State Military characters of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime
In the country of Amestris, the Fuhrer (the governing leader who is also known as President) has command of the military. All alchemists that work in the military are referred to as "State Alchemists" or "National Alchemists," obtaining titles based on their alchemic talents and abilities. Like any army, there are rankings. From lowest to highest: Security Personnel, Private, Sergeant, Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer, Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, and General. All State Alchemists are given the ranking of Major upon their entrance into the military, and have the potential to be promoted from there. After the current Fuhrer, King Bradley, was killed, the military gave all the political power to Amestris' newly formed parliament.
To be certified as a State Alchemist requires a written exam, several physicals, and then a demonstration of skill. Potential State Alchemists are required to authenticate their alchemic abilities by producing either the results of their research or by showing their alchemic talents to a select group of high ranking officers who judge the alchemists based on several criteria. Competition is fierce, and only one or two alchemists are accepted each examination cycle. In addition to their rank and state titles, certified State Alchemists gain access to restricted information in the First Branch of the National Library at Central, and gain access to state funding for experiments and research into alchemy. Once a year all State Alcemists must undergo recertification in order to remain State Alchemists, otherwise their titles are revoked and they are dismissed from the military.
Once they are accepted into the military, State Alchemists can be called on for several types of duty. Since State Alchemists have advanced knowledge in minerals and elements, they conduct inspections of land territories to determine whether or not the area has any valuable minerals. They also experiment with alchemic modifications and enhancements, which are usually utilized on the battlefield in times of war. But State Alchemists could be best thought of as an equivalent to the modern day special forces unit: an elite force deployed in combat situations with the expressed purpose of suppressing enemy uprisings and ending wars. Edward Elric perfectly captured the nature of Amestris' State Alchemists when he remarked that they were nothing more than human artillery the army called in when nothing else worked.
Doctor Tim Marcoh, Jack Crowley, Lincor, Cravis Fagott and Shou Tucker are all considered former State Alchemists. Also, while Fuhrer King Bradley and Captain Juliet Douglas are members of the State military, they are both more than what they appear. All of these characters are not described in this section. Mustang and his subordinates are named after World War II era fighter planes, which never existed during this time and era of the other Alchemy World. Due to irregularities in translations some names may have multiple spellings.
Roy Mustang
_Mustang.jpg){kind=link}
Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Ed's superior officer in the military, friend of Maes Hughes and an acquaintance of Hohenheim. At the time of his introduction in the anime, Mustang held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was stationed at Central, although he was transfered early on to the Eastern Territories to clean up Lieutenant Yoki's mess. He was involved in the Ishbal War, though he could never forget the horror and the lives he took. Among them are the parents of Winry Rockbell, friend and automail mechanic of Edward and Alphonse Elric. His participation in the Ishbal war has also caused Mustang to become somewhat mentally unstable, which at times caused Mustang to have bouts of severe depression. On rare occasions, such as during and immediatly after the Ishbal War, these bouts of depression have led Mustang to consider killing himself. Often playfully mysterious, Mustang sometimes annoys Edward to no end. In truth, he has his own goals and intentions in mind as a member of the military. He wishes to become Fuhrer to try to make the world a better place, with one of his policies to be that all female members must wear miniskirts. In episode 51, he kill the homunculi Pride and narrowly survives the ordeal. However he loses his left eye (presumably) from being shot by automail-Archer. Prior to these events Mustang was promoted to Brigadier General in preperation for his leading of troops against armies in the north. 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 sparks when he snaps his fingers, then afterwards, by adjusting the oxygen content 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.
Maes Hughes
Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes was a member of the Investigations division and good friends with Colonel Mustang and the Elric brothers. 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 helped recapture a passenger train that had been hijacked by Bald. Hughes loved his wife, Gracia, and was absolutely obsessed with his little daughter Elicia. He would commonly shove pictures of her into other people's faces to cheer them up: the fervor of his obsession usually freaked out or annoyed most members of the military. He was also very supportive of Mustang's plan to become Fuhrer, doing whatever he can to, as he put it, to "help him from the bottom to the top."
