Top 10 Best Fullmetal Alchemist Characters

I can't even put into words how much I love him. His character is so beautiful, so deep, so complex, so real. I cry when he is sad, especially during the scene in the rain, when he's digging up the remains of the thing he and Al transmuted, and the rain is making him woozy and he still keeps going, only to finally dig up the remains and...it's not even his mother. The thing he transmuted is not even his mother. My heart completely broke when he looked at Pinako, his voice shaking and said, "Granny? Mom's hair was a light, chestnut brown. Th-this is black!". I just wanted to break down and cry while hugging him and telling him that he was going to be alright. I love him so much, he has my heart with his beautiful personality, and how strong he is emotionally...I've fallen hard for the FullMetal Alchemist.

Where do I start? Hmm, not only is he caring, understanding and willing to stand up for those he cares about. He's smart, a quick thinker and a complete badass, not to mention HOTT! I honestly love Edward, not just as a main character but as character on his own. His back story was completely sympathetic, his love for his brother is beautiful and his deel care for Winry Rockbell is goals. I fell in love with his anger, his smile, his laughter, his motivation to get stronger at the same time help others. I fell in love with his understanding. The best part is his voice, his English voice actor did justice to his character and I'm happy about that. Ed is truly one of the best anime characters out there and I love him.

If I had to pick the best FMA character, that would be Edward. A character who is enjoyable, full of personality and charm, a perfect balance of comedy and seriousness, and has been fleshed out greatly since his introduction. I've watched all 64 episodes and he has truly undergone a lot of change and important developments as he went on with his journey (subtle and direct). That's why I say Edward's the best character in Fullmetal Alchemist.

Edward is so high on this list because his personality is so complex. He can be emotional and heartbreaking, then downright hilarious. Others might have depth, but Edward has the most out of every character in this series. Of course, excluding Mustang, whose depth isn't seen as early as Ed's is. Edward deserves the popularity he has. All this from a tomboy who hasn't even touched Brotherhood yet!

Next to Edward Roy Mustang is my second favorite character. Why? Not only is he a badass, he's got the brains as well. He (alongside Riza) was able to outsmart many enemies throughout their encounters in the anime, such as using a personality quirk to fool Envy in Episode 53 or using a dummy to fake Maria Ross's death early in the anime. His main flaw is arguably vengeance because he was trying to avenge a dead friend of his (Maes Hughes to Envy) and Scar (of all people) is the one to make him snap out of it.

Roy Mustang is actually my favorite character in the series. He has always been such a deep and complex character to me, and his goal to lead the country is not a selfish one, but one of love for his people. He wants to see Amestris succeed, and he wants to never have to take orders that could go against his beliefs ever again. He also has such a fierce determination to protect those he cares about. Roy Mustang is a true hero. I just wish he would buckle down and just ask Riza to marry him already.

Aside from all his hilarious moments, especially around Ed and Riza, Roy is a very complex character. He always seems like a cold, calculating man with no care for anyone else. But when his closest friends get hurt, and you see the trauma he went through during the war, you can't help but sympathize with him. Plus he has great chemistry with all the characters and can create fire and explosions by snapping...just badass.

His character is absolutely marvelous, I like him better in Brotherhood, but both animes portrayed him fantastically, and I adore his intense power by snapping, it is clear he holds much back and that if he was an enemy, life would suck for the Elrics. His character is smart-aleck and 'arrogant' and he slacks off often and he enjoys teasing. He is not one to be messed with, and he has a fiery (no pun intended) personality, and not to forget, he is eXTREMELY attractive. To sum it up, Roy Mustang is a beautiful character.

A really sweet guy with a big heart reserved for his brother. He's had it hardest but always seems to be able to keep pushing though it. He is Ed's balance and if Ed didn't have Al by his side, then Ed would be well and truly dead by now and we wouldn't have this awesome series!
Sorry but got some negatives: I was shocked to find that in the 2003 version (pretty sure it's 2003, and maybe brotherhood as well), in Japenese, Al is voiced by a girl!?
Negatives aside, Al is the crazy cat guy that may only be in this world as a soul, but his armour is strong and his calm and collected manner is what makes him loved by so many. A tribute to Alphonse Elric!

