Edward Elric

Edward Elric, commonly shortened to just Ed, is the main protagonist of the Fullmetal Alchemist series. He is the older brother of Alphonse Elric. After he becomes a State Alchemist, he receives the official title of Fullmetal Alchemist, which becomes a second nickname for him, often shortened to just Fullmetal.

Like his brother, he is a victim of a failed Human Transmutation experiment to bring their deceased mother back to life, which resulted in the loss of his left leg and right arm, and his entire body to Alphonse. In an effort to restore their bodies to their original states, the brothers embark on a journey to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone, the only known way to circumvent the Law of Equivalent Exchange. He strives to achieve this goal with utmost care, including becoming the youngest State Alchemist in history at just 12 years old. For most of the story, Edward is 15 years old.

Appearance Edward is a small boy for his age, measuring only 149 cm (4'11") at the start of the series, despite his attempts to appear taller (due to the observation that he doesn't tolerate regular milk). He wears his long, golden-blonde hair – usually tied in a braid that reaches his shoulders, but sometimes forgoes the braid in favor of 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, leaves a single strand of hair sticking up like an antenna. In chapter 56, it is revealed that he does this intentionally, presumably to appear taller. Ed's eyes are yellow, symbolizing his Xerxes ancestry. In one of Edward's art books, it is revealed that the reason he dresses all in black is to hide any oil stains that might come from his automail.

Early in the manga, Ed receives a thin horizontal battle scar just above his right eye, which remains because his subsequent battles cause his sensitive skin to tear repeatedly. However, from chapter 76 onwards, the scar appears to have healed completely. As the series progresses, some of Edward's facial features (his nose and chin) begin to take on traits similar to his father's. By the end of the series, Edward appears noticeably taller than Winry and finally reaches at least the same height as Alphonse.

Automatic mail

As a result of his alchemical dismemberment, Edward received custom-made steel automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako Rockbell. His left leg, from the knee down, is automail, and his right arm is also automail, extending to the shoulder; both were designed so that their outer layers resemble modern plate armor.

After Edward travels to the northern region, he receives new automail prosthetics, suitable for cold climates. Designed with a high carbon content to prevent ice damage and lighter to facilitate his movements, they are significantly thinner than his previous models and even have a more intense shine, with a more prominent silvery tone than the old steel versions. At the end of the series, Edward retains his automail leg, and the scars from the arm implant remain indefinitely on his right shoulder.

Clothes Ed's trademark is a bright red, long-sleeved, hooded cloak whose tail reaches his calves. Embroidered in black on the back is a Flamel, a symbol of his apprenticeship with the alchemist master Izumi Curtis. It's likely Edward crafted this cloak himself, as he frequently needs to repair it and, in Chapter 85, transmuted one from scratch using a roll of red fabric. During the Elric Brothers' journey to the northern region, Ed's cloak was slightly modified with a white fur trim around the hood for greater comfort in cold conditions.

Although Ed's clothing varies throughout the series, he seems to have a particular predilection for black and almost always wears black pants and some kind of black shirt under his coat. In his usual attire, Ed primarily wears a black sleeveless shirt with a black jacket with silver/white trim, as well as a red "overcoat" type jacket. This is his main outfit, and throughout the manga, the jacket undergoes several alterations. This can be seen at the beginning of the manga, where the jacket is longer and tucked into his belt. However, when he leaves Resembool for the first time, it hangs over his belt and has a zipper at the top. The most common version depicts the jacket buttoned up at the top with a button and slightly below the waist, allowing his black shirt to show. He also wears a wide brown leather belt, to which he attaches his silver State Alchemist pocket watch.

As part of his attempts to appear taller, Edward is rarely seen without his platform shoes—black leather boots with thick, red soles. Additionally, he frequently wears white gloves in public to conceal the fact that his right arm is artificial.

It is likely that her overall attire is intended to convey a red, black, and white theme, as these three colors (as well as the golden color of her hair and eyes) are considered significant in traditional alchemy.

Personality Superficially, Edward displays an immature personality. He is decidedly stubborn and obstinate, frequently letting his pettiness and vengefulness dominate him (it is this stubbornness that contributes to Fuhrer Bradley's decision to give him the codename "Fullmetal," since "Hagane" (which literally means "steel") is a Japanese term that defeats someone of an obstinate temperament) and often needs to be restrained or reprimanded by Al or anyone else present. He is somewhat selfish and egocentric, generally acting more out of self-interest than any kind of philanthropy, and takes numerous opportunities to massage his own ego or flaunt the governmental power and financial freedom of his military position. He is largely hostile to authority figures and feels little incentive to follow orders with which he disagrees, which earns him the distinction of being a somewhat unpredictable figure.

