State Military characters of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime
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In the fictional country of Amestris, the Führer (the governing leader with the official title of President) has command of both the country and the military. Since Edward Elric is a member of the Amestris Military, the army and its personnel play a very pivital role in Hiromu Arakawa’s anime and manga series Fullmetal Alchemist. The various members of the State Military provide the lens through which the story and plot are advanced, and also provide insight to both the Ishbal War and the Lior War. The Ishbal War, in particular, serves as a defining moment for many of the State Military characters, as most of the members that have since been introduced were involved heavily in the conflict.
Amerstris’s military is very large, and is split into several military units; these include mechanized forces, infantry, mechanized infantry, armored units, special forces units, intelligence detachments, judicial branches, research organizations, military police and so forth. All alchemists that work for the military are referred to as "State Alchemists" (or less commonly, "National Alchemists"), and obtain titles based on their alchemic talents and abilities. All State Alchemists in Amestris are admitted into the military with the rank of Major and can be promoted from there. All members of the State Military can be placed into one of these categories, and each character’s background and role in the army helps to advance the story by providing insight and expertise to the Elric brothers as they search for the Philosopher's Stone.
Doctor Tim Marcoh, Jack Crowley, Lincor, Cravis Fagott and Shou Tucker are all considered former State Alchemists. Additionally, several of the chimeras that were held in the 5th Laboratory before it was stormed and secured were members of Amestris’ State Military or of the Military's Special Forces before becoming chimeras. Also, while Führer King Bradley and Colonel Juliet Douglas are members of the State military, they are both more than what they appear. Lastly, although Edward Elric is a ranking member of the State Military he is also the series’ main character. All of these characters are not described in this section. It is also notable that Mustang and his subordinates are named after World War II era fighter planes. Due to irregularities in translations some names may have multiple spellings. Template:Spoiler
Military Ranks
Military ranks in Amestris, from highest to lowest. The commissioned officer rank structure is nearly identical to that of the United States Army, except that the Amestris military does not ostensibly have the rank of Captain between First Lieutenant and Major. These ranks are what the characters have for the majority of the manga/anime.
Commissioned Officers
Non-Commissioned officers
Roy Mustang
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| Japanese Cast [12] | English Cast [13] | Portuguese Cast [14] | French Cast | Spanish Cast [15] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tōru Ōkawa | Travis Willingham | Hermes Baroli | Martial Leminoux | Rolman Bastidas |
Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, is the man who first recognized the Elric brothers' talent and recruits Edward Elric to become a State Alchemist (Episode 3). His first appearance is in the first episode. At the time of his introduction in the anime, Mustang held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was stationed at Central, although he was soon transferred to the Eastern Territories to clean up Lieutenant Yoki's mess (Episode 9). He was a hero of the Ishbal War, but he remains haunted by the horrors of war and suffers great remorse for the lives he took, among whom are the parents of Winry Rockbell, a childhood friend of the Elric Brothers (in the anime only; in the manga, it was Scar, not Mustang, that killed Winry's parents).
Outwardly arrogant and playfully manipulative, Mustang is a very smart character who is always one step ahead. One can see Mustang's scheming ways at work when he devises a situation to allow Edward to take the State Alchemist examination, which would have otherwise been impossible as Edward is only a child. While perceived as merely a glory hog who doggedly pursues promotions and praise, his true goal is to become Führer and reform the government in order to absolve his sins in the Ishbal War, along with the (hopefully) joking requirement for female officers to wear miniskirts (which considerably increased Havoc's loyalty to him). His goals are admirable enough that he earns the fierce loyalty of his good friends Lt Col. Mäes Hughes, Major Alex Louis Armstrong, and his own subordinates, among whom are Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman. While Mustang has a close and amicable relationship with all of his subordinates, he appears to share a deeper bond of affection with his second-in-command Riza Hawkeye, who has devoted her life to supporting him. This bond culminates in the final episodes of the show when Mustang chooses Hawkeye alone to accompany him on his greatest and most dangerous mission. When Hughes dies, Mustang is devastated by his friend's death. When forced to pursue the Elrics per military orders, Mustang learns that King Bradley is a Homunculus, and tries to expose him to the top brass of military by revealing the truth about the Führer's secretary, Juliet Douglas (Episode 45). To counter this perceived threat against him, Bradley promotes Mustang to Brigadier General in preparation for his leading troops against armies in the north. Although Bradley intends for him to die in combat (at Envy's hands), Mustang stays in Central (Havoc acts in Mustang's place up north), making his move to avenge Hughes' death. He succeeds in killing King Bradley but only narrowly survives the ordeal. He loses his left eye, and it is commonly presumed that this injury was sustained when he is shot by automail-Archer.
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A powerful alchemist in his own right, Mustang wears gloves with transmutation circles on them that are made of a material called "pyrotex/ignition cloth" that spark when he snaps his fingers. By adjusting the oxygen densities in the surrounding atmosphere through alchemy, he can create flames anywhere in the surrounding area at will and manipulate them as he desires. Amusingly, because of this, he is considered "useless" on rainy days. During the Ishbal war, Mustang wore an incomplete philosopher's stone on a ring, which increased his flame power and allowed him to destroy entire city blocks in a single blast.
In the Manga
Roy first appeared in Chapter 4: Battle on the Train. The anime followed much of Roy's role in the manga during the early storyline. However, as the anime diverges from the original story, Roy's role and much of his background also differed.
Roy tries to investigate Hughes' death in secret despite the military closing the case after convicting Maria Ross. Trusting in Ross's innocence, and with the help of Barry the Chopper, Mustang uses his alchemy skills to fake Ross' death and engineer her escape from Amestris. After discovering that King Bradley is a Homunculus, he tries to expose him to the top echelons of the military, only to discover that they know his true nature but continue to support him. This move costs Mustang and deprives him of his subordinates - King Bradley places Riza Hawkeye under his command and authorizes the transfer of Mustang’s remaining personnel to the far reaches of Amestris.
In chapter 58 (Padding footsteps of destruction), Roy is said to have learnt his elementary alchemy from Riza's father. In a flashback conversation, we are told Roy became a State Alchemist in order to help the common people, despite the objection of his shishou (teacher). Upon hearing Roy's wanting of power, Roy's teacher states that he would pass his greatest and most powerful alchemy to Roy if he shall use it as a good course. However, before any further explanation, Roy's teacher choked with blood and only managed to state that he had passed all his secrets on to his daughter, and asked of Roy to look after her. It is later revealed that the strange markings seen on Hawkeye's back were the method chosen by her father to pass his secrets on.
The more recent chapters depict Roy's active role in the Ishbal War. Like fellow State Alchemists, he was sent to raze a complete area where Amestris was losing, using his flame alchemy. Later, he was seen with Hughes discussing the State's involvement in the War, before getting ambushed by an injured Ishbalan. They were saved by a sniper, later revealed to be none other than Riza Hawkeye.
In chapter 61, in the continuing flashback of the Ishabal war, Mustang discovers that while he thought he was alone in the war, simply murdering people, he was saving the lives of the men in his unit. This new idea appears to spur him into making an attempt to become the Fuhrer, which he explains to Hughes at the end of the war. He then surrounds himself with people he knows he can trust; Hughes, Fuery, Falman, Havoc, Breda, and lastly Hawkeye. He orders Hawkeye to watch his back, and that if he ever strayed from the path of wanting to help people, of wanting to change the government, it was her role to shoot him.
