Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a renowned steampunk fantasy anime series starring the shonen hero Edward Elric, the youngest state alchemist in the history of Amestris. There’s a lot to love about this shonen hero, from his sharp scientific mind to his cool outfit and his affection for the lovely Winry Rockbell.
Still, there’s no denying that Edward Elric has his downsides, and the worst things about him help balance out the best aspects of this shonen character. Ed’s worst traits don’t ruin his character, though they still need to be taken into account when deciding if Edward Elric really is the best shonen hero or not. He is a complex character.
10 Edward and his brother attempted human transmutation
No one can blame Edward for missing his loving mother Trisha after she died of illness, but fans can blame Edward and his brother Alphonse for what they did next. They arrogantly delved into the world of human transmutation and conspired to resurrect Trisha.
This showed how reckless and foolish Ed and his brother were, and they should have realized that there is a good reason such research is prohibited. They also had to hide it from their teacher Izumi Curtis, a warning sign they ignored.
9 Edward burned down his father’s house.
Edward and his brother not only attempted the taboo of human transmutation, they also went to great lengths to bury this part of their past forever. About a year after they failed to transmute their mother, the brothers burned down their childhood home, leaving behind only rubble.
Edward thought this symbolized him and his brother erasing the past to look to the future. However, they were wrong and destroyed a perfect house for no good reason. When the immortal Van Hohenheim returned, he was dismayed to discover that his house had disappeared.
8 Edward couldn’t admit that he was running from his past.
to the half Fullmetal Alchemist: BrotherhoodEdward finally came face to face with his estranged father Hohenheim in the Resembool cemetery. It was an awkward encounter for both of them. On the one hand, Hohenheim suspected that Ed had burned down the Elric family home to hide his shame from him.
Although Edward denied it, a part of him knew his father was right, but he didn’t have the courage to admit it. This is a traumatic subject for Ed, but he would be doing himself a favor by being more honest about these things. He will not heal his heart by sweeping everything under the rug.
7 Edward is insecure about his height
Edward hates being so short and is among the shortest shonen heroes in recent times. His growth is likely stunted because his life force is shared between his and Alphonse’s bodies, a theory Edward didn’t think of until later.
Edward is quick to lash out and throw a tantrum if anyone comments on his height, including May and the homunculus Envy. People shouldn’t pick on Ed like that, but instead, Ed should learn to keep his cool. There is much more to him than his height, and he grew taller over the course of Fraternity in any case.
6 Edward tends to hold a grudge
Edward Elric is the type to hold a grudge and pick small fights with people, though it rarely does him any good and often makes a fool of himself in the process. Edward never fully forgave Paninya for stealing her silver pocket watch, even after she redeemed herself from it.
Edward also has a lingering grudge against the vengeful Scar. Even when they were on the same side, Ed wasn’t very nice to him, despite having much bigger problems to worry about. Ed also complains about Olivier Armstrong who, to be fair, provoked him more than once.
5 Edward continues to abuse his Automail limbs
Edward Elric is called the fullmetal alchemist because he has two automail limbs, his right arm and his left leg. These metal limbs are often useful, such as when Ed uses his right arm to block a blade attack or reshapes his arm to form his own sword. However, he can get carried away.
Ed has a bad habit of pushing his automail limbs too far and breaking them, and has a rather nonchalant attitude about it. More than once, his Winry’s mechanic was horrified to see Ed’s broken automail. Ed wasn’t taking things seriously enough for Winry’s liking.
4 Ed’s merciful streak almost cost him his life more than once.
It’s a good thing that Edward refuses to take lives in combat and he has good reason to operate this way. However, Edward’s merciful ways have frequently backfired on him and he nearly lost his life more than once. For example, when he surrendered to Scar in exchange for Scar letting Alphonse go.
Later, Ed dueled with the deadly Solf J. Kimblee and tried to win without bloodshed. This strategy cost him dearly when Kimblee produced a second Philosopher’s Stone and used it to blast Ed into oblivion, nearly killing him. Kimblee was right to admonish Ed for being so naive about combat.
3 Ed tends to get into shouting matches
Edward Elric has a short temper and a lot of pride, which means he tends to react badly when someone teases or makes fun of him. Time and time again, the enemy will try to get under Ed’s skin and, to Alphonse’s dismay, it will always work.
It doesn’t look good when Ed loses his cool and starts yelling at people, and even had a brief screaming match with May when he found him in Father’s lair. They made fun of each other for being short and tiny, but Ed should have known better.
two Edward has little stamina in battle
Edward is a good martial artist and a skilled alchemist. Against many foes, these abilities are all he needs to secure a victory. However, he also has low stamina and stamina. If the fight drags on, Ed will be at a serious disadvantage. He is not the type to slowly crush a tough enemy.
Edward figured out the key to hurting Greed during their first fight, but by this time, Ed had already exhausted himself and was in no condition to finish the fight. He, too, grew weary while fighting the endless one-eyed soldiers in Central City, and desperately needed Colonel Roy Mustang to rescue him.
1 Edward can’t admit his romantic feelings for Winry
On the one hand, it’s not terrible that characters like Edward Elric are tsunderes, they are. However, Ed has a lot of trouble admitting his increasingly obvious affection for Winry, which gets a bit old. To an extent, the same goes for Winry as well.
Edward should have the guts to tell Winry exactly how he feels, and he can do better than using alchemical terms to propose to her later. A simple “I love you” is overdue.
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