History Characters / FullmetalAlchemistFather

[[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistBrothers Elric Brothers]] ([[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistEdwardElric Edward Elric]]) | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistTeamMustang Team Mustang]] ([[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistRoyMustang Roy Mustang]]) | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistMainSupportingCast Main Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistScar Scar]]) | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistMilitary Military]] | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistHomunculi Homunculi]] ('''Father''', [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistEnvy Envy]]) | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistXing Xing]] | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemistOthers Others]] | [[Characters/FullmetalAlchemist2003 2003 Anime]] ([[Characters/FullmetalAlchemist2003MainCharacters Main Characters]]) ([[Characters/FullmetalAlchemist2003Homunculi Homunculi]])-]]]]]

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHJqOdWlgU&t=122s This video]] by [[https://www.youtube.com/@maxderrat Max Derrat]] identifies him as Mercurius, an alchemical god who served as an inspiration, except that Father is more likely just a tiny piece of Mercurius.

* {{Expy}}: He shares many similarities to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]]. Both are villains with [[LightIsNotGood light motifs]] who sacrificed the protagonists' loved ones and friends during an eclipse in [[TheUnfettered pursuit of immense power]].
** He's also similar to [[Anime/{{Inuyasha}} Naraku]] in terms of their relationship with their children. Both split parts of themselves into [[TrulySingleParent "children"]] who act as their operatives, with both even sharing identifying marks to boot; Naraku's incarnations with their spider symbols and the Homunculi with the Ourobourus. However, Father also splits specific aspects of his personality to create each Homunculus.
** His overall plan also bears some slight similarities to the [[Anime/{{NeonGenesisEvangelion}} Third Impact]], seeking to assimilate humans to attain immortality, though SEELE/Gendo's plan didn't outright kill the human race like Father planned but ascended them to a higher plane of existence that could be escaped. The scene where Father emerges in a giant form to absorb the Truth also resembles Lilith rising in End of Evangelion, too.

* AbusiveParents: He raises his children specifically to act as pawns in his plan and likely feels no parental attachment to them. After Greed refuses to rejoin Father's plans, he decides to melt him down to a Philosopher Stone in what looks like molten metal: possibly gold. He later resurrects Greed while purging his memories and making him kill his loved ones so Father can be his sole emotional support and focus. Although they do later come back, it shows how Father is willing to go in order to manipulate his children. As for the rest of Homunculi, he isn't outwardly cruel but more so distant and neglectful. He sheds no tears when they die one by one, and before the final battle, he flees his lair while leaving Pride behind. And while Hohenheim hints he does have some care for them given that he has them call him in the first place, his selfishness outweighs any hidden feelings he has towards them.

** He's also similar to [[Anime/{{Inuyasha}} Naraku]] in that both are villains who create [[TrulySingleParent manifestations of themselves]] as living beings.
** His overall plan also bears some slight similarities to the [[Anime/{{NeonGenesisEvangelion}} Third Impact]]. Like SEELE, Father meticulously plots in secret to assimilate scores of people to obtain immortality (though his actions also outright kill those absorbed, unlike the comparatively benign Impact). The scene where Father emerges in a giant form to absorb the Truth also resembles Lilith rising in End of Evangelion, too.

-->He's also similar to [[Anime/{{Inuyasha}} Naraku]] in that both are villains who create [[TrulySingleParent manifestations of themselves]] as living beings.
-->His overall plan also bears some slight similarities to the [[Anime/{{NeonGenesisEvangelion}} Third Impact]]. Like SEELE, Father meticulously plots in secret to assimilate scores of people to obtain immortality (though his actions also outright kill those absorbed, unlike the comparatively benign Impact). The scene where Father emerges in a giant form to absorb the Truth also resembles Lilith rising in End of Evangelion, too.

* {{Expy}}: He's similar to [[Anime/{{Inuyasha}} Naraku]] in his role of creating children from his own essence. Also shares many similarities to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]]. Both are villains with [[LightIsNotGood light motifs]] who sacrificed the protagonists' loved ones and friends during an eclipse in [[TheUnfettered pursuit of immense power]].

* Expy: He's similar to [[Anime/{{Inuyasha}} Naraku]] in his role of creating children from his own essence. Also shares many similarities to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]]. Both are villains with [[LightIsNotGood light motifs]] who sacrificed the protagonists' loved ones and friends during an eclipse in [[TheUnfettered pursuit of immense power]].

