Edward Elric
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Contents |
[edit] Personality
Ed is extremely hot-headed and temperamental, and any insult to his height is met with loud yelling and, more often than not, violence. He tends to speak bluntly to people, and maybe a little too bluntly sometimes. He often comes off as aloof and brash, a stubborn, headstrong, impatient, arrogant brat with a harsh tongue, a serious potty mouth, and an impetuous nature. But beneath this tough exterior, Ed can be very kind and giving. He will often help people in need, usually through indirect means (or otherwise doing his best to make it as not obvious as possible). He’s loving and compassionate to those important to him (especially his little brother) and will protect them at all costs. He’s very passionate about what he believes in and will not hesitate to stand up for those beliefs. While he has come very close to killing once or twice for such reasons, he was never able to go through with it (he values human life far too much to do something like that). He works hard toward his goals and is easily absorbed completely by his work or research, oftentimes to the point of excluding any other sort of activity and forgetting to do mundane things and basic necessities like eating or sleeping. He has an astounding ability to focus. Edward truly is very smart for his age and while it’s understandable for him to be proud of his abilities, sometimes his ego gets a little out of hand.
In a sense, despite his exposure to the world’s harshest realities, he can be very naïve. Ed believes that the whole world follows the rule of Equivalent Exchange, that to gain means to sacrifice and sacrifices merit rewards. He practically lives by this rule; when receiving something from someone he will insist on paying that person back one way or another, but sometimes forgets to expect the same from them (unless he doesn’t like them, in which case, pay up, bitch!).
Ed also has some major guilt issues. When something he is involved in has gone wrong or otherwise not according to plan, chances are he’s going to blame himself no matter what and will not rest until he’s found a way to set things right. He’s made a lot of mistakes in his past, all of which he works very hard to make up for, and because of this he tries to make sure that no one else will make similar ones if he can help it. Ed takes on some heavy burdens for someone so young, and does so (for the most part) in stride. As the inscription in his pocket watch reminds him, he believes that there is no choice but to move forward, learning from the past and working to rise from its charred remains.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Ed is a near genius – a prodigy, if you will – in the field of alchemy (the science of transforming one object into another as long as it retains the same mass and chemical properties as the original object). Unlike most other alchemists, he is able to transmute without having to draw the necessary transmutation circle first. Instead, he merely claps his hands together, essentially forming the circle with his hands and channeling the energy through that. In addition, thanks to the brutal and intensive training endured under his teacher, Ed is quite proficient at hand-to-hand combat. He’s not as good as his younger brother has proven to be, but he’s definitely one of the toughest opponents you’ll meet.
[edit] History
[possible manga spoilers up to chapter 53/volume 13]
Ed was born and raised in the small town of Risembool, into a family of four; mother, father, two sons (Edward and his younger brother Alphonse). When Ed was about 2 or 3 years old, his father simply packed his things up and left without really offering any sort of explanation. Because of this, Ed has come to hate and resent his father with a passion, and any mention of the man is likely to set him off. Their mother did her best to raise the two boys without their father around. Edward and Alphonse began experimenting with alchemy from a very young age and – perhaps because their father was a skilled alchemist himself – found that they had quite a talent for it. This made their mother very proud of them, and so they continued to study and practice it, learning from books that had been left behind in their father’s study.
When Ed was 10 years old and Al was 9, their mother fell ill and eventually died of what was speculated to be some sort of plague. Their guardianship was more or less taken over by Pinako Rockbell, a long-time family friend. So distraught over the loss of their mother, Ed and Al decided to try to revive their mother through alchemy; the dangerous and forbidden act of human transmutation. For a long time they tried to figure out the method by themselves, but eventually found a teacher/mentor in alchemy (Izumi Curtis) and went along with her. They endured brutal training and studied under her for less than a year before coming back to Risembool to continue their research on resurrecting their mother.
At the age of 11 and 10 respectively, Ed and Al deemed themselves ready to attempt human transmutation. They gathered up the necessary materials and drew out the array, and for a little while everything seemed to be going just fine – but then everything went wrong. Al had his body taken away and Ed was allowed through the Doors of Truth. A huge amount of knowledge (mostly in regards to alchemy) was crammed into his mind, and in exchange Ed lost his left leg above the knee. When he came to, Ed found that the transmutation was a failure and his little brother was all but gone. Consumed by his own guilt and fear and in a desperate attempt to get Alphonse back, Ed bound Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor. In exchange for this, Ed lost his entire right arm.
