Roy Mustang
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
from the Fullmetal Alchemist
anime
and manga
series authored by Hiromu Arakawa
. In the series, Mustang is a State Alchemist of Amestris' State Military as well as the superior of the series' protagonist
, Edward Elric
. Roy holds the title of the for his ability to create fire with alchemy, and he ambitiously strives to become the next leader of Amestris. Despite his ambition, as the series continues Mustang decides to overthrow the State Military after his best friend, Maes Hughes, is killed by the homunculi, who are controlling the Military. Therefore,with his most trusted comrades he resolves to defeat the Military.
Besides his appearances in the manga and the anime, Mustang has also been featured in other media from the series such as Makoto Inoue's light novel
s, the original video animation
s and the Fullmetal Alchemist video games. Since his introduction in the manga series, Roy Mustang has been well received by readers, appearing second in each popularity poll from the series. His character has also received praise in various outside media, with many of them focusing on his character and development in both manga and anime.
's superior. Outwardly arrogant and playfully manipulative, Mustang is intelligent and adaptable. At the beginning of the series, he appears as a ruthless careerist and a womanizer. However, he is eventually shown to be a rather paternal commander who greatly cares for the emotional and physical well-being of his men. This earns him the fierce loyalty of his subordinates, especially with Riza Hawkeye, as both share a closer relationship. This stems from his experience in the Ishbal Civil War where he was forced to kill using his flame alchemy, despite having learned it to help people. After the war ended, Mustang resolved to protect his subordinates. Angered with how he was used in the war, Mustang decided to become the country's next leader. A powerful alchemist in his own right, Mustang wears gloves with transmutation circles that create sparks or flames when he rubs his fingers together. By adjusting the oxygen densities in the surrounding atmosphere through alchemy, he can create flames anywhere in the surrounding area at will and manipulate them as he desires. While it is often commented that Mustang is unable to produce fire with his gloves wet, he can as long as he has some way to call up flame.
Following the death of his best friend, Lt. Colonel Maes Hughes, Mustang investigates the incident in secret despite the military closing the case after convicting Maria Ross. Trusting in Ross's innocence, Mustang fakes Ross's death and engineer her escape from Amestris. While breaking into a military laboratory, Mustang kills Lust, an immortal creature known as homunculus, who was investigating his actions and was going to kill subordinates. Recovering from his wounds, Mustang learns that the Führer
King Bradley is also a homunculus and tries to expose him to the top echelons of the military.
This move costs Mustang and deprives him of his subordinates - Bradley places Hawkeye under his command and authorizes the transfer of Mustang's remaining personnel to the far reaches of Amestris. Mustang is later contacted by General Olivier Armstrong, who is intending to join forces with various troops to attack Central City. He then meets up with his subordinates and the four attack Central's military while Bradley is gone. Mustang later confronts the homunculus Envy after learning that he was Hughes' true murderer -- fueled by rage, Roy easily defeats Envy. As Roy prepares to finish Envy, he is convinced by his allies not to kill him, not allowing his thirst for vengeance to consume him. Later, the homunculi attack Mustang, forcing him to use alchemy to become the fifth human sacrifice needed for their leader. This results in Mustang losing his eyesight as part of the sacrifice. However, after the final fight is over, a former comrade, Tim Marcoh, appears with a Philosopher's Stone and offers to use it to restore Mustang's eyesight on the condition that he promises that he will be a part of a movement to restore Ishbal. Mustang accepts and is put in charge of the East region, as Brigadier General.
, Juliet Douglas. Although Bradley intends for him to die in combat during the Northern Campaign, Mustang instead stays in Central, making his move to avenge Hughes's death. Mustang then moves on to the Führer's mansion and stages his fight. Mustang is able to defeat Bradley when his son, Selim, unwittingly brings the skull of the man from which the Führer was created and weakens Bradley. As Mustang escapes the Führer's mansion, he is confronted by a maniacal Frank Archer, who shoots him. Hawkeye arrives in time to save him and kills Archer.
In Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
, Mustang resigns from both alchemy and his rank to become an ordinary enlisted man in a remote outpost. However, when Central is under attack by armies and airships from a parallel universe, Mustang steps up and takes command, using his alchemy to defend Central. Mustang and his comrade Alex Louis Armstrong are able to find a hot-air balloon to reach the airships, where he is reunited with the Elric brothers, and helps them gain entry into the airship. At the end of the movie, Al says that Mustang and his team are now responsible for destroying the Amestris side of the Gate.
of the first anime and the film sequel. In the fourth light novel from the series written by Makoto Inoue, Fullmetal Alchemist: Under the Faraway Sky, Mustang, Hughes and Armstrong find a village populated by children while they are in holidays. In the following title Mustang also appears investigating a case involving chimeras beasts. In video games from the series, Mustang commonly appears as a supporting character to the Elric brothers' investigation of the Philosopher's Stone as well as new attacks to the State Military. He is also featured in several cards of the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game. Mustang's character is featured in the second volume from the character CDs series from Fullmetal Alchemist. The CD was published on December 15, 2004 under the name of Hagaren Song File - Roy Mustang. The tracks were composed by Kazuya Nishioka and performed by Toru Okawa, Mustang's Japanese voice actor in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
In the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, Mustang was voiced by Toru Okawa, while in the second anime Okawa was replaced by Shinichiro Miki
. In the English dub of the first anime, Mustang was voiced by Travis Willingham
. Willingham first auditioned for the part of Mustang after Justin Cook
said he would be just right for the role. He also auditioned for Armstrong, but that went to his colleague, Christopher Sabat
. Travis also stated that during production, he and Vic Mignogna
re-recorded several parts as he was not satisfied with the result.
made a poll in which they asked Japanese fans from manga and anime which characters from any series they would most like to see in spinoff series. In the survey "Men's choices" Mustang ranked sixth. In the July 2009 issue from Newtype
, Mustang ranked sixth in the survey best anime male characters. In the August 2009 issue his rank changed to #8. In another Newtype poll from March 2010, Mustang was voted as the eleventh most popular male anime character from the 2000's. He has also taken high places in the Animage
s Anime Grand Prix polls in the category of best male characters. His character has ranked second in all of the popularity polls from series developed by Monthly Shōnen Gangan, being each time surpassed by Edward Elric
. Merchandising based on Mustang's likeness has also been release including figurines, keychains and gloves for cosplaying. Shin-ichiro Miki, Mustang's Japanese voice actor in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was the winner from the fourth Seiyu Awards
in the category "Best Supporting Actor Awards" for his role as Mustang as well as Mobile Suit Gundam 00
s Lockon Stratos.
Publications of manga, anime and other media have commented on Mustang's character through both manga and anime. While reviewing the first volume from the manga, Manga Life found that Mustang's character was more mature in the manga than in the anime. On the other hand, in the review from the first anime's last episodes, Lori Lancaster from Mania Entertainment liked Edward and Mustang's relationship as although they never act friendly, most Mustang normally lies to the Elrics brothers in order to protect them, making Lancaster note that both characters have similar personalities. Sakura Eries from the same site notes that Mustang "steals the show" during the volume 10 from the manga. She praised his fighting skills shown in such volume during his fight against Lust and Gluttony. Additionally, when in the same volume Maria Ross was revealed to be alive and that she was not killed by Mustang, Eries remarked his work as leader and that she took back her negative comments regarding Mustang when she thought that Mustang really killed her. These sub-plots were also commented by IGN
's D. F. Smith as it expanded Mustang's character much more than in the first anime series where he had relatively smaller appearances. Lydia Hojnacki from PopCultureShock noted Mustang's character as one of the reasons she likes the series, noting his personality and relation with the Elric brothers. When he watched Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
, Anime News Network
writer Theron Martin mentioned that when Mustang "makes his dramatic return in a cheer-out-loud moment", he remarked the audience "went wild at that point". In IGN's review of the same film, Jeremy Mullin commented that he wanted to see Mustang's counterpart from Germany as several characters from the series had their counterparts, but then said "it does make it fun imagining what" he would be. David Smith from the same site cited his role and ambitions in the first anime series in the feature "Ten Things I Learned From Fullmetal Alchemist" which had comments on his flaws.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series authored by Hiromu Arakawa
Hiromu Arakawa
is a Japanese manga artist from Hokkaidō. Her renowned manga, Fullmetal Alchemist, became a hit both domestically and internationally, and was later adapted into two television anime series. She often portrays herself as a bespectacled cow.-Biography:...