In chapter 62, Roy compares his struggle against the Fuher to a chess game, and says that his knight, pawn, rook, bishop and queen have been taken away, obviously referring to the fact that his trusted subordinates have been stationed elsewhere. In this analogy, logically, Roy must be the king piece. However, it is unclear whether Arakawa intended for each chess piece to correspond with one of Roy's removed subordinates, or if she had refered to all the pieces in chess, being Roy's subordinates in general, being taken away collectively.
Also in the same chapter, it is revealed that his playboy tactics used in order to cover his true intentions were inherited from Hawkeye's grandfather, General Grumman. This is an interesting follow up to Mustang's note of gratitude towards Grumman 'I have learnt a lot from you' before he left Eastern Headquarters.
Maes Hughes
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast | Spanish Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keiji Fujiwara | Sonny Strait | Luiz Laffey | Cyrille Monge | Orlando Arenas |
Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes was a member of the Investigations Division and was good friends with Colonel Mustang. At the time of his introduction in the anime, Hughes held the rank of Major, and first met the Elrics while serving as a communications officer for General Hakuro. Hughes and Edward work together to help recapture a passenger train that had been hijacked by a rebel named Bald (Episode 5). In the manga, Hughes was not present on the train when General Hakuro was held hostage.
Hughes is very devoted to his wife, Gracia, and absolutely besotted with his little daughter Elysia. He comically shoved pictures of Elysia into other people's faces to their annoyance - but it was clear that his goofy behavior was usually a cover for the serious and depressing nature of his work. Another common gag involved Hughes calling Mustang to either gloat about his daughter or advise Roy to get a wife, promptly causing Roy to slam the phone down in anger. He was also very supportive of Mustang's plan to become Führer, doing whatever he can to, as he put it, to "work below him and help push him to the top."
Hughes is especially kind to the Elric Brothers. In the anime, he invites them to his home to celebrate Edward's birthday, one of the few moments of domestic bliss enjoyed by the Elric Brothers. Both he and his wife Gracia continue to be kind towards the brothers, as well as to their friend Winry.
Hughes was assigned to the Investigations Division in Central, and because of this was more involved with police work than he was in actual battles. After receiving his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Hughes was placed in charge of the Investigations Division. Hughes, while investigating the 5th Laboratory incident and the mysterious deaths of the officers involved with its experiments, found there was much to suspect about the Führer's secretary, Juliet Douglas. He was killed by Envy before he could relay his suspicions to Mustang. He died as he phoned Roy. His reason behind calling Roy directly was to give him information that "could send him to the top." (Episode 25).
In the anime, he flees the building with Envy, disguised as Maria Ross, to contact Mustang from a public telephone booth, not trusting the military line. As Mustang is on a train to Central, Hughes is not able to contact him. Hughes then notices that the fake Ross is missing a mole under her left eye and slices Envy's throat with a knife. However, Envy recovers and transforms into Hughes' wife Gracia. Hughes hesitates, and Envy uses that opportunity to fatally shoot him. Ed and Al do not learn of Hughes' death until Episode 44 in the anime.
In the original manga Hughes fought in the Ishbal war not as an alchemist but fought as a soldier this would explain why he was so skilled in knife throwing. Also in the manga, Ed shows Hughes some drawings of what he saw in the 5th Laboratory. Upon further research, Hughes realizes that the military is making a huge transmutation circle around the country. Hughes tries to phone Mustang with the crucial information. He is confronted by Lust, but manages to escape with only a flesh wound by throwing a knife into Lust's forehead. Hughes also participated in the Ishbal War in the manga alongside Roy Mustang and other State Alchemists, although in the anime, he said he didn't.
He was promoted to Brigadier General posthumously and buried with full honours for dying in the line of duty. His death came as a shock to his friends and family, especially Sciezka and Mustang. While not an alchemist, Hughes was an expert in knife throwing, and carried 2 or 4 small push knives in both or either of his sleeves or in the back of his belt, which he used as protection in battle.
In the Conqueror of Shamballa, the Hughes from the other world (our world) was a policeman and a member of the Nazi party. Unlike the Hughes Ed and Al knew, he was cold, stern and not particularly friendly. He was also in love with the innkeeper (Gracia's other-world equivalent), but was too afraid to speak to her. He ended up betraying Edward to the Thule Society, but ultimately redeemed himself later on. The death of the movie's main antagonist was also his doing.
Last Words: Manga: Hey, hey, give me a break. I've got a wife and kid waiting for me at home ... I can't afford to die yet! Anime: I hope you'll forgive me, but I have a wife and kid waiting back home.
Riza Hawkeye
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast | Spanish Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michiko Neya | Colleen Clinkenbeard | Letícia Quinto | Agnès Manoury | Giannina Jurado |
First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is the most trusted in Mustang's circle of friends and his right-hand woman. In her own words, Hawkeye has joined the military because "there is someone I need to protect," that is, Roy Mustang (Episode 36). Hawkeye serves as Mustang's voice of reason, remaining cool and collected in sticky situations, constantly looking out for Mustang's well being, but also occasionally scolding him for his good-natured posturing and arrogance. She is a crack shot with a sniper's aim (Havoc referred to it as 'the eyes of a hawk' in Chapter 37: The Criminal's Body of the manga), and usually carries two pistols with her at all times. However, although her dog training method is still an example of her no-nonsense ways, Riza's softer and compassionate side is shown through her care for her dog, Black Hayate, as well as through her devotion (possibly love) to Roy Mustang. She also appears to have a soft spot for the Elric Brothers.
At the time of her introduction in the anime, Hawkeye held the rank of Second Lieutenant, and was stationed at Central, but like Mustang was promoted one rank and reassigned to the Eastern Territories early in the series. There she mainly played a role in solving Scar's case. Later in the series, she was reassigned back to Central with Mustang and was involved in Mustang's scheme after their discovery of King Bradley's true identity. She was last seen in Episode 51 tending to Mustang's injuries after his fight with Pride. She blamed herself for not getting to Mustang before Frank Archer, but was reassured that there was no such thing as a perfect world by the Brigadier General.
In the manga
Hawkeye first appeared in Chapter 4: Battle on the Train of Vol. 1. She was introduced as a First Lieutenant of the Eastern Headquarters, before being hand-picked by Mustang to join him at Central. Her minor role has become more prominent as the story develops, as she works alongside Mustang in capturing Barry the Chopper and the homunculus Gluttony. There have also been more scenarios in which we are able to see her emotional side. In particular, when Lust tells her that Mustang is dead (Chapter 39: Intricacies of Central, vol. 10), Riza loses control and empties three handgun clips (about 20 rounds) into the homunculus.
After Roy tried to unsuccessfully turn the military's top brass against King Bradley, she was reassigned to Central Headquarters as the Führer's personal assistant. It is very likely that she was given this assignment as a hostage to keep Mustang in line.
