TV-Series
Description
The character known as Ira, or Wrath, exists as two fundamentally different characters within the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, with one version appearing in the 2003 anime series and the other in the original manga and the 2009 anime adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
In the 2003 anime series, Wrath is a young boy who was created when Izumi Curtis attempted a human transmutation to revive her stillborn child. The failed transmutation produced a deformed being that she abandoned to the Gate of Truth, where it grew and eventually took on a human form. This Wrath later claimed Edward Elric's left leg and right arm as they passed through the Gate, attaching these limbs to his own body. These stolen body parts grant him a unique ability among homunculi: the power to perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, a skill he possesses because the limbs originally belonged to a living alchemist.
Wrath eventually escapes from the Gate and reappears on the island near Dublith, the same location where Izumi had originally performed the forbidden transmutation. Although Izumi takes him into her home, the boy flees when Edward recognizes his own limbs attached to Wrath's body. Wrath is a deeply conflicted character driven by a desperate need for maternal love and acceptance. Having been rejected by his creator, he suffers from intense feelings of abandonment, which manifest as rage toward Izumi while simultaneously fueling his search for a replacement mother figure. This emotional void leads him to form a bond with Sloth, another homunculus created from the remains of the Elric brothers mother, and he begins referring to Sloth as his mother. His personality is childlike and impressionable, making him vulnerable to manipulation by the other homunculi, particularly Envy, who feeds him red stones and influences his actions.
Throughout the 2003 series, Wrath demonstrates several notable abilities common to homunculi, including longevity, enhanced speed and strength, and rapid regeneration. His unique power allows him to merge and fuse his body with practically any material, whether organic or inorganic, and he can manipulate these altered body parts at will. However, he also possesses a distinctive weakness: because there were no original human remains left from his failed transmutation, the typical method of killing homunculi using their original body parts does not work on him. Instead, the crying of a young child has the effect of driving him into a frenzy, rendering him vulnerable. Wrath's role in the story grows increasingly significant as he aligns himself with the other homunculi working for Dante. He becomes a recurring antagonist to the Elric brothers, driven partly by his desire to claim Edward's remaining body parts to become more complete. His development culminates in the film Conqueror of Shamballa, where he finally reconciles with Izumi Curtis, accepting her as his mother and reuniting with her spirit after sacrificing himself to help Alphonse Elric open the Gate of Truth.
In stark contrast, the Wrath of the manga and Brotherhood is the secret identity of King Bradley, the Führer President of Amestris. This version is a human-based homunculus, created as part of a secret military program that raised hundreds of orphaned boys to be potential rulers. When these candidates reached the appropriate age, they were injected with a Philosophers Stone containing the sin of Wrath. Most candidates died as their bodies rejected the stone, but candidate number twelve survived, his own soul fighting against and consuming the other souls within the stone until only a single soul remained. This process made him a homunculus with the unique ability to age like a normal human, allowing him to assimilate into human society without suspicion and rise through the military ranks to become Führer.
King Bradley appears initially as a cheerful, easygoing, and even humorous man who frequently escapes his responsibilities, gives melons as gifts, and jokes with his subordinates. He displays a strange sense of humor and shows greater tolerance toward humans than his fellow homunculi, likely due to having lived among them for many decades. However, this affable exterior conceals a cold, cruel, and merciless warrior who serves Father absolutely and has initiated brutal conflicts with neighboring countries to create blood crests for Fathers plan, including the Ishval Civil War, where he mobilized state alchemists to massacre an entire population. Despite his name, Bradley rarely displays overt rage, instead embodying a controlled, calculating anger that makes him even more dangerous. He openly scorns the concept of God and divine punishment, viewing religion merely as a construct to control people. At the same time, he shows a secret appreciation for the complications that the Elric brothers and their allies introduce into Fathers meticulously planned scheme, having lived his entire life following a predetermined path.
Bradley is an exceptionally formidable combatant, considered one of the most powerful characters in the series. Unlike other homunculi whose abilities derive from their Philosophers Stones, Bradleys enhanced strength, speed, and agility are his own natural abilities, as his stone contains only his own soul. This also means he does not possess the same regenerative immortality as his monstrous brethren, making him vulnerable to fatal injuries. His most distinctive weapon is the Ultimate Eye, concealed beneath his eyepatch. This eye grants him tremendously accurate vision and the ability to read and predict virtually any move an opponent could make, allowing him to foresee the outcome of any situation. However, his aging body can no longer always keep up with what his eye predicts, a limitation he acknowledges with frustration. Bradley is a master swordsman who can wield multiple blades simultaneously with deadly proficiency, including wielding a sword with his mouth when his hands are disabled. He has demonstrated the ability to destroy a tank using only his sword and a grenade, and he can defeat multiple opponents simultaneously without sustaining injury.
Throughout the story, Bradley serves as Fathers primary enforcer and the public face of Amestrian military power. He maintains control over the country while secretly facilitating Fathers plan to sacrifice every citizen of Amestris to become a Philosophers Stone. He personally captures Greed, scatters Colonel Mustangs team across the country, and takes Riza Hawkeye as his secretary to use as a hostage. He also blackmails the Elric brothers by threatening to harm their friend Winry Rockbell. Bradleys role becomes increasingly central during the final arc, where he survives an assassination attempt on his train and single-handedly fights his way through Briggs soldiers who have seized Central. His final battle against a coalition of opponents including Greed, Fu, Buccaneer, and ultimately Scar demonstrates his incredible combat prowess even as his body succumbs to its accumulated injuries. In his final moments, he expresses something approaching contentment, stating that he has finally arrived and that his life, though predetermined, was at least worth living and perhaps even worth dying for. His last words acknowledge that thanks to the unpredictability of humanity, his existence had meaning, before he dies from his wounds.
