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Ed

Name: Edward Elric

Alias(es): Ed, Fullmetal Alchemist

Birthday: February 3, 1899 (note that Amertris years are not the same as ours)

Age: 11 (in flashbacks), 13-15 in the series, and 17 in the movie

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Gold

Height: 4'11" for the bulk of the series, 5'5" in the movie

Family: Mother, Trisha Elric (deceased); brother, Alphonse Elric; Father, Hoenhiem of Light

Status: State Alchemist

Quote: Don't say pipsqueak!

Anime: Full Metal Alchemist

Voice: (English) Vic Mignogna (Japanese) Romi Paku

History and Personality: Known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, or Major Elric, Edward Elric (ェドワード・ェルリシク) is the youngest State Alchemist ever selected by the Amestris State Military. His State Alchemist name was given to him by King Bradley upon passing the State Alchemist certification, which refers to his automail, his artificial arm and leg. This could also be seen as a playful knock on the boy, seeing as his brother is the one that is truly 'Fullmetal' (as his soul inhabits a suit of armor), and would thus cause many cases mistaken identity. Edward Elric was born on February 3, 1899 to Hohenheim of light and Trisha Elric. Hohenheim left the family while Ed was very young, for reasons later revealed in the series.  For this reason Ed hates his father and never wants to hear about him or speak of him.

Ed is short and slender, but compactly muscled. While his automail limbs are considerably strong and heavy, he remains extremely agile and flexible. He is able to think quickly, even in desperate situations. These qualities, combined with his alchemic powers, make him a formidable fighter. He has golden-blond hair and gold eyes. It is believed he is left handed, as he is often seen writing with his left hand, however, this remains contested as in early episodes he is seen predominantly using the right-hand. Some fans theorize that he was right-handed until he lost his right arm and had to replace it with automail.

Ed is intolerant towards jokes regarding his height, as shown throughout the manga, anime, and videogames. Ed is very laid back when he's not working and kind, although he can hold a grudge for a long time and go to extreme lengths to get an apology. He regards religion and superstition cynically and believes alchemy and science are the true saviors of humanity. He thus shows little remorse in defeating the false prophet Cornello in Liore and "taking away the hope of the people."

Ed's story begins in February 1910, when he and Alphonse, his younger brother, attempt to revive their mother using forbidden alchemy: human transmutation. The process requires the correct proportion of elements which constitute a human body, (according to the dialogue this includes 35 liters of water, 25 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorous, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of saltpeter, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon, and trace amounts of fifteen other elements) as well as the more metaphysical element of a human soul which is rendered by Ed and Al through a drop of one another's blood, the same blood as that of Trisha Elric. The attempt backfires resulting in Al losing his body and Ed his left leg as well as bringing to life an inhuman monster. In order to save Al's soul, Ed sacrificed his right arm to bind Al's soul to a nearby suit of armor using knowledge he attained from this glimpse into the Gate. Unbeknownst to Ed at the time, he also gained the rare ability to perform transmutations without a transmutation circle.

In order to regain what they had lost, Ed and Al decide to search of the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which allows an alchemist to perform transmutations that violate the Law of Equivalent Exchange (in order to gain, something of equal value must be lost). To gain access to the vast amount of research and information on alchemy available only to State Alchemists, Ed and Al decide to take the notoriously difficult State Alchemist entrance exam. They stay for a year in Central with Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist, while studying for the exam. (Note: This is in the anime only. The stay with Tucker came after the incident in Liore in the manga. In the manga, the brothers went to Mustang once Ed had finished his rehab, who took them to Central and only Ed took the test. He passed, and they returned to Risembool and burned their home down. In the anime, they stayed with Tucker while studying for the exam, and had burned their house down before they left. That explains why the date on the inside of Ed's watch is different between the two canons- in the anime, it's "3 Oct 10" and the manga is "3 Oct 11".)

However, because the brothers feared that their secret (that they had performed forbidden alchemy) would be exposed during the physical phase of the exam if Al were to take it, they decide that only Ed should take the test alone. Ed easily passes, and, at the age of 12, becomes the youngest State Alchemist that the State has ever certified. (Note: Had Al not been forced to drop from the Exam due to his "condition" and passed it, he might have been the youngest State Alchemist ever certified -at age 11- instead of his brother, Ed. Al's selection, though, is not a given. The state only takes one or two alchemists a year, so presumably even some alchemists that pass are not selected. However, there is a chance that even if Al had made it to the final stage of the exam Edward would have been selected over Alphonse because of Ed's ability to perform transmutations without a circle.)

