History Characters / FullmetalAlchemistMainCharacters

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Zigzagged all over the place. [[spoiler:At first, with the freshly dead Xersians inside him, he wanted to die to be free of the screaming. After he got them under control, he liked that he had all the time he wanted to experience the world. Then he met his wife, and regretted that he would outlive her and his sons. Finally, as he's dying at the end of the series, he laments that he can't live a little longer with his sons.]]

* BigEater: In fact, he's been known to collapse if he doesn't get enough to eat, which could be ObfuscatingStupidity except that his bodyguards seemed legitimately worried about the possibility when they couldn't find him. If it's for real, it might make him a HandicappedBadass. Unsurprisingly, though, it's not a problem for Greed.

* {{Greed}}: He's a pretty greedy fellow, given that he a seeks immortality and the power to rule over his country. It perhaps makes a bit too much sense that he becomes the second Greed. To his credit though the reason he even wants those things is so that he may provide for his people in return.

* AwesomeByAnalysis: Edward picks up several Alchemy Techniques simply by observing others and adopting their styles.

* BadassBoast: Extremely satisfying example in [[spoiler:the last battle against the Father.]]

* BadassBookworm: You can't exactly practice alchemy without hitting the books. And, State Alchemists are supposed to hit lots of other things, too.

* BashBrothers: With his actual brother Al, as well as Ling, later on.

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: His iconic armblade frequently gets transformed into a blade by his alchemy.

* ChildProdigy: Gets admitted into the military as a State Alchemist at the age of 12. At the age of 10 he managed to perform a perfect human transmutation, bonding Al's soul into a suit of armor after reading it in a book. He also, over the course of the series, increases his skillset through PowerCopying by simply watching others perform alchemy and duplicating their technique.
* ChildSoldier: Received a State Alchemist's certification at the age of 12. Which technically gives him the rank of ''Major''.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Shared with Al -- Their father seemingly abandoned them, mother died of an illness when they were young, and they tried to revive her via human transmutation...the results were ''not'' pretty; Ed lost his arm and leg, and Al lost his entire body.

* GuileHero: Though it can be hard to tell with how reckless and aggressive he becomes when excited, Ed is actually something of a tactical genius. Outside of clocking badguys with his automail fist or sending them flying with a pillar of raised earth, the crux of Ed's fughting style is discerning the composition of an opponent's equipment or surroundings and manipulating said materials with alchemy. When fighting a tougher foe, he often leads them into elaborate alchemical or even mundane traps, commonly feigning weakness or employing decoys to draw them in. He manipulates false prophet Cornello into blowing his own cover in front of his loyal following, and reclaims a town's mine for the people with an illegal gambit exploiting a corrupt official's greed. He also shows an almost frightening political savvy and an instinctive grasp of human psychology, helping him face more nebulous threats like the state.

** Averted in-universe when Ed and [[spoiler: Hohenheim have a discussion late-on in the series, wherein Hohenheim confirms both Ed and Al are regular humans.]]

* RedBaron: The Fullmetal Alchemist. Interesting enough, Edward actually does have a [[ChildProdigy reputation that precedes him]], to the point where May Chang even traveled all the way from Xing to learn from him. Due to [[MildlyMilitary Edward's typical attitude]] [[note]]Edward only treats his rank and title as a means to an end to research more into the Philosopher's Stone.[[/note]], most people that know him well, save for Mustang, don't actually address him by the title.

* PostVictoryCollapse: [[spoiler:After defeating Lust, he collapses due to the pain of his injuries and the HealItWithFire method that caused more pain]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Ling comes from a family system that seems to aim to produce as many children as possible and then force them to fight each other for their inheritance.

* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Starting around the time of his state alchemist exam. Ed usually keeps it braided or in a ponytail, but as seen when he's sleeping and [[spoiler:after he recovers from the girder through his stomach]], his hair is ''very'' long.