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 reciving his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Hughes was placed in charge of the Investigations Division. Hughes, while investigating more on the 5th Laboratory incident and the mysterious deaths of the officers involved with its experiments, learned the truth about Juliet Douglas. Unfortunantely, he was killed by Envy before he could reveal that truth to the Elric brothers. (Episode 25: Words of Farewell) He was promoted to Brigadier General posthumously for dying in the line of duty. His death came as a shock to to his friends and family, especially Sheska and Mustang, who took Hughes's death personally. While he may not have been an alchemist, Hughes was an expert in knife throwing, and carried small knives which he used as protection in battle. If Lust and Envy had been humans instead of Homunculi, Hughes' knife skills would have saved his life and killed Lust.
Riza Hawkeye
First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is a hard-working member of the state military and most trusted in Mustang's circle of friends. 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. In her own words, Hawkeye has joined the military because "there is someone I need to protect" (referring to Roy Mustang). This being said, Hawkeye serves as Mustang's voice of reason, often remaining cool and collected in sticky situations, and constantly looking out for Mustang's well being. She is excellent with guns, and usually carries two with her wherever she goes. She has strong feelings for Mustang, though she draws the line with his "miniskirt" policy. She also has a soft spot for the Elrics. Her dog-training methods with her dog, Black Hayate, are rather questionable. She once posed as a woman named Margott Orange Peko so she could gather info on Prof. Eiselstien's work as his assistant during the events of "Broken Angel." She was last seen [in the anime] tending to Mustang's injuries after his fight with Pride. On occasion her name is translated as Liza or Rise. Although the manga strongly implies that her full name is Elizabeth, suggesting that Liza is the correct translation, official materials have consistently written her name as Riza.
She was most recently reassigned to Central Headquarters as the Fuhrer's personal assisstant. It's very likely that she was given this assignment as a hostage to keep Roy Mustang in line. Despite her generally calm and collected manner in the manga, when Lust tells her that Mustang was dead Riza goes insane and fills Lust full of lead.
Jean Havoc
.JPG){kind=link}
Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc likes to smoke, and often goes through several packs per day. He is a fair shot with a gun as well. He's one of Roy Mustang's most loyal followers, partly due to the man's 'miniskirt' policy. Havoc is somewhat dull at times, but his intense friendship and loyalty to Roy Mustang knows no end. Havoc is a strict man of duty. He never lets any situation get the best of him. He goes by the book, even if he knows what he is being asked to do is not the course of action he would make if he were in charge. Havoc's also always searching for a girlfriend and, tragically, never gets one — it seems Mustang is constantly stealing any potential dates away from him.
In the manga, Havoc was forced to retire from the military, due to the fact that Lust had paralyzed him below the waist. However, he is determined to rejoin Mustang's group at some future point in time.
Heymans Breda
.JPG){kind=link}
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. He also has a talent for strategy games, including chess, go, and shogi. He is afraid of dogs, and mostly everything else.
Kain Fuery
.JPG){kind=link}
Sergeant Major 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. He gets injured in his forehead due to ricochet off Ed's auto-mail hand. Fuery is extremely talented with Radio Signals.
Alex Louis Armstrong
.JPG){kind=link}
Major Alex Louis Armstrong is the Strong Arm Alchemist. He was born into a family of alchemists and has mastered his family's skill of using his arm strength in his alchemy. He always takes off his shirt when in battle for no other reason than showing off his "beautiful body." He is only ever clothed for two and a half minutes at a time. A very intimidating man at first sight, but is actually more of a softie, as sentimentalism prevents him from being promoted. Armstrong was also a part of the Ishbal War. 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 his right side and Ed his automail arm — Armstrong volunteered to escort the boys back to Risemboul in order to get Ed's arm replaced, and subsequently get Al's armor fixed. He is jokingly known as "Colonel Clean" for obvious reasons — the resemblance to the cleaning product mascot is uncanny, including the pink sparkles. In the movie "Conqueror of Shambala", he is seen with his family, trying to get Lior back on its feet, and later in the movie, fighting alongside the military to stop the Thule Society's attack.
