A boy with long golden hair tied in a braid and a small, cocky expression. Born in the Continental Year 1899. He is 15 years old at the start of the story. His right arm and left leg are steel prosthetic limbs (Automail), and his trademark is a red coat with a large "Flamel's Cross" mark over black-based clothing. Despite his youth, he is well-versed in alchemy and, at the age of 12, earned the qualification of State Alchemist, which grants significant research funding from the country. Due to his Automail, he holds the title "Fullmetal," which is the meaning behind the title "Fullmetal Alchemist." Because of his past, he can perform alchemy simply by clapping his hands without a transmutation circle, a major factor in him being considered an alchemical genius. He also excels in physical combat, primarily using a fighting style that incorporates alchemy, allowing him to overwhelm even skilled adults. Despite his small stature, he can hold his own against muscular giants by reading the flow of their strength. He is strong even unarmed, but when an opponent uses a weapon like a sword, he uses alchemy to temporarily transform part of his right arm's Automail into a blade for parrying. His basic use of alchemy in combat involves transmuting floors or walls to create weapons or barriers for offense and defense. Sometimes, he changes an opponent's weapon into a brittle substance. The author, Arakawa, describes Ed's combat style as moving freely across the entire field, including walls and ceilings; the inspiration for the story reportedly came from the idea that "it would be interesting if there were magic that could make things pop out of walls and floors." His alchemical skill is genius-level; even though it failed, he constructed a formula for Human Transmutation—an extremely advanced alchemical feat—at age 11. Furthermore, as a result of seeing inside the Gate of Truth, he became able to perform transmutations by clapping his hands without a circle. He possesses excellent analytical skills, deciphering the true nature of the Philosopher's Stone from research notes disguised as a recipe book left by Marcoh, and understanding and later applying the transmutation circles found in the Xerxes ruins. As long as the law of conservation of mass is followed, he can transmute large objects provided they don't collapse under their own weight. On the other hand, he has a fatally poor sense of design, which is a frequent running gag. Being highly intelligent, he is also self-confident. Despite being a child, he tries to solve everything himself and believes that alchemy can fix anything, even after the failure of Human Transmutation. He lives by the principle of "Equivalent Exchange," the fundamental law of alchemy, seeking to repay debts and desiring fair trades. These beliefs evolve as Ed grows throughout the story, and realizing his own ignorance eventually leads to his decision to give up alchemy. Mentally, he often displays childish behavior appropriate for his age, with Arakawa describing his personality as a "short-fused boiler." He is particularly sensitive about his short height and flies into a rage when called a pipsqueak or a bean. Even his apparent height includes platform boots; in bonus comics, his "total length" is claimed to be 165cm, including the boots and his cowlick. It is later revealed that his stunted growth was due to his body sending nutrients to Al's body on the other side of the Gate; in the epilogue after Al's body is recovered, he has grown considerably taller.