Despite his diminutive height, Edward is a very powerful alchemist who, unlike most practitioners, can perform alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle, also known as an array. In the anime, he first discovered this ability when he accidentally transmuted a bowl of water, thus boiling it, while Gracia Hughes was giving birth. In the manga, however, Edward's first transmutation done without the use of a circle involved his automail blade in Risembool after sparring with Al at the end of his automail rehab. (Note: Edward's ignorance of this ability in the anime version constitutes a continuity error to some fans, in that the Gate is supposed to give knowledge of alchemy rather than unexplained special abilities. This, however, could be explained by the fact that Ed was preoccupied with transmuting his brother's soul rather than understanding what he gained.)

As Ed and AL search for the Philosopher's stone they find themselves entangles in a web of lies from all sides.  They learn that creatures called Humunculi are also searching for the stone.  Eventually they discover that the humunculi actually begin most rumors of the stone hoping someone will make one, which they will then take.  The humunculi are inhuman creatures, who are difficult to kill and very strong.  Though they cannot perform alchemy (with the exception of Wrath, who can perform alchemy as long as it is in connection with his own person thanks to the fact that he has Ed's lost limbs) each has a unique ability they can perform on their own body (ie. Envy can shape-shift, Lust can become water, Greed can make his body impenetrable, etc...)  Named after the seven deadly sins, a humunculus is "born" when someone fails at human transmutation.  They look like the person who was supposed to be brought back to life, and even have some of their memories, but they have no soul.

It soon becomes obvious that everyone connected to the stone meets a tragic end.  And the reason behind this is eventually revealed - the stone can only be created through the loss of human life on a large scale.  Because of this fact Ed decides he does not want the stone, and won't use it once he has it.  This is evidence of Ed's great respect for human life.

Eventually Ed abandons the military as well (he never did like being "a dog of the state") when they come after him for the stone.  However, even if his brother had not become the stone this outcome seems inevitable as Ed already disagreed with many military practices, and was disgusted by the way they provoked innocents in order to start wars.  He was especially upset to learn that the Furher was actually a humunculus.

In the Anime - At the end of the series when Edward is fatally wounded by Envy, Al uses the power of the Philosopher's Stone to heal Ed's body and to reattach his soul. The revival, however, uses up the all of the Stone (Al's own body). Al appears briefly at the gate and then disappears. After being revived, and whole (missing arm and leg back), Ed decides to risk everything to bring back his little brother by pulling Alphonse's soul and original body out of the Gate and reassembling them, in exchange for his own life if necessary. As a result, Ed ends up in a version of our world living in Post WWI Munich with Hohenheim (it's possible that he landed in London and they later moved to Munich, but we're never told, merely given a caption that says "Munich 1921").

Hohenheim later offers the theory that the four years the brothers spent on their quest served as the Equivalent Exchange in the transmutation (rather than Ed's life, as he intended). Hohenheim also says in an earlier episode, one way for the Elrics to reclaim what they lost is to give up what they had gained. The death of Sloth had given back a portion of what they had gained. In Al's case he loses all the memories in his armored form and reverted to exactly how he was before the failed transmutation of their mother. Ed, on the other hand, could not keep his arm and leg because he exchanged it for the soul of Alphonse.

During that time, Edward matures emotionally and seems slightly cold and distant like his father. It would seem that after he got caught up in this world's plots of the Thule Society surrounding the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Ed was able to make his way back to his world. There, back in Amestris, he aided to defeat the Thule Society's invasion of his world. After which, in the end of the invasion, Edward and Alphonse cross over to Other World in order to seal and make sure the physical Gateway between both worlds was closed off forever. Edward and Alphonse then decide to go on a quest to recover a nuclear bomb created in Amestris which had been sent over into the Other World.

In the Manga - Ed goes home to Resembool to find Hohenheim, his father, standing at his mother's grave. After a brief argument, Hohenheim and Ed walk to Pinako's with Ed hostile and belligerent towards his father. While Ed pretends to be asleep, he overhears his father questioning Pinako on whether the body Ed and Al created by transmutation was Trisha revived. This question spurs Ed's curiosity, and after Hohenheim leaves the next day, Ed asks Pinako to go with him to the graveyard to dig up the body he and Al created so many years ago. He starts throwing up and has to take several breaks while digging, but eventually pulls up a lock of hair; black hair instead of brown. Pinako also points out that the bones aren't the same length as Trisha's were. So Ed learns that they didn't even bring back their mother, but brought back something entirely different.

