Winry Rockbell
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
from the Fullmetal Alchemist
manga
and anime
series by Hiromu Arakawa
. Winry is mechanic
who often spends time with the central characters, brothers Edward
(Ed) and Alphonse Elric
(Al), who are childhood friends of hers. Specializing in mechanical repair, specifically prostheses
called automail, Winry services Ed's replacement arm and leg. Originally meant to be introduced in the series' first chapters due to its lack of female characters, some of Winry's traits is based on Arakawa's own life. In the first anime adaptation, Winry is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese and by Caitlin Glass
in the English version. In the second anime adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, she is voiced by Megumi Takamoto in Japanese, with Glass reprising the role in English.
Besides being in the manga and anime series, Winry is also in the first anime's sequel film and original video animation
s (OVAs). Readers of the manga have ranked her among the top ten characters in the series. Periodicals and other media for manga and anime fans have praised her for her attitude, her relationship with the Elric brothers, and her development across the manga series.
. Winry is portrayed in the series as kind, optimistic, and sincere, acting as a concerned family member to the Elrics in their company. She had known Edward
and Alphonse
since childhood. In the story, she was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed while serving as doctors in the Ishbal war. She lived with her grandmother in Resembool from then on. Known as an "Automail Otaku
", she is fascinated by any and all types of machines, tools, and excels in building and repairing automail. Along with her grandmother, Pinako, also a famous automail engineer, the two run a small shop out of their home. They made and installed Edward's automail arm and leg after he lost his original limbs in a failed human transmutation of his mother. Winry takes it upon herself to make sure that his automail is in top form travels to service them when it is needed. In the first anime series, it is hinted that Winry and Edward share romantic feelings for each other, but this is never confirmed. In the manga and second anime series, Winry eventually realizes that she loves Edward and has for most of her life. She forgets to add parts to the automail, leading it to break after a short time. Winry goes to Central City to fix Edward's automail.
While the Elrics continue their search for the Philosopher's Stone, Winry accompanies them to Rush Valley where she asks Dominic, an automail engineer, to be her teacher. After Dominic realizes that Winry is Pinako's granddaughter, he introduces her to another technician, Garfiel, who happily accepts her, because he is terrified of Pinako. Some time later, Winry returns with the Elrics to Central Headquarters and finds that their friend Maes Hughes was murdered. When the Elrics confront the criminal Scar once again to get closer to the Philosopher's Stone, Winry discovers during the fight that Scar killed her parents. She tries to shoot Scar, but Ed jumps in front of her to protect her from Scar and pins the gun down. After Scar escapes, Winry returns to Rush Valley.
Winry is used as a hostage by the military to gain Edward's obedience. State Alchemist Solf J. Kimblee tricks Winry into coming to North Headquarters, saying that Edward's automail needs maintenance, but really just to use her as a hostage. The Elrics are forced to capture Scar for the military, but Winry later bandages him as she thinks her parents would do. To escape from the military, she decides to act as Scar's hostage. Winry is taken on a military train back into Resembool in a water tank. When she goes into her house, she finds Ed in her room, who tells her to leave the country, but she refuses. Two years after the Elrics return to Resembool, Winry and Edward confess their feelings to each other and both are seen in the eplogue holding their children.
, while talking with two Ishbalan boys. Winry goes to Central to meet Mustang, but is unable to talk to him when she hears from several people that he is highly respected by his friends including the deceased Maes Hughes. Winry later meets the librarian Sheska who suspected the woman Juliet Douglas, who is in fact the homunculus Sloth, for being responsible for Hughes' death. Both are attacked by Sloth, but the homunculus retreats when Winry recognizes her as Ed and Al's mother. Winry and Sheska go to Resembool to tell the Elrics about Sloth. Ed and Al soon set to fight the homunculi but only Al returns as Ed finds himself in a parallel universe
. When he finally returns in the movie
sequel, she embraces Ed in tears. Winry reveals that she has prepared new automail for Edward, and upon his return, attaches them to him. After Edward is forced to leave her once again, Winry continues working on automail with her grandmother.