. In the series, Mustang is a State Alchemist of Amestris' State Military as well as the superior of the series' protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Edward Elric
Edward Elric
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character and the main character of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa. Edward, titled , is the youngest State Alchemist in the history of the fictional country of Amestris...
. Roy holds the title of the for his ability to create fire with alchemy, and he ambitiously strives to become the next leader of Amestris. Despite his ambition, as the series continues Mustang decides to overthrow the State Military after his best friend, Maes Hughes, is killed by the homunculi, who are controlling the Military. Therefore,with his most trusted comrades he resolves to defeat the Military.
Besides his appearances in the manga and the anime, Mustang has also been featured in other media from the series such as Makoto Inoue's light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s, the original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
s and the Fullmetal Alchemist video games. Since his introduction in the manga series, Roy Mustang has been well received by readers, appearing second in each popularity poll from the series. His character has also received praise in various outside media, with many of them focusing on his character and development in both manga and anime.
Appearances
Roy Mustang is introduced in Fullmetal Alchemist as a State Alchemist working for Amestris' State Military and as Edward ElricEdward Elric
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character and the main character of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa. Edward, titled , is the youngest State Alchemist in the history of the fictional country of Amestris...
's superior. Outwardly arrogant and playfully manipulative, Mustang is intelligent and adaptable. At the beginning of the series, he appears as a ruthless careerist and a womanizer. However, he is eventually shown to be a rather paternal commander who greatly cares for the emotional and physical well-being of his men. This earns him the fierce loyalty of his subordinates, especially with Riza Hawkeye, as both share a closer relationship. This stems from his experience in the Ishbal Civil War where he was forced to kill using his flame alchemy, despite having learned it to help people. After the war ended, Mustang resolved to protect his subordinates. Angered with how he was used in the war, Mustang decided to become the country's next leader. A powerful alchemist in his own right, Mustang wears gloves with transmutation circles that create sparks or flames when he rubs his fingers together. By adjusting the oxygen densities in the surrounding atmosphere through alchemy, he can create flames anywhere in the surrounding area at will and manipulate them as he desires. While it is often commented that Mustang is unable to produce fire with his gloves wet, he can as long as he has some way to call up flame.
Following the death of his best friend, Lt. Colonel Maes Hughes, Mustang investigates the incident in secret despite the military closing the case after convicting Maria Ross. Trusting in Ross's innocence, Mustang fakes Ross's death and engineer her escape from Amestris. While breaking into a military laboratory, Mustang kills Lust, an immortal creature known as homunculus, who was investigating his actions and was going to kill subordinates. Recovering from his wounds, Mustang learns that the Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
King Bradley is also a homunculus and tries to expose him to the top echelons of the military.
This move costs Mustang and deprives him of his subordinates - Bradley places Hawkeye under his command and authorizes the transfer of Mustang's remaining personnel to the far reaches of Amestris. Mustang is later contacted by General Olivier Armstrong, who is intending to join forces with various troops to attack Central City. He then meets up with his subordinates and the four attack Central's military while Bradley is gone. Mustang later confronts the homunculus Envy after learning that he was Hughes' true murderer -- fueled by rage, Roy easily defeats Envy. As Roy prepares to finish Envy, he is convinced by his allies not to kill him, not allowing his thirst for vengeance to consume him. Later, the homunculi attack Mustang, forcing him to use alchemy to become the fifth human sacrifice needed for their leader. This results in Mustang losing his eyesight as part of the sacrifice. However, after the final fight is over, a former comrade, Tim Marcoh, appears with a Philosopher's Stone and offers to use it to restore Mustang's eyesight on the condition that he promises that he will be a part of a movement to restore Ishbal. Mustang accepts and is put in charge of the East region, as Brigadier General.