In Chapter 57 (Scars of Ishbal), Riza was revealed to have a strange marking on her back after taking a shower, similar to the transmutation circle on Mustang's gloves, which is partially distorted by a large burn. Upon enlarging the image, the latin 'Libera me' and 'Domine' (meaning 'free me' and 'master' or 'lord' respectively) can be seen in the top row. These are the beginning words of the last part of a standard structure requiem, thus putting forward the theory that the words inscribed is in fact the standard lyrics of a Requiem (see the lyrics here). However, Hiromu Arakawa has stated that Christianity does not exist in the Fullmetal Alchemist world, and therefore the Latin used may not serve any purpose in explaining the meaning of this marking.[citation needed]
In the flashback in Chapter 58: Padding Footsteps of Destruction, Riza is revealed to be the daughter of Roy's alchemy teacher. It is stated that her father has passed on to her the secrets of his most powerful alchemy. As such (revealed in chapter 60), this is what is on Riza's back: a marking encoded in a way that can't be understood by ordinary alchemists. It has been recorded on Riza's back to escape anyone who may take away her father's research after his death. However, as Hawkeye asked Mustang if she could "trust her back" to him, it is implied that permission was given to Roy to uncode her father's alchemy secrets.
Chapter 59 depicts Riza in the Ishbal War, and her reintroduction to Roy as a military member. As a sniper, she saved Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes from an ambush by an Ishabalan. It has also been recently revealed that the disfiguring burn on her back was given to her, at her own request, by Roy Mustang, in order to destroy her father's very dangerous research. Though Roy got an extremely concerned face and he told her he couldn't, she begged for him to continue so that the research would not give birth to a new Flame Alchemist. Hawkeye also told the colonel that it was so she could become Riza Hawkeye as an individual.
Jean Havoc
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast | Spanish Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yasunori Matsumoto | Mike McFarland | Sérgio Corsetti | Philippe Bozo | Angel Balan |
Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc likes to smoke, and is almost always pictured with a cigarette in his mouth. He is a fair shot with a gun, and one of Roy Mustang's loyal followers; he gives Edward a stern talking-to when Ed bad-mouths Mustang for only caring about promotions. Havoc is a strict man of duty, a very by-the-book soldier, even if he doesn't always agree with the orders.
Havoc's terrible luck with women is a running joke — Mustang is constantly stealing any potential dates away from him. In the lighthearted Episode 37 of the anime, Mustang orders his subordinates to find Havoc a girl to replace yet another one he stole from Havoc, and Major Armstrong volunteers his baby sister Katherine. When Armstrong claims that Katherine looks like himself, this worries Havoc a great deal. He worries more after seeing Armstrong's father being "large horizontally" and mother being "large vertically", Havoc imagines Katherine as an enormous woman who looks like Major Armstrong with a wig. Upon seeing the real Katherine, a petite and cute girl (with humorously large breasts, and only having identical eyelashes with her brother) he rejoices, only to have his hopes dashed when Katherine rejects him. As it turned out, she is only into guys who are strong and muscular like her brother. Havoc ends up in a comical catatonic state for the remainder of the episode, with a simple, yet comedic, whistle-like sound playing every time the camera focuses unto his face (which is done three times in the episode).
In the manga, Havoc finally gets a girlfriend: a busty woman called Solaris, who is actually Lust trying to get information about Mustang. Eventually Mustang and Havoc are confronted by Lust in the basement of a hospital[16], and in the ensuing fight Havoc is impaled by Lust and paralyzed from waist down. From then on, Havoc dedicates himself to physiotherapy, determined to rejoin his comrades someday.
Heymans Breda
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | French Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Tomoyuki Shimura | Josh Berry | Tarik Mehani |
Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda is good at chess and is one of Mustang's subordinates. He occasionally plays pranks on the other members of Mustang's group, such as impersonating Major Armstrong upon their transfer to Central. He also has a talent for strategy games, including chess, go, and shogi. He suffers from Cynophobia, the extreme fear of dogs, so much so that he refers to a puppy like Black Hayate as a 'beast'.
Breda's use in the military is questionable; in the anime he was never shown to be carrying a side arm or rifle, though art book illustrations suggest that he is specialised in using a type of German stick grenade. This seems likely as he has muscular arms, which would enable him to throw such a weapon quite far.
In the manga, Breda helps smuggle Maria Ross to Xing. When he finds out that Havoc is paralyzed, he proposes to Mustang that they should seek out Tim Marcoh (The ex-Crystal Alchemist) to help heal Havoc. But by the time he gets to Marcoh’s home it's too late; Envy, who had taken the form of Breda, had kidnapped Marcoh a day before the real Breda had arrived. In the wake of King Bradley's realization of Roy's insight into his true nature, Breda is transferred to Western Headquarters as a means of breaking up Mustang's group.
Alex Louis Armstrong
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenji Utsumi | Christopher R. Sabat | Gilberto Baroli | Benoît Allemane |
Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist, was born into an elite family of alchemists and has mastered his family's techniques. Members of his family have, in the past, filled the highest military and political positions in the state. He acquired his alchemy titles for his skill of using arm strength in his alchemy. At the time of his introduction in the anime, Armstrong was tailing the Elric brothers as they searched for Dr. Marcoh (Episode 14). When Scar cornered the Elric brothers and Dr. Marcoh, Armstrong stepped in to buy time for them to escape. A very intimidating man at first sight, Armstrong is actually a sensitive man who frequently weeps, and his sentimentalism prevents him from being promoted. Armstrong was also a part of the Ishbal War, but was badly injured and was not redeployed in a combat zone until the Northern Rebellion. He has a strong sense of loyalty towards the late Maes Hughes and after the Lieutenant Colonel's death he assists Roy Mustang in Hughes' place. After Edward and Alphonse's battle with Scar — which cost Al all of his lower right body, left leg and most of his chest while also costing Ed his automail arm — Armstrong volunteered to escort the boys back to Resembool in order to get Ed's arm replaced, and subsequently get Al's armor fixed (Episode 16).
Armstrong was eventually promoted, to Lieutenant Colonel, and sent to aid Mustang against armies in the north. In the movie "Conqueror of Shamballa" Armstrong is shown to be using his fortune and his alchemy skills in order to help restore Lior. Later in the movie, he initially led the military resistance to the Thule Society's attack on Central. During the Ishbal War, Armstrong received an incomplete Philosopher's Stone that allowed him to create larger, deadlier stone-spikes, as well as smashing city streets with his (almost) bare hands.
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Armstrong is jokingly known as "Colonel Clean" among fans for obvious reasons — the resemblance to the cleaning product mascot is uncanny, including the pink sparkles. Armstrong randomly takes off his shirt and flexes his huge muscles to show off his "beautiful body" to great comic effect, and it seems that he is only ever fully clothed for two and a half minutes at a time. He is also shown, in a random point of detail, to possess skill with artistic talents like portraiture and sculpture. He also possesses many techniques, alchemic and otherwise, that have "been passed down the Armstrong line for generations."
The other members in Armstrong's family present on the show included his father, mother, and baby sister Katherine who despite Armstrong's ridiculously massive physique, their mother's tall stature, and father's girth was a very beautiful, petite yet freakishly strong young woman. She was originally part of a plan to get Havoc a girlfriend, but she rejected him. These family members also possess pink sparkles around their heads. In the manga, Armstrong also has an older sister, a general who is stationed in the north.
