Izumi Curtis

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Izumi Curtis (イズミ・カーティス, Izumi Kātīsu^?) is the name of a character from Fullmetal Alchemist. She is voiced by Shoko Tsuda in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Christine Auten in the English dubbing.

[edit] Anime

Izumi Curtis is the powerful alchemist who took on the eager Elric brothers as students shortly after their mother's passing. The red Flamel tattoo on her chest is the same insignia that appears on Edward's coat and the left shoulder of Alphonse's armor.

Izumi is an extremely strong woman, both emotionally and physically: along with her talent for alchemy, Izumi is also an accomplished martial artist. The Elric brothers are taught with her own unique form of sparring combined with philosophy to gain a fuller understanding of alchemy. Unfortunately, she will snap at anyone at any given time, making her downright scary.

Izumi is married to Sig Curtis, a husky and well-built butcher of few words. Like many others in the series, she despises the military and particularly State Alchemists, so when she encounters Edward "Fullmetal Alchemist" Elric again, she beats him up for his becoming a "dog of the military." Alphonse is scolded as well for helping.

Like Edward, Izumi is capable of alchemy without a transmutation circle; she gained this ability from seeing the inside of the mysterious "Gate" while attempting to revive her stillborn son with alchemy. This attempt not only created the Homunculus Wrath, but cost Izumi all the organs in her abdominopelvic cavity (the implication being that it is her womb, the symbol of her connection to her stillborn son, and all the organs surrounding it). Her incredible strength of will allowed her to miraculously survive, with her remaining organs picking up the slack. Her body is failing, which leaves her physically weak and drained, and causes her to cough up blood at inopportune moments, often while attempting a transmutation.

Izumi dies between the series' end and Conqueror of Shamballa, only making a cameo as a spirit to receive Wrath at the Gate when he sacrifices himself to open a physical gateway to the Other World for Al. How exactly her spirit lingered in the gateway after death for so long is left unexplained, but many believe it to be because we are all told that when we die, your loved ones will be waiting for us at the gate. So it is being understood that Izumi, as Wrath's mother, was waiting for him.

[edit] Manga

In the manga, Izumi takes Edward and Alphonse Elric as her apprentices in alchemy, and has a personality just like her counterpart in the anime. However, she suffers tremendous guilt believing that she had killed her son twice, once at birth, and once on the transmutation circle (human transmutation in the manga does not result in Homunculi, but a corpse-like being which has no connection at all with the human that alchemist intended to transmute). Later, Edward learns that revival of the dead is impossible, and informs Izumi that what she created on the transmutation circle could not have been her son. Izumi, after verifying this fact, is very grateful to Edward for relieving her of the guilt of her son's second death.

Izumi cares very deeply for Edward and Alphonse, and acts as a mother-figure to the two, despite her unique methods of discipline. For instance, after punishing Edward and Al for trying to revive their mother, she draws the boys into a comforting hug. She later states, during a fight with Greed, that 'she refuses to lose any more babies,' referring to the captured Alphonse and securing her status as the adoptive mother of he and Edward.

The fact that Izumi opened the Gate is of great interest to King Bradley, as it means that she is a qualified "human sacrifice" like Edward and Alphonse. However, she isn't a State Alchemist and is therefore beyond the Homunculi's control. Edward also suggesting the Fuhrer to forget the idea recruiting her, or "preparing to lose the whole army" to subdue her. It is unknown as to whether Father and the Homunculi will take any action regarding Izumi in the future.

According to the Gaiden "The Tales of Master", her name before she married was Izumi Harnet. When she was 18, she traveled to the north of Amestris to became an apprentice of famous alchemist Silver Steiner. However, because Silver Steiner had died some time ago, she met with his elder brother (who was famous for his Hand fighting technique) Gold Steiner. Izumi received a test for apprenticeship, which entailed surviving in the Briggs mountain for one month with only a knife. During this time, she discovered the philosophy of "One is All, All is One", which she later passed on to the Elric brothers. She also was attacked and ambushed by a number of patriots thinking she was a spy. When she found out that this Steiner is not the Steiner she looking for, she became really upset, and proceed to beat the crap out of him (despite his martial art ability).

view • talk • edit Fullmetal Alchemist
Common characters:	Edward Elric • Alphonse Elric • Roy Mustang • Maes Hughes • Winry Rockbell • Scar • Izumi Curtis • Hohenheim • Minor characters of Fullmetal Alchemist
Anime-only characters:	Dante • State Military • Homunculi • Minor anime characters
Manga-only characters:	Father • State Military • Homunculi • Ling Yao • Minor manga characters
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