Not long after that, the Elric brothers were approached by a military man by the name of Roy Mustang, who offered them work as state alchemists before taking his leave. Ed, fueled by the desire to restore himself and his younger brother, chose to accept. He was fitted with automail, full-steel prosthetic limbs, and spent a year in rehab getting adjusted to it. When he was 12, Ed and Al (now in a lumbering suit of armor) burned down their old house and went off to join the military.
Now 16, Edward still holds a place in Amestrian history as being the youngest ever to enlist in the military force. He was given a second name and became the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ever since first joining up, he and his younger brother have been on a long quest to restore their bodies to the way they should be. For a long time, their only real lead on finding a method through which they could accomplish this was the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, but after much toiling and research they discovered that obtaining the stone was not only near impossible but completely unethical. Not selfish enough to compromise their morals and endanger the lives of others in order to reach their goals (after finding out what happened to Hughes), the Elric brothers chose to find an alternative method.
However, Ed and Al find that their actions have become intrinsically linked with a group of homunculi, who are working for someone called “Father” and gathering up skilled alchemists to be utilized in the execution of some huge plan of theirs (which has yet to be expounded upon). Not long after meeting Ling Yao, a prince from the country of Xing that seeks a way to become immortal, Ed realizes why the transmutation of their mother failed and discovers that it is indeed possible for Al’s body to be fully restored by pulling it back out from the Doors of Truth. Needing to know more about the Philosopher’s Stone in order to do this, Ed and Al joined up with Ling to catch one of the homunculi.
Though they eventually succeeded in capturing one (Gluttony), the homunculus went into a fit of wild rage and began swallowing up everything. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, Ed, Ling, and Envy (another homunculus) were swallowed whole. Contrary to what everyone else believed, they weren’t dead. They had just ended up in a sort of pocket of space that was deemed completely inescapable. After another fight broke out between Ed, Ling, and Envy, with Ed very nearly getting killed and consumed by Envy, Ed figured out a way to escape by using the Philosopher’s Stone inside Envy’s body to perform human transmutation on themselves and opening the Doors of Truth.
[edit] Relationships
Roommates:
Maes Hughes - a friend from his own world, Lt. Col./Brig. Gen. Maes Hughes. Ed would never admit it, but he's quite fond of Hughes and sees him as something of a father figure. He was one of few people in the military that Ed and Al truly trusted, and so when they heard about his death, they were enraged. Ed blames himself for Hughes' death, for tearing him and his happy family apart with such a tragedy, and hopes that he can find some way to make amends for it.
Um... Friends:
Alphonse Elric - Ed's kid brother, who somehow became human prior to his arrival at Manhattan. They're about as close as brothers can possibly get, though in recent days there has been something of a rift between them. This was initially caused by Ed's inability to accept the reality of Al's presence in Manhattan during their first meeting, grew when he found out about Al's soul-touching alchemy and that Al didn't remember anything from the past 5 years while he was bound to the armor, grew a little more when Al confessed to being in love with him, and still more upon realizing that Al didn't seem to quite need Ed's presence as much as he once did. Their relationship has been fragile and complex lately, which Ed has found both frustrating and painful. But through it all, Ed still loves his brother very much and wouldn't hesitate to put Al's needs before his own if he has to.
Obito Uchiha - an odd sort of friendship to have made, but was made nonetheless. They bonded over the much needed warmth of a fire, and have likely become friends due to the realization that they each had a lot of pain in their young lives. Ed is rather amused by Obito and the way he is, and feels strangely at ease around him.
Rabi - his co-worker at the library. Ed and Rabi get along due to the fact that they each have a healthy blend of crazy and intelligent to them. They'll talk about whatever comes to mind, whether they're joking about carving a mark into Manhattan's history, or the nature of the Flux Gate and finding a way back home. As such, Ed enjoys his company. Talking to his 'fellow library crazy' helps fight off the boring factor of work.