In the manga, Armstrong was filled with rage after Ross's supposed death, but a tip from Mustang told him where to find her. He then purposefully damaged Ed's automail as an excuse to take him to home for repairs, where they then saw Ross as she left with Fu for Xing.
A young state alchemist at the time of the Ishbal Rebellion, Armstrong's personality was never fit for such battlefields as Ishbal. In a recent chapter of the manga, he is shown making a wall with his alchemy, then breaking down when he hears Ishbalan women and children being killed on the other side. Later, while walking through the carnage, he finds and old man and a child who had survived. He quickly punches a hole into the wall he made and lets them escape, telling them to alert the other Ishbalans to flee the extermination. However, as the two survivors start to walk forward, they are blown away by Kimblee right in front of Armstrong's eyes. As Armstrong falls to his knees, Kimblee scolds him somewhat sarcastically for not seeing the Ishbalans, not realizing Armstrong had let them escape, or at least pretending that he hadn't.
Hakuro
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast |
|---|---|
| Jin Horikawa | Phil Parsons |
Major General Hakuro is one of the top-ranking officers in the military. Near the beginning of the series, he is held hostage on a train by Bald while he is returning home from his vacation, Bald and Mustang making a deal to swap Hakuro for an agent of Bald's gang. Hakuro has his left ear shot in half by Bald for critcizing his plan, but is saved by Ed, Al and Hughes. In return for being rescued, he proctored Edward's first Alchemist Exam, as his way of repaying the boy. Hakuro, along with the Führer and Colonel Mustang, were among the selected group of officers judging Edward's practical skills test during the alchemy exam. Shortly thereafter General Hakuro promoted Mustang and Hawkeye one level, and reassigned them to the Eastern Territories to help clean up Lieutenant Yoki's mess. He was later seen leading the military in Lior after Envy, disguised as the Prophet Cornello, rallied the people into a civil war. It was General Hakuro who took Rosé hostage and he was ultimately responsible for her being raped repeatedly. He was in command of the forces sent to suppress Mustang's military uprising in the north against King Bradley. An ambitious man of limited ability, Hakuro rose to the highest levels of the military because he would follow orders without question and was not capable of being a threat to King Bradley.
An English misspelling by FUNimation has his surname as Haruko along with a different voice over change in the early episodes. However, in later episodes the mistake was realized and the original pronunciation of Hakuro is used.
Vato Falman
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Takehiro Murozono | Kyle Hebert | Wellington Lima |
Warrant Officer Vato Falman escorts General Hakuro back from his vacation and works in the investigation department under Lieutenant Hughes, as well as aiding Roy Mustang at Eastern Headquarters. After Hughes's untimely death, Falman begs Mustang to let him join the team, and after thinking it through Mustang allows him to transfer with him back to Central. Falman is particularly known for his precision and data. He seems to show a romantic interest in Sheska, as seen in Episode 37 of the anime. As the names of all military personnel in Fullmetal Alchemist are army and aviation-derived (the P-51 Mustang, Howard Hughes, and Breda Meccanica Bresciana are worth mentioning) it is possible that "Falman" is a mistransliteration of "Farman."
In the manga, Falman is ordered by Mustang to babysit Barry the Chopper and keep him away from public view. It is also shown he has relatively little field experience, with the manga making no mention of Falman being Hughes subordinate at any time. In addition, he did not have to beg to be transferred to Central with Mustang, and was chosen instinctively like the other four and had become one of Mustang's group soon after the Ishbalan War.
In the wake of King Bradley realizing that Roy knows about his true nature, Falman is transferred to Northern Headquarters as a means of breaking up Mustang's group.
Kain Fuery
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | French Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Tetsu Shiratori | Kevin M. Connolly | Benjamin Pascal |
Master Sergeant Kain Fuery is a kind man who cares for animals and everyone else. He was the one who brought Black Hayate into the eastern Headquarters, though he freaked out about Riza's methods of training. He is part of Roy Mustang's group and is the youngest and lowest-ranked member. A common unofficial translation has his name as Caine Fury. In the anime, he gets injured in his forehead due to ricochet off Ed's automail hand. Fuery is extremely talented with radio signals.
In the manga, Fuery and Black Hayate save Riza when she is ambushed by Gluttony at the top of a tower where she was using a sniper rifle to protect Havoc, Falman, and Barry the Chopper, who were fighting below. In the wake of King Bradley realizing that Roy knows about his true nature, Fuery is transferred to Southern Headquarters as a means of breaking up Mustang's team.
Fuery may be a mispronounciation. It is believed his name was to be Huey, like the army helicopter. There is no "hu" sound in Japanese; the "letter" that "hu" would be theoretically is "fu".
Basque Grand
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | Spanish Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shin Aomori | R. Bruce Elliott | Antônio Moreno | Armando Volcanes |
Brigadier General Basque Grand (the Iron Blood Alchemist) is an ambitious alchemist known for going to any lengths to complete an assignment. His alchemy title referes to Grand’s ability to transmute the iron in his blood to an assortment of guns and other weapons. Grand was also in charge of the "defunct" Laboratory 5 in Central, which he ran in hope of creating a philosopher’s stone for his own purposes.
During the Ishbal War Grand held the rank of Colonel, and was selected by Bradley to lead a group of State Alchemists into Ishbal to put an end to the war once and for all. The leading proponent for using the philosopher's stone for military applications, Grand was the one who had Marcoh's research be used in the Ishbal War. With his power augmented, Grand could turn his entire body into an enormous pillar of cannons, raining shells down on enemies from every angle (Episode 15). After Marcoh went AWOL Grand was enraged for losing such power and decided to forge his own philosopher's stone. Among his underlings after the war was the "human" Shou Tucker. Displeased at then-Lieutenant Colonel Mustang's recent achievements he strong-armed Tucker into showing immediate results, an order that led Tucker to take the drastic measure of using his own daughter in the creation of a talking chimera (Episode 7). After the incident Grand supposedly had Tucker executed, though he actually put him to work at Lab 5, making super-soldier chimeras for him.
After Ed and Al located Dr. Marcoh, Grand and his men arrived to take the Doctor into state custody to force him to resume work on the Philosopher's Stone. As they left Marcoh's residence, Grand's car was intercepted by Scar, who identified Grand by name and title. Grand was hailed as a fearless hand-to-hand combat specialist, but he made a fatal mistake. As he bragged about coming into possession of Marcoh's Incomplete Philosopher's stone, Scar quickly closed the distance between them and clamped his right hand over Grand's face. Before the General could defend himself, Scar activated the power of his right arm and dispatched Grand as he had so many other targets: causing his skull to explode from the inside. With blood venting from every part of his head, Grand's lifeless body collapsed onto the street (Episode 14). Hughes would later note, with grim humor, that there would be promotions unless Grand could "survive having his brain turned into hamburger meat." Envy later poses as Grand during the events in Lab. 5. When Edward sees all of the convicts Envy appears asking what Ed is doing there, and as a reply Ed punches Envy, causing the Homunculus to reveal himself. It is presumed that Envy did not know of Grand's death, as Ed informed him of his death. Some believe that Grand is of Ishbalan heritage due to his darker skin. This is unlikely, however, as he does not share the other common Ishbalan trait - their eyes have red irises, while Grand's irises are more of a reddish-brown. It is more likely that he is from the Lior region instead.