In the first anime
During the first anime, Mustang remains at Eastern Headquarters for the early portions of the series until he is transferred back to Central after Hughes' death. When pursuing the Elrics after the Stone's creation in Liore, Mustang learns that the Führer is a homunculus, and tries to expose him to the top brass of the military by revealing the truth about the Führer's secretarySecretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, Juliet Douglas. Although Bradley intends for him to die in combat during the Northern Campaign, Mustang instead stays in Central, making his move to avenge Hughes's death. Mustang then moves on to the Führer's mansion and stages his fight. Mustang is able to defeat Bradley when his son, Selim, unwittingly brings the skull of the man from which the Führer was created and weakens Bradley. As Mustang escapes the Führer's mansion, he is confronted by a maniacal Frank Archer, who shoots him. Hawkeye arrives in time to save him and kills Archer.
In Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
is a 2005 Japanese animated film directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Sho Aikawa, and acts as a continuation of the first Fullmetal Alchemist television series...
, Mustang resigns from both alchemy and his rank to become an ordinary enlisted man in a remote outpost. However, when Central is under attack by armies and airships from a parallel universe, Mustang steps up and takes command, using his alchemy to defend Central. Mustang and his comrade Alex Louis Armstrong are able to find a hot-air balloon to reach the airships, where he is reunited with the Elric brothers, and helps them gain entry into the airship. At the end of the movie, Al says that Mustang and his team are now responsible for destroying the Amestris side of the Gate.
In other media
Besides his appearances in the manga and the anime, Mustang also appears in most of the Fullmetal Alchemist original video animations, which are omakeOmake
means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...
of the first anime and the film sequel. In the fourth light novel from the series written by Makoto Inoue, Fullmetal Alchemist: Under the Faraway Sky, Mustang, Hughes and Armstrong find a village populated by children while they are in holidays. In the following title Mustang also appears investigating a case involving chimeras beasts. In video games from the series, Mustang commonly appears as a supporting character to the Elric brothers' investigation of the Philosopher's Stone as well as new attacks to the State Military. He is also featured in several cards of the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game. Mustang's character is featured in the second volume from the character CDs series from Fullmetal Alchemist. The CD was published on December 15, 2004 under the name of Hagaren Song File - Roy Mustang. The tracks were composed by Kazuya Nishioka and performed by Toru Okawa, Mustang's Japanese voice actor in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
Creation and conception
Before Fullmetal Alchemist started publication, Arakawa had already thought that during the series Mustang and his soldiers would fight against the antagonist Lust. She wanted that fight to be one of Mustang's most impressive scene in the series, so she decided to give him calmer situations before such a fight. Having had only one important scene before his fight against Lust made readers from the series criticize Mustang's appearances; in order to change the readers' opinions about him before the outcome, Arakawa set up the sub-plot of how Maria Ross was accused of killing Maes Hughes and Mustang would intervene there. When King Bradley was revealed to be an antagonist from the series, Arakawa wanted to mark the differences between him and Mustang as while both have subordinates, Mustang is unwilling to sacrifice them unlike Bradley. As an important part for the series, Arakawa had troubles drawing that and is unsure whether the result was good. When the first guidebook of the series was released, Arakawa was surprised by the large number of images featuring Mustang and supposed he was a character "that's easy to mess with." Regarding Mustang's popularity within fans, Arakawa stated that while some consider him good-looking, it is still above average and that he was not too tall. While checking sketches she made before the series, Arakawa comments that most featuring Mustang are comical with few of them showing him with a serious expression. After ending the series, Arakawa was asked by several fans if Mustang and Riza Hawkeye ever got married. Because of the Military regulations, she comments that they could not marry as it would result Hawkeye not to continue serving Mustang.In the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, Mustang was voiced by Toru Okawa, while in the second anime Okawa was replaced by Shinichiro Miki
Shinichiro Miki
is a Japanese voice actor. He is a member of 81 Produce.Miki is most known for the roles of Kojiro , Takumi Fujiwara , Kisuke Urahara , Akira Yuki , Lockon Stratos , and Roy Mustang .According to the Anime News Network, as of Spring 2007, Miki is...
