Fullmetal Alchemist consistently plays with its audience's emotions. One moment, fans are exhilarated watching two alchemists in combat, the next they're crying with laughter at the bickering of the Elric brothers. Throughout the franchise, fans are introduced to a variety of characters with backstories that impact the viewer in different ways.
Some characters developed early on and were immediately popular. Others are villains who were disliked until their past was fleshed out, allowing the viewer to understand their motivations and sympathise with. Fullmetal Alchemist contains a wide cast of characters, most of which with tragic backstories that helped define the franchise.
10 Roy Mustang
On the surface, there doesn't appear to be anything tragic about Roy's life. He is a powerful, good-looking Alchemist who holds a high-ranking government position despite his young age. Underneath, the Flame Alchemist experienced tragic loss and had his beliefs shaken to their core. Orphaned at a young age, Roy learned alchemy from Berthold Hawkeye.
Berthold would die in Roy's arms from a mysterious illness, but not before passing on the secrets to his Flame Alchemy. Roy joined the military with the intention of defending the innocent. He was labelled a hero of the Ishvalan war, but his actions during the conflict tormented his psyche and made him question if the war was justified.
9 Riza Hawkeye
Loyal bodyguard of Colonel Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye is an officer in the Amestris Military whose reputation as a sniper during the Ishvalan war earned her the nickname "The Hawks Eye". Riza lost her mother early in life and her relationship with her father grew increasingly strained as the years went by. Her father was emotionally distant and Riza was concerned when his obsession with Alchemy transformed into a type of mania. Before he passed, Riza's father tattooed the secrets of his flame alchemy on her back. Initially reluctant to share her father's work with anyone, Riza developed a close bond with Roy Mustang.
8 Fuhrer King Bradley (Wrath)
For most of the show, there is nothing endearing about King Bradley. He is ruthless and unwaveringly loyal to an evil cause and kills without flinching. But Bradley didn't choose this path, he was forced into it. The Fuhrer, also known as the Homunculi Wrath, was an orphan and recruited into a secret program to find the perfect future ruler of Amestris.
The program involved training recruits in swordplay and politics. Once training was complete, Bradley was injected with a philosopher's stone, surviving the process and becoming the prime candidate for King. Bradley's life was planned from the start, and he was denied the freedom to make the choices that define who people are.
7 Ling Yao
Born into the Xing royal family, Ling was the victim of numerous assassination attempts by other clans hoping to attain the throne for most of his life. As a result, he developed excellent combat skills but struggled to trust others and build meaningful relationships. It wasn't until he travelled west to learn more about the philosopher's stone that Ling grew close to Lan Fan and Fu, his security team who he learned to trust with his life.
6 Izumi Curtis
Powerful Alchemist, nurturing teacher, and master martial artist, Izumi Curtis is the epitome of a powerful & capable woman. However, Izumi's past often left her feeling vulnerable and depressed. The alchemist lost her child during childbirth and feeling desperate, she attempted to resurrect them via human transmutation. This led her to The Truth, who punished her for attempting the taboo by removing her internal organs, meaning she could never become pregnant again.
5 Winry Rockbell
Winry is one of the few characters who refused to let tragic loss define the person she'd become. Winry lost both her parents during the Ishvalan war. They served as Doctors, treating those on both sides. Inspired by her parent's work, Winry dedicated her life to helping others, providing automail to those who needed it most. This was particularly useful after her childhood friend Edward lost an arm and leg. Tragedy followed Winry wherever she went, but Edward's love interest always came out the other side stronger.
4 Edward Elric
Edward Elric's cheery nature contradicts the suffering he has experienced from an early age. Witnessing his father walk out when his family needed him most, Edward became the de facto caretaker, looking after his sick mother and younger brother. His mother's death profoundly impacted his mental state, and in desperation, the young alchemist attempted to revive her by performing human transmutation. This only ended in further loss, with Edward losing an arm and a leg. And if it wasn't for some quick thinking, he would have lost his brother too.
3 Alphonse Elric
During the attempt to revive his mother via human transmutation, Alphonse came face to face with The Truth and lost his entire body as punishment for his crime against nature. His brother Edward attached Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor, where he resided for most of the series.
Alphonse lost his father, mother and his humanity. He went through life unable to experience any of life's simple pleasures. He couldn't eat or sleep. All he could do was wait and hope for his soul to one day return to his body.
2 Van Hohenheim
Initially presented to fans as a cold-hearted father who abandoned his family, Hohenheim's motivations become clearer throughout the story. Born into slavery, Van Hohenheim was gifted with eternal life by The Homunculus, although at the expense of a million souls. The powerful Alchemist spent hundreds of years tormented by these souls and watched everyone close to him grow old and die. Fathering Edward and Alphonse Elric, Hohenheim abandoned his family as he couldn't bear to watch them age and pass away.
1 Scar
While many characters experienced loss, they often had others to help them through difficult times. Scar had no one. His family and friends were wiped out during the Ishvalan war, leaving him all alone. The Ishvalan is a classic example of one's past loss influencing their present actions. Scar was angry and felt the only way to ease his mind was to bring justice to those who wiped out his people. He develops from a seemingly crazy killer into a complex character who viewers empathised with. Scar ends up allying with the Elric brothers to defeat a greater evil and allowing the Ishvalan finding his inner peace.