I love both brothers, but Alphonse is such a sweetheart. His kind and loving nature, his innocence and willingness to help others is so charming and likeable. I will say, that in the original series, Al was a very melodramatic character, and his existential crisis was more dragged on, and ultimately very annoying. I will also say, his voice in the English dub of Brotherhood is far more dynamic and less irritating. Also fits his innocent and soft demeanor. Overall, Elric Brothers are best boys.

Alphonse Elric is a very sweet, supportive character. He's just an easy going 14 year old and he wants a girlfriend, just like any teenage boy. He is kind and acts very mature compared to Ed. But he's only human, and he gets angry, or confused. Alphonse knows how to protect someone and how to take care of them. That's why Alphonse is my favorite character.

Al is my favorite character for a reason, he is a good opposite to Ed with a cool head and kind but he is a lot more than that. He is basically indestructible with even when he falls apart he can come back from almost anything,he's not as strong as Ed with alchemist but he still better than most,and finally it's how nice and excepting even though he has probably lost the most than most of the other characters.(spoiler) When Al could stop his suffering as a suit with the stone instead chose to save his brother and that way Alphonse Elric is my favorite character

Riza is my favorite character. She is strong, calm, really professional, but at the same time she is really warm, kind, loyal, selfless and protective woman. She have amazing skills with a guns and I can say that she really have Hawk's eyes. I ship her and Roy so much. They are perfect together. I love how she have to save him in rainy days, and how she manage to make him look stupid sometimes. And the ideas, that her father was Roy's alchemy teacher, and her tattoo on her back with the secrets of flame alchemy make this ship even more stronger for me. RoyxRiza

One of my favourite characters in FMA as well as my favourite female anime character of all time. What I love most about Hawkeye is that she is very loyalty to her peers especially to Mustang as she is his right-hand woman for eternity. Apart from that, she is very skilled and professional in her position within the military and always shows a level of kindness and heart towards others.

This woman right here is the definition of badass.

She is strong and loyal, though She may come off as cold and strict, she has a softer and more maternal siren to her that seem s to come out when's the Elric brothers are involved. I love how loyal she is and that she can be strict but still a very kind and beautiful woman.

Riza is an amazing, strong woman! She has a talent with guns: she keeps them on her all the time and never misses her target, which makes her quite a feared person in her universe haha. She is loyal, admirable, and beautiful!

We all loved him before he died; the sweet, a bit over-caring for his daughter, and surprisingly intelligent man. However, his death really put the nail in the coffin for favorite character status. Amazing and very well done character who I'll never forget.

Maes is perhaps the funniest character in the series. I was so pissed off when they had to kill him off, especially by Envy. (who in my opinion is the Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender) I really think that this character needs to at least be in the top 4.

I hate how anime does this thing where they create the best character EVER, like super nice, funny, comical but smart to boot, and then they kill him off to create the saddest part of the whole series. It worked though!

He was a great character, and was supportive to every other character in the series. He was a great friend to Mustang and selfless and despite the fact he annoyed the other characters by fangirling about his daughter it showed what a great character he was.

Her friendship with the Elric brothers and her budding relationship with Edward was one of my favorite things about Brotherhood. I loved how she was feminine, yet intelligent and badass (delivering a baby, anyone? ) at the same time. She also helped to humanize things in a show filled with alchemists and homunculi. I love her!

She's the most important character to the show she's always there to provide moral support or to fix Ed's Auto-mail deep down she really loves him.

I don't know why people hate her so much. She's cute, funny, and helps Ed and Al get back up on their feet. Show her some love, people!

Has anyone else noticed that Winry appears in every ending of the anime? Why is that? Even Edward isn't in some endings.

Dude, who can go wrong with Greed? I mean, he's AWESOME and COOL and so BADASS! I love everything about him! Especially his arrogant attitude and his GRIN! Oh, his grin! He can make you feel unsettled and in love just by smirking at you! And the fact that he joined bodies with Ling (who ties with Greed as my most favorite character) just made this duo the best there is! I thought for sure Greed would've at least ended up in the top 3 or 4 or something... And where's LING?!?! Why isn't he in this list? Guys, he deserves it!

