Groups

Description

Personality

Edward can be serious or funny, depending on when you talk to him. If you mention his short stature, though, he will blow up and (try to) attack.

Equipment

He carries nothing except what is on his back. He does know alchemy so he uses that to summon weapons to use.

History

Edward Elric is the youngest State Alchemist to be selected by the State Military of the country, having achieved the rank of Major at age twelve, receiving the title of the Fullmetal Alchemist shortly after from military head, Fuhrer Bradley. His father's early disappearance, the death of his mother, and a failed human transmutation play pivotal roles in his story. Edward's motivation stems from a love for his brother Alphonse, whom he is desperately seeking to restore to a human form after their alchemy accident. Owing to this, he is also generally perceived to be very independent; he feels that he's the only one who can solve a problem. Often, he feels a heavy guilt that the problem is his fault to begin with and thus is his responsibility to solve. This gives him a selfless inclination.[8]

His automail limbs are made by his childhood friend and neighbor Winry Rockbell. Edward often fights by transmuting his forearm of his automail into a blade.[9] Winry is occasionally kept busy repairing Edward's automail, as Edward regularly breaks them during fights. She is constantly looking for new ways to improve them, whether it is an attempt at extending their durability, lightening the weight, or making them stronger. In both the anime and manga, Winry is an extremely important person to Edward. In the first anime series, romantic feelings are hinted at but never explicitly stated. In the manga and second anime series, Winry admits to being in love with him, and Edward exhibits similar feelings though he constantly denies it.[10]

Edward is extremely short for his age and is very sensitive about his height; he tends to humorously overreact to any comment about it (and often misinterprets the words) in a fit of rage. In the manga, he declares that he is 165 cm (5'5") tall overall, including the height of his hair antenna and platform shoes.[11] Despite all of the obstacles that Edward tackles in the story, he still displays a childish personality when it comes to things he despises, such as needles and milk.[12] He is extremely idealistic and strongly believes in the concept of Equivalent Exchange, that every outcome requires an equal payment, using it as his personal philosophy. Despite his occasional bouts of immaturity, he is a selfless, strong, independent and a mature young adult that gains a reputation as a "hero of the people".[13]

Unlike regular alchemists that normally use transmutation circles, Edward has the special ability to create alchemical currents in his body simply by connecting his hands. The arms and body themselves form the circle, and the power that circulates through the body when this is done is used for the transmutation. This is a direct result of seeing the Gate of Truth, the source of all alchemical knowledge, while attempting to resurrect his mother in the failed human transmutation.[14] He is adept at changing substances from one thing to another quickly, such as changing water into ethanol, and can transmute the elements of an enemy's body to injure him or her in battle.[15] In the manga, this knowledge is great enough to save his own life, as he heals a would-be fatal wound.[16] In addition to his alchemical abilities, Edward is a formidable fighter as result of his training with Izumi Curtis, who had extensively trained both brothers in martial arts when they were young, after their mother died.[17]

Elric Edward's Story