Hiromu Arakawa's hit anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a fantasy action series packed with cool fight sequences, stunning set pieces, deep philosophy, and of course, all kinds of memorable and complex characters. Some members of the cast are rogues, some are soldiers, and others are simply madmen or monsters.
In the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, meanwhile, players can use the Moral Alignment chart to define a character's personality and worldview. It uses two axes: "good, neutral, evil" and "lawful, neutral, chaotic" for nine combinations in a 3x3 chart. That chart can be used for characters in other games and anime too, and the results are clear when that chart is applied to the cast of Fullmetal Alchemist. How do the characters rank on that chart?
9 Lawful good: Maes Hughes
The fans love the Colonel Maes Hughes, and not just for his good looks and impressive combat skills. Maes is a doting father and family man, and even the horrific Ishval Civil War never dampened his optimism and good cheer.
He's a professional soldier and anyone can count on him for a favor. He was smart enough to research deeply into Father's plot, and the revelations, tragically, led to Lust and Envy assassinating him.
8 Neutral good: Winry Rockbell
She's a shoo-in for Best Girl, and it's easy to see why! She's the childhood friend of the Elric brothers, and never once did their friendship waver, despite all the trials they've been through.
Winry is also an expert mechanic, and Ed trusts only her to repair and refit his automail arm and leg. Winry's biggest moment was when she had the chance to shoot and kill Scar, her parents' killer... but didn't. As Ed correctly said, Winry's hands are meant to heal, not maim. She's a noble spirit in a scarred world.
7 Chaotic Good; Edward Elric
And now for the leading man himself, Edward Elric. He is ranked as Chaotic Good since he's a rogue who always looks out for the common good. Ed is a State Alchemist and has his badge of office, but rarely does he follow anyone's orders! Rather, Ed and Al strike it out on their own, eager to find a cure for their maimed bodies and right the wrong that they once committed.
Ed is short-tempered, resourceful, reckless, and creative, which makes him a pretty dynamic and exciting lead! He's wild, but he also fights tirelessly to save innocent lives and break the cycles of hated and violence that define his world.
6 Lawful Neutral: Roy Mustang
The Flame Alchemist drifts pretty close to True Neutral or even Lawful Evil, due to his ruthless ambitions. But then again, Roy is fiercely protective of Riza Hawkeye, his right-hand woman, and he is quick to avenge the wrongful murder of Maes Hughes.
That, and he shed a rare tear at Maes' military funeral, grimly joking that it was actually rain. Otherwise, Roy is fairly by-the-book, and he really doesn't like Ed's brash ways. Slow and steady win the race, where Roy is concerned. He plays the long game.
5 True neutral: Riza Hawkeye
The marksman Lieutenant Hawkeye has seen many horrors on the battlefield, like Roy and Maes did. It shaped her more than it did those two men, though. Riza learned to detach herself emotionally from a battle, and that makes her sniping job easier.
With no remorse or malice, she takes out her targets, since work is work and nothing more. She's sharp and professional at all times, but never is she a thug or a monster. She fully returns Roy's personal loyalty, and is willing to disobey his orders to stay by his side despite the danger around her.
4 Chaotic Neutral: Scar
At first, it's pretty tempting to classify Scar as Chaotic Evil, and when he's later helping the heroes against Father, it's easy to say he's Chaotic Good. It all evens out to Chaotic Neutral, since Scar never really fancies himself a hero or virtuous man.
In his own eyes, he's a tool of vengeance for the Ishvalan people, and State Alchemists are his primary targets. But later, he learns to fight for what his brother believed in, and he becomes a de facto ally. He fights the forces of evil and anyone who messed with him, period.
3 Lawful Evil: Pride
Pride is by far the prime candidate for Lawful Evil! For one thing, this homunculus is a stone-cold killer, and he has a "might makes right" attitude all throughout Fullmetal Alchemist. For battlefield tactics, he ate Gluttony to gain extra powers, and he even ate Kimblee, mocking the man as he did it.
But Pride is not a wild animal; he is also patient and methodical, acting as Father's right-hand man for their elaborate schemes. Pride is everywhere, and he is smart. Fighting him is indeed like trying to fight shadows!
2 Neutral Evil: Lust
Lust is one of the first of the seven homunculi to appear, and while she is a ruthless killer with those spear fingers of hers, Lust does not indulge in chaos. Like Riza Hawkeye, she is all business, and will do exactly what the mission calls for and nothing else.
Yes, Lust does like to appreciate tough and handsome men on the job, but that doesn't distract her from the current objective. She is, though, willing to pass herself off as a human woman to trick Jean Havoc and try to get information out of him.
1 Chaotic Evil: Solf J. Kimblee
In some regards, Kimblee is actually Lawful Evil, since he works closely with the homunculi and employs his excellent tracking skills to find Scar. But really, he's a wicked and bloodthirsty being who loves the sounds of explosions and murder.
During the Ishval Civil War, this cruel alchemist took delight in blowing up Ishvalan buildings, and rather than return his borrowed Philosopher's Stone, Kimblee swallowed it and killed several officers! When released from prison, Kimblee taunted (and terrified) the guard who released him, and he even turned on his chimera minions when chasing the Elric brothers up north. You never know what this madman will do next, and you probably won't like it, either!