Definitely one of the best characters in the series. While he is, like all the other homunculi, a personification of a certain flawed human trait, the interpretation of his personification of greed as both good and bad is insightful into how our own emotions are both flaws and strengths. Arakawa has talent when it comes to showing humanity in those that are questionably human, similar to earlier cinematic displays such as Ridley Scott and Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner.

Come on guys, the character development here was great! Greed, despite being a homunculus, rebelled against Father and grew to care for other people. I mean, the Bido scene where Ling and Greed have this internal battle and Ling yells at Greed because of what he's done, is just so intense and it had so much impact on me. Why isn't Greed higher up? Not to mention, him and Ling make such a great duo!

Greed is probably the greatest character on this show. He's twice the fun when Ling is around, but I really feel like Greed's the more interesting part. He's a homunculus, a monster in the eyes of most. And yet he comes around and finds his way, rebels against father, finds some sort of respect for humans, despite still holding pride in being a homunculus. And he goes on making the ultimate sacrfice. Few if any characters ever made me feel so emotional as he does on a regular basis. Be it when he kills Bido, when he joins forces with Ed or when he dies in the end. Those scenes with Greed are so strong, because they show great character development. Ed and Al for the most part just grow. They make mistakes and learn from it. They mature... But Greed is the one who's actually changing. And it's not just due to Ling being in his body. Even back when he still had his own body, he decided against following Father. He's a douchebag, but a good one. This guy is so awesome, and the fact that ...more

He seems like a jerk on the surface, but he actually cares about his wife and sons. He defends Al against Pride and his nasty comments, he offers himself as a sacrifice to get Al's body back and he shows through his actions just how much he loves Ed. He's a pretty fantastic character.

He's in my opinion the most badass, overpowered, mysterious and deep character in a series full of badass, overpowered, (sometimes mysterious) and deep characters. The episode where you got to see his pas was one of my favourite episodes in the whole series.

Such a pathetic fool inside a mean badass shell. Through endless years of suffering he finally finds his angel, only to learn her death after and left with two sons who blame him. Only thing he ever wanted was to love and be loved. Besides his death, the scene where he made Ed cry was impactful.

Van Hohenheim is the real hero of this story, The one who started it all. Also he's the only one who knew a way to stop Father's transmutation before anyone else.
He is tragic and badass but is always humble. He is just a good man who made poor choice that's all.

His characterisation of the sin he was embodying was, simply put, perfect. Even though he did kill Hughes, I found it very hard to hate him, as his character was done so well. Despite being a villain, he has great character depth and you create a sort of sympathy with him. His death, though it made me sad to see him leave, was on spot. His lines, the meanings, how he tries to get them against each other and then his frantic screaming at the end, just hit the spot. The voice actor in Japanese was really talented, and I must say it made me like the ending a lot more. I also love how all the people trying to kill him also had some emotional baggage towards him and they all wanted their own revenge for their own different reasons. His death was one of the most satisfying I have ever seen in any anime.

Envy is probably my favorite anime character of all time.
I love that he's adorable in his own weird, twisted way and I can somehow relate to his never ending jealousy.
As far as my affection for him goes, I'm never gonna support his actions though.
I get, that he wants to see humans suffer because it's hard to look at two people, sharing a strong bond with each other, knowing that you'll never be like them but why starting a whole war because of this?
He could try to build a friendship with Lust...

Envy is easily the best of the Homunculi (in the 2003 show, at least) as he manages to be more than just a stereotype. His character actually has degrees of subtlety. While Lust had to have an excessively dragged out backstory, Envy's entire character arc is summed up masterfully in four lines. He's the ultimate incarnation of his sin, and the sheer lengths he is willing to go to kill the Elric brothers makes him the most compelling antagonist in the show.

He's just so hot! I love his voice in English, Japanese, French, and German! (The German voice fits him so well! But the Spanish one is such a disappointment. No offense. ) His violet snake-like eyes are so entrancing. I totally fell in love with his androgynous style and personality. I also just have to admit that he's so darn adorable in his mini form!