Ed goes to central to find Al is missing his lower "jaw" and his right arm of his suit of armor. After Ed repairs Al, he finds out Al had a run in with Barry the Chopper and the homunculi, but also finds out that Al learned that the soul, when not placed in its original body, can reject the substitute body, just as the human body can reject organ transplants. This rejection may occur within seconds of the soul being placed on a new body, or may not occur for hundreds of years, but rejection is inevitable.

He tells Al and Winry, after asking about an incident when they were five, that he is confirming the memories Ed has that Al doesn't have. Al and Winry allude to a moment when Ed was unconscious and fighting a fever after surgery when Winry walked in on Al, who was "resting," and they talk. Only, when Al and Winry allude to the conversation, it sounds almost like they played multiple pranks on Ed, causing Ed to become irritated and ask them to stop talking.

When they get back to the conversation at hand, Ed theorizes that Al's body is with Truth inside the gate and that it's still alive and possibly connected through Ed and Al's blood to Ed. (That he is sleeping, eating, etc. for the both of them.) Al's brain is still alive inside a body that's still alive and it is collecting the memories since Ed transferred Al's soul to the suit of armor. At this point, Al also remembers when he opened the Gate of Truth, he found himself in there, rather than his mother, as he expected. He also realized that his soul was placed on the body that he and Ed had transmuted, and even saw Ed from the body's eyes. However, rejection took place almost immediately after his soul was placed onto the body. As a sidenote, because Al's body is biologically connected to Ed, Ed has enthusiastically hypothosized that he may grow taller once Al's body is recovered since he won't have to eat (or grow) for both bodies.

Ed and Al eventually figure the only way they're going to catch a Homunculus (and the philosopher's stone within them) is to let Scar attack them, and tries to attract Scar's attention. Ed does a series of do-gooding around town (while showing off as much and as loudly as possible to get Scar to notice him) and eventually succeeds. A fight between Scar, Ed and Al ensues, with Mustang and Hawkeye diverting attention from them by redirecting the military vehicles to different places away from where the real fight is happening. Winry goes looking for them and ends up overhearing Ed accusing Scar of killing Winry's parents. She picks up the gun an officer dropped and points it at Scar, only to have Ed jump in front of her and tell her to drop the gun while Scar descends on him from the front. When Scar sees this, he hesitates, remembering his own brother protecting him from Kimblee's attack during the Eastern War. Seeing his hesitation, Al attacks Scar, driving him away from the two.

Then, Ling ties up Gluttony and Winry is going to Rush Valley once more. Gluttony escapes his bonds and tries to suck up Roy and everyone else into his "gate" for a stomach. He ends up sucking up Envy, Ling and Ed, instead, and Al's left hand. Ling and Ed find Envy eventually and Envy actually tries to be nice to Ed, however, it all backfires and Envy turns into his true form.

The tortured souls in Envy's natural form cause Ed to have a semi-nervous breakdown (he cannot bear to hurt them and flashes back to Nina for an instant). Envy then swallows him. However, after seeing the philosopher's stone that is Envy's center, he kicks out one of Envy's teeth and tells Envy and Ling that he knows a way that they can escape from Gluttony's stomach.

In the recent chapters, Ed realized that while human revival is impossible, since equivalent exchange requires the existence of the soul in question, it is possible to open the Gate of Truth by transmuting existing humans using themselves as the starting materials. This does not violate the rule of equivalent exchange, but still is a form of human transmutation, and so is a way of opening the Gate of Truth. Using the souls inside Envy as the "Toll," Ed successfully transmuted himself, Envy, and Ling, and opened the Gate once more. This time, he sees a second Gate, as well as an emaciated Alphonse sitting in front of the second gate. Ed yells for Al's body to come with him. However, Al's body told Ed that he could not go with Ed back to the real world because Ed had a different soul (as in Al's soul must be there for the body to return from the gate). Ed is then swallowed by the hands reaching out from the Gate of Truth, and he, Envy, and Ling fall out of Gluttony's stomach, and in front of the Homunculi's "Father," who bears a startling resemblance to their own.

Unable to fight "Father", because somehow their alchemy was sealed, Ed and Al helped Scar and Mei Chang to escape but stayed behind, knowing they wouldn't be harmed by him or the Homunculi because they are still useful to them. They were sent to meet King Bradley, who told them to stay out of their affairs, if they wanted to guarantee Winry's safety, but also agreed to let them continue their search for a way to restore their bodies.

Intrigued by the fact of his alchemy was nullified by "Father", but Scar and Mei Chang's was not, Ed concludes that it could be because their alchemy had a different origin than his, thus he decides to look for a way to obtain knowledge about foreign alchemy in order to be able to fight him someday.

