, lives in Resembool with her grandmother, Pinako Rockbell, who raised her after the death of her parents during the Ishbal War. Her parents were killed by Scar in a blind rage. Winry is a practicing and gifted automail mechanic; a prodigy following in her grandmother's footsteps, continually designing and maintaining Edward Elric's automail prosthetics. She is well known for working in Rush Valley as a promising engineer with many loyal customers. Winry is often used as an unwitting hostage by the homunculi to ensure the Elrics' subservience to the State. Winry is known for helping the Elrics' emotionally and physically, behaving understandingly and compassionately towards them. She and Edward get married in the concluding moments of the manga, as their relationship is built upon communication and reliance. In the first anime, her parents were executed by a younger Roy Mustang under Military order. She is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi and Caitlin Glass in the Japanese and English versions, respectively. In the second series, she is voiced by Megumi Takamoto in Japanese, and Glass reprises her in the English version. In the live-action film adaptation, she is portrayed by Tsubasa Honda.Scar
Scar is one of the survivors of the Ishbalan Extermination Campaign, and named for the scar across his face. Depicted as an Ishbalan warrior priest, Scar was a capable fighter who desperately tried to save whomever he could from the onslaught. However, Kimblee's enhanced alchemical attacks were too much. Scar's brother, who had been researching Amestrian alchemy and Xingese alkahestry in an attempt to gain power against the State, gives Scar his right arm in order to save his life. Scar initially targeted State Alchemists for their role in his people's slaughter, even becoming an enemy of the Elrics after he killed Nina Tucker as an act of mercy after she was turned into a chimera, but ultimately sided with them upon learning that the Homunculi are his actual enemies.May Chang is the seventeenth princess of Xing who represents the Chang clan. Unlike Lin Yao, she comes to Amestris without any bodyguards due to her clan's poor status, only having her small pet panda, Xiao Mei that had gotten a disease to keep her from growing, keeping her small, to keep her company. May is particularly skilled in alkahestry by using throwing knives to create two transmutation circles, one at her intended target and one near herself, allowing her to manipulate matter at a distance. She is somewhat imaginative in nature; having imagined Edward Elric as a tall and handsome young man before actually meeting him and proclaiming that he intentionally misled her. May later falls in love with Alphonse Elric, also picturing his real form as a handsome man. Soon after arriving in Amestris on her search for immortality, May teams up with Scar, assisting him on his travels. For a time, she also unknowingly fights the Elric brothers before eventually teaming up with Alphonse, who she developed feelings for, to capture Envy and bring the weakened homunculus to Xing. However, her guilt manipulated by Envy, May resolves to help her friends in Central City. After Father's defeat, relieved upon hearing of her half brother's intentions as emperor, May returns to Xing alongside Lin and Lan Fan. In the epilogue, May is seen in a family photo together with Alphonse, Winry, Edward, and the couple's son and daughter. Her Japanese voice actress is Mai Goto and her English voice actress is Monica Rial. In the live-action film trilogy adaptation, May Chang is portrayed by Ron Monroe.