Last Words: Your timing is too bad. Just as I got my hands on this!
In the manga
In the manga, Grand's role is more of an enigma, as he was supposedly killed by Scar beforehand and thus not actually seen in person, although numerous characters discuss and talk about him now that he is gone. He was heavily involved as an overseer in the 5th Laboratory during the military's experiments to create philosopher's stones, an investigation the Homunculi were directly involved in as well, leading to some speculation as to whether Grand and the Homunculi are somehow linked.
- In chapter 52 the meeting between the generals they talk about Grand "even if only by name he was the one responsible for the 5th Laboratory," and "in the case traces of human experiments are found we can make him responsible for all of it," putting the blame solely on Grand.
- In the end of chapter 58 he made a small cameo during the flashback, he has a few scars on his face (across his nose and chin) and carries a Kar98-type rifle.
- As of chapter 60, Grand has made what could be considered his first significant appearance, as the chapter continues into a flashback of the Isbalan extermination campaign. Apparently, he was called into a mission after Armstrong refused to follow a higher officer's (Brigadier General Fessler) order to kill off Ishbalans in an unclaimed district.
Also in the above chapter, Grand reveals his alchemic abilities. His can be compared to Ed and Armstrong's methods. He wears a set of gloves (presumably iron, like his name may imply) that have Latin words scrawled onto them and uses punches or forceful hand movements to perform alchemy, like Armstrong. However, since there is no circle shown on his gloves, he hits his fists together beforehand to form a ring, similar to Ed clapping his hands to transmute. In a scene where he uses his ability to assault an enemy district, he punches a stone wall to create dozens of cannons and chains with blade tips. Due to this, it is questionable whether the Ironblood Alchemist received his name based on his alchemy or on some personality or character trait (though the weapons he creates did seen to have a metal sheen to them, implying he may have somehow transmuted the stone into iron).
Despite the power-hungry character he was in the anime, Grand does not seem to show it yet in the manga, and even does something to make him likeable in chapter 60. After the important religious figure, Roug Roa, requests to see King Bradley in order to stop the killing, Brigadier General Fessler refuses and tells the soldiers to continue the extermination campaign. As he screams the order at them, Grand calmly comes up to him and point-blank shoots him in the heart with his rifle, all the while telling Fessler that about twenty percent of the officers have met their death in the war not from the Ishbalans but from subordinates of the Amestris army. While he died, the soldiers that witnessed it (including Maes Hughes) stood by and agreed that it was just a stray bullet from battle. Drawing from these actions, it could be said that Grand is a man who does not mind death in the midst of battle, but does not revel in it so much that he will ignore quick or peaceful resolutions. Also, judging by an earlier statement he made in chapter 60, he does have pride in being a soldier. As well, in chapter 60, he is the one who shoots Fesseler point blank.
A common unofficial translation has his family name as Gran but official materials have consistently written his name as Grand with the ending French silent "d."
Yoki
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast |
|---|---|
| Kazuki Yao | Barry Yandell |
First Lieutenant Yoki was in charge of the mines in Youswell and is a very corrupt man who rose to his position through massive bribes. His influence on the people of Youswell was profoundly negative: not only did he levy heavy taxes on the people, he also lowered their wages, virtually bankrupting the city residents.
Edward was assigned to his second mission[17] as a State Alchemist in Youswell. While he and Al were staying there, Edward discovers that the city is in dire straits, and manages to depose Yoki by purchasing the title to the town with a large amount of gold (which later was discovered to be rocks). After Yoki's dismissal from the military, General Hakuro promotes Mustang and Hawkeye and reassigns them to the Eastern Command Center to help clean up the mess left by Yoki. Ending up at an Ishablan refugee camp, Yoki gains the attention of the state military by informing them that Scar was living amongst the refugees, with the intention of being awarded back his position in the military. Secure in the hands of the State, he begins lording it over his old camp-mates only to be killed by Lust, who uses her lightning-quick finger-lances to make it appear as though he had been shot. This spectacle causes widespread panic and the soldiers fire at the Ishbalans.
In the manga, Yoki aligns himself with a band of Ishbalans until he could get his revenge on Edward and the military members who discharged him for the Youswell incident. However, he would eventually betray them in order to claim the bounty placed on Scar's head. Scar then forces Yoki to live with him as his servant, and Yoki ends up being the one who finds Mei Chan in the street. Yoki seems to enjoy telling Mei that he is Scar's master, when in fact it is the other way around.
Last Words: You buffoons better back off! I'm protected by the-
Maria Ross
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsuki Saiga | Meredith McCoy | Suzy Pereira | Laurence Bréheret |
Second Lieutenant Maria Ross is put in charge of taking care of the Elric brothers during their stay in Central. She and her partner were assigned the task of guarding the Elrics due to Scar's return in Central and his previous attempt on Ed and Al's lives. Almost immediately, she takes on the role of a parental figure. She tries to give guidance to the brothers whenever she can. She took a liking to Ed and Al, and risked her life to calm Ed down when he was absorbing the red stone material inside laboratory 5.
Envy disguised himself as Ross when the Homunculi lured Maes Hughes into a trap when he was getting too close to discovering the truth about their conspiracy to make a philosopher's stone. Assuming Ross’ form and mimicking her voice Envy "rescued" Hughes from Lust, Gluttony and Sloth and led him away to a secluded area of Central. During the "rescue" Hughes realized that it was Envy he was really with because he had noticed that Ross was mysteriously missing the mole under her left eye. Envy mockingly apologized for his carelessness and Maes slashes Envy's throat open with one of his hidden knives. Unfortunately, that didn’t kill Envy and he simply rose up again and shot Hughes with Ross’ side arm after taking the form of his wife Gracia (Episode 25).
Later, she recognized Winry as she attempted to spy on the Führer's secretary, and eventually followed her to Resembool. Then, she had a short-lived crush on Hohenheim. Both she and her partner Denny Brosh work under Major Alex Louis Armstrong.
Toward the end of the anime series Maria Ross and her partner become involved in the fighting in Central during the uprising against Furher Bradley. Ross and Brosh first freed Russell Tringum and Fletcher Tringum after they were mistaken for the Elric brothers and sentenced to death by the Furher for their alleged treason. Later, Ross and Brosh led a small contingent of soldiers against Frank Archer after he cornered Izumi Curtis and began cutting down soldiers whom he felt were not loyal to the Furher. (Episode 49)
In the manga, she is accused of murdering Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. With the help of Mustang and his gang, she fakes her death in Central and flees to the country of Xing, to the East, but before departing, she meets Edward, and asks him to not tell anybody about her escape including her family and Sergeant Brosh, in order to protect them.
As many of the military personnel in Fullmetal Alchemist are army/aviation-derived, it is possible that she is named after the Canadian Sir Charles Ross of the Ross Rifle.
Denny Brosh
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Masao Harada | Jim Foronda | Márcio Araújo |
Sergeant Denny Brosh, almost always seen with Lieutenant Ross, is rather nosy and lazy. He has an enormous infatuation with Maria Ross, and has a resemblance to Ed. Like Ross, he also works under Major Alex Louis Armstrong.
Brosh is one of the minor characters in the anime series, he is not seen a lot and has very few speaking parts. After following Maria Ross to Risembool he becomes comically upset over Ross’ apparent crush on Hohenheim. Both he and Ross were present when Edward and Alphonse returned to Risembool, and help Mustang deceive the military as to the true whereabouts of the Elric brothers while they were in Risembool.
