This take is wrong on many levels. Edward is definitely one of the best parts of FMA, essentially the core to what makes the story special. He’s a product of his own personal tragedy and there are much deeper parts to his personality & character if one were to give him a chance. https://twitter.com/disindo/status/1329455274130812929

Let’s get this out of the way. Edward is not the kind of guy most people will instantly like. He’s immature, stubborn, strong-willed, and often allows his pettiness & vindictive nature to get the best of him. He is denial of his height and is extremely sensitive about it.

Despite that, Edward is someone who has had to suffer greatly at such a young age, he creates this wall so that he doesn’t have to suffer anymore. He is everything I’ve described but to those he cares about he shows extreme selflessness, unflinching loyalty, and great compassion.

He wants to make sure that nobody makes the same mistake that he did, and he sort of hides all of this with a brash and almost unlikable attitude. Regardless of what he portrays, Ed cannot ignore the true suffering of others and becomes sympathetic upon sensing pain in hearts.

His advice to people is often tempered with harsh criticism, but it’s because he genuinely wishes to place them on the path forward. As one who has to struggle with a mangled body,

he urges those with healthy bodies to use their strong legs to move forward, and as one burdened by the mistakes of his past, he stresses the necessity of people taking responsibility for their own mistakes.

He has a strong belief in the concept of Equivalent Exchange, stating that humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. In order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. The experience that he had to endure strengthened this resolve.

Al is trapped in a body he can’t grow/feel/eat or sleep or even shit, in Eds view the blame for this lies solely on himself, he hates himself for causing his little brother so much pain

People don’t notice that Ed has a lot of moments where they subvert the macho shounen bravado when they have Ed do things like being introspective when he thinks about a mother who is going to have a baby and how he's excited by the fact that he’s helped out in delivering a baby.

I genuinely couldn't see any other male shounen protagonist being so comfortable showing such a soft, nurturing side. A word that describes Ed perfectly and doesn't quite describe more other protagonists is sincerity.

Like I said about him subverting the macho bravado, he's just a very sincere person, he isn't attached to a false persona of himself and I think that makes him a lot more unique.

It helps Edward to not be written as a character that needs to be manly. Ed doesn't suffer from any forced appearance, on either his character's behalf or Arakawa feeling the need to because that's what's expected of her.

He also has a lot of respect and admiration for Winry for how her job is based around helping people have better lives and she helps heal people by using what she learned in her parents' medical books. She works so hard and

carries a lot of the weight of the Elric Brother's struggles and he sees how their absence affects her. And while I think it's obvious Ed looks up to other men too, it's evident that the deepest respect he has is for ppl like Izumi, Winry, Hawkeye, & his mother as well as Olivier

It's not really a usual trope for a shounen protagonist to have reverence for so many female mentors; which is one thing I love about Ed. It makes sense for him psychologically since his dad left them as a kid and his mom was so good to him and Al.

It also is cool to see the difference in Al since he didn't feel as emotional and resentful over his dad leaving since Al is typically cool-headed, patient, and sensitive. Because of that Al is as respectful of both types of authority figures which is a nice contrast.

Ed is a disabled, educated, and feminist male lead who not only breaks the boundaries between gender expectations, but also sets great examples for loveable male characters in the future.

I have no doubt in my mind that Edward Elric and FMA as a whole turned an entire era of tropes, ideals, and character alignments on their head.

Edward Elric is an openminded young man who worked through his guilt, nihilism, and self hatred to become a kind, compassionate person who saved the world just because he wanted to protect and cherish who he loved.

Ed is a great example of the tragic backstory, but Arakawa took it to another level and, instead of isolating him and and making him edgy, angsty, and completely alone, she improved the story tenfold by matching him with a loving brother and a drive to fix what he did wrong.

That is a common goal shared by several characters in the story, and a unique aspect of their characters. It’s interesting to note that other characters in this story also have their own partner like Ed has with Al/Winry to further solidify their own goals/motivations/development

But what makes Ed so interesting is how he grows from his grand mistake. Ed doesn’t commit wrongs and justify it with his trauma, he doesn’t isolate himself to sulk away, and he doesn’t stay cynical and nihilistic for the duration of the story.

Ed sees that his brother is hurting, and he gets up and starts walking. Maybe he doesn’t do it for himself, and maybe he doesn’t do it by himself but he does it, and that’s what matters. He accepts help from people around him and powers through.

He suffers through the pain of automail installation and reaches that short term goal. (”I’ll do it [recover] in one [year].”)

He sees the flaws in his original thinking quickly. He realizes that his hubris and all-encompassing desire to bring his mother back was the sun that melted his wings, and he moves the fuck on. He moves on, and he makes it his new goal to fix what he did wrong.

Ed is the epitome of determination, and while this causes him to bottle up his grief for later times, it’s impressive that battered, broken 11 year old boy we saw in episode 2 grew into the determined State Alchemist we see at the start of the series.

