Born in 1885, he is 29 years old at the start of the story, turning 30 during its course. He stands 173 cm tall. A handsome man characterized by short black hair and sharp dark eyes. However, because he has a somewhat youthful face, he is often mistaken for being younger than his actual age (a fact he is shown to be self-conscious about in the bonus comics). He is a notorious womanizer, behaving sociably while wooing women and frequently showing a negligent attitude toward his duties, such as spending long hours on military phone lines talking to hostesses. While he has a playful side that teases Ed on a whim, he also tends to bicker with Ed on the same maturity level. However, this persona is merely a facade maintained for the public. Inwardly, he possesses a powerful will and conviction to change the current state of the nation. He is an ambitious man aiming to ascend to the position of Führer of Amestris (the de facto head of state) to seize full control of the military. To that end, he is a cunning tactician who skillfully deceives those around him by posing as a philandering playboy while meticulously advancing his own hidden agenda.