In the anime and manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, Hohenheim is the father of the protagonists, Edward and Alphonse Elric. He is a brilliant and well-known alchemist. He left Ed, Al, and their mother Trisha when Al was a baby and Ed was very young. Years later, Ed still holds a grudge against him for abandoning his mother, which he believes contributed to her death. Hohenheim is voiced by Masashi Ebara in the anime and by Scott McNeil in the English dubbing.

In the anime

Approximately four centuries old in soul, forty years old in his current body, ‘Hohenheim of Light’ remains behind the scenes throughout most of the series. Most of his past is kept under wraps, save for a few key points, revealed later in the series. Hohenheim is a tall, rather well-built man, standing in at at least six feet tall at first glance. He’s rather gentle and weary when he’s first seen in the series, and soft-spoken as well, which is most likely due to the extensive amount of time spent alive.

This is also evident when Edward actually punches him in the face and kicks him in the stomach, with very little reaction. In the anime, he sports dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes, causing him to bear more of a resemblance to Alphonse, while in the manga, he has golden-blonde hair and gold eyes, causing him to look more like Edward in the manga (although Alphonse possesses these traits in the manga as well). He is shown to be an extremely powerful alchemist, possibly the strongest in the series, showcasing his talents in episode 45, “A Rotted Heart”.

In the anime, Hohenheim’s official debut is in episode 43, “The Stray Dog”. Here, he meets Winry, confusing her for a woman named Sara. Winry promptly flees, but soon realizes that Sara was the name of her mother. Hohenheim then appears at the Rockbell residence, where Pinako introduces him as Ed and Al’s father.

What is known about his past is somewhat murky, save for a few key moments shown in the series. Approximately four hundred years prior to the series, Hohenheim created the Philosopher’s Stone, using people captured in a witch hunt. The resulting reaction nearly caused Hohenheim’s death, but out of love and concern for her lover, Dante used the stone to attach his soul to another man’s body. It’s from here on out that the two jump from body to body, living on, and obtaining a so-called eternal life.

It’s not known if Dante and Hohenheim were actually ever married, however, their relationship produced one son, who died prematurely of mercury poisoning. Hohenheim performed a human transmutation on his son, which, in turn, failed, producing the first-ever Homunculus, Envy. Shortly after committing this sin, Hohenheim fled, with Dante soon following suit. Later, Hohenheim denounces ever truly loving Dante, stating Trisha Elric as the only woman he ever truly loved.

Where Hohenheim was in the ten-year gap isn’t exactly clear. He had explained to Trisha shortly before his departure that he was leaving to do research of some kind, but never came back. In episode 50, “Death”, it is revealed that Hohenheim’s body was decaying due to his jumping from body to body via the Philosopher’s Stone. Also knowing that Dante was out there, somewhere, he assumed that staying in hiding would, perhaps, make her vanish for good. But once he found out that Dante had her eyes set on his sons, he emerged to face her, only to be immobilized by the Homunculus Sloth, who bore a striking resemblance to his late wife Trisha, and was consequently sent into the Gate, where his mind, body, and soul were separated.

He was able to reassemble himself, however, and emerge on the other side, in London, and eventually becomes an advisor to Winston Churchill. When Ed arrives there in episodes 50 and 51 (the latter named “Laws and Promises” in the English dub), he learns about his past. When he offers to find a way to bring Hohenheim back to their home world, he declines, saying he would rather stay in our world and live the remainder of his life in the body that Trisha loved. At the end of the series, he is living in Germany, siding himself with the Thule Society, secretly finding a way to reunite his sons again. He also took Edward into his care during this time.

In the movie, Hohenheim doesn’t appear much, save for a couple of pivotal scenes. He is used as a sacrifice on Germany’s side of the Gate, fixed in the mouth of Envy, who became a serpent at the end of the series. He tells Edward that he is a sinner, performing the forbidden human transmutation on his eldest son, and that many people died in his wake. He closes Envy’s jaws upon him, his blood activating the transmutation circle above.

In the manga

In the manga, he is introduced as Van Hohenheim when he returns to Resembool. Before leaving, he warned Pinako Rockbell to leave the country. After leaving Resembool, his carriage is held up by bandits, who promptly retreat after shooting Hohenheim multiple times, with no effect. In Chapter 67 it is revealed that he has or is the philosopher’s stone. Therefore he has a body similar to “Father’s” (the creator of the seven Homunculi) body. Its notable that they also look very much alike. However, Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of FMA, had for a long time been very ambiguous about whether Hohenheim is “Father.”

In chapter 54, it was revealed that “Father” is not Hohenheim - the manga shows Hohenheim in a completely different place during Ed and Al’s encounter with “Father.” However, it seems as though the two are at least connected somehow, considering how “Father” enthusiastically asks Edward about what had become of Hohenheim. “Father”’s reference to Hohenhiem as “it” seems to insinuate the fact Hohenheim is no mere human. Hohenheim makes a cameo in the end of chapter 67 releasing several souls from the Philosopher’s Stone within him. He referred to each soul by its former name, indicating that (unlike Father), he respects the former living beings within him.

In chapter 68, Hohenheim is shown in a flashback scene, where he feels that he shouldn’t touch his own sons because he is a “monster”. He refers to his current body as something that he has obtained; he also states that his body doesn’t age. According to him, “his own mistake” was what caused him to have his body, and that he wishes to age and die with Trisha and his children. Before he leaves, he is seen with a map of Amestris, and, similarly to what Ed does in chapter 67, he connects the points where there have been wars in the history of Amestris to form a transmutation circle.

Referring to Father as “that bastard”, he packs up his notes and attempts to leave early in the morning, without Ed and Al knowing; however, Ed and Al both wake up, as Al needs to go to the washroom and Ed was helping him there. Bewildered, Ed and Al watch as Hohenheim turns his back on them and leaves. His decision to leave seems to be based upon Father, as he says to himself “as I thought, this is the only way”, after discovering the transmutation circle that Amestris makes when the points of wars are connected.

Fans of the series have speculated that Hohenheim may be an eighth homunculus, created by Father. However, it would be impossible since homunculi cannot produce children. They also cannot perform alchemy, with the exception of the anime verion of Wrath, and this was only because he had Ed’s arm and leg.

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