In the first 2007 OVA, a drunken Winry confronts Edward about pictures of him and Noah that appeared in a magazine featuring shots and tidbits of the movie. In a second OVA, Edward is shown as a grandfather with three grandchildren with one of them being identical to Winry. In the third OVA, Winry herself does not appear, though Envy takes on her form and is kidnapped by Greed together with Al. Winry has her own character CD named . Released on June 22, 2009, the CD features tracks based on her character performed by her Japanese voice actress in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, Megumi Toyoguchi
.
Megumi Toyoguchi
voices Winry in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, but Megumi Takamoto voices her in the second. In both English adaptations, Caitlin Glass
wound up voicing Winry, even though she never thought to audition for the role. Glass tried out for Al, Rose, and Hawkeye; it was her audition for the character of Rose and her previous "hyper" voice in the Spiral series that won her the role, after reading only a single line of Winry's dialogue.
, Winry ranked ninth in the survey of best anime female characters. In the 2004 Animage
Anime Grand Prix poll, Winry was voted as the third most popular female character. Several types of merchandising exploit based on Winry, including action figures, key-chains and patches.
Critical response to Winry's character has generally been positive. Writing for Pop Culture Shock, Lydia Hojnacki listed Winry as a female characters she likes from the Fullmetal Alchemist while commenting on her relation with the Elrics brothers. Mania Entertainment's Jarred Pine liked how Winry's character is further developed in the manga than in the first anime, highlighting her first meeting with Riza Hawkeye, writing "It is such a simple scene, but it really speaks volumes about the characters." Her confrontation against Scar in the manga was praised by Sakura Eries from the same site, who was "on the verge of tears". Holly Ellingwood, a writer for Active Anime, also praised the moment, describing it as an "emotional struggle" and noting that "her own actions afterwards are some of the most riveting of these latest chapters". Ellingwood also praised Winry's appearance in the first anime noting that her "enthusiasm for anything and everything mechanical and sheer enthusiasm is a welcome change from the dire episodes preceding her arrival." However, she was saddened that her character did not appear until later episodes as the series' focus moved to the search for the Philosopher's Stone. Similarly, Ben Moscrop from UK Anime Network found the episode in which the Elrics and Winry go to Rush Valley as it helps developing her character regarding her relationship with the Elrics to the point she "really shines through." Anime News Network
's Carlo Santos praised how her appearance in the north from Amestris while meeting the Elrics brothers was a "complete game-changer" due to her status as a hostage. On the other hand, Samuel Arbogast found Winry's character "stale", adding that she "irritates me to no end".
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...
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...
and 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....
series 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:...
. Winry is mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
who often spends time with the central characters, brothers Edward
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...
(Ed) and Alphonse Elric
Alphonse Elric
, commonly called , is a fictional character in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa its respective adaptations. Alphonse is a child who lost his body during an alchemic experiment to bring his deceased mother back to life, and had his soul "attached" to a suit of armor...
(Al), who are childhood friends of hers. Specializing in mechanical repair, specifically prostheses
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
called automail, Winry services Ed's replacement arm and leg. Originally meant to be introduced in the series' first chapters due to its lack of female characters, some of Winry's traits is based on Arakawa's own life. In the first anime adaptation, Winry is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese and by Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass is an American voice actress and ADR director. While still a college student, Glass was hired by Funimation Entertainment while on a tour of the studio. Her first roles were bit parts on Case Closed until she landed the role of Hiyono Yuizaki in Spiral...
in the English version. In the second anime adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, she is voiced by Megumi Takamoto in Japanese, with Glass reprising the role in English.
Besides being in the manga and anime series, Winry is also in the first anime's sequel film and 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 (OVAs). Readers of the manga have ranked her among the top ten characters in the series. Periodicals and other media for manga and anime fans have praised her for her attitude, her relationship with the Elric brothers, and her development across the manga series.
Appearances
Winry's first appearance in the manga is when the Elric brothers return to Resembool in order to ask Winry and Pinako to create another automail for Edward's right arm after it was destroyed by the criminal ScarScar (Fullmetal Alchemist)
, also known as , is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Fullmetal Alchemist by author Hiromu Arakawa. Scar is introduced as a mass murderer who targets alchemist working for the state military from the fictional country of Amestris...