Alternate Edward- Only existing in the anime, this Ed is our world's analog of Edward Elric, and was a resident of World War I-era London. When Dante sends Edward into the gate, Ed's body remains trapped in the Gate but his mind and soul end up at the other side and instantly enter the Edward of that world. However, this alternate version of Edward dies during the aerial bombing of London when a zeppelin crashes onto him. His death enables Ed to escape back to his own side of the Gate to face Dante and Envy once more. 

Personality - though we have discussed this throughout the summary of Ed's history I felt it was important to put a brief description of Ed here as well.  Ed is a genius and prodigy (both in the use of alchemy, and in general as is evidenced through his quick thinking, martial arts skills, and sometimes unconventional solutions to problems.)  He is generally kind and wants to help/protect others, even people he doesn't know, but he has been known to hold a grudge.  Ed is as close to selfless as any character I've ever seen and forms deep attachments to others, often relatively quickly, and is deeply affected by the loss of those he cares for.  Ed is somewhat of an idealist and hates suffering, especially if he feels he is the cause for it. To protect himself from further pain Ed develops a somewhat sarcastic, cynical streak, but at heart he still longs for a world where there is no suffering or deception.  Ed respects all life and refuses to kill if he can at all avoid it.  He can be quick tempered (though only with regards to comments about his height, his father, or Roy) and easily embarrassed (around women, especially Winry - or comments about him and Winry).  Usually he is level headed and collected, but there are some things (like women in labor) that make him panic.  Ed is confident (why shouldn't he be) and proud of his skills, but generally not cocky about them.

Relationships: The person Ed cares most for in the world is his brother Alphonse.  More than anything Ed wants Al to have his body back.  He will sacrifice almost anything for that goal and to keep Al safe.  Ironically, the fact that Al feels the same way about Ed does cause some trouble for the two. Ed wants to see Al alive and happy, even at the cost of his own life, and Al wants to see Ed alive and happy, even at the cost of his own life. Neither wants to be the one left alive and alone - you can see the difficulties that might cause.  The two are very close, though there are some things Ed refuses to discuss with Al.  In the beginning of the series Ed feels guilty for what happened to Al and won't talk about it because he is afraid Al will hate him.  Despite the fact that they are closer than most brothers (and the fact that Ed is generally very patient with Al, who is not always realistic) they do have some typical brother moments.  This generally involves Ed chasing Al while threatening him.

Ed's second most important relationship is with Winry.  Winry lived near the Elrics when they were all children and they were very good friends.  When Ed lost his limbs she took on a secondary role in his life - she became his automail mechanic.  Winry is a genius at all things mechanical.  Now she spends most of her time worrying about Ed and Al, and trying to help them when she can.  The general consensus among fans is that Ed and Winry are in love with one another, but neither one will admit it.  There are times when Winry comes close, and her behavior around him is sufficiently different form her behavior toward Al to make it fairly obvious that she had special feelings for Ed.  Ed's feelings are more difficult to identify as his is protective of all his friends.  However, Ed does write letters to Winry, and he blushes when anyone implies they might be more than friends.  He also allows Winry liberties he does not allow others, even Al, including commenting on his height and touching his things.  Ed also allows Winry to scold him, and hug him, though he blushes profusely when she does so.  Whatever his feelings he definitely respects her abilities and her opinions.

Ed's is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, who was actually the one who found him and urged him to join the military. Despite this, from the very beginning the two bump heads more often than not.  While both have issues with the military's current policy they have very different ideas about how to deal with it.  Roy wants to work against it in secret, biding his time until he can become Furher, and Ed can't see how Roy can see all the wrong that is happening and not try to fight it immediately. While Ed never seems to figure out that Roy is a really a good guy and worthy of respect, Roy expends a considerable amount of energy trying to help Ed.  Roy seems to care about the Elrics, and especially Ed, as an older sibling might.  What makes him most angry is that even in the end Ed doesn't know him well enough to come to him for help - Ed still thinks he is only a military dog.  Ed seems to perceive some sort of rivalry between them, and Roy enjoys egging him on, but he definitely is concerned about Ed's well being - and not just because he is hoping to use his abilities or because he is under his command.  In fact, Roy gives Ed a lot of leeway, allowing him to do things his own way, unless he feels that doing so will put Ed under suspicion or in danger. 