Toward the end of the anime series Denny Brosh and his partner become involved in the fighting in Central during the uprising against Furher Bradley. Brosh and Ross first freed Russell Tringum and Fletcher Tringum after they were mistaken for the Elric brothers and sentenced to death by the Furher for there alleged treason. Later, Brosh and Ross led a small contingent of soldiers against Frank Archer after he cornered Izumi Curtis and began cutting down soldiers whom he felt were not loyal to the Furher. (Episode 49)
In the FUNimation English anime, his name is romanized as Bloch and pronounced incorrectly as "Block".
Sheska
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi Wakabayashi | Gwendolyn Lau | Raquel Marinho | Isabelle Volpe |
Private Sheska was a librarian who was responsible for organizing and keeping records of all of the books in the First Branch of the Central City library. Sheska is a bibliophile in the mold of Read or Die's Yomiko Readman, and frequently spent more time reading books in the library than organizing them. She is also known for her tendency toward hysterical panic as a coping mechanism. By the time the Elric brothers had arrived back in Central she has been fired from the library for lackluster performance. Sheska has a photographic memory when it comes to books, and her ability to recite them verbatim was a great help to the Elric Brothers for recreating Tim Marcoh's book after Scar's battle with Lust and Gluttony destroyed the library. She also helped Hughes recreate State Military files lost in the library until he fired her to save Sheska from the military's higher-ups.
After Hughes' death, she tried investigating his death herself, and succeeded in learning the strange discrepancies about King Bradley's secretary Juliet Douglas, which is the same information that Hughes discovered before he was killed. Sheska explained her theory to Winry while Winry was in Central, and both decided to tap the phone lines to King Bradley’s secretary. This confirmed the discrepancies regarding Ms. Douglas, and Sheska subsequently fled to Resembool with Winry to escape Maes Hughes’ fate. Eventually, in Resembool, she revealed the fact of Hughes' death to the Elric brothers as well (which quickly, and obviously shocked them to the point that Edward furiously tried to leave in order to see if it was actually true).
Sony's Aniplex anime DVDs and website spell her name as Sheska, although FUNimation's anime DVDs and television closed captioning spell her name as Scieszka (similar to Polish term Sciezka standing for "path" or "trail", specifically one well-traveled). She made a small cameo in the last episode of the anime, where she is seen working as part of the military, going over various documents and receiving more from Maria Ross. She is also the one corresponding with Winry (and the audience) about what has happened since the fall of Führer King Bradley.
In the manga, Sheska's character is exactly the same, although the help she gives to Hughes involves only the military's experiments with chimeras and the creation of philosopher's stones for military use. This makes sense, given that Juliet Douglas does not exist in the manga. She is also shown helping Mustang in his research for who could have killed Hughes and for what reason.
Frank Archer
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast | Portuguese Cast | French Cast | Spanish Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show Hayami | Troy Baker | Leonardo Camilo | Constantin Pappas | Ledner Belisario |
Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer, although seen as an extra during numerous military events (such as the burial of Hughes), is formally introduced halfway through the anime series as a replacement for the then late Brigadier General Mäes Hughes (Episode 30). Archer is in charge of Military Intelligence, and is very cool, calm, and collected; unfortunately, it would seem he is also a ruthless sociopath, with no semblance of moral fiber. Archer thoroughly enjoys war and all his actions are aimed towards preparation for future wars. Archer could easily be compared to Brigadier General Basque as far as morality goes. He is obsessed with becoming a war hero as a means of advancing his position. His actions are always aimed at pleasing his superiors and creating as much positive publicity for himself as possible. Archer is officially put in charge of the investigation of Lab 5, but quickly diverts his investigation into recovering the results of the Lab 5 research for his own ends. Originally looking for the Elric brothers, Archer quickly becomes far more interested in the homunculi Greed and Wrath and the survivors of Lab 5. Striking a deal with Kimblee, Archer obtained Greed's skull and then managed to storm Greed's headquarters at the Devil's Nest, where he found Tucker as well.
After reinstating the two "ghosts of the past," he travels off to Lior in pursuit of Scar. Overeager to prove himself in battle and hell-bent on becoming a military hero, Archer disregards Edward Elric’s warning not to send troops into Lior, and orders the army to seize the city and capture Scar. In doing so, Archer and the soldiers under his command walk right into a trap, and in the ill-fated "battle" that follows, half of his body is destroyed and most of the 7,000 soldiers under his command are killed as a result of Scar's transmutation. What was left of Archer's body underwent heavy automail modification (including a mechanical automail arm/auto-cannon, leg, and half of his head, which now contains a mouth gun), resulting in an Archer that was more machine than man. Moreover, Archer’s ordeal in Lior and the subsequent life-preserving but tremendously painful procedures left him mentally unstable to the point that he would kill even his own men in the Führer's name. During Mustang's military uprising in the north, King Bradley put him in charge of defending the military headquarters at Central where Edward and Izumi were. Archer overpowered Izumi until Maria Ross and other members of the military turned on him. Hearing of the attack on King Bradley's home, he rushed to be at the Führer's side. At the sight of Riza in a car being taken back to Central, he opened fire indiscriminately into the cars which also contained King Bradley's wife and son. Eventually, he makes his way to the Führer's residence and attempts to kill Mustang as he emerges from the front door, but Hawkeye arrives to protect the already wounded Mustang, killing Archer with numerous shots from her gun. Archer dies without a word.
Archer is exclusive to the anime, and does not exist in the manga.
Last Words: There are rebels everywhere! There's no time for questioning! Let me kill her [Hawkeye]!
Zolf J. Kimblee
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| Japanese Cast | English Cast |
|---|---|
| Yuji Ueda | Eric Vale |
Major Zolf J. Kimblee (the Crimson Alchemist) is an ex-war criminal and a veteran of the Ishbal War. His alchemy title refers to his use of sulfur in the human body to create explosive fluids, turning people into living bombs. A sick and perverse man, Kimblee loved to kill numerous civilians, women, and children just to hear the sound of them exploding, with the nihilistic view that human lives - even his own - were without substance and therefore worthless. With the Incomplete Stone provided by Marcoh worn around his neck, Kimblee's ability to create explosions was dramatically enhanced. Kimblee's bloodlust was not satisfied with the initial assault on Ishbal so he pursued the escaping Ishbalans, killing some while inflicting inhuman torture on Scar, by creating an X-shaped scar on his face and blowing off his original right arm. It was by the interference of Scar's brother absorbing his incomplete stone that Kimblee was forced to take his leave, with Basque Grand destroying most of the landscape via his own enhanced alchemy. From that moment on, Kimblee was marked as the prime target on Scar's list (Episode 41). For killing some of his superior officers prior to going after the Ishbalans, Kimblee is sent to the prison next to the 5th Laboratory, sentenced to death. He was one of the prisoners the Homunculi and Shou Tucker tried to trick Edward Elric into using as an ingredient to create a philosopher's stone, but Zolf blew up another prisoner to escape, exposing the truth to Edward. Lust later berates Envy for this incident, particularly for his "not checking the ingredients thoroughly enough."