. Winry is portrayed in the series as kind, optimistic, and sincere, acting as a concerned family member to the Elrics in their company. She had known Edward
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...
and Alphonse
Alphonse Elric
, commonly called , is a fictional character in the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa its respective adaptations. Alphonse is a child who lost his body during an alchemic experiment to bring his deceased mother back to life, and had his soul "attached" to a suit of armor...
since childhood. In the story, she was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed while serving as doctors in the Ishbal war. She lived with her grandmother in Resembool from then on. Known as an "Automail Otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
", she is fascinated by any and all types of machines, tools, and excels in building and repairing automail. Along with her grandmother, Pinako, also a famous automail engineer, the two run a small shop out of their home. They made and installed Edward's automail arm and leg after he lost his original limbs in a failed human transmutation of his mother. Winry takes it upon herself to make sure that his automail is in top form travels to service them when it is needed. In the first anime series, it is hinted that Winry and Edward share romantic feelings for each other, but this is never confirmed. In the manga and second anime series, Winry eventually realizes that she loves Edward and has for most of her life. She forgets to add parts to the automail, leading it to break after a short time. Winry goes to Central City to fix Edward's automail.
While the Elrics continue their search for the Philosopher's Stone, Winry accompanies them to Rush Valley where she asks Dominic, an automail engineer, to be her teacher. After Dominic realizes that Winry is Pinako's granddaughter, he introduces her to another technician, Garfiel, who happily accepts her, because he is terrified of Pinako. Some time later, Winry returns with the Elrics to Central Headquarters and finds that their friend Maes Hughes was murdered. When the Elrics confront the criminal Scar once again to get closer to the Philosopher's Stone, Winry discovers during the fight that Scar killed her parents. She tries to shoot Scar, but Ed jumps in front of her to protect her from Scar and pins the gun down. After Scar escapes, Winry returns to Rush Valley.
Winry is used as a hostage by the military to gain Edward's obedience. State Alchemist Solf J. Kimblee tricks Winry into coming to North Headquarters, saying that Edward's automail needs maintenance, but really just to use her as a hostage. The Elrics are forced to capture Scar for the military, but Winry later bandages him as she thinks her parents would do. To escape from the military, she decides to act as Scar's hostage. Winry is taken on a military train back into Resembool in a water tank. When she goes into her house, she finds Ed in her room, who tells her to leave the country, but she refuses. Two years after the Elrics return to Resembool, Winry and Edward confess their feelings to each other and both are seen in the eplogue holding their children.
In other media
Winry's role changes in the first anime. In Rush Valley, Winry meets Ed and Al's teacher, Izumi Curtis, and learns how her son became the homunculus Wrath. Winry continues traveling with the Elrics until she discovers that her parents were killed by Ed's superior, Roy MustangRoy Mustang
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...
, while talking with two Ishbalan boys. Winry goes to Central to meet Mustang, but is unable to talk to him when she hears from several people that he is highly respected by his friends including the deceased Maes Hughes. Winry later meets the librarian Sheska who suspected the woman Juliet Douglas, who is in fact the homunculus Sloth, for being responsible for Hughes' death. Both are attacked by Sloth, but the homunculus retreats when Winry recognizes her as Ed and Al's mother. Winry and Sheska go to Resembool to tell the Elrics about Sloth. Ed and Al soon set to fight the homunculi but only Al returns as Ed finds himself in a parallel universe
Parallel universe
Parallel universe may refer to:-Science, physics and philosophy:* Multiverse, the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes* The many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics-Fiction:...
. When he finally returns in the movie
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...
sequel, she embraces Ed in tears. Winry reveals that she has prepared new automail for Edward, and upon his return, attaches them to him. After Edward is forced to leave her once again, Winry continues working on automail with her grandmother.