* Expy: Shares many similarities to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]]. Both are villains with [[LightIsNotGood light motifs]] who sacrificed the protagonists' loved ones and friends during an eclipse in [[TheUnfettered pursuit of immense power]].

* Expy: Shares many similarities to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]]. Both are villains with [[LightIsNotGood light motifs]] who sacrificed the protagonists' loved ones and friends during an eclipse in [[TheUnfettered pursuit of immense power].

* CreativeSterility: Hohenheim points out that even after capturing god, Father is just a mimic and a parasite with no ability to create anything new; he owes all his power and achievements to the fact that humans are the source of creation. His response is to resurrect a few of the souls of Xerxes as a demonstration before reabsorbing them, which to Hohenheim is hardly more than an impotent [[ShutUpKirk "Fuck you."]]

** A larger one is his fundamental inability to actually grow or change as a person. As the Truth points out, he didn't believe in himself, and saw no point in putting in the effort to change who he was. So all he could ever do was steal from others in order to improve himself, all the while thinking he would achieve perfection, but without actually becoming more than what he was when he was made since [[IgnoredEpiphany he could never understand]] that stealing the ''result'' of the change wasn't the same as gaining the result by ''making the change himself''.

** A larger one is his fundamental inability to actually grow or change as a person. As the Truth points out, he didn't believe in himself, and saw no point in putting in the effort to change who he was. So all he could ever do was steal from others, thinking he would achieve "perfection" , but without ever' 'actually'' becoming more than what he was when he was made since what he stole came from ''others'' instead of ''himself''.

** A larger one is his fundamental inability to actually grow or change as a person. As the Truth points out, he didn't believe in himself, so all he could ever do was steal from others without ever becoming more than what he was when he was made.

** He looks down on humans and gloats about how they deserve to be punished for their arrogance in attempting to play God by performing human transmutation punish them for their arrogance, yet his ultimate goal was to become a god by absorbing the real one. And this is after he has Pride ''force'' Mustang to perform human transmutation for the sake of said ultimate goal. Not to mention his truly arrogant personality when he's not in his Hohenheim guises. He attempts a [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] about how "humans who play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance" right before using ''all the lives in the entire country'' to create a Philosopher's Stone powerful enough to overpower Truth, believing that [[InsaneTrollLogic the same doesn't apply to him because he is a Homunculus]]. [[DidntSeeThatComing It comes as a complete shock to him]] when Truth deconstructs his "logic" and sends him back to the Gate from whence he came, proving that yes, yes it does.

** He looks down on humans and gloats about how they deserve to be punished for their arrogance in attempting to play God by performing human transmutation punish them for their arrogance, yet his ultimate goal was to become a god by absorbing the real one. And this is after he has Profe force Mustang to perform human transmutation. Not to mention his truly arrogant personality when he's not in his Hohenheim guises. He attempts a [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] about how "humans who play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance" right before using ''all the lives in the entire country'' to create a Philosopher's Stone powerful enough to overpower Truth, believing that [[InsaneTrollLogic the same doesn't apply to him because he is a Homunculus]]. [[DidntSeeThatComing It comes as a complete shock to him]] when Truth deconstructs his "logic" and sends him back to the Gate from whence he came, proving that yes, yes it does.

* BeyondRedemption: In spite of all he's done and intends to do, Hohenheim still tries to talk to him and make him see reason. However, his [[{{Pride}} pride]] causes him to ignore Hohenheim's words, and in the end, he's banished to the Gate of Truth from whence he came for all eternity.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He started out as a small piece of God separated and given independent life, eventually wanting to consume the rest of God itself to gain absolute power, knowledge and freedom. However, the sabotage of his efforts [[AssimilationBackfire causes him to lose control]], and he dissolves into it instead. So in a sense, he was a drop of water with the arrogance to think he could envelop the ocean - with the inevitable result.

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Father needs five alchemists who've seen the Gate of Truth for his plans to come to fruition. Thus, he never kills the Elric brothers, [[spoiler: Hohenheim, Izumi, or Mustang,]] no matter how much they interfere with his plans. [[PragmaticVillainy He even heals Ed and Al's injuries when he meets them for the first time.]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi (JP), Creator/KentWilliams (EN)[[labelnote:Other Languages]]Ali Rondon (Latin America), Carlos Silveira (BR), Ulisses Bezerra (BR, as Homunculus [Álamo]), Wendel Bezerra (BR, in perfect form [both dubs] and as Homunculus [IST]), Raffaele Farina (IT) Silvano Piccardi (IT as Homunculus)[[/labelnote]]

* BigBad: Everything that happens in the series is directly caused by him since he is the leader and creator of the Homunculi. Not only would Amestris not have been created, but none of the cast would've ever been born if it weren't for his plans. Although he doesn't do much himself for most of the series, relying on his Homunculi children to drive the action for him.

