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Character
Name: Alphonse Elric
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Time Period: Post Signs of a Counteroffensive.
Wing Color: Gunmetal Grey
History: (H
Personality: Fullmetal Alchemist is, at it's core, a story of two determined young men on a quest to regain what was lost. The events that occur throughout the story are not an entirely new quest, simply further goals and adjustments that they must make in order to reach the end of their journey. Throughout the story we see elements of friendship, love, despair, and throughout it all is the thread of "what makes a human being a human being?"
At the center of that question is Alphonse Elric.
Al was once a normal human boy with a knack for alchemy. However, at the death of his mother, he and his elder brother became rather obsessed with the idea of human transmuation. They desired to bring her back to life, all so they could see her smile again. All Alphonse wanted was a mother's warmth, and his price for attempting this taboo was a body that could feel nothing at all. In his current state, Alphonse cannot eat, sleep, feel pain, warmth, or really experience any sort of sensation at all. As once might have expected, the change was difficult to cope with at first - however, this is where we get into what sort of person Alphonse Elric really is.
To start with, Alphonse does indeed carry a great sadness because of the events of that night. He spent a very long time blaming himself for the failure of the transmutation, thinking that it was because he wasn't skilled enough that it didn't succeed. Along with that, Al carries doubt about his own existence and bears his fears of never feeling the touch of another person.
It didn't take much for Barry the Chopper to shake his belief in the legitimacy of the identity he carried, and even after that fear had been completely squashed, he still continued to wonder if he was human and questioned what exactly made a human being "human". Al's existence is a tricky subject for many to approach. However, one of the reasons Al cites that he considers the people used to make a philospher's stone still people is because if he did not, then he would be denying his own existence as a person.
Though Alphonse carries these doubts, he shares only a little bit of his sadness with the world around him. This is because he doesn't want to make people uncomfortable, and also because expressing these doubts may give them more legitimacy. Though all of this is certainly a part of who Al is, it isn't the entirety of who he is.
With all of this in mind, one might expect him to be a rather melancholy person who often despairs at the lot life has given him, if not outwardly, then certainly constantly internally - when in reality, it's very much the opposite. These may be a defining trait, but it doesn't really take the forefront of his personality very often. Who Alphonse Elric is isn't carved out by the mistakes he's made, it's defined by the person he was and continues to be.
Al is most certainly a impressive young man. While Edward is loud and excitable, Alphonse is somewhat quiet and rather patient. While Edward is prone to bouts of immaturity and childishness, Al plays an almost parental role and often displays higher maturity than his elder brother.
Alphonse displays a conviction to his goals and ideals that not many adults are able to uphold (as seen when he refuses to use the philosopher's stone for selfish means) and, along with his brother, inspires change in the people he meets because of this strong will. Not many people are willing to die for a selfless reason, or use great power for purely altruistic means (as seen when he refuses to use the philosopher's stone for himself, but is willing to in order to let the people inside also fight to defend the world). This is a great strength, but also a great weakness. Alphonse and Edward chose to get their bodies back by their own hands, as they had also lost them by their own hands.
Al is also incredibly kindhearted. The boy has often picked up stray cats and stored them in his armor! The Elrics have a habit of adopting even their enemies as friends. Al is willing to protect even the deadliest of foes and find a means of defeat that will not end their life, as after Nina Tucker, he came to believe that no one deserved death as punishment... and so, when someone under his protection dies, such as the chimera Martel, Alphonse carries the guilt for not doing a better job to protect them. Though he has always lived by the idea of Equivilent Exchange, by the end of the series he has begun to research and hopes to abide by the idea of giving back more than is taken and promote a world where people help people, no matter what the cost.
Of course, though mature for his age, Al's prone to childish reactions when at his limit. Anytime Edward places himself in needless danger, such as with Scar, Al's reaction is comparible to a child. He yells, screams, and cries at his brother for being stupid with all the dignity of a hysterical boy. It takes a lot for Al to snap, but when he does his reaction is often loud and uncontrolled. Again, when confronting Edward about the validity of his existence, he shouts at him and barrels headlong into the situation without taking a moment to consider what his brother is feeling. His emotional reactions to things are very much like that of the eleven year old that he once was, and it's theorized that the disconnect between his physical self and his soul is the reason for this.
Strengths: Being practically immortal is one of the benefits of having a nonorganic body. Alphonse does not need sleep, he does not breathe, he does not feel pain and he does not get tired. Along with this, he was also trained in the martial arts by his alchemy master, Izumi Curtis, and puts this to use with his new strengths. He's physically stronger than most people and rather fast for someone of his size. He is also able to use alchemy simply by clapping his hands together. He doesn't even need to touch what he intends to manipulate. Al can also lose limbs, have his chest smashed open, his legs ripped off - and still come out of it alright, so long as his blood seal isn't touched! He just needs to be rebuilt.
Alphonse is a very skilled alchemist with a very strong grasp of the theory behind it. The fact that the Elric brothers were able to attempt a human transmutation and met the same success as any other individual who tried it is impressive in itself, let alone attempting it at ten and coming out alive. Al is also mature for his age and has weathered the tragedies in his life quite well and is most certifiably not crazy.
Rather well adjusted despite it all, Al is very in touch with his emotions and is able to reach out and touch people with his words. Though he lacks his brother's raw mental focus when it comes to alchemy, he makes up for it by being able to read people and forge friendships with the people around him. Even enemies often yield to his gentle personality and are willing to compromise themselves and switch to the Elric side. He's willing to place his trust in other people even if they might not deserve it.
Weaknesses: There's not a lot to speak of in terms of physical weaknesses, however Al's metal body is breakable. He can be smashed and broken to pieces, but the only way to actually kill him is to damage the blood seal that keeps his soul bound to the armor.
As hard as Al tries to remain brave, in the end he really is just a kid. He has many insecurities about who and what he is and often doesn't vocalize them, opting to keep them to himself in fear of making other people uncomfortable with his problems. He often inwardly blames himself when things go wrong and takes it upon himself to fix them - even at the cost of his own safety. He takes what other people say completely to heart and fights with all his strength to keep his word. We see this in his interaction with the snake chimera Martel. When offered the chance to sacrifice her for his own safety, he remains adamant about protecting her and is crushed when he's incapable of saving her.
Retaining a child-like innocence also comes with some negatives. When pushed to his limit, Al responds with a childishness people wouldn't expect from him.