Wrath (aka King Bradley) is the coolest character in the show and one of the best villains ever. The quotes he comes out with are brilliant, just listen to him talk about god to the Ishvaland. And he is so Badass. Not to mention all of his fights scenes are the best in the show, especially the one with Scar.

A somewhat empty character, there is actually a fair bit of depth to wrath, as discovered through some of his more quiet moments. He is driven in his goals, yet possesses an odd human side very unlike the other homunculi, namely his feelings towards his wife.

He can control living razor sharp shadows that can tear through just about anything except the ultimate shield. That is cool! He ATE gluttony. Nobody wants to fight pride because he is so powerful. Who else can make the darkness seem so safe?

Pride controls everyone from the shadows and is ruthless, cold-blooded and an absolutely remorseless killer. He's only a little boy which creeps me out. Father is the main villain but he's so emotionless. Should've made Selim Bradley the big bad guy.

Dudes, Ling Yao is the funniest and most badass guy on the planet (tying with Greed for me). And he can certainly rival Gluttony if Gluttony sticks to food alone. (that means no bark from trees, or whole houses and cars) He is so hilarious to watch and I'm hungry when he's hungry (don't worry Ling, I also eat everything off the room service menu) But when he's serious, he totally changes into a badass, don't--mess-with-me-or-I'll-kick-your-ass-all-the-way-across-Amestris kind of guy. He's also the best in sword dueling and is actually very smart but likes to hide it in his goofy and idiot facade. In other words, PERFECT. I'm so sad when he didn't make it to the top ten. I mean, come on people!

His comedic scenes are the hilarious and his fighting scenes are badass. His untimely hunger is funny and his combat skills are awesome. Not to mention the part where Fu dies and he has a mental breakdown because he has a philosophers stone but no one knows how to use it, that was magic. I was reduced to tears!

Lin was funny and a character that anyone would want as a friend. Loyal, courageous, determined, and so much more. This boy needs to be loved.

Sorry, just had to say that I love my sweet, hilarious, beautiful baby who does not understand much language of this country.

He started as a badass, merciless serial killer, but not without compassion and gradually evolves into a sympathetic, caring, yet brutal ally and protagonist. He was a key component in stopping Father's master plan and in helping rebuild Ishval, as well as reform Amestris. Brutal, hardcore, mysterious, and powerful character. Loved that he changed his perspective and found a common enemy in the homunculi with the other heroes. Also very wise and enlightened. Glad he survived the end. Deserves top ten status, or at least placement above Kimblee.

He is solely the character that has grown the most in the anime. Started as serial killer with solely hatred in his mind, and ended helping to save the people around him and change the country he initially hated. He had his reasons (very consistent to say) to seek revenge, but ended up understanding the others around him, to listen to them, to change his mind and to selflessy fighting to bring down the common foe. He is the kind of tough, strongminded and true guy this world misses much. I'd say he had had a fullmetal heart since the very beginning.

Started off as a killer who is somewhat justified in their actions yet is incredibly brutal and merciless. He has an Incredibly tortured backstory, arguably more than Edward and Alphonse. He then has an incredible character development when he realises the duality of his justice. A rather astonishing character, one of the best in anime in my opinion.

He is definitely one of the best villains; he is the only human Who overpowered the 2 Elric Brothers WITHOUT a philosopher's stone. Also, he has a reason to kill state alchemists; its for revenge for what they did in Ishval Civil War and is the best good Guy/villain.
Plus, father's power to remove alchemy didn't work on him.

Has all of the good qualities of Olivia Armstrong plus being the mentor of the Elric brothers. She truly and deeply cares for them in a sort of tough love kind of way and understands their trauma on a very personal level. 10/10 beautifully written character that I wish we saw more of.

She's incredibly funny and scary. Best character because she's powerful but does have a clear weakness. She's a tough but very loving and protective teacher who sees the elric brothers more as her sons then just students. Plus she throw sloth like he was a paper ball which neither of the armstrongs could do and 8 soilder tried to hold him back a they all failed. Plus she took on fort briggs soilders and won. The look on the armstrongs face when izumi tossed sloth was priceless

Izumi is a well thought out character. She acts tough and scary, but she is actually super loving. She also committed the same taboo the Elrics did (human transmutation), creating Wrath. Not the best character, but pretty damn awesome!