** He despises humans and wants nothing more than to punish them for their arrogance, yet his ultimate goal was to become a god by absorbing the real one. Not to mention his truly arrogant personality when he's not in his Hohenheim guises. He attempts a [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] about how "humans who play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance" right before using ''all the lives in the entire country'' to create a Philosopher's Stone powerful enough to overpower Truth, believing that [[InsaneTrollLogic the same doesn't apply to him because he is a Homunculus]]. [[DidntSeeThatComing It comes as a complete shock to him]] when Truth deconstructs his "logic" and sends him back to the Gate from whence he came, proving that yes, yes it does.

* AbusiveParents: He raises his children specifically to act as pawns in his plan and likely feels no parental attachment to them. After Greed refuses to rejoin Father's plans, he decides to melt him down to a Philosopher Stone in what looks like molten metal: possibly gold. He later resurrects Greed while purging his memories. Although they do later come back, it shows how Father is willing to in order to manipulate his children. As for the rest of Homunculi, he isn't outwardly cruel but more so distant and neglectful. He sheds no tears when they die one by one, and before the final battle, he flees his lair while leaving Pride behind. And while Hohenheim hints he does have some care for them given that he has them call him in the first place, his selfishness outweighs any hidden feelings he has towards them.

* AbusiveParents: He raises his children specifically to act as pawns in his plan and likely feels no parental attachment to them. After Greed refuses to rejoin Father's plans, he decides to melt him down to a Philosopher Stone in what looks like molten metal: possibly gold. He later resurrects Greed while purging his memories. Although they do later come back, it shows how Father is willings to manipulate his children. As for the rest of Homunculi, he isn't outwardly cruel but more so distant and neglectful. He sheds no tears when they die one by one, and before the final battle, he flees his lair while leaving Pride behind.

* StrawNihilist: Has this entire attitude towards humanity.

* IJustWantToBeFree: His initial reason for all he's done is the desire to escape the flask. Even when he gets a body, it's noted to just be a larger flask, something that both Hohenheim and Truth note. He doesn't want to be bound by anything -- not even God. Unfortunately, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech as the Truth points out]], Father did nothing except just that, ''clinging to God'', and ultimately ends up losing his freedom forever.

** Happens to him again and for keeps when [[{{God}} The Truth]] claims him after his stone is depleted. All he can do is [[VillainsWantMercy to cry and scream]] as he's stripped of his freedom and individuality, but as Truth pointed out, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he wanted to be God]] -- so it is the fate he desired and had been working towards, all along.

* ElementalPowers: He gains a few after consuming The Truth.

* EvilGloating: Normally he averts this, but when he loses his Hohenheim guise, he proceeds to gloat about how the Truth's purpose is to punish the arrogant with an appropriate punishment. [[DidntSeeThatComing However, he didn't expect The Truth to be listening in to that part and using it as justification to finally put him back into the Gate after being fed up with his behavior.]]

* IJustWantToBeFree: His initial reason for all he's done is the desire to escape the flask. Even when he gets a body, it's noted to just be a larger flask, something that both Hohenheim and Truth note. He doesn't want to be bound by anything -- not even God. Unfortunately, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech as The Truth points out]], Father did nothing except just that, ''clinging to God'', and ultimately ends up losing his freedom forever.

* KnowNothingKnowItAll: When an alchemist meets Truth, their Gate is adorned with a mural representing their knowledge and the things that are important to them. When Father is dragged before The Truth, his Gate is just a blank door - for all his boasting, he learned nothing during his centuries of existence. Lampshaded by Truth, who points out that he never grew beyond his days in the flask.
* LargeHam: Normally, he's more of a ColdHam with his speech being emotionless while making bold claims; however, when his skin is removed, he goes [[EvilIsHammy over the top in his fiendish delivery]] and up to eleven when he makes an epic boast after absorbing God/The Truth.

* EldritchAbomination: His true form, a human-shaped blob of LivingShadow covered in massive eyes and mouths. It's also never made clear what exactly he ''is'', only that he was made partly from Hohenheim's blood, and that he came from the Gate of Truth -- (which he says as he is being dragged back into it).