Hakuro
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 vacation. He also proctored Edward's first Alchemist Exam, as his way of repaying the boy. Shortly thereafter General Hakuro promoted Mustang and Hawkeye one level, and reasigned them to the Eastern Territories to help clean up Lieutenant Yoki's mess. He was later seen leading the military at Lior. It was General Hakuro who took Rose hostage and had her raped repeatedly. His Alchemy Title and uses are unknown, possibly known for his military strategy only, nothing more. It was his orders that reinforced the arrival of his troops during the Mustang/Fuhrer incident. A man with ambitious growth, Hakuro is the epitome of military "suck-ups".
An English misspelling by FUNimation has his family name as Haruko along with a different voice over change.
Vato Falman
.JPG){kind=link}
Warrant Officer Vato Falman escorted General Hakuro back from his vacation and he works in the investigation department under Lieutenant Hughes, but also aids Mustang at Eastern Headquarters. After Hughes's untimely death, Falman begs Mustang to let him join the team. After thinking it through Mustang alows Vato to transfer with him back to Central. Falman is also known for his precision and data. As the names of all military personnel in Fullmetal Alchemist are army/aviation-derived (the P-51 Mustang, Howard Hughes, and Breda Meccanica Bresciana are worth mentioning) it is possible that "Falman" is a mistranslation of "Farman."
In the manga, Falman is ordered by Mustang to babysit Barry the Chopper and keep him away from public view.
Basque Grand
Brigadier General Basque Grand is the Iron Blood Alchemist. He is able to transmute the iron in his blood to an assortment of guns and other weapons. 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. After Marcoh went AWOL, Grand was enraged for losing such power and decided to forge his own Philosopher's Stone. Grand was also in charge of the "defunct" Labratory 5 in Central, which he ran in hope of creating a Philospher’s Stone for his own purposes. It was Grand who forced Shou Tucker to use his daughter in his Chimera project, intending to use the beastmen created in the 5th Lab and findings on the Philosopher’s Stone for his own ends. 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 Philospher's Stone. Unfortunately, Grand’s car was intercepted by Scar, who killed Grand before he could see his ambitions realized. A common unofficial translation has his family name as Gran. Some believe that Grand is of Ishbalan heritage due to his darker skin. This is unlikely, however, as he does not share the other commonly Ishbalan trait- their eyes have red irises, while Grand's irises are brown.
In the manga, Grand's role is more of an enigma, as he is (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, which the Homonuculi were involved in as well, so there is some speculation as to whether or not Grand and the Homonuculi are linked.
Yoki
First Lieutenant Yoki was in charge of the mines in Youswell and was 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.
Edward was assigned to his first mission as a State Alchemist in Youswell. While he and Al were staying there, Edward discovered that the city was in dire straits, and managed to expose Yoki as a con artist by purchasing the title to the town with a large amount of gold (which later was discovered to be rocks). After Yoki's exposure, General Hakuro promoted Mustang and Hawkeye and reassigned them to the Eastern Command Center to help clean up the mess left by Yoki. Ending up at a Ishablite refugee camp, Yoki gained 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. As he was about to discuss his reward, Yoki would be repeatedly impaled by Lust during a face-off between Roy Mustang's soldiers and the Ishbal people. Lust's lightning-quick extending fingers made it look as if Yoki received bullet-wounds, making it seem that the Ishbalites were shooting at the soliders and Yoki was killed in the crossfire. Panic and chaos ensued as Yoki's lifeless body was then devoured by Gluttony.
In the manga, following a different path to the anime, Yoki aligned himself with Scar to get his revenge on Edward and the military members who discharged him for the Youswell incident. However, he would eventually betray Scar in order to claim the bounty placed on his head. Nonetheless, Scar kept him around, and Yoki ends up being the one who finds Mei Chan in the street.
