Main characters of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga
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This page lists the main characters from the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, covering the characters who are widely considered to be "primary" to the plot of the story; while the Elric Brothers are the heroes of the story, there are also those who are greatly affected by their adventures and vice versa. All characters are mostly listed by their debut in the storyline. Other characters from the series can be found on the their respective group pages. Due to irregularities in translations some names may have multiple spellings. For common main characters who also appear in the anime, please see Main characters of Fullmetal Alchemist.
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[edit] "Truth"
The enigmatic being usually known as the "Truth" (or alternatively, depending on the translation, as God and the World) is the humanlike form of the Gate of Alchemy. It is only shown as a short, childlike outline, implying that it possesses a physical figure, though none is ever visible. The Truth appears to those who have attempted a human transmutation in some form and shows them to the Gate of Alchemy. The Gate opens and drags the alchemist in, while the Truth looks on in the greatest amusement. It then accepts a "toll" (a body part) for looking into the Gate, and takes that toll, presumably for its own body. His right arm and left leg (at least to Ed), are his arm and leg specifically. An interesting incongruency is that Ed passed through the gate on his way out of Gluttony by preforming human transmutation on himself; he saw the gate, encountered Truth (who asked him if he had come for his limbs) and was not maimed in any way. "Truth" has an enormous crazed grin similar to Gluttony's -- an interesting similarity, as the two are also alike in that Truth resides in the Gate of Alchemy and Gluttony holds a false Gate at the core of his body. It is noticed in the Manga that Gluttony's false Gate is modelled after the real one; his creator had obviously seen the gate multiple times, or at least enough to know what the other side of it was like. Because he has taken Ed's limbs as his own, he could be compared to Wrath from the anime.
[edit] Ling Yao
Ling Yao is the 12th son of the Xingese Emperor. He is 15 years old, although he looks older because he is very tall for his age (much to the dismay of Edward). He is the Yao clan's heir to the throne. Due to the fatal illness of his father, he left his country to find the Philosopher's Stone so it could be used to stabilize Xing, as well as to obtain the key to immortality. (The emperor's desire for immortality and need to choose an heir from his many children and the various clans seems to be inspired by Genghis Khan, especially in his later years.) Although at first Ling is regarded as an annoyance by Edward (due to his habit of always making Ed pay for his meals and following him around), he shows his worth as a very skilled fighter. Despite his seeming indifference and even annoyance towards his servants, he actually does care about them, or at least Ran Fan (he sends Fu back to Xing with Maria Ross). This is also seen when he throws his sword into Envy's torso after Envy grabs Ran Fan's belt, and when he refuses to leave Ran Fan behind after she is injured by Wrath (Bradley). A deeper relationship is also hinted by the fact that Ed and other characters such as Greed has said that she is "waiting" for him when he goes into a dangerous situation (getting swallowed by Gluttony or being possessed by Greed), just like Winry is said to be "waiting" for Ed.
Afterward, Ling devises a plan with the Elrics whereby Ed and Al would lure Scar out to a battle, thus drawing out the Homunculi, who also wish to destroy Scar. Then Ling and Ran Fan would capture one and dissect it, as Ling assumes the regenerative powers of the Homunculi is pretty close to immortality. They manage to capture Gluttony, but Ran Fan loses her arm in a losing fight against Bradley. They bring Gluttony to a house on the outskirts of town, but when Gluttony sees Mustang (who killed Lust), he assumes his true form and destroys everything in his path to get Roy. Ling and the Elrics stay behind to fight Gluttony while Envy also finds his way into the fray. In the ensuing battle, Gluttony swallows Ling. However, he also swallows Ed and Envy by accident and the three are forced to declare a cease-fire in order to escape the bowels of Gluttony's stomach.
In chapter 54, the Homunculi's father, noticing Ling's remarkable up-bringing, strength, and intelligence, infuses the same Philosopher's Stone he drank from Greed's remains into Ling's body, causing Ling to become the second Greed. Ling is shown to be accepting of Greed in order to transform his body into an immortal vessel, and the two are currently co-existing in Ling's body. Greed even asked Ed to deliver a note to Ran Fan at Ling's request. However, Greed presently appears to be fully in control of Ling's body.