Though Ed cares for most of his immediate military comrades the only one he is close to is Maes Hughes and his family.  This may be due to the fact that Maes tried to include him in his family's life when Ed first joined the military, or it may simply be because of Maes easy going and friendly nature.  Regardless, Hughes becomes both a friend and sort of surrogate father to the Elric brothers.  He tries to help them, even if it goes against his orders from the military, and look out for them as well as push them to better themselves.  Maes seems to understand Ed better than anyone else, and Ed is devastated when he learns of his death - and angry that it was hidden from him for so long.

In the beginning of the series Ed is hunted by a man called Scar, who is a survivor of the was with Ishbal.  Scar tracks Ed simply because he is a State Alchemist and Ed tracks Scar because Scar has murdered so many people close to him.  But the two are surprised to find they respect each other once they get to know one another.  They even help one another.  Scar sees much in Ed that reminds him of himself as a young man However, they never do agree on ultimate principles - Scar thinks the ends justify the means, and Ed simply cannot agree.

Throughout the series we see very little of Ed's father, we only know that he left the family before Trisha became sick and that Ed hates him for this.  In fact, when Hoenhiem first returns Ed attacks him!  However, Hoenhiem had his own reasons for leaving his family, and he does love his sons.  He never makes much of an effort to correct Ed's assumptions, though he does tell him the truth, allowing Ed to sort out his feelings on his own.  Despite their differences they must make some sort of reconciliation because in the movie Ed and Hoenhiem have been living together for two years, and Ed is greatly saddened by his father's death.

Techniques: Ed is an alchemic prodigy, so all kinds of alchemy come easily to him.  He is also an excellent martial artist and can fight hand-to-hand, as well as with various weapons including a sword and lance or spear.  He generally prefers a physical fight as it is less likely others will be harmed.  Ed's most common Alchemic "trick" is to transmute his own automail into a sort of sword.  His automail is very useful in battle since it is far more durable than human flesh and several times it has saved his life.

Trivia: Both the manga and the anime show a clear progression of Ed's age in his design, so that he looks distinctly like a preteen becoming a young man over the course of the series and the movie. This seems somewhat rare in anime/manga, though it is appropriate in this case, since the story of Fullmetal Alchemist is also the story of Edward's coming of age.

Edward was 150 cm in the beginning of the series, at age 15. In a manga omake, he claims to be 165 cm, which includes his 'antenna' (that lock of hair that sticks nearly straight up) and his platform boots, but an official height chart shows him at 150 cm. That converts to approximately 4'11". It is unknown if he has actually gotten taller in the manga since then, but in the anime he does get taller. In the movie, he is the height of a normal person.

Ed can't swim due to the weight of his automail- he sinks. Neither can Al, but he briefly seems to almost learn after becoming the Philosopher's Stone (and immediately sinks again).

Ed is ambidextrous. In the manga, when he was younger, he used his right hand the most, but then was later seen using his left hand more often. In the anime, he uses his right hand as a child (seen while drawing the human transmutation circle), and continues to do so after getting automail (in episode five, we see him drawing the circle for the canon on the train car with his right hand, despite having to write at an awkward angle while hanging from a ladder to do it). He apparently later teaches himself to use his left hand as well, as the letter he writes home to Winry is done with his left hand.

In the Japanese fan polls, Edward is consistently the most popular character in the series. (Seems obvious as he is the main character, but surprisingly in Japan other characters often beat out the lead in polls)

Interestingly, Ed is the spitting image of his father in the manga, but in the anime he barely looks a thing like him. Why this is remains to be seen. However, it's most likely due to the fact that Hohenheim had not been introduced in the manga when production began on the anime.

For most of the series Edward wears his hair in his famous braid, but in the movie he wears it in a ponytail.

Edward hates any comment that refers to him being small, he would start attacking anyone in a comical fashion (other than Winry, but we all know she's special) if they say something even remotely about his height. He was also devastated when he heard that Russell Tringham was both a foot taller and a year younger than him. (Total side note... I adore Russell Tringham, and I love the English voice actor who dubs him, but there isn't enough information about him to give him his own page...)

 Edward hates milk but likes stew even though it has milk in it.

Only in the anime, Ed shares the same birthday as Hughes' daughter, Elysia.

Manga only: Though Ed doesn't like milk he will drink flavored milk. His favorites are coffee and strawberry flavor.

Why we love him: Because he's a good guy.  Seriously, Ed is always helping other people at the risk of his own life.  He is selfless, loyal, and caring.  He's an absolute genius, clearly the best, which is rare in anime for a main character, and he's adorable, right down to his overreaction to any comment about his height.  He respects others even if he doesn't agree with them, and respects life above all else.  He's intelligent, responsible, resourceful... and I could just go on and on.  What's not to love?

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