Maria Ross
.JPG){kind=link}
She is put in charge of taking care of the Elric brothers during their stay in Central City. She and her partner were assigned the task of guarding the Elrics due to Scar's return in Central City 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 had a short-lived crush on Hohenheim. Both she and her partner work under Major Alex Louis Armstrong.
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.
Denny Brosh
.JPG){kind=link}
Almost always seen with Lieutenant Ross, he is rather nosy and lazy. He also has an enormous infatuation with Maria Ross. He also has a resemblance to Ed. Like Ross, he also works under Major Alex Louis Armstrong. In the FUNimation English anime, his name is romanized as Bloch.
Sheska
.JPG){kind=link}
Her responsibilities include organizing and keeping records of all of the books in the First Branch of the Central City library, but because she spent more time reading books than organizing them she was fired. She 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's 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. She fled to Resembool with Winry to escape a similar fate. 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. In the Polish language the word Scieszka (pronounced roughly "shicheska", very similar to the pronounciation used in the american airing) meaning "path" or "trail" specifically one well-traveled. This is obviously because of her help in the uncovering of Marco's research although its not exactly clear why Polish was used for her name.
Frank Archer
Frank Archer is introduced halfway through the anime series as a replacement for the late Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Archer is in charge of Intelligence, and is very cool, calm, and collected. Archer thoroughly enjoys war and all his actions are aimed towards preparation for future wars. Archer could easily be compared to Basque as far as morality goes. He is obsessed with glory and honor and becoming a hero, which is his main motivation for most of his actions in the series. Most of his body was destroyed at Lior so he was heavily modified with Automail; Archer was now more machine than man. But he continued to follow Pride until he was killed by Riza in the finale.
Archer has yet to appear in the manga version, if at all.
Zolf J. Kimblee
The Crimson Alchemist. He uses the chemical properties in the human body to create explosives, turning people into living bombs. A sick and perverse man; during the Ishbal War, he killed numerous civilians, women, and children just to hear the sound of them exploding. He was also the man who killed Scar's brother, making him a prime target on Scar's list. When he killed one of his superior officers, Kimblee was sent to the prison next to the 5th laboratory and sentenced to death. He was one of the prisoners the Homunculi and Shou Tucker tried to trick Edward Elric into using as a ingredigent to create a Philosopher's Stone for them, but Zolf blew up another prisoner to escape, exposing the truth to Edward. Zolf joined Greed temporarily, only to betray him in order to be re-enlisted in the military under Frank Archer with a full pardon. He finally paid for his crimes at the hands of Scar, but not before Kimblee made a vain attempt to kill Al. His first name is sometimes translated Zolof and his surname is sometimes translated as Kimbly,Kimbley, or Kimberly (in some subs).
Kimblee has yet to provide an important role in the manga version, as he is still held captive in the prison next to Lab 5, although there are already signs of him in certain chapters, especially through the unique transmutation circles on his palms. He was revealed as being too timid to open the Doors of Truth, revealing him as an unconfirmed Human Sacrifice. In a part of the maga,Ed shields Winry from Scars wrath when Winry walks into a battle between the Elrichs and Scar. This causes Scar to flashback to Scars brother shielding Scar in the same way from Kimbly in Ishbal (Kimblys face is shadowed, but the transmutation circles on his palms make it obvious about who killed Scars brother). Some translations call Kimblee a "Mad bomber," whereas others call him a "Mad arsonist," thus leaving some speculation as to what Kimblee's alchemic power is in the manga.
Joliot Comanche
The Silver Alchemist. Exclusive to the manga. He was involved in the Ishbal War. He loves violence and fighting, and his style is to transmute various weapons on the battlefield. Because of this, he is completely helpless when there is nothing to transmute. He lost his left leg in the Ishbal War, but has replaced it with a peg instead of automail. He is assasinated by Scar in the manga.