Edward Elric

Edward

Species - Human Gender - Male Age - 15 Born - 1899 Resembool, Amestris Nationality - American Automail arm and leg Extremely sensitive of own height A braid or ponytail Hair antenna/cowlick Golden eyes Like his brother, he is the victim of a failed Human Transmutation experiment to bring back their late mother, which ultimately resulted in him losing his left leg and right arm and Alphonse his entire body. In an effort to restore their bodies to their original states, the brothers set out on a quest to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone, the only known way to get around the law of equivalent exchange. He goes through considerable lengths to accomplish this, including becoming the youngest State Alchemist in history at the young age of 12. For most the story, Edward is 15 years old.

Family

Van Hohenheim - Father Trisha Elric - Mother Alphonse Elric - Younger brother

Appearance

Edward is a small boy for his age, standing at only 149 cm (4'11") at the beginning of the series, despite his attempts to appear taller, (due to the notation that he cannot stand regular milk). He wears his golden-blond hair long - usually tied in a braid that hangs down to his shoulders, but sometimes forgoing the braid for a simpler ponytail. He parts his bangs in the middle so that they frame his face on either side as they fall and, in the center of the parting, he leaves a single strand of hair sticking up like an antenna. Automail As a result of his alchemical dismemberment, Edward was fitted with full steel automail prosthetics custom crafted by Winry and Pinako Rockbell. His left leg from just above the knee down is automail and his automail right arm reaches all the way up to his shoulder; both are designed so that their outer shells resemble modernized plate mail. After Edward travels to the northern area, he is refitted with new, cold-climate type automail limbs. Designed to be rich in carbon to prevent frost damage and lighter to help Edward's movement, they are both significantly thinner than his previous models and even appear more lustrous, with a more prominent silver tint than the old steel versions. At the end of the series, Edward keeps his automail leg and the scars from the installation of his arm remain indefinitely on his right shoulder. Clothes Ed wears as his trademark a bright red, long-sleeved, hooded cloak whose tail comes down to his upper calves. Emblazoned in black on the back is a Flamel, signifying his tutelage under the master alchemist Izumi Curtis.

Personality

On the surface, Edward displays an immature sort of personality. He is decidedly stubborn and strong-willed, frequently letting his pettiness and vindictiveness get the better of him (it is this stubbornness that contributes to Führer Bradley's decision to codename him "Fullmetal," as "Hagane" (literally meaning "steel") is a term in Japanese that denotes someone of obstinate disposition) and often has to be restrained or reprimanded by Al or whoever else is present. He is somewhat selfish and self-absorbed, generally acting more out of self-interest than any sort of philanthropy as well as taking several opportunities to stroke his own ego or flaunt the governmental power and monetary license of his military position. He is largely hostile towards figures of authority and feels little incentive to follow orders with which he disagrees, earning him the distinction of being a loose cannon of sorts. Edward is also rather quick-tempered, resorting more often to steel-fisted violence than calm negotiations to resolve disputes. He has a reputation for being foul-mouthed and is an incurably sarcastic cynic, only too happy to bluntly and harshly relieve others of their comfortable delusions regarding God, reality, or their own self-importance. Edward has also displayed a propensity towards impatience and an disability to sit still for long, which perhaps contributes to his love of travel.

Personality

However, for those few people who have made an impact on him, Ed shows his deeper nature to be one of marked selflessness, unflinching loyalty, and great compassion. As someone who has had to suffer greatly at such a young age, Edward cannot ignore the true suffering of others and becomes sympathetic upon sensing pain and resolve in people's hearts. Though his solemn advice to such people is often tempered with brusque criticism, it is only because he sincerely wishes to place them on the most direct path forward. As one who has to struggle with a maimed body, he urges those with healthy bodies to use their strong legs to move forward, and as one burdened by the mistakes of his past, he stresses the necessity of people taking responsibility for their own errors. Though he will intervene on behalf of the oppressed if he concludes that a situation has called for it, Ed tends to help only those with the will - but not the means - to help themselves, in which case his recklessness and disdain for authority often has him bending the rules to dole out a Robin Hood-esque justice in accordance with his strong belief in the concept of Equivalent Exchange, earning him notoriety and popularity as a "hero of the people." Though he is quick to resort to violence and combat to resolve many a situation, Ed has an immense respect for human life in all aspects. Few things anger him more than the mistreatment of others and he considers all those he meets as human and worthy of respect, no matter their mental, financial, or physical circumstance. Despite his status as a soldier and State Alchemists being referred to as "human weapons", Ed refuses to kill even under life-threatening circumstances. Although some around him consider this a weakness, he is unflinching in his own personal morales and is willing to accept whatever consequences come from his decisions.