In the first 2007 OVA, a drunken Winry confronts Edward about pictures of him and Noah that appeared in a magazine featuring shots and tidbits of the movie. In a second OVA, Edward is shown as a grandfather with three grandchildren with one of them being identical to Winry. In the third OVA, Winry herself does not appear, though Envy takes on her form and is kidnapped by Greed together with Al. Winry has her own character CD named . Released on June 22, 2009, the CD features tracks based on her character performed by her Japanese voice actress in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, Megumi Toyoguchi
Megumi Toyoguchi
is a voice actress, born on January 2, 1978 in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. She is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce.-Trivia:* Toyoguchi is the only seiyū to have the distinction of appearing in every anime in the Saturday 6 p.m...
.
Creation and conception
Hiromu Arakawa wanted to introduce Winry in Chapter 3 of the manga due to the lack of female characters in the first two chapters. Her editor told her it was too soon to do it. Arakawa was satisfied with her debut. Arakawa also wanted Winry to appear earlier because of her importance. She considers Winry a "buffer" who helps the reader understand the Elric brothers' problems, since, although she finds it hard to talk to them, she is able to understand their feelings. Thus Arakawa thinks Winry has the most difficult position of the three. Winry's occupation in the series was inspired by Arakawa's opinions about how people had to work hard in order to eat. Additionally, the way Winry and her grandmother Pinako welcome the Elrics into their home after the Elrics' mother's death reflected Arakawa's views on how people should react to social problems. When asked in 2006 who her favorite Fullmetal Alchemist characters are, Arakawa found it hard to decide, but at the time she picked Winry along with Elrics and Riza Hawkeye. Arakawa has also stated that she enjoys drawing Winry immensely.Megumi Toyoguchi
Megumi Toyoguchi
is a voice actress, born on January 2, 1978 in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. She is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce.-Trivia:* Toyoguchi is the only seiyū to have the distinction of appearing in every anime in the Saturday 6 p.m...
voices Winry in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, but Megumi Takamoto voices her in the second. In both English adaptations, Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass is an American voice actress and ADR director. While still a college student, Glass was hired by Funimation Entertainment while on a tour of the studio. Her first roles were bit parts on Case Closed until she landed the role of Hiyono Yuizaki in Spiral...
wound up voicing Winry, even though she never thought to audition for the role. Glass tried out for Al, Rose, and Hawkeye; it was her audition for the character of Rose and her previous "hyper" voice in the Spiral series that won her the role, after reading only a single line of Winry's dialogue.
Reception
In popularity polls from the manga published in Monthly Shōnen Gangan Winry was commonly featured in the top ten, reaching fifth place in 2009. In the July 2009 issue from NewtypeNewtype (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...
, Winry ranked ninth in the survey of best anime female characters. In the 2004 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...
Anime Grand Prix poll, Winry was voted as the third most popular female character. Several types of merchandising exploit based on Winry, including action figures, key-chains and patches.
Critical response to Winry's character has generally been positive. Writing for Pop Culture Shock, Lydia Hojnacki listed Winry as a female characters she likes from the Fullmetal Alchemist while commenting on her relation with the Elrics brothers. Mania Entertainment's Jarred Pine liked how Winry's character is further developed in the manga than in the first anime, highlighting her first meeting with Riza Hawkeye, writing "It is such a simple scene, but it really speaks volumes about the characters." Her confrontation against Scar in the manga was praised by Sakura Eries from the same site, who was "on the verge of tears". Holly Ellingwood, a writer for Active Anime, also praised the moment, describing it as an "emotional struggle" and noting that "her own actions afterwards are some of the most riveting of these latest chapters". Ellingwood also praised Winry's appearance in the first anime noting that her "enthusiasm for anything and everything mechanical and sheer enthusiasm is a welcome change from the dire episodes preceding her arrival." However, she was saddened that her character did not appear until later episodes as the series' focus moved to the search for the Philosopher's Stone. Similarly, Ben Moscrop from UK Anime Network found the episode in which the Elrics and Winry go to Rush Valley as it helps developing her character regarding her relationship with the Elrics to the point she "really shines through." 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...
's Carlo Santos praised how her appearance in the north from Amestris while meeting the Elrics brothers was a "complete game-changer" due to her status as a hostage. On the other hand, Samuel Arbogast found Winry's character "stale", adding that she "irritates me to no end".