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Kimblee is unique among the State Alchemists in the anime in that he only has to clap his hands together to activate his alchemy, but has not seen the Gate of Alchemy. The ability to clap his hands to activate his alchemy stems from the fact that Kimblee’s transmutation circles have been tattooed into his palms, effectively giving Kimblee a similar kind of alchemic freedom that Edward and Izumi have. The difference is that Kimblee can only use alchemy that utilizes the transmutation circles tattooed on his hands — in Kimblee’s case the creation of high explosives — whereas those who have seen the gate can substititute a hand clap for any type of transmutation circle.
Zolf joined Greed temporarily, only to betray him in order to be re-enlisted in the military under Frank Archer with a full pardon and a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. After re-joining the military, Kimblee is haunted by a "ghost" of the Devil's Nest - a vengeful Marta. She finally catches up to him and assaults him just before the battle in Lior. Having not only betrayed Greed, but being at least partially responsible for the deaths of her fellow chimeras and friends, Kimblee remains calm, embracing the possibility of death as if even he agreed that he deserved it. The battle is never concluded but Kimblee swears revenge on Alphonse Elric after the boy assists the chimera and humiliates Kimblee by using the man's alchemy against him. A short while after, Kimblee and a troop of chimeras Shou Tucker had engineered are sent in secret to Lior to cause massive upheaval and lull its people to retaliate and strike first, absolving the military from any public wrongdoing as had been the case in Ishbal. It was during this action that Kimblee encountered and remembered Scar. As they battled through the streets of Lior, Kimblee waits for a moment when Alphonse Elric distracts Scar to transform the Ishbalan's left arm into a bomb. When Scar removes his own arm, Kimblee realizes he is outmatched and attempts to escape. Scar moves faster, however, and ruptures Kimblee's internal organs with the power of his right arm. As his life slipped away, Kimblee made one last effort to turn Al into an armored bomb. This effort would prove futile as Scar's transmutation of Al into the Philosopher's Stone nullified his alchemy. Kimblee's body was later thrown from a rooftop in full view of Archer and his military contingent by Scar (secretly aided by Lust) as a lure to get them to enter the city in pursuit.
Last Words: My work is so intricate, only an explosives artist like myself could defuse [Alphonse], but you'll have to find somebody else because I'm about to retire. No need to hurry: you still have plenty of time left. I've made his armor react slowly with the oxygen in the air, gradually spreading until he's completely black. I want him to have time to think about his death and reflect on how meaningless his efforts have been.
In the Manga
With a far more subtle, polite approach to evil than his Anime counterpart, the Manga's Kimblee spearheaded the Ishbalian Extermination Campaign, and was one of the few, if not the only, State Alchemists to utilized the full power of the Philosopher's Stones fabricated at Lab 5. His personality seems almost split in two; at times he can be polite, if curt, straightforward, rational, and "civilized," but in battle he displays an uncanny and foreboding demeanor in favor of destruction and damnation, using one of his own subordinates to demonstrate his destructive powers. Kimblee's powers appear to be much the same as those in the Anime, except that he can transmute and detonate from a distance as well, using the ground as a connecting force, causing huge explosions.
Armed with the Philosopher's Stone, Kimblee was assigned to take out a sector of Ishbal that proved highly volatile, which also conveniently housed the Rockbells, whom the Government wanted dispatched in the "crossfire". It was during this time that he encountered Scar and his brother. The mad alchemist, however, did not reach the Rockbells before Scar did, and found them already disposed of. Soon after the campaign, Kimblee's superior officers requested the stone be returned, but Kimblee, in a strain of madness, ate the stone and killed all the officers therein (Except for one which was apparently Envy in disguise). For this affront he was incarcerated for war crimes in the prison near Lab 5, where he has remained until recently.
Since then, Kimblee has been mentioned offhandedly as a potential human sacrifice for the Homunculi's needs, but is apparently not up to the task in his present state. As he was rotting in jail, Scar's mind no doubt lingers on the man who destroyed his life and Ishbal.
Kimblee is just as soon after the Ishballan flashback finally released from his imprisonment and lead outside by a guard to whom doesnt agree that the upper ranked men of the State should be releasing a man like Kimblee, Kimblee turns to shake his hand as a farewell to him and alchemises the Guards watch into a time bomb, the guard panics frantically but it turns out only to be a toy bomb moments later. Kimblee is picked up by Envy once again impersonating a Military officer and is offered a job by him to assasinate Dr.Marcoh who is then on the run with Scar, Envy also tells him to kill Scar too if he comes across him and that letting him live would go against Kimblee's pride which was built up throughout the Ishballan war from his reputation, Kimblee agree's to the job but only that they just didnt let him out for this one job alone, to which Envy asks him if Marcoh should run away again from him he should erase whatever city/town he was hiding in from the map altogether.
Kimblee is finally given a Philosphers Stone from Envy after regurgitating the one he ate from the Ishballan massacre and is told that this one was actually created from the Ishballan massacre itself and therfore from the lives of Scar's friends and families.
Grumman
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Lieutenant General Grumman was the commander of the Eastern Headquarters, and Mustang’s superior officer during his three year tour of duty in the Eastern Command Center. An old man with gray hair and a moustache, Grumman was a General who took a lighthearted approach to command. Inferring from scenes in the anime, Grumman was an excellent chess player who frequently played against Mustang. When Mustang received orders to transfer back to Central, Grumman gave Mustang his chessboard and pieces as a parting gift. He also extended an offer for Mustang marry his granddaughter, who happens to be Riza Hawkeye. As a final favor to Mustang Grumman authorized the transfer of Mustang’s subordinates (Jean Havoc, Riza Hawkeye, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, and Vato Falman) back to Central with him (Episode 27).
In the anime, no specific mention was ever made of Grumman’s involvement in the Ishbal War, which suggests that Grumman was either ordered to remain at the Eastern Command Center for the duration of the war or that he assumed command of the Eastern Headquarters after the war.
Grumman was the highest ranking General to appear in the anime series, as there were no characters introduced with the rank of a full General; however, as the manga is still ongoing it is possible that a full General will be introduced at some point in the future.
Grumman is named after the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which made fighter planes during World War II.
While his role in the manga is essentially the same as his role in the anime for the majority of the series, Grumman appears to be gaining more importance in the manga, as he receives a secret request by Mustang in the most recent chapter. The nature of this request is still unveiled. An interest note to be made is Grumman's tactic of using women to cover up his true intentions, a tactic which Mustang have seemingly learned from him.
Joliot Comanche
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Joliot Comanche (the Silver Alchemist) is exclusive to the manga. Comanche fought by transmuting objects into steel weapons. He lost his left leg in the Ishbal war, but has replaced it with a peg instead of automail. Despite this apparent handicap, he was apparently quite agile, even performing acrobatic spins on his peg-leg as he fought Scar. Like Kimblee, he had transmutation circles tattooed on his hands, though Comanche went a step further and had them etched all over his hands, rather than just on the centers of his palms. In issue #43 of the manga, he was assassinated by Scar. Scar killed him by snapping his leg and knocking him off a dock, dropping him into the harbor below. Deprived of raw materials to make weapons with, he was easily finished off.
