Automail
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Automail is a type of prosthetic limb present in the series Fullmetal Alchemist that is used by various characters in the series as a replacement for lost or damaged body parts.
Automail is made from metal and linked directly to the nerves of the body. Automail can be used on both humans and animals. In certain situations, automail can be designed to replace huge portions of the body. Also present in the series are normal prosthetics, not linked to the body's nervous system. Many amputees choose to use these over automail, despite the numerous advantages automail has. This is because of the intense pain experienced during the surgery to attach automail to the body as well as when the automail is first connected, when all the nerves first connect.
Well-made automail allows a range of movement and strength as good as or better than the original limb it replaces. It is never directly stated how automail is powered, but it is known that the technology grew from the science of alchemy. When the metal coverings are removed, a type of fiber is seen, so it may be a variety of electroactive polymer.
In the series, there also exist automail designers, and repair personnel known as mechanics. Episode 26 of Fullmetal Alchemist, "Her Reason," provides much insight into the world of automail and mechanics.
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[edit] Rush Valley
Rush Valley is a city in the desert, whose major industry is automail. It is considered by mechanics to be a sort of Holy Land. Almost all of the people have some form of automail or another, and there are numerous shops and outfitters throughout the city. Automail use is so common, in fact, that Al is thought by most of the people of the city to simply have gone a bit overboard, and had his entire body redone in automail.
Rush Valley is also nicknamed "The Automail Mecca" and "The Boomtown of the Broken Down."
[edit] Automail users
[edit] Edward Elric
Edward, the main character of the series, has two sets of automail, one in place of his right arm, and one in place of his left leg. His state alchemist codename, Fullmetal, was given to him due to his automail. The artificial arm and leg were given to him to replace the limbs Ed lost during his ill-fated attempt at human transmutation.Compared to what his brother Al lost this was nothing. Edward's automail functions well enough to allow him to engage in martial arts practice, acrobatics, and fighting. Edward can also transmute his automail arm to add a wrist-mounted blade to it, or place spikes on his knuckles, although this shortens the length of his arm. The mechanic that created his automail was Pinako Rockbell, with help from her granddaughter Winry Rockbell.
After a battle with Scar, Ed's arm was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. A new, lighter design was adopted, after concerns that the previous model was hampering Ed's speed and possibly stunting his growth. While it was a success in this regard, it sacrificed some of its durability in exchange, and it remained incomplete until after the 5th Laboratory incident. Winry realized that she forgot a bolt in the arm soon after Ed entered the Lab. Ed however didn't realize this and thought it was his fault the automail broke. In truth, it was a combination of both.�This model was created and maintained by Winry herself.
[edit] Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer
An intelligence officer in the military who uses automail, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer is cool, calm, and collected. Frank thoroughly enjoys war and all his actions are aimed towards preparation for future wars. After the destruction of the left half of his body at Lior he was heavily modified with automail, including the left side of his face. This may suggest that automail is capable of replacing even vital organs. In addition, his arm was equipped with a folding auto-cannon weapon, while his mouth contained a machine gun in the place of a tongue. As a result, he doesn't open his mouth to talk and so it can be infered that a speaker was implanted somewhere in him. He would later use both weapons to devastating effect. Actually, due to his extensive Automail, he can be considered a cyborg, rather than an amputee (all other Automail users are amputees). Frank Archer is exclusive to the anime.
[edit] Colonel Genz Blethlow
Colonel Genz Blethlow is the Armor-Piercing Alchemist. Exclusive to "Broken Angel", he's a military policeman under Mudey Nemda. Genz is self-centered and super confident to the point of absurdity. With the camouflaged automail arm, Genz fought Edward on three occasions, modifying his own body with more automail for every encounter. Despite having been defeated on every occasion, Genz still calls himself "the strongest".
[edit] Paninya
From the manga, Paninya is a girl from Rush Valley with two automail legs. A pickpocket who targets tourists, she met Ed after stealing his State Alchemist's watch. Her automail gives her increased agility, allows her to run on walls, and jump from building to building. Her legs also contain hidden weapons, a blade in the right leg and a rocket launcher in the left.
In the anime, Paninya also has an automail right arm, and only steals Ed's watch at the prompting of an angry Winry Rockbell, who believes that Ed is overly reliant on alchemy and doesn't appreciate well-made automail.
