TV-Series
Description
The identity of the homunculus known as Wrath is fundamentally different between the two Fullmetal Alchemist anime adaptations, and the character referred to as the first voice originates from the 2003 series. In this version, Wrath is a young boy who was created unintentionally by the alchemist Izumi Curtis. After suffering the loss of her newborn child, Izumi performed a human transmutation in an attempt to bring him back. As is the consequence for such a taboo, her transmutation failed, and the being that resulted was a homunculus. Ashamed and horrified, Izumi abandoned this creature, who was then taken into the realm beyond the Gate of Truth. There, the child-like homunculus grew and aged in a dark, featureless void.
Wrath’s escape from this prison came through the same failed transmutation performed by Edward and Alphonse Elric to revive their mother. As Edward paid the toll for his transgression, losing his left leg, Wrath claimed the limb for himself. When Edward later sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor, Wrath took that as well. With these human limbs, which bore the scars of alchemical transmutation, Wrath gained the ability to perform alchemy without a circle and eventually forced the Gate open to emerge into the real world on Yock Island, the very place where he had been created.
Physically, this Wrath appears as a boy around the age of fourteen, with long, dark hair and the purple eyes typical of a homunculus who has consumed red stones. He wears a black shirt and shorts. His stolen right arm and left leg are visually distinct, bearing the scars of their original owner. In terms of personality, Wrath is one of the most tragic figures of the 2003 anime. He begins as a shy and timid child but grows into a spiteful and hate-filled being. He openly loathes Izumi for abandoning him to an eternity of darkness, directly rejecting her as a mother. Instead, he develops a powerful and desperate attachment to Sloth, another homunculus created by the Elric brothers. He comes to see Sloth as his true mother and is fiercely protective of her, showing a capacity for vengeance against anyone who threatens her. The sound of a crying infant has a uniquely destabilizing effect on him, serving as a reminder of his own failed origins and acting as a weakness that can be exploited.
Wrath’s primary motivation is his search for a maternal figure and a desperate longing to be human. He believes that by possessing Edward Elric’s limbs, he has a legitimate claim to Edward’s body and a path to becoming complete. This drives him to antagonize the Elric brothers repeatedly, not out of simple malice, but out of a misguided belief that he can take Edward’s place or fuse himself with his human counterpart. He is manipulated by the homunculi and their creator, Dante, who use his desire for a mother and his hatred for Izumi to control him.
Within the story, Wrath serves as a dark mirror to the Elric brothers, representing the consequence of human transmutation given form. His role is initially that of a feral, antagonistic force, but he evolves into a more complex figure used by the homunculi. A key moment in his development occurs when he inadvertently causes Sloth’s death by fusing with a remnant of the Elric brothers’ mother. Devastated by his loss, he makes several desperate attempts to revive Sloth, only to have his stolen limbs taken from him by Dante as punishment. Stripped of his alchemical power, he is left crippled, but eventually receives automail replacements from Winry Rockbell. In the film Conqueror of Shamballa, Wrath experiences a final redemption. He reconciles with Izumi’s memory, acknowledges her as his mother, and ultimately makes a conscious sacrifice, allowing himself and the monstrous Gluttony to be transmuted together, opening the Gate so he can be reunited with Izumi’s spirit.
Wrath possesses several notable abilities. As a homunculus, he has enhanced strength, speed, and remarkable recuperative powers, allowing him to survive injuries that would kill a normal person. His unique homunculus ability is the power to merge and fuse his body with any matter, whether organic or inorganic, allowing him to merge with walls, the ground, or even other people. Because his body was the result of a human transmutation and no original human remains exist for him to be weak against, the traditional homunculus vulnerability is replaced by his reaction to infant cries. During the time he possesses Edward Elric’s right arm and left leg, he can perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, a skill he uses offensively by transmuting his own body or other objects into weapons like steel blades.
Wrath’s escape from this prison came through the same failed transmutation performed by Edward and Alphonse Elric to revive their mother. As Edward paid the toll for his transgression, losing his left leg, Wrath claimed the limb for himself. When Edward later sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor, Wrath took that as well. With these human limbs, which bore the scars of alchemical transmutation, Wrath gained the ability to perform alchemy without a circle and eventually forced the Gate open to emerge into the real world on Yock Island, the very place where he had been created.
Physically, this Wrath appears as a boy around the age of fourteen, with long, dark hair and the purple eyes typical of a homunculus who has consumed red stones. He wears a black shirt and shorts. His stolen right arm and left leg are visually distinct, bearing the scars of their original owner. In terms of personality, Wrath is one of the most tragic figures of the 2003 anime. He begins as a shy and timid child but grows into a spiteful and hate-filled being. He openly loathes Izumi for abandoning him to an eternity of darkness, directly rejecting her as a mother. Instead, he develops a powerful and desperate attachment to Sloth, another homunculus created by the Elric brothers. He comes to see Sloth as his true mother and is fiercely protective of her, showing a capacity for vengeance against anyone who threatens her. The sound of a crying infant has a uniquely destabilizing effect on him, serving as a reminder of his own failed origins and acting as a weakness that can be exploited.
Wrath’s primary motivation is his search for a maternal figure and a desperate longing to be human. He believes that by possessing Edward Elric’s limbs, he has a legitimate claim to Edward’s body and a path to becoming complete. This drives him to antagonize the Elric brothers repeatedly, not out of simple malice, but out of a misguided belief that he can take Edward’s place or fuse himself with his human counterpart. He is manipulated by the homunculi and their creator, Dante, who use his desire for a mother and his hatred for Izumi to control him.
Within the story, Wrath serves as a dark mirror to the Elric brothers, representing the consequence of human transmutation given form. His role is initially that of a feral, antagonistic force, but he evolves into a more complex figure used by the homunculi. A key moment in his development occurs when he inadvertently causes Sloth’s death by fusing with a remnant of the Elric brothers’ mother. Devastated by his loss, he makes several desperate attempts to revive Sloth, only to have his stolen limbs taken from him by Dante as punishment. Stripped of his alchemical power, he is left crippled, but eventually receives automail replacements from Winry Rockbell. In the film Conqueror of Shamballa, Wrath experiences a final redemption. He reconciles with Izumi’s memory, acknowledges her as his mother, and ultimately makes a conscious sacrifice, allowing himself and the monstrous Gluttony to be transmuted together, opening the Gate so he can be reunited with Izumi’s spirit.
Wrath possesses several notable abilities. As a homunculus, he has enhanced strength, speed, and remarkable recuperative powers, allowing him to survive injuries that would kill a normal person. His unique homunculus ability is the power to merge and fuse his body with any matter, whether organic or inorganic, allowing him to merge with walls, the ground, or even other people. Because his body was the result of a human transmutation and no original human remains exist for him to be weak against, the traditional homunculus vulnerability is replaced by his reaction to infant cries. During the time he possesses Edward Elric’s right arm and left leg, he can perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, a skill he uses offensively by transmuting his own body or other objects into weapons like steel blades.