He’s abrasive, he’s witty, he’s got a neat character design with unique physical traits; he’s a prodigy with a tragic backstory and brains to boot. He’s funny too, between his smartass quips and the prods at his height.

But it is so much more than that, and you really start to see that as the series progresses. He’s self-sacrificial and kind, polite and wise beyond his years, and completely unbiased when it comes to existing stereotypes and expectations.

While he doesn’t always see power imbalances like he should, he still thinks that everyone should be treated equally no matter what their race or gender.

What I love about Edward is that he treats everyone equal. The series is about war against different races and also characters who are turned into chimeras, a single organism which is composed of two or more different populations of distinct cells.

Edward believes that whatever race you have, everyone is still the same. This kind of thinking comes from his little brother Alphonse who`s soul is inside an armor. Edward wants to believe that everyone is equal especially those other souls inside an armor like the

homicidal Barry the Chopper because his little brother is not normal. But even if Alphonse is normal, Edward would still treat other people equal because this personality comes naturally from their kind mother.

But he’s got flaws too. After confronting Cornello, Ed learns his first in-show lesson from Rose, although he may not know it yet. He gets the first clue that his cynical attitude and nihilistic outlooks on humanity are wrong.

Humans are not ‘cheap enough to buy with the change in a child’s pocket’ They’re human beings, and they are powerful and strong beyond idea or will. He underestimates the power of hope, and completely overlooks why the people of Liore fell for the false priest.

Ed’s cynicism is a defining point of his character, and the literal building block for his development. He develops and grows so naturally throughout the course of the series that it’s almost a shock when you see the comparison once you’re done.

Aside from his growth in appearance, Ed goes from a nihilistic teenage boy to an educated, experienced young man with a very different viewpoint. But instead of swapping his traits and morals for an entirely new personality, Ed simply grows to accommodate his new experiences.

He starts off hotheaded and impulsive to mask his personal self-hatred and guilt, and learns to forgive himself and be unafraid of kindness.

He begins his journey as a betrayed boy with no faith in higher powers, and ends it as a hopeful person with faith in himself and the people around him. He didn’t become religious or find purpose in spirituality, he found his calling in being a human being.

He remains critical of people’s behavior, but later understands it and appreciates humans for what they are: humans. He realizes the strength and love that humans have, and what they will do to protect one another.

Edward Elric is a complex and admirable character despite his faults. He is the ideal example of what makes a great and compelling protagonist and is everything that is so pure about FMA. No doubt he is the best asset that the story has to offer.

If we explore his dynamics, he has even more to him. Ling Yao and Lan Fan are two minor relationships that say a lot about Ed’s character. Ling and Ed have a strong friendship that starts off as a nuisance on Ed’s part.

Ed grows to respect Ling for his determination, and his desire to protect his country and his bodyguards. Ed is distressed when he watches Ling relinquish control of his body to Greed, and makes frequent efforts to talk to his friend despite that.

As for Lan Fan, after nearly being bested by her during a fight, Ed gains a new esteem for her, and learns to tread lightly around Ling when she is present. Lan Fan personally takes a page from Ed’s book when she gives up her arm to create a diversion, and runs a parallel to Ed.

She has the ‘same fire in her eyes’ and the same painful determination that Ed possesses. Ling and Ed are a great example of how two people with differing goals can bond and work together to achieve their goals.

I would argue that Lan Fan reminded Ed that while sacrifices must be made to protect who you cherish; you cannot succumb to death and leave them behind.

This ties back to Ed’s bond with. Alphonse, where Al is the majority of Ed’s drive to do better, be better, and make things better. Ed sees Alphonse’s condition as his own personal sin, and he feels worse about that than any limbs he might have lost.

Whenever Ed is speaking freely, he always states his purpose as ‘getting my brother’s body back’ or ‘getting Alphonse back to normal.’ 2.Even though he switches up his speech sometimes when Al is around, his goal is clear.

He wants to give his brother his body back, and he wants to apologize for leading him to his fate. Ed is not entirely to blame for the Ultimate Taboo, but he feels that way, and he wants to make it up to his brother.

Ed has been shown to go to great lengths to spare his brother from any more pain, whether it be ‘physical’ or emotional. From being conscious of his brother’s feelings to literally sacrificing himself to Scar for Alphonse’s safety, Edward certainly has Al in mind at all times.

Even so, he learns that it’s selfish to take on responsibility for everyone, even if he loves them and wants to protect them. Alphonse teaches Ed that there is always a reason to keep moving forward (parallels Ed’s own nature with Rose at the beginning),

and that he cannot ‘choose’ to die just because he doesn’t see a way out right away.

I got more to say but I’ll keep it for another time. Just hope that people can learn to appreciate one of Shounen’s finest protagonists.
Hello again btw