Edward is also quite temperamental, resorting more often to brute violence than to calm negotiation to resolve disputes (going so far as to suggest that refraining from hitting Paninya because of her gender is a sexist notion and therefore contrary to his principles). He has a reputation for being foul-mouthed and is an incurable sarcastic cynic, always ready to brutally and cruelly shatter others' comfortable illusions about God, reality, or their own importance. Edward also demonstrates a propensity for impatience and an inability to stay still for long, which perhaps contributes to his love of travel.

However, to the few people who have impacted him, Ed demonstrates a deeper nature, marked by altruism, unwavering loyalty, and great compassion. As someone who has suffered greatly at such a young age, Edward cannot ignore the suffering of others and feels compassion when he perceives the pain and determination in people's hearts. Although his solemn advice to these people is often tempered with sharp criticism, this stems from his genuine desire to guide them down the most direct path. As someone who struggles with a weakened body, he encourages those with healthy bodies to use their strong legs to move forward, and as someone who carries the burden of past mistakes, he emphasizes the need for people to take responsibility for their own errors. Although he intervenes on behalf of the oppressed if he concludes that the situation demands it, Ed tends to help only those who have the will—but not the means—to help themselves, in which case his recklessness and disregard for authority often lead him to break the rules to apply Robin Hood-style justice, in accordance with his strong belief in the concept of Equivalent Exchange, which has earned him notoriety and popularity as a "people's hero."

Although he quickly resorts to violence and combat to resolve many situations, Ed has immense respect for human life in all its aspects. Few things enrage him more than the mistreatment of others, and he considers everyone he encounters to be a human being worthy of respect, regardless of their mental, financial, or physical circumstances. Despite his status as a soldier and the State Alchemists being called "human weapons," Ed refuses to kill, even in life-threatening situations. Although some around him consider this a weakness, he is unwavering in his moral principles and is willing to accept whatever consequences come from his decisions.

A defining characteristic of Ed throughout the series is his guilt complex; for him, his and his brother's current state is his fault, partly because it was his idea to transmute their mother and partly 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 afraid to ask about it for years. As a result of this trait, he starts out very reserved, trying to do everything alone and not accepting help from anyone besides Al, in addition to being convinced that he can solve all his problems through alchemy. Over time, however, he learns to rely more on his friends and to share his burdens with others. But, although he works through his guilt, it never completely disappears, since even at the end of the series, he still blames himself for Nina Tucker being transformed into a Chimera, despite having saved countless other lives along the way.

It is clear that Edward's most notable personality trait is his Napoleonic denial of his short stature. Even in moments of relative composure, any mention of his height causes him to violently lose control of his emotions and react aggressively, both verbally and physically. One of the most common reasons for these fits of rage is related to his size, as he has a complex about being shorter than average (his height is 165 cm). What distinguishes these outbursts is Ed's tendency to interpret even the most casual mention of his height as a gross insult, exaggerating the interpretation and confusing simple words like "small" with elaborate phrases like "so small that he doesn't need to fear being crushed by a boot because he fits easily between the grooves of the sole" and others of that kind.

Those unfortunate enough to utter the word "small" in his presence are doomed to suffer one of his vengeful fits of rage, unless he is in the wrong and needs to be put in his place, as when Izumi Curtis calls him a dwarf while reprimanding him, along with Al, in the manga. It is presumed that this part of his personality is no longer present by the end of the series, as he has already reached a normal height.

Edward is a born alchemist and firmly believes in his principles 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 said, although he professes not to believe in gods, his spiritual sensibilities lean more towards deism than atheism. He does not pray, but frequently acknowledges the existence of a God in his speeches, whom he often blames for the difficulties in his life. Although Edward initially believed that everything could be explained and solved by alchemy, over time he recognizes, albeit reluctantly, that there are many things in life that he cannot explain.

Ed's aesthetic taste is also quite peculiar, as he is a big fan of gothic or macabre elements and often transforms decorations into ones filled with monstrous or demonic images and unnecessarily extravagant details, much to the dismay of anyone who receives a gift or service from him. He has also made it clear that his characteristic red coat is part of this lack of good taste, because, according to him, it is "an incredible color that makes the blood boil".