Hiromu Arakawa's hit animated series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is about the Elric brothers who, during their quest to fix their mangled bodies, get swept up in an insidious plot for world domination. In the shadows, Father the homunculus plots to become a new god, and he has all kinds of deadly minions at his beck and call. One of them is the mad alchemist Solf J. Kimblee.
Kimblee isn't a homunculus, but he's a deadly fighter who loves to spill blood and watch his enemies burn. He is first asked to hunt Scar, then partnered up with Pride to confront the Elric brothers and delay their movements during the Promised Day. So, what are ten essential facts about him that newcomers won't know yet?
10 He Can Control His Regurgitation
Kimblee loves to use the power of the Philosopher's Stone, and at one point, he even tried to get Edward on his side by dangling one in front of his face, so to speak. He even had one with him in prison, but he how did he sneak it in?
Somehow, Kimblee is able to control his stomach and throat so he can swallow objects like the Stone and bring them back up at will. It's a bit gross, but he kept a Stone on him for years this way, and it almost looks fun for him. He once did it just to show off.
9 His Inspiration
How did Hiromu Arakawa conceive of this villainous alchemist? According to her, she got the idea from Alex, the lead of A Clockwork Orange. He's certainly got a dystopian attitude, being a man who embraces the ugliness of the world and acting only for himself. He's a loner and a survivor.
Not only that, but Arakawa said that she thinks that people who wear white suits have a sinister or sleazy look about them, so once Kimblee's personality and personal history were defined, she drew him in a white suit to complete the look.
8 His Title's Translation
Many State Alchemists have a title that describes their alchemy style. Edward is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy Mustang is the Flame Alchemist, and there is also the Silver Alchemist (Scar killed him).
So, what about Kimblee's title? Some translations dubbed him the Crimson Alchemist, but based on the kanji of his title, it may be more accurate to call him the Red Lotus Alchemist. This is based on a red lotus's symbolism of a fiery explosion.
7 His Namesake
Kimblee's character design came from A Clockwork Orange and his outfit is based on the author's own tastes, but what about his name? Most Fullmetal Alchemist characters got their names from real-life military hardware, often vehicles or weapons.
In Kimblee's case, two different American navy destroyers named the USS Kimblerly served as inspiration. One of them fought in World War I, and the other was a World War II ship that was later lent to Taiwan and used from 1967 to 1999.
6 He's A Master Tracker
Father chose wisely when he selected Kimblee to hunt down Scar and recover Dr. Marc0h (and take him back to Central). Kimblee got onto Scar's trail at once, and nothing Scar did could throw him off the scent.
Kimblee wasn't fooled when Scar used alchemy to create a landslide to block a path, and he also saw through Scar's train-switch trick. This is how he caught up to Scar on a train en route to the north, though Kimblee wasn't quite ready to face Scar in mortal combat yet.
5 He Has An Excellent Memory
Not only is Kimblee an expert tracker and a master sleuth, but he also has a heck of a memory working for him. More than once in the manga series, Kimblee states that he never forgets a face.
No doubt this helps him track down people, by remembering any relevant person who may provide a clue as to where the target may be. In real life, memories like this are pretty rare, and they often cause the person distress, since they remember many sad and unpleasant things that other people forget. But we bet Kimblee doesn't regret a thing from his past!
4 His Sense Of Humor
Solf J. Kimblee is hardly a joker, but he does have a twisted sense of humor that sends a chill down our spines. For one thing, he hummed and whistled happily to himself when he heard Laboratory 5 crumbling and exploding from his prison cell. That's hardly a laughing matter.
More interesting was his alchemy trick when he was finally released from prison. He offered a handshake, and foolishly, the prison guard accepted it. Kimblee took that chance to morph the guard's wristwatch into what looked like an explosive device, and the guard panicked until it was revealed to be a harmless toy. Kimblee even suggested that the guard give it to his kids! What a stocking stuffer.
3 He Uses People
Kimblee had every reason to thank Father for freeing him from prison, but he hardly said a word of gratitude. In fact, he never seems grateful for anything except for opportunities to blow things up and kill everyone around him.
He was given a Philosopher's Stone in Ishval, and gladly used it to gruesome effect. But he refused to hand it back over, and even killed the officers who had given it to him. Later, he brought along the chimeras to help him hunt Scar, only to turn on them and abandon them. And don't f0rget how he fooled the Drachma army into attacking Briggs, just to have them slaughtered to fuel Father's plans. Never trust him!
2 His Strong Will
By now, it is clear that Kimblee is ruthless, bloodthirsty, and knows exactly what he wants out of life. This makes him a finely honed blade that Father wields against his enemies. Eventually, though, he falls in battle, and Pride eats him.
Pride incorrectly believed that Kimblee's soul would join the mindless throng of souls inside his Philosopher's Stone, but guess again. In Pride's final moments, he saw Kimblee clearly manifest inside him just to taunt him, then confidently stride back into the swirling mass of souls. Even in death, Kimblee is a monster.
1 His Hand Diagrams
Edward, Alphonse, Izumi Curtis, and Hohenheim don't need transmutation circles to perform their alchemy, but they're the exception. Most characters do need them, and Kimblee's circle is split onto his left and right hands, as pictured.
One of them represents the sun and gold, and the other is the moon, f0or silver. When those are combined, and their triangles form a hexagram, it's alchemy time. This is why, while in prison, Kimblee wore wooden handcuffs that kept his palms apart at all times.