. In the English dub of the first anime, Mustang was voiced by Travis Willingham
Travis Willingham
Travis Hampton Willingham is an American actor and voice actor who works with anime films, television series, as well as video games....
. Willingham first auditioned for the part of Mustang after Justin Cook
Justin Cook
Justin Ryan Cook is an American Producer, Voice Actor, Line Producer, ADR Director, and Engineer who works for Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000...
said he would be just right for the role. He also auditioned for Armstrong, but that went to his colleague, Christopher Sabat
Christopher Sabat
Christopher Robin Sabat is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Line Producer. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series, as well as video games...
. Travis also stated that during production, he and Vic Mignogna
Vic Mignogna
Victor Joseph "Vic" Mignogna is an American Anime Award winning voice actor and musician who has done voice work for many anime series, movies, and video games...
re-recorded several parts as he was not satisfied with the result.
Reception
During January from 2007, OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
made a poll in which they asked Japanese fans from manga and anime which characters from any series they would most like to see in spinoff series. In the survey "Men's choices" Mustang ranked sixth. In the July 2009 issue from Newtype
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
, Mustang ranked sixth in the survey best anime male characters. In the August 2009 issue his rank changed to #8. In another Newtype poll from March 2010, Mustang was voted as the eleventh most popular male anime character from the 2000's. He has also taken high places in the Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
s Anime Grand Prix polls in the category of best male characters. His character has ranked second in all of the popularity polls from series developed by Monthly Shōnen Gangan, being each time surpassed by Edward Elric
Edward Elric
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character and the main character of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa. Edward, titled , is the youngest State Alchemist in the history of the fictional country of Amestris...
. Merchandising based on Mustang's likeness has also been release including figurines, keychains and gloves for cosplaying. Shin-ichiro Miki, Mustang's Japanese voice actor in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was the winner from the fourth Seiyu Awards
Seiyu Awards
The are award ceremonies for the recognition of voice acting talent for outstanding performance in anime and other media in Japan...
in the category "Best Supporting Actor Awards" for his role as Mustang as well as Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
is an anime TV series, the eleventh incarnation of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise consisting of two seasons. It is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Yun Kōga. The twenty-five episode season was officially announced by Sunrise...
s Lockon Stratos.
Publications of manga, anime and other media have commented on Mustang's character through both manga and anime. While reviewing the first volume from the manga, Manga Life found that Mustang's character was more mature in the manga than in the anime. On the other hand, in the review from the first anime's last episodes, Lori Lancaster from Mania Entertainment liked Edward and Mustang's relationship as although they never act friendly, most Mustang normally lies to the Elrics brothers in order to protect them, making Lancaster note that both characters have similar personalities. Sakura Eries from the same site notes that Mustang "steals the show" during the volume 10 from the manga. She praised his fighting skills shown in such volume during his fight against Lust and Gluttony. Additionally, when in the same volume Maria Ross was revealed to be alive and that she was not killed by Mustang, Eries remarked his work as leader and that she took back her negative comments regarding Mustang when she thought that Mustang really killed her. These sub-plots were also commented by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's D. F. Smith as it expanded Mustang's character much more than in the first anime series where he had relatively smaller appearances. Lydia Hojnacki from PopCultureShock noted Mustang's character as one of the reasons she likes the series, noting his personality and relation with the Elric brothers. When he watched Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
is a 2005 Japanese animated film directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Sho Aikawa, and acts as a continuation of the first Fullmetal Alchemist television series...
, Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
writer Theron Martin mentioned that when Mustang "makes his dramatic return in a cheer-out-loud moment", he remarked the audience "went wild at that point". In IGN's review of the same film, Jeremy Mullin commented that he wanted to see Mustang's counterpart from Germany as several characters from the series had their counterparts, but then said "it does make it fun imagining what" he would be. David Smith from the same site cited his role and ambitions in the first anime series in the feature "Ten Things I Learned From Fullmetal Alchemist" which had comments on his flaws.