Personality

A defining trait of Ed's shown throughout the series is his guilt complex; as far as he's concerned, his and his brother's current states are his fault, partially because it was his idea to transmute their mother in the first place and partially because Al lost his entire body as a result of the experiment, while Ed only lost an arm and a leg. He was even convinced that Al hated him for what happened to his body, and was scared to ask him about it for years. As a result of this trait, he starts off as highly standoffish, trying to accomplish everything on his own and not accepting help from anyone but Al, as well as being convinced that he can solve all of his problems through Alchemy. Of course, the most noticeable of Edward's dispositional characteristics is his Napoleonic denial of his shortness. Even in moments of relative composure, any and all references to his stature cause him to violently lose control of his emotions and lash out both verbally and physically. One of the most common reasons for these outbursts is if anything related to his size, since he has a complex about being shorter than average (his height is 165 cm). Distinctive to these outbursts is Ed's tendency to take even the most casual mention of his height as a gross insult and interpret it exaggeratedly, mistaking words as simple as "small" for phrases as contrived as "so-tiny-that-he-need-not-fear-being-crushed-by-a-boot-because-he-fits-so-easily-between-the-grooves-of-the-sole" and the like. Those unfortunate to utter the word "small" in his presence are fated to suffer one of his vindictive tantrums unless he is in the wrong and needs to be put in his place such as when Izumi Curtis calls him a runt while scolding him and Al in the manga. This part of his personality is presumably no longer present by the end of the series, given that he has grown to normal height by then.

Personality

Edward is an alchemist at his core and firmly believes in its tenants and the concept of Equivalent Exchange. As such, he approaches the world scientifically and is reluctant to acknowledge the existence of "miracles" or "destiny". That being said, though he professes that he does not believe in gods, his spiritual sensitivities tend more toward the deistic than the atheistic. He does not pray but frequently acknowledges the existence of a God in his speech, whom he is often blamed for the difficulty of his life. While initially Edward holds the belief that anything can be explained and solved through alchemy, over time he grudgingly acknowledges the fact that there are many things that exist in life that he cannot explain. Ed's aesthetic sensibilities are also quite twisted in that he is a great fan of gothic or macabre fixtures and will usually transmute decorations filled with monstrous or demonic imagery and unnecessarily gaudy details, much to the dismay of anyone who receives a gift or service from him. He has also made it known that his trademark red coat is part of this general lack of taste, as it is what he says is: "a badass color [that] gets the blood going."

Relationships. Alphonse Elric

Edward's relationship with his younger brother is easily the strongest and most significant of his personal connections. Ed is very protective of Al, but Al seems to care about Ed in an almost parental way. Though the Elric brothers have wildly different personalities and argue often about the best way to go about things, they are close enough that each would readily and willingly give his life for the other.

Winry Rockbell

Ed's relationship with Winry Rockbell is likely one of his more complex personal connections. Born to the kind family that lived next door to the Elrics, Winry grew up alongside Ed and Al and means as much to them both as would a sister; she and Ed are more than childhood friends, they are a family. As such, however, Edward argues with Winry even more than he does with Al, their similarly stubborn personalities keeping them at odds with one another despite their powerful bond. After the terrible accident that claimed Ed's arm and leg, Winry took on the role of his personal automail mechanic, building him sophisticated new limbs at the tender age of eleven. Since then, Winry has served as Ed's constant well of support, both mechanically and emotionally, though they still find themselves arguing frequently. However, this affectionate hostility appears to be masking a deeper relationship. Though Edward has not outwardly admitted any romantic feelings toward Winry, he is rather overprotective of her and becomes unnaturally flustered at the mere suggestion of an amatory relationship between them. Winry, for her part, has admitted to herself that she fell in love with Edward long ago.