Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the most popular and respected shonen anime series. This story features a colorful cast of compelling characters, a riveting steampunk fantasy setting, deep and engrossing philosophical themes, an intriguing alchemy-based combat system, and a stellar soundtrack.
But while there’s so much to love full metal alchemist, this story and its characters also have their dark sides, and that includes Colonel Roy Mustang, the famous flame alchemist who can roast his enemies alive with a literal snap of his fingers. He’s a cool and popular character, but you can’t deny the worst aspects of him either.
10 Roy killed many people in Ishval
The horrific Ishval Civil War is one of the most defining moments in the history of Amestris, as well as one of the bloodiest. After a moment, the Amestris army decided to send in dozens of state alchemists to finally turn the tide of the stubborn civil war, including Roy Mustang.
Roy was simply following orders, but that doesn’t change the fact that he used his flame alchemy to roast hundreds of Ishvalanese alive in the name of duty. He has the blood of countless people on his hands, as do other alchemists like Solf J. Kimblee and Comanche.
9 Roy didn’t feel too bad about killing innocent Ishvalans.
Not only did Roy kill the Ishvalans with his flame alchemy, but he also didn’t seem too bothered by what he was doing. He may not have had Kimblee’s bloodlust during the war, but then again, he should have been much more disturbed by what he was doing.
By comparison, fellow alchemist Alex Louis Armstrong collapsed during battle and apparently refused to take any more innocent lives. Roy coolly did his duty and little else. The same goes for Maes Hughes, who is definitely warmer and more caring than his friend Roy.
8 Roy continued to mock Maes’s love for the family
In contrast to his experiences on Ishval, most of Roy’s other worst aspects are fairly minor, but still count, and many others full metal alchemist the characters have problems with them. For example, although Roy is good friends with Maes, Roy totally lacks Maes’s enthusiasm for his family, in particular, his wife Gracia and his daughter Elicia.
More than once, Maes spoke fondly about his wonderful wife and daughter, only for Roy to get angry and shut him up. It’s true that Maes was misusing the military’s phones during these scenes, but Roy could have been a little nicer about it.
7 Roy can’t use his alchemy in the rain
In most works of fiction, fire magic users are vulnerable to water and cold; Colonel Roy Mustang is no exception. His flame alchemy works well in dry and hot environments, but when it rains, his alchemy doesn’t work at all, and his fellow officers know it.
Roy tried to help when Scar attacked Ed and Al at first. full metal alchemist, but it was not good. His wet gloves couldn’t produce any spark to ignite his alchemy and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye simply pushed him aside so she couldn’t get in his way during the battle.
6 Roy needs his gloves to perform alchemy.
For all its strengths, Roy Mustang’s flame alchemy also has quite a few weaknesses, and rainy weather is just the beginning. Roy also relies heavily on his custom white gloves to perform alchemy on him; if his gloves get damaged or lost, he has almost no options.
Roy’s gloves carry his transmutation circles and if the circles are damaged, alchemy is not possible. Also, Roy’s gloves spark when he snaps his fingers, which is essential for igniting oxygen in the air to perform alchemy. Snapping his bare fingers won’t do any good.
5 Roy is bad at comforting people
Roy Mustang isn’t exactly known for his bedside manner or comforting personality, which is a shame as many of his fellow soldiers and friends are in a lot of pain and need a friend to hold them. When his friend Jean Havoc was seriously injured at the hands of Lust, for example, Roy didn’t have many kind words to spare.
Jean was paralyzed from the waist down and had to retire from the army sooner than he’d like. Roy tried to comfort Jean, but his words fell short and Jean had to find the positive side of this situation on his own.
4 Roy tries too hard
Roy Mustang is certainly a hard worker, but sometimes he tries too hard and needs friends like Riza Hawkeye or even Edward Elric to call him. Roy is an ambitious guy aiming for the top and he won’t get there by taking things slow or being complacent. Still, he has the limits of him.
Later in the full metal alchemist anime, Roy looked like a mess, an unshaven, teary-eyed workaholic who was hanging by a thread. The stress was getting to him and he was on the verge of exhaustion.
3 Roy has a bad temper
Roy’s short temper is definitely a negative character trait that Roy shares with Edward Elric. Roy can keep his cool like a dignified officer in most situations, but in many other cases, he lets his temper get the better of him and will get frustrated or angry over the smallest things.
Roy had a brief tantrum when Riza forced him to retreat during a street battle in the rain and Roy also totally lost his cool when he saw the homunculus Envy, who admitted to being Maes’ killer. Roy had a right to be angry, but he nearly lost himself in the process, which worried Riza, Edward, and even Scar.
two Roy has his hateful side
Roy’s white-hot anger took over during his battle against Envy on the Promised Day. After Roy roasted Envy halfway, he towered over the weakened homunculus and prepared to launch one last attack to destroy his hated foe.
Envy needed to be destroyed, but not like this. Riza and the others saw the hatred in Roy’s eyes and explained that such hatred would never make Roy an effective leader of Amestris. If it wasn’t for his friends, Roy would have been lost forever and it would have cost him his ambitions as well.
1 Roy can be quite stubborn
At times, Roy Mustang’s persistent and stubborn nature can be an advantage, such as when he stubbornly refused to give up or die when fighting Lust. In other cases, however, Roy’s stubborn side can be a real pain, nearly costing him the battle more than once.
Roy stubbornly tried to fight Scar in the rain, prompting Riza to complain about him, and Roy eventually backed down. Later, Roy tried to help fight Gluttony and Envy, but he got in the way and kept insisting until Ed, Al, and Riza finally convinced him to retreat from the battlefield.
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