Yukino Miyazawa - one of the other members of 'OSJAM', aka Tamaki's Club of Overly Happy. But, unlike the others, she seems infinitely more level-headed (which Ed appreciates very much). She's nice and quite optimistic, which Ed finds a little strange given their current circumstances, but isn't something he can really hold against her. On a whole, she just seems like a very nice girl, and there's really nothing to dislike. She's a little like Winry, he finds, especially with the way she practically assaulted him in order to stop his escape attempt from the hospital after the zombie attack. He's determined to win the bet he's made with her about staying out of the hospital for a month.
Maytag - Al's friend and roommate. Ed would probably never ever ever admit it, but yes, somewhere deep down in there he considers this crazy jester girl a good friend. Being bad with girls in general is part of why he tries not to hang around her too much, as her flirtatious nature is a little overwhelming for him. But he recognizes that she's a good person and cares very much about the people around her. Her attitude sometimes reminds him of Winry, which he's not sure is a good thing or a bad thing.
Acquaintances:
Rinali Li - Hughes' ex-girlfriend. Ed was there when she was being treated for injuries, and was around to help keep her company while she was getting over her more serious wounds. He finds her to be a very kind person, pleasant to talk to, and quite helpful (she showed him how to sew Al's holiday present). He likes her so far.
Himura Kenshin - Al's... boyfriend. As the older brother, Ed feels naturally extremely protective of his little brother which sets him somewhat at odds with Kenshin. He doesn't seem like a bad person, so he has no reason to dislike him, but there's just something about Kenshin that doesn't sit well with Ed. Somewhere deep down he recognizes that he and Kenshin have similar intents in terms of keeping Al safe, but he's still a little uneasy about their budding relationship. Partly because it shows him that Al has matured greatly and in ways that Ed has not.
Lady - teacher at the school, and one of Al's friends. She has apparently taken Ed and Al on as her 'little brothers', which Ed doesn't quite appreciate at all. But she has proven herself to be trustworthy enough and also hasn't really done anything to royally piss him off just yet.
Tamaki Suou - the loud guy that keeps trying to make him join their Club of Overly Happy. Ed prefers to keep his distance from him. Not because he hates him, but because he's just so damn... annoying. There's only so much loud and cheerful that can be handled, and Hughes covers that quite well.
Yorick Brown - the Disease Carrier, with whom Ed got off to a VERY bad start. he rubbed Al the wrong way, and that's really all it took to get him on the shit list. As much as possible, he'd rather not associate himself with people who are paranoid and crazy the way this guy has obviously been until just recently.
The Major Shit List
Envy (dropped) - If Ed had to choose only one living being in the entire universe to smite, he'd pick Envy. He and Envy have always been at each other's throats and this is for a few very simple reasons: (1) he's a homunculus freak of nature; (2) the bastard is constantly making jabs at his height; (3) he's the cause of the Ishbal rebellion; (4) he's the sickest, most twisted thing that ever clawed its way into existence. Ed hates him. That is all.
Deadpool - The next person Ed would smite down if he could. Something about Deadpool irks Ed in ways he can't even explain, and he keeps insulting him and calling him the s-word (short). Ed figures he has to die.
Jayne Cobb - another height insulter. This automatically sets Ed against him, but what pisses him off even more is his attitude and just the way he lets his mouth shoot off at him. Also, the way he handled the dead guy from Kanda's fridge gives Ed the distinct impression that human life isn't of much value to him. The Man They Call Jayne is clearly a sick bastard. Ed hates him.
Hiko Seijuuro - Hate. For starters, he's too blunt for Ed's liking, and he keeps telling Ed to bang his baby brother. For another thing, that little stunt he pulled with pretending to kidnap Al and supposedly being in a position to rape him? Not the funniest joke Ed's ever seen. It doesn't please him at all.
Xellos - the guy's just plain creepy. Ed doesn't trust him, especially since Al is so wary of him. there's just something about the fact that he saw him smiling in the midst of a battlefield, something that set off alarms in Ed's mind, and he's certain that he doesn't want to be around anybody like that. He'd like very much to shut Xellos up someplace for good, and never let him out.