It has been confirmed that Ling's soul is still present in his body, and is waiting for an opportunity to take over. The first time is when Ed mentions Ran Fan, and the second time is when Führer Bradley (Wrath) insults humans, and Ling says "Shut up. Don't make light of humans." This phrase is the same phrase Ling spoke while fighting Envy before. However, it's not known if Ling will eventually regain control.
Additionally, in chapter 63, noted that because the Xingese emperor's condition is deteriorating, Ling must be brought back to Xing as soon as possible. The physical features of Greed appear to be manifesting in Ling as well, as his eyes and jawline have changed dramatically.
[edit] Trivia
Ling's last name Yao seems to be a reference to the Emperor Yao of China (who ruled from 2427 to 2357 b.c.). According to legend he was a great and noble Emperor who was able to harmonize the nobility and the people in accordance with Confusion principals. Hopefully if Ling does get the throne his rule will be as auspicious.
[edit] "Father"
An enigmatic being with no known name, "Father" is the central antagonist of the manga, and is responsible for the creation of the seven homunculi (and ultimatley the cause for most of the atrocities throuout the story), his children with which he "shares his soul" (thus explaining his title). "Father" is seemingly rather old in appearance, but it is suggested that he is even older than he appears - at least two or three centuries, if not more. He is a cold and pragmatic person who loathes treachery of his plans, and he may be responsible for the very creation of Amestris itself, as well as for the provocation of every war relating to it. He considers himself an existence far beyond human, comparing them to insects, and anyone who isn't useful in his plans is considered expendable. He also has an unexplained connection with Hohenheim, whose face resembles his and to whom he refers as "it" rather than "he." It appears that whatever connection he has with Hohenheim is not antagonistic, as it appears that Hohenheim knows what "Father" is doing, but has made no attempt to stop him. Also, when he learns that Hohenheim is alive and has had children, he seems to react with excitement.
"Father" has the extremely useful power to nullify all alchemic processes within a large radius of himself, rendering any and all alchemic attacks - no matter how lethal, powerful, or proficient - to be completely null and void against him. He is apparently vulnerable, however, to Xingese and Ishbalan alchemy (a mix between Xing and Amestris alchemy used by Warrior monks), for reasons unknown. It would also seem that he can perform alchemy purely through thought, with no movement whatsoever, and that he can transmute with any part of his body, not merely his hands as with most other alchemists. He has a third eye, hidden in his forehead, which dispatches Greed's incomplete Philosopher's Stone (later drinking it after punishing Greed for his transgressions). In addition, he is apparently capable of violating the law of Equivalent Exchange, as demonstrated when he replaces Al's missing hand without any visible raw material to use - though he may hold extra materials within his body, using them for such transmutations; or is able to bypass the law of natural providence, (transmuting air to metal, etc.).
His body is not that of a human, as shown in a scene where Scar grabs his face and attempts to decompose it, as this ability only works if Scar knows what he is decomposing, and it didn't work on Father, which means that his body is not composed of the elements that form a human body. His third eye and the fact that he can create bodies for the Homunculi out of his own body further support this theory. The full extent and source of his abilities are both unknown. At this point in the manga, his goal appears to be to create an enormous Philosopher's Stone, even larger than the one he used to animate Envy, to use as a passage fee to the Gate. To obtain the stone, he appears to be preparing to sacrifice the entire country of Amestris and the people of various surrounding areas. Once he has the Stone, he will then proceed to open the gate either by performing human transmutation on himself, or by some unknown process possibly relating to his need for "human sacrifices". The entire thought behind this is probably to see the entire "Truth", which would enable him to become a god. He appears to have tried this process in Xerxes, but somehow failed. As a sidenote, his need for "human sacrifices" is completely unknown at this point. Also, there is very likely more to the plan, as Envy has let on several times to characters who have attempted to figure it out.
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| Common characters: | Edward Elric | Alphonse Elric | Main | Minor | ||||
| Anime-only characters: | Dante | State Military | Homunculi | Minor | Video games | ||||
| Manga-only characters: | Main | State Military | Homunculi | Minor | ||||
| Media: | Anime | Manga | OVAs | Conqueror of Shamballa | Video games | Trading cards | ||||
| Misc.: | Episode list | Voice casts | Alchemy | Transmutation circle | Equivalent Exchange | Philosopher's Stone | Automail | Gate of Alchemy | Chimera |
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| Locations: | Amestris | Lior | Ishbal | Lab 5 | ||||