In a recent chapter of the manga he is shown with a smile on his (partially obscured) face while the State Alchemist prepared to be deployed into Ishbal. He is later shown being stretchered away with an injury to his left leg, all the while cursing the Ishabalans out loud.
Storch
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Exclusively in the Manga, Storch is Führer King Bradley's personal secretary and advisor. Beset with grim eyes and a drawn face, he can often be seen in the near background during various military events. Recently, he delivered orders to scatter Mustang's group to different points on the map. He is most likely named after the Fieseler Storch reconnaissance plane which was used by the Germans in WWII.
Fessler
Brigadier General Fessler was one of the overseers and tacticians of the Ishbal Campaign, specifically the division under which Armstrong and Hughes were stationed. He was a rather heavy-set man who enjoyed fine cigars and personal glory. Due to his brutish and self-aggrandizing nature, Fessler spilled incalculable blood on both sides of the war with needlessly wasteful and dangerous tactics. Blind to his own inept ability, the Brigadier General was "accidentally" taken out by "a stray bullet," which happened to be shot from (then) Colonel Basque Grand's rifle at point blank range. Hailing from his unpopular and rash nature, the death was deemed accidental friendly-fire by all present, including Hughes.
Armstrong
Exclusive to the manga, Major General Armstrong protects the Drakma border, also known as "Brigg's Cliff", although little else is known about her, save that she is the older sister of Major Alex Louis Armstrong. The Major says that she could be a "very powerful helper" and has given Ed a letter that is to be given to the Major General in the event that they meet.
Black Hayate
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The true dog of the military, Black Hayate was a little puppy that Fuery picked up on a rainy street one day out of pity. Since he couldn’t keep the dog himself (since he lived in a dormitory that did not allow pets), the puppy was eventually adopted by Riza Hawkeye, who proceeded to scare the puppy (and all of Mustang's staff) by shooting an outline of bullets around it (not hurting it) when it urinated on the office wall. Despite Riza's harsh methods of discipline, Hayate is a way for her to show her more compassionate side, as opposed to the cool, stone-faced officer that she usually is. Roy has also tried to interact with Black Hayate, with varying degrees of success. Hayate did manage to get on Mustang's bad side at least once: when he indirectly wasted Mustang and his company's time at what they thought was a murder scene. Mustang and his men had begun excavation of the site searching for the bones of a dead man, only to discover that the lot was where Black Hayate buried the bones from his meals (Episode 37). "Hayate" means "Hurricane" or "as swift as the wind", most likely meaning "Black Hurricane" in english. Black Hayate appears to be of the Shiba Inu breed of dog.
In the manga, Fuery and Black Hayate saved Hawkeye from being eaten by Gluttony in issue #38. They manage to hold the homunculus off long enough until Roy Mustang saves them all from being eaten.
Notes
- ^ After the disappearance of King Bradley, the military abolished the rank of Führer and gave all the political power to the Amestris parliament (anime only).
- ^ This Armstrong is exclusive to the manga. Apparantly, she and Major Alex Luis Armstrong are related.
- ^ Before being ordered to guard the northern frontier, Mustang was promoted to Brigadier General (anime only).
- ^ In the movie, it is revealed that Mustang refused to use alchemy after the bout with the Fuhrer, and was demoted to Corporal. Despite that, his former subordinates still address him as "Colonel". (movie only).
- ^ Before being sent by King Bradley to Lior, Archer was promoted to Colonel (anime only).
- ^ Hughes received a posthumous double promotion for dying in the line of duty. He was buried as a Brigadier General.
- ^ Before being ordered to guard the northern frontier, Armstrong was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (anime only).
- ^ In the movie, it is revealed that Armstrong left the military to help in his family's business (movie only).
- ^ Dr. Marcoh deserted the military during the Ishbal War, and hence is not considered a State Military character.
- ^ Kimblee was a Major prior to being court-martialed and arrested for his crimes during the Ishbal war (before the events of the anime/manga), but due to Archer's influence, he was reinstated and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (anime only).
- ^ After his schemes in Youswell were foiled by Ed and Al, Yoki was dismissed from the military.
- ^ Original Japanese cast for the TV series/movie.
- ^ Funimation's dub cast for English speaking nations, originally broadcasted in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in the United States of America, also broadcasted in Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.
- ^ Álamo's dub cast in Portuguese for broadcasting in Brazil, at Animax channel and Rede TV!.
- ^ Estudios Lain's dub cast for broadcasting in Spanish speaking Latin American countries, at Animax channel.
- ^ See Lust for more information on how Havoc was paralyzed. (Manga only)
- ^ Edward’s first mission in the anime was sorting through Shou Tucker’s chimera research in Central. Displeased at this assignment, Edward nearly quit the military, but stayed on to pursue information pertinent to the Philosopher's Stone. (Anime only)
Miscellaneous
- In the Hagaren kids OVA, a child resembling Mustang can be seen playing card games with other children resembling Breda, Falman, and Havoc.
- According to fan polls, Mustang is constantly the second most popular character.
- According to fan polls, Hughes is constantly in the top ten most popular characters. Despite his early death, he has a very strong fan base.
- The General who played chess with Roy in the Eastern Headquarters is Riza's grandfather (FMA fanbook 2). General Grumman (Riza's grandfather's last name) said that he will give his granddaughter to the "future president of Amestris."
- Hawkeye has short hair when she is still a Second Lieutenant, but had grown it long after encountering Winry Rockbell.
- In a conversation with Edward Elric, it is revealed Hawkeye was in her last year of military training when sent to the battlefield of the Ishbal War.
- Riza's mother died earlier than her father. However, relatives on both sides of her family seemed to have kept their distance.
- On occasion Hawkeye’s name is translated as Liza or Rise, but official materials have consistently written her name as Riza. Undercover missions also had her taking alternate identities, two of which are Elizabeth (chapter 37, manga) and Margot Orange Peko (from the video game Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel).
- In the manga, Riza's father was Roy Mustang's flame alchemy mentor.
- Riza's favored sidearms are the Browning Hi-Power and FN Model 1910; she switches back and forth between them often, and she has been known to use both of them simultaneously on one occasion.
- According to Japanese polls, Hawkeye is constantly one of the top ten favorite characters.
- Havoc looks a lot like the main character of Shanghai Youma Kikai an early manga from Hiromu Arakawa. There he was a private eye. He was some kind of monster being able to turn his hands into sharp claws. Ironically his Boss looks exactly like Lust, she is a ninetailed fox.
- 4 of the Japanese seiyū who voiced the officers also voiced characters in the Get Backers anime and drama CDs.
- Yasunori Matsumoto (Jean Havoc and Paul Wan)
- Michiko Neya (Riza Hawkeye and Maria Noches)
- Keiji Fujiwara (Maes Hughes and Yamato Kudo)
- Mitsuki Saiga (Maria Ross and MakubeX)
- In continuation to the Cosmic Era link, 3 of the characters here also voiced characters in Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny.
- Toru Ohkawa (Roy Mustang and Uzumi Nara Athha)
- Tetsu Shiratori (Kain Fuery and Sai Argyle)
- Michiko Neya (Hilda Harken and Abi Windsor in GSD)
- It was seen in the episode "The Ishbal Massacre", that Marcoh's uniform had the same shoulder-decor as that of a Major, indicating that he held the rank of "Major" when he was a State Alchemist.