The titular character of Fullmetal Alchemist is indeed the most fleshed-out and beloved by the fans, as tends to be the case with popular shonen series. However, the series is also packed full of fascinating and well-developed characters at every other turn, even those who don't stick around long or play a major role in the story.
One such character is Maes Hughes, the doting, loving husband and Hughes family's father. His ability to go from rambling about how much he adores his family one moment to being completely serious about military-related business the next is unparalleled, and it's safe to say that his final scene is one of the most painful in the entire series. He's one of the most tragically written characters as well, as it's his strengths that also lead to his most crippling weaknesses.
10 Strength: He's Able To Remain Positive, Even In Grim Situations
Hughes' family-oriented personality is the biggest reason he's also able to remain one of the most optimistic characters in the entire series. No matter what he has to survive through, he always carried the mindset that he'd make it out and return home to his family once more.
This even helped keep his spirits relatively high in Ishval, where they knew they were fighting an unjust war with far too many casualties. Although Mustang remarked that it's those sorts of people who tend to die first, he did thankfully make it through the War with his life.
9 Weakness: His Heart Can Be Too Kind For Combat
Hughes would never be able to lay a single hand on one of his family members, even if they're just a false image, and this is precisely how Envy can gain the upper hand and win against him. He turned to defend himself from Envy, knife in hand, but they had shapeshifted into the form of his wife.
Even though he knew that it wasn't actually her and that his life was still very much in danger, he froze. The image of her was too much for him to be able to get past, and it ultimately leads to his untimely demise.
8 Strength: He'll Help Those He Cares About With All Of His Power
In a world full of alchemists and potential ways for one to go about gaining the promise of unlimited power or reviving the dead, it makes sense that there'd be a lot of heartless, self-serving people. Even if Hughes is kind-hearted enough to want the best for the Elrics, it would've been understandable if he chose to keep himself out of their business for the sake of his and his family's safety.
However, he cares far too much about others to allow the two boys to search independently. Even before Hughes was shown helping out the Elrics countless times, he was always at Mustang's side, encouraging and supporting him. He's a big part of why Mustang survived through Ishval without collapsing under the weight of his military duties.
7 Weakness: He Gets Too Involved In Other People's Business
Hughes isn't a character who'd be able to turn away someone in need of help, and this is especially true of growing boys like the Elric brothers, who didn't know a real family of their own anymore. While this is a solid point of his, it's also the trait that leads to his death.
Hughes was only killed because he uncovered too much about the conspiracy with the military and the homunculi, which he was only investigating for Ed and Al's sake. The two try to blame themselves for this in a later conversation with his now-widowed wife, but she firmly states it's 'just the kind of person he was.'
6 Strength: His Deductive And Combat Skills Are Nothing To Laugh At
It may be the less-serious side of his character that usually gets shown off, but Hughes truly earned his rank within the military. He's the only character that's really shown to be proficient with knives, be it short-ranged stabs or long-range throws. He also has a keen danger sense as well, but he's pretty intelligent given his position in Central's investigative division. It's his deductive skills that lead him to start uncovering the truth about the military's shadier side, after all.
5 Weakness: He Doesn't Possess Any Form Of Alchemy
While it's true that one doesn't need alchemy necessarily to be a strong soldier, it certainly puts them at a disadvantage against others. Characters like Mustang and Ed are compelling because of how their alchemy. Even those like Riza without it are relatively safe because of her high proficiency with different gun varieties.
On the other hand, Hughes has to rely much more on taking his opponent by surprise since- although he's proficient with knives- his physical strength is that of a normal human's. He even comments on this himself after he stays out of a fight, stating that he can't possibly be asked to compete with such freaks given their powers.
4 Strength: His Family-Man Persona Helps To Hide The Darker Nature Of His Work
Although Hughes' tendency to bring up his wife and daughter in an overly-obnoxious tone can get on others' nerves, it's also partially a shield that distracts from the heavier things he deals with. He's calm in high-pressure situations, even those that require him to kill or deal with those who've already died. He's a realist at heart, noticing the darker aspects of humanity but simultaneously shielding those he loves from it. That's partially why he works so hard to support Roy and his idealist vision, as he admires his ability to work towards goals that seem out of reach.
3 Weakness: He Drags His Family Into His Work-Life Too Often
Hughes talks about his family quite a lot- half the time, it's a cover to avoid discussing the darker truths about his work, and the other half is simply because he loves them. This may all sound fine, but there are moments where he takes it too far and brings his family up in entirely inappropriate moments.
He'll disrupt important calls or conversations others are having to gush about them, and in the '03 anime, he brought a giant framed picture of Elicia to hold in the crowd during Ed and Mustang's fight. Finally, his family's picture that he carries around even at work that Envy saw and used against him fatally.
2 Strength: He's Wise For His Age, Helping To Guide The Younger Characters
Despite Hughes' relatively mature appearance, he's still only in his late twenties. Despite this, he's seen as one of the wiser characters within the series, giving advice to others and trying to help lead them towards a path in life that will make them happy.
This doesn't only include close friends like Roy, or those he commonly helps out like Edward. He's even seen doing this with Winry the very same day they meet, talking to her about the Elrics and their personalities when she expressed frustration at Ed's inability to communicate with her.
1 Weakness: He Can Push His Hospitality Onto Others A Little Too Forcefully
Although Hughes' hospitable nature is mostly a net positive, he can also be seen being a bit too forceful with others when he extends a helping hand to them. For instance, when he learns that Winry doesn't have anywhere to stay in Central for the night after performing emergency repairs on Ed, Mustang drags her out of the hospital and to his home when she tried to decline politely. He also tends to get on Mustang's case a little too often for not having settled down with a partner and starting a family of his own, even when it isn't called for, and sends his friend into an annoyed rage.