* TheBigGuy[=/=]TheBrute: Scar's an extremely effective martial artist. However, because of his history as one of Ishval's more conservative priests, he is (by choice) unfamiliar with the rest of the setting's combat tools. Ed almost got killed in his first fight with Scar by trying to fight him hand-to-hand; in his next fight, he stressed his alchemy more and had Scar locked down. It's also telling that Scar was only able to deconstruct Jerso's saliva ''after'' Ed mentioned that it was mostly water.

* EyeScar: The X-shaped scar on his forehead stretches down over both of his eyes.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Ling comes from a family system that seems to aim to produce as many children as possible and then force said siblings to fight for their inheritance.

* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Averted, interestingly. Unlike Ed (who actively denies that he and Winry are romantically linked), Roy (who rarely talks about how deep his feelings for Riza are) and Alphonse (who doesn't yet know how he feels about Mei) Ling doesn't deny that he has feelings for Lan Fan when Greed brings up the possibility. Although he does it in a somewhat sarcastic-sounding way.

* TameHisAnger: [[spoiler:From the time Lan Fan lost her arm to the time he separated from Greed.]]

* JapaneseSiblingTerminology: Al always calling Ed "nii-san". It is carried over into English translations as "brother" (sometimes more literally as "big brother").

* EasilyForgiven: Averted. Winry is willing to help Scar by treating his life-threatening injuries because it's what her parents would have done, but that doesn't mean she's forgiven him. Also, Edward still wants to beat the crap out of him and make him pay his respects in front of the Rockbell graves one day.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Among his murders, Winry's parents are the only ones he feels genuine guilt and remorse over, as he knows they were unjustified.]]

* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Survives killing Wrath (no easy task) and even gives us [[MrExposition some exposition]] in 106. While dripping blood out of... everything.

* ScaryBlackMan: Well, Scary ''Ishvalan'' Man, but close enough. This guy becomes the State Alchemists' bogeyman!

* SuicideByCop: Seems to be his life's goal.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hughes, ever since the Ishvalan War. [[spoiler: Needless to say, he does not take his friend's death very well.]]

* HeroicSacrifice:
** [[spoiler:During the FinalBattle, he refused to get his body back, since he can't properly use it for combat, despite the fact that he ''desperately wanted that proper flesh and blood body for years.'' He tries not to get too upset about it.]]
** [[spoiler:Seeing as his blood seal was cracked, Ed had lost his automail arm and was pinned against a rock and about to have his life force drained by the Father, ''he gives back his soul so that Ed could have his original arm back''. Thankfully he gets better when Ed comes back to save him.]]

* BrattyHalfPint: But don't let him catch you saying the "half pint" or you will get ''plenty'' of bratty.

* {{Foil}}: Ling is a contrasting character to both Ed and [[spoiler: Greed]], who incidentally also parallel each other in a few ways. Unlike either of them, Ling is fairly transparent about his feelings, largely lacks their egotism, and doesn't share their overt OedipusComplex despite having sufficient reasons to despise his father (instead he appears indifferent).

* [[Foil]]: Ling is a contrasting character to both Ed and [[spoiler: Greed]], who incidentally also parallel each other in a few ways. Unlike either of them, Ling at least attempts to [[TranquilFury keep his cool]] in the face of his [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]], largely lacks their insurmountable arrogance, and doesn't share their overt OedipusComplex despite having sufficient reasons to despise his father.

Foil: Ling is a contrasting character to both Ed and [[spoiler: Greed]], who incidentally also parallel each other in a few ways. Unlike either of them, Ling at least attempts to [[TranquilFury keep his cool]] in the face of his [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]], largely lacks their insurmountable arrogance, and doesn't share their overt OedipusComplex despite having sufficient reasons to despise his father.

* DisappearedDad: While Ling's main motivation is to succeed his father's place on the Xingese throne, Ling also flatly states in the manga that he has actually never had so much as a single conversation with his father in his life.

* DisappearedDad: While the source of Ling's main motivation is to succeed his father's place on the Xingese throne, Ling flatly admits in the manga that he actually has never had a conversation with his father in his life.