She's loving but at the same time can kick butt. It would be awesome if she was in the top ten.

Awesome, take-no-prisoners, badass, and tough-as-nails woman. She is so kick-ass and her harsh, devoted, and loyal demeanor coupled with her subtle compassion make her one of the best anime characters of all time! Riza is more chill and sweet, but I love Olivier's intensity.

Ever since she was introduced in the manga, I loved her character. She's a tough, badass, cold (ha, get it? ), and intelligent person. Definitely a personal favorite of mine.

She proves that a woman can rule and be badass without a man.

Such a badass character. Love her

Any moment with him is hilarious and amazing. He seems really gay yet he's tall and buff and manly, I like how he strongly takes down stereotypes!

Let me show you the popularity that has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations.

I won't quit voting for him until he makes number 1. These votes have been passed down the Armstrong line for generations.

How is he so far down? He's an epic character... I guess that status must've been passed down the Armstrong line...if you get what I mean

... Why isn't this number 1? He practically squashed everyone combined...

She was great, especially in 2003. I felt that out of all homunculus she was the most complex, three dimensional character.

Depends on if you're talking about 03 Lust or Bortherhood List. She's amazing in 03 but in Brotherhood she has no personality.

Lust should be WAY higher! She was so awesome!

Finally, a female villain that isn't wimpy!

Kimblee wasn't just the typical psychopathic character that you see in fiction. He truly believed in seeing what side the world would choose and made character observations about the Elric brothers and Pride along with morality. Seriously underrated.

Sociopaths are way cool, bro. At least, if all sociopaths are like Kimblee. Which they totally should be. Stole the show every time he showed up.

Personally, I felt like Kimblee was over hyped. Sure, he massacred Ishbal, but every time he fought after that, he got his ass kicked. He was a pretty good character though.

His style reminds me of Michael jackson, I just think his character deserved the spotlight some more, he had so potential...

Number 21?!? Are you flipping kidding me. I guess she was just a background character, I still believed that she had amazing potential but the writer kinda decided to chuck her away. But I'm not mad at the writer for not making her a main character, because if they had to make all the interesting characters main ones, than that means that the background ones would simply be boring. So he made background characters have good character as well wich was great.

So underrated, she had more than enough potential to be more than a background-type character. She's a kickass ninja with a strong will, who's also loyal and trustworthy, but with a soft spot for the people she cares about. She's also fairly funny, like when she's eating or when she glares, haha! Overall a strong character with a ton of untapped potential, and that's why I love her!

21? I know she's a supporting background character but she still was interesting, had growth and some complexity that could've been more fleshed out. Can't believe she didn't make the top 20.

Lan Fan is such a badass and loyal character. She severed her own arm to allow Ling to escape.

She crossed the dessert and she is only twelve, she is so independent, strong and brave alchemist. Also she takes care of everyone who needs help, even when she did not know the person.

She is the best. While aiming to save her own people, fought to end to save a foreign country with humility and kindness. My favourite!

Definitely doesn't deserve to be this low. So cute and funny! Well-done interesting character.

I can't believe she's this low! She's one of the best characters in the series.

Oh man do I love this guy! Jean is my favorite of Mustang's team! He is such a well-rounded character with some pretty heartbreaking moments. I just wish we could have seen his struggle with get his legs healed. That would've been so good to flesh him out even more!

The 2nd Lieutenant should be up this list! He is the big breasts loving and always heart broken person. Don't you agree, Jacqueline?

They say it as "Jheen" but his name is French so it's pronounced "Zjahn." I really don't know how to type pronunciations but this is the best I can do for my little boy.

Who doesn't love a smoker for comic relief?

In the manga/2009 series - When he was first introduced, I hated his guts (not that he had any... Haha) for what he did to Al. But somehow, this ax-crazy serial killer eventually became really funny and actually endearing, almost, when he wasn't out killing people. I was actually really sad when he died...

This sounds awkward but I love this character who loves murder (it's so weird because I usually don't like characters who kill that much)!

He made me laugh so much! His death was the saddest in my opinion.

I wish I could chop up people with Barry.