Many of the biggest shonen series are infamous for not having wonderfully-written female leads, but thankfully this is far from the case when it comes to Fullmetal Alchemist. Winry, Edward's childhood friend and automail engineer, isn't just considered one of the most powerfully written characters in her own series, but is oft regarded as one of the best girls in shonen anime as a whole.

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She certainly earns this title with her actions throughout the series. While she provides support for the boys, both emotionally and through the engineering work that she does for them, her character is far more than that and she has her own heavy-hitting arcs as well. There are even moments where she steps up and takes charge, able to do things that not even the main protagonist himself can. And while much of her character remains consistent from start to finish, there's a lot about her that changes as she develops too.

10 Changed: She Went From Wishing That Ed Would Stay Out Of Danger To Charging In Headfirst Alongside Him

winry and ed locked up fullmetal alchemist

When the series first begins and Roy and Riza come to extend the military offer to Edward, Winry is vehemently against the idea. At such a young age, the only thing she could correlate the military with was losing those she loved, as she lost her parents while they were serving as doctors in Ishval.

However, as time goes on, she's able to accept that danger is synonymous with Ed's goals. Not only that, but when she realizes she's been mixed up in all of it as well, she doesn't back down and instead charges into danger right alongside him despite his protests, like at Fort Briggs.

9 Stayed The Same: Her Ultimate Passion In Life Is Automail Engineering

winry checking out automail fullmetal alchemist

No matter how much time passes, Winry's ultimate passion remains the same. As Edward puts it, she's a gearhead who loves automail more than anything in the world. She's seen fangirling over multiple characters' automail prosthetics throughout the series, even when they've stolen from Edward like Paninya.

This passion is something that only grows deeper as the story progresses. She realizes just how important it is for her to be able to make the highest-quality automail possible for Edward and gains a steady base of dedicated customers in Rush Valley.

8 Changed: She Went From Rejecting Edward To Developing Genuine Feelings For Him

winry blushing at edward fullmetal alchemist

When Edward and Alphonse were little, they got into a fight over who would end up marrying Winry one day. They both ended up losing, though, as Winry states that she "just doesn't date guys who are shorter" than her.

However, over the course of the series, she actually notes that the entire time she'd been by Edward's side, she'd been falling for him. These feelings start to come to fruition before the gap they spend apart where Edward actually does grow taller than her, showing that her feelings weren't really dependent on his height.

7 Stayed The Same: She Kept Her Stern Side With Edward Even As Her Feelings Developed

Winry from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood glaring at Edward

Winry always has somewhat of a harsh, nagging side when it comes to Edward. This isn't without reason, as he's always been one to rush headfirst into danger — usually without thinking of the consequences — and he often doesn't let Winry in on important matters.

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Thankfully, this side of her is something that remains intact even as her feelings for him turn romantic. She isn't afraid to call him out when needed and doesn't back down from necessary confrontation simply because she's in love with him.

6 Changed: After Spending Time With Hughes' Family, She Realized She Loves Children

winry and the hughes family fullmetal alchemist

For a very long time, Winry's only real passion and love seemed to be her engineering work. She even referred to her automail as her "babies," and didn't seem to have that intense of a reaction with anything else.

However, this changes after Maes Hughes has her over for his daughter's birthday party. She instantly becomes smitten with the young girl, near immediately becoming a pseudo-older sister figure for her. This adoration for children sticks around, as at the end of the series her and Edward are pictured with multiple children of their own.

5 Stayed The Same: She's The Biggest Source Of Emotional Support The Elric Brothers Have

young ed al and winry fullmetal alchemist

Ever since childhood, Winry was the biggest source of emotional support the Elric brothers had. Even as a kid, she's seen trying to comfort Alphonse after he loses his body and no longer has the ability to sleep or dream at night.

She sheds tears in Edward's place when they burn down their home, stating that "Someone should cry for you if you won't." She even patches up fights between the two, like when she yells at Alphonse for implying that he'd been lied to by them and insists that he chase down his brother to make things right.

4 Changed: She Grows Past Her Desire For Revenge Against Scar And Is Able To Help Him Instead

winry treating scar from fullmetal alchemist

When Winry first learns that it was Scar who killed her parents, she understandably wants to seek revenge. She nearly shoots him but is stopped and consoled by Edward, and she's able to have a much more mature outlook on things the next time they meet.

This doesn't mean that she forgives him; she states outright that she could never forgive wanton murdering. However, she's able to patch him up anyway, believing that despite everything that'd happened, it's what her parents would have wanted.

3 Stayed The Same: She Never Backs Down In The Face Of A Challenge

winry side glance from fullmetal alchemist

Winry is a stubborn and self-assured girl who isn't afraid to tackle challenges that they seem insurmountable. This applies even if she's asked to do something that she doesn't have any real-world experience with, and the results are typically overwhelmingly positive.

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The biggest example of this is when she helped deliver a baby while in Rush Valley. The only experience she'd had beforehand was studying her parents' medical textbooks when she was a child, but she was still able to rally everyone together and pull off a successful delivery.

2 Changed: She Went From Feeling Like She Was Always Stuck Waiting Around To Having A True Purpose

winry smiling from fma brotherhood

At one point during the series when Ed and Al have to leave Resembool again to fight, Winry questions why the only thing she's ever able to do is wait around. She probably felt the same way when she was younger and her parents were away serving as combat medics, and since things didn't end well for them, this had to be quite the painful feeling to bear.

However, helping out at the automail shop in Rush Valley truly helped give her a sense of purpose and belonging, and reignited the drive in her that she'd nearly lost. For the first time, she felt as if others depended on her and needed her, and she felt that she had a purpose besides just waiting on the Elric brothers.

1 Stayed The Same: Her Habit Of Throwing Wrenches For Comedic Relief

Winry throwing a wrench at Ed Fullmetal Alchemist

Winry has a habit of throwing or hitting characters with her wrench whenever she gets upset, and Edward is the primary victim of these attacks. It's most often used whenever he's seen being overly reckless with the automail that she crafts for him, but it can even be seen in more emotional situations as well.

When Alphonse accused Edward and Winry of lying to him about his past and Edward ran off, Winry repeatedly hit Al's armor while scolding him for being an idiot. The only time she's shown holding back is when she catches Edward eating in her room while she was changing by accident, as it'd been a while since they'd seen each other and she was genuinely concerned for his well-being.

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