[edit] Bald
A minor character, Bald is a renegade member of the State Military, who desired an automail arm in order to make himself stronger. The military prohibited unnecessary use of automail (for any purpose other than replacing lost limbs), and Bald deserted. He acquired the automail arm he sought, which includes two gun barrels and a concealed switchblade, and organized a group of outlaws who attempted to seize a train containing several important military personnel. Bald was captured, and imprisoned by the military.
The blade is hardly seen in either the Manga or the Anime.
[edit] Wrath (Anime only)
At the end of Fullmetal Alchemist Anime, Winry fits Wrath with an automail right arm and left leg, as he lost these when Dante flung them into the Gate. Through this, Wrath becomes a sort of 'second Edward': Near the end of episode 51, Wrath is pictured in a stance exactly the same as Edward's flagship stance. (Back to screen looking over left shoulder frowning). Wrath's automail model seems slightly more resistant than Edward's, but this may be due to Wrath's superhuman strength.
In the movie Conqueror of Shamballa, Wrath's automail has broken down, due to the lack of maintenance. Winry finds him near Izumi's grave, and offers to repair his arm and leg. During the fight with Gluttony, Wrath inbeds his automail arm inside the transmutation circle to use as an anchor when Gluttony tries to pry him away. Before Alphonse transmutes both of them to open the Gate, his arm is severely damaged from Gluttony pulling at his body.
[edit] Din
The Rockbell family's dog, though with all limbs intact in the flashbacks, is shown with automail later in his life. The reason behind the prostetics is never explained, though it can be assumed that Pinako and Winry Rockbell work as his mechanic.
[edit] Automail mechanics
[edit] Pinako Rockbell
Winry's grandmother, and a mechanic of some renown, designed and built Ed's first set of automail with help from her granddaughter, Winry. Her reputation as a young hot-shot mechanic is still fresh in some Rush Valley mechanic's minds, though she is now neither young nor hot-headed.
[edit] Winry Rockbell
Winry Rockbell is Ed and Al's childhood friend. She's a self-professed "gearhead" who helped her grandmother Pinako build Ed's automail. She occasionally travels with the Elric Brothers to maintain Ed's artificial limbs. When she created Ed's second set of automail, she neglected to insert a screw into his shoulder piece. This manifested itself negatively when Ed went to the 5th Laboratory and fought the Slicer Brothers. Her parents were doctors who were killed during the Ishbal War by Roy Mustang under Basque Grand's orders (Scar killed her parents in the manga when they were trying to treat his wounds). In the anime, Winry has been accused of being in love with Ed but denies all claims, even though this might account for her special treatment of Ed's automail. In the manga, Winry admits to being in love with Ed.
[edit] Viola Amore
Exclusive to "Sonata of Memories" game, Viola Amore was an automail engineer. Her family were victims of human transmutation.
[edit] Ricardo Family
The Ricardo family lives in the mountains outside of Rush Valley. There are two mechanics in the family: Lear Ricardo and his father Dominic. Dominic is known for his exceptional work, and is considered a master mechanic. He is, however, highly unsociable and avoids people as much as possible, forcing anyone who wants his aid to take a long trek through the mountains. He was the designer of Paninya's automail legs.
[edit] Garfiel
Garfiel is a mechanic of good skill who takes Winry as his apprentice in Rush Valley. Little else is known about him.
[edit] Dominic
Dominic is a mechanic in Rush Valley. Though he's extremely talented, he rarely gets the recognition he deserves. In the manga, his dream was to build automail with cannons inside. He gave Paninya her legs (and arm in the anime). He seems to have had a very unpleasant past involving Pinako Rockbell that is seemingly comical.
[edit] Automail cosplay
Many anime fans have tried to create automail of their own. There are many kits offered by companies, as well as homemade automail tutorial websites. The most commonly cosplayed automail is Edward Elric's right arm and left leg.
[edit] See also
| Fullmetal Alchemist | |
|---|---|
| Common characters: | Edward Elric | Alphonse Elric | Winry Rockbell | Scar | Izumi Curtis | Hohenheim | Minor |
| Anime-only characters: | Dante | State Military | Homunculi | Minor |
| Manga-only characters: | Main | State Military | Homunculi | Minor |
| Media: | Anime (Episode list | Voice casts) | Manga | OVAs | Conqueror of Shamballa | Video games (characters) | Trading cards |
| Items/Concepts: | Alchemy | Automail | Chimera | Equivalent Exchange | Gate of Alchemy | Philosopher's Stone | State Alchemist | Transmutation circle |
| Locations: | Amestris | Ishbal | Lab 5 | Lior |
