Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Characters & Cast

Edward's primary motivation is to restore his brother Alphonse's body. This goal remains constant, but its context evolves. Initially, it's a personal quest for redemption. Over time, it becomes intertwined with a desire to protect his loved ones and save his country from the Homunculi's plot. He learns that his personal goal cannot be achieved without fighting for a better world for everyone.

Edward begins as a prideful and hot-headed prodigy, driven by guilt and a single-minded determination to fix his mistake. Initially, his motivation is selfish, focused only on restoring his and Al's bodies. As he confronts the horrors of the world—government corruption, the truth of the Philosopher's Stone, and the Ishvalan War—his perspective broadens. He evolves from an arrogant boy who believes alchemy can solve everything into a mature young man who understands that true strength comes from relying on others and accepting his own limitations. His final act of sacrificing his own alchemy, the core of his identity, for his brother's sake represents the culmination of his growth from pride to humility.

Like Edward, Alphonse's main goal is to regain his original body. However, he is also deeply motivated by a desire to help others and prevent them from suffering. His inherent kindness often leads him to protect people, even strangers, at his own risk. He wants to feel human again not just for himself, but so he can properly connect with the people he cares about.

Alphonse starts as the more passive and dependent of the two brothers, his existence as a soul bound to armor defining his experience of the world. His arc is a journey of asserting his own identity and independence. He battles with the fear that he isn't real and learns to find strength in his unique situation, often acting as the moral compass and calming influence for the hot-headed Edward. He grows from a boy following his brother's lead into a courageous individual who makes his own sacrifices, culminating in his willingness to give up his own soul to help Edward in the final battle. His restoration to a human body signifies not just a physical return, but the completion of his journey to selfhood.

Mustang's core motivation is to ascend to the top of the military hierarchy to change the nation for the better, ensuring that tragedies like the Ishvalan war never happen again. This long-term goal is fueled by a more immediate and personal desire to protect his subordinates, whom he views as his family, and to avenge the death of Maes Hughes.

Roy Mustang is introduced as an arrogant and ambitious careerist, known as the "Flame Alchemist." His outward demeanor masks a deep self-loathing stemming from his role as a "human weapon" in the Ishvalan War of Extermination. His arc is about channeling his guilt and rage into a structured ambition: to become the leader of Amestris and reform the corrupt system from within. He is repeatedly tested, particularly by the murder of his best friend Maes Hughes, which nearly sends him down a path of pure revenge. He ultimately learns to temper his ambition with reliance on his trusted comrades, recognizing that a true leader protects their people rather than using them as pawns.