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There are many beloved characters in Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) franchise. Some of the most popular characters are the main characters, Edward and Alphonse Elric, Colonel Roy Mustang and Ling Yao.
One thing that sets Full Metal Alchemist apart from other well-loved shonen series is the way Arakawa treats her female characters with respect and doesn't sexualize them. Keep reading to find out why Winry Rockbell is one of the best characters Full Metal Alchemist has to offer.
Winry’s Personality Makes Her Fun to Watch
Winry has a great personality and is a very likable character according to a majority of Full Metal Alchemist fans. She isn’t super unique and her kindness is a trait fans often see in female leads throughout various shonen anime. Essentially, Winry doesn’t stand out because of her personality alone. That doesn’t mean her personality isn’t an interesting asset to her character, and it does set her apart from other characters in the series. While some consider Winry a tsundere because she may have been in love with Ed from the very beginning, but it’s highly debatable and her quirks and overall personality don’t meet the qualities of a tsundere at all. Winry is not “harsh on the outside and soft on the inside” like a tsundere. And hitting Ed with a wrench when he breaks his automail was added to the series for comedic effect.
Winry is a stubborn, yet kind person. Her stubbornness is shown often throughout Fullmetal Alchemist -- especially when it comes to allowing Ed and Al to go their separate ways from her. Being stubborn isn’t a unique trait, and it’s quite common in real people and in fictional characters. What makes this trait unique for Winry is, that although she may be stubborn and hard-headed at times, she doesn’t usually act selfishly. For example, when she travels to Rush Valley with Ed and Al, she convinces a local mechanic to take her on as his apprentice. It’s thanks to her stubborn trait that Winry refuses to back down, but that’s also the reason she gets the job. Also, she wants to work as an apprentice, so she can make better automail for Ed. This shows Winry's kindness and how she wants to better her mechanic skills, so she can help her childhood friend even more.
If you compare Winry to someone like Riza Hawkeye, they have a few similar traits, but they also differ immensely. For example, both women are generally kind people, but kindness can only go so far, and it’s not a very interesting personality trait to a lot of fans because kindness is such a common characteristic, especially for female teen characters in anime. But that doesn’t mean it’s an overused or overrated quality. Winry shows her kindness many times throughout the series, even though she yells at Ed a lot and becomes angry with him when he destroys his automail, it’s only because she cares about him.
Winry’s Character Acts as a Beacon For the Elric Brothers
Winry isn’t just important to Fullmetal Alchemist because of her connection to the lead protagonists. She is more than that, but it’s disingenuous to deny her being their friend isn’t one of the most important aspects of the story. Winry gives the boys a focal point and, when she still lives in Resembool with her grandma, she gives them a place to call home. Although Winry says a few times throughout the story she’s tired of waiting for the boys to come home, especially when she’s unable to do anything to support them, she gives them hope by existing. Ed and Al may support each other because they are always together, Winry is the foundation of their support -- she’s the thing that keeps them together other than their brotherly bond and the trio’s childhood friendship.
Since they face many complicated scenarios throughout FMA’s story, it would be easy for Ed and Al to lose sight of their goal. But, Winry’s presence in the Elric brothers’ lives keeps them grounded and gives them a focal point for their journey, reminding them why they are searching for the stone and why they want to get their original bodies back. Since Winry and Pinako exist, they give Ed and Al two people worth fighting for aside from the other friends and people they have met on their journey.
The Childhood Friend Trope Fits Winry and the Elric Brothers
Friendship is a core, reacurring theme throughout Fullmetal Alchemist. For example, Paninya started out as an enemy for Ed or at least a very base-level or petty antagonist; she stole Ed’s pocket watch, and he would stop at nothing to get it back before she could pawn it off. Soon, Paninya becomes their friend and ally. She could be considered more of a friend to Winry than the brothers, though. Ling and Lan Fan are great examples of this as well, but they are more so allies of the trio rather than actual close “friends”, at least until the end of the series when Greed dies and mentions becoming friends with the main cast.
Childhood friends aren’t something new to the world of anime, especially in a shonen series like FMA. But it is one of the major qualities of the series that makes the trio's relationship endearing for fans. Winry and the Elric brothers’ relationship wasn’t founded in a workplace environment, and since they are all similar in age, with only one year separating Ed and Winry from Alphonse, there isn’t a weird power dynamic between them. Winry is also not just the boys’ ally, the three of them grew up together and continue to grow alongside each other -- both physically and metaphorically -- even when they are separated. Winry is one of the few characters who is explicitly stated as Ed and Al’s friend, so it’s a nice contrast to many of the other characters who come off as allies or acquaintances rather than stagnant friends. It doesn’t have to be directly stated for fans to consider the side characters friends of Ed and Al, but it would save fans from confusion because some relationships displayed throughout the series seem ambiguous.
Winry is an excellent character in Fullmetal Alchemist; she contributes new and refreshing ideas to the main and supporting cast. She’s also one of the first characters shown in the series that isn't an alchemist, so she reminds the viewer not everyone in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe has special powers and can do alchemy, or has an interest in alchemy.