In the 2003 anime series, Wrath is a young boy who was created when Izumi Curtis attempted a human transmutation to revive her stillborn child. The failed transmutation produced a deformed being that she abandoned to the Gate of Truth, where it grew and eventually took on a human form. This Wrath later claimed Edward Elric's left leg and right arm as they passed through the Gate, attaching these limbs to his own body. These stolen body parts grant him a unique ability among homunculi: the power to perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, a skill he possesses because the limbs originally belonged to a living alchemist.
Wrath eventually escapes from the Gate and reappears on the island near Dublith, the same location where Izumi had originally performed the forbidden transmutation. Although Izumi takes him into her home, the boy flees when Edward recognizes his own limbs attached to Wrath's body. Wrath is a deeply conflicted character driven by a desperate need for maternal love and acceptance. Having been rejected by his creator, he suffers from intense feelings of abandonment, which manifest as rage toward Izumi while simultaneously fueling his search for a replacement mother figure. This emotional void leads him to form a bond with Sloth, another homunculus created from the remains of the Elric brothers mother, and he begins referring to Sloth as his mother. His personality is childlike and impressionable, making him vulnerable to manipulation by the other homunculi, particularly Envy, who feeds him red stones and influences his actions.
Throughout the 2003 series, Wrath demonstrates several notable abilities common to homunculi, including longevity, enhanced speed and strength, and rapid regeneration. His unique power allows him to merge and fuse his body with practically any material, whether organic or inorganic, and he can manipulate these altered body parts at will. However, he also possesses a distinctive weakness: because there were no original human remains left from his failed transmutation, the typical method of killing homunculi using their original body parts does not work on him. Instead, the crying of a young child has the effect of driving him into a frenzy, rendering him vulnerable. Wrath's role in the story grows increasingly significant as he aligns himself with the other homunculi working for Dante. He becomes a recurring antagonist to the Elric brothers, driven partly by his desire to claim Edward's remaining body parts to become more complete. His development culminates in the film Conqueror of Shamballa, where he finally reconciles with Izumi Curtis, accepting her as his mother and reuniting with her spirit after sacrificing himself to help Alphonse Elric open the Gate of Truth.
In stark contrast, the Wrath of the manga and Brotherhood is the secret identity of King Bradley, the Führer President of Amestris. This version is a human-based homunculus, created as part of a secret military program that raised hundreds of orphaned boys to be potential rulers. When these candidates reached the appropriate age, they were injected with a Philosophers Stone containing the sin of Wrath. Most candidates died as their bodies rejected the stone, but candidate number twelve survived, his own soul fighting against and consuming the other souls within the stone until only a single soul remained. This process made him a homunculus with the unique ability to age like a normal human, allowing him to assimilate into human society without suspicion and rise through the military ranks to become Führer.
King Bradley appears initially as a cheerful, easygoing, and even humorous man who frequently escapes his responsibilities, gives melons as gifts, and jokes with his subordinates. He displays a strange sense of humor and shows greater tolerance toward humans than his fellow homunculi, likely due to having lived among them for many decades. However, this affable exterior conceals a cold, cruel, and merciless warrior who serves Father absolutely and has initiated brutal conflicts with neighboring countries to create blood crests for Fathers plan, including the Ishval Civil War, where he mobilized state alchemists to massacre an entire population. Despite his name, Bradley rarely displays overt rage, instead embodying a controlled, calculating anger that makes him even more dangerous. He openly scorns the concept of God and divine punishment, viewing religion merely as a construct to control people. At the same time, he shows a secret appreciation for the complications that the Elric brothers and their allies introduce into Fathers meticulously planned scheme, having lived his entire life following a predetermined path.
Bradley is an exceptionally formidable combatant, considered one of the most powerful characters in the series. Unlike other homunculi whose abilities derive from their Philosophers Stones, Bradleys enhanced strength, speed, and agility are his own natural abilities, as his stone contains only his own soul. This also means he does not possess the same regenerative immortality as his monstrous brethren, making him vulnerable to fatal injuries. His most distinctive weapon is the Ultimate Eye, concealed beneath his eyepatch. This eye grants him tremendously accurate vision and the ability to read and predict virtually any move an opponent could make, allowing him to foresee the outcome of any situation. However, his aging body can no longer always keep up with what his eye predicts, a limitation he acknowledges with frustration. Bradley is a master swordsman who can wield multiple blades simultaneously with deadly proficiency, including wielding a sword with his mouth when his hands are disabled. He has demonstrated the ability to destroy a tank using only his sword and a grenade, and he can defeat multiple opponents simultaneously without sustaining injury.
Throughout the story, Bradley serves as Fathers primary enforcer and the public face of Amestrian military power. He maintains control over the country while secretly facilitating Fathers plan to sacrifice every citizen of Amestris to become a Philosophers Stone. He personally captures Greed, scatters Colonel Mustangs team across the country, and takes Riza Hawkeye as his secretary to use as a hostage. He also blackmails the Elric brothers by threatening to harm their friend Winry Rockbell. Bradleys role becomes increasingly central during the final arc, where he survives an assassination attempt on his train and single-handedly fights his way through Briggs soldiers who have seized Central. His final battle against a coalition of opponents including Greed, Fu, Buccaneer, and ultimately Scar demonstrates his incredible combat prowess even as his body succumbs to its accumulated injuries. In his final moments, he expresses something approaching contentment, stating that he has finally arrived and that his life, though predetermined, was at least worth living and perhaps even worth dying for. His last words acknowledge that thanks to the unpredictability of humanity, his existence had meaning, before he dies from his wounds.