Mustang Unit

Overview


By the time Colonel Mustang is transferred from East Headquarters to the Central Headquarter, Lieutenant General Grumman allows him to take a team of loyal subordinates with him to carry out his plans at Central.

This unit consists of five members, each one with specific abilities and jobs.

Members
From left to right:

Kain Fuery (Mechanics Specialist) - A young Sergeant, Kain is uncommonly gentle and a helpful soldier, always willing to aid his pairs and, most of all, younger and lower soldiers. A "tech geek", he sometimes states he had the luck to make his hobby become his job.

Riza Hawkeye (Personal Aide) - A Weapons' Specialist, Riza's job lies in parallel with the Unit's Hierarchy (answering to Colonel Mustang alone), as his secretary, guard and personal aide. Considered to be one of the Top Sharpshooters in all Amestrian Army, Riza is both looked up to and feared for her seriousness and discipline (though those close to her enjoy teasing with her temperament). She's the most graduated of all soldiers in Mustang's unit, holding the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

Vato Falman (Information Specialist) - Vato is a Warrant Officer (and, therefore, probably older than his fellow colleagues) specialized in intelligence. He has extraordinary memory and knowledge, especially in history. His job is mostly connected to office work and he rarely goes in the field.

Jean Havoc (Unit Coordinator) - Jean is a regular, but capable soldier. Not particularly gifted in any field, he compensates his lack of natural talent with dedication and effort. His character and loyalty is beyond shadow of doubt and, therefore, has been made the Officer in Chief of Mustang's Unit, coordinating the work of Breda, Falman and Fuery.

Heymans Breda (Investigation Specialist) - Heymans graduated top of his class and is specialized in all sorts of information gathering, especially those that require travel and speaking different languages, His unimpressive appearance makes him pass by unnoticed (or underestimated) by most.

Roy Mustang (Unit Commander) - Roy Mustang is a State Alchemist and a Colonel. While stationed at the Eastern Headquarters, he was responsible for all administrative chores of that HQ, that were passed on to him by Lieutenant General Grumman.

Trivia

 * The author makes a metaphor with Mustang's Unit, relating the characters to Chess pieces. This metaphor is very interesting due to the relation of each character with the characteristics of that piece.
 * Roy Mustang is represented as the King. In Chess, the King is the fundamental piece and represents the center of all Chess. It cannot be exchanged and one cannot attribute a value to it, since it would be infinite. The King it's the only piece that you cannot play without and, its loss represents the end of the game. A king can move one empty or enemy-occupied square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) unless such a move would place the king in check (meaning the King cannot sacrifice itself and that one King cannot directly kill the other, unless with the aid of another piece), but, when together with even only one other piece, can perform a check.
 * Riza Hawkeye is related to the Queen. The Queen can be moved any number of unoccupied squares in a straight line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, thus combining the moves of the rook and bishop. It’s the most versatile piece in the board as well as the one of higher relative value. More than being the only female piece in the Chess board, in ancient times, the Queen piece used to be called the "Counselor" (Ferz), reinforcing its characteristics of being the one closer to the King and its importance as the King’s guardian and advisor. Is regarded as a symbol of purity and clearness of mind, for starting the game in the house of its own color (White Queen in the white square and Black Queen in the black square. The expression “The Queen gets her color” comes from that rule).
 * Jean Havoc is represented as the Knight. The Knight one of the most agile pieces of the chess board and it’s the only piece that can “jump over” all other pieces (of either color) to its destination square. It’s a piece that is always in the center of action and is more powerful the closest it is to the center of the board. It's usually one of the first pieces to be played in game and represents both strength and impulse to action. The combination of a Queen and a Knight is also considered one of the most powerful in chess.
 * Vato Falman is represented as the Bishop. The Bishop moves in diagonals, requiring a great ability to use. Each bishop can only access half the squares of the board, which is an interesting parallel to Falman’s lack of ability in the field. The opposite of the Knight, the Bishop is more powerful the farthest it is from the center of the board. It also represents the control of one's feelings, not letting your emotions get you "side tracked".
 * Heymans Breda is represented as the Rook. The Rook is a very sturdy, strong piece, moving horizontally or vertically, forward or back, through any number of unoccupied squares. It’s usually a piece players don’t use early in the game, but, once the first rows from the board are clear, very powerful and with great ability to threaten the opponent’s piece, not allowing them to move.
 * Kain Fuery is represented as the Pawn. The Pawn is a very different piece in the chess board: Unlike all the other pieces, pawns may not move backwards and they do not capture in the same way they move. It moves only forward, one square (except for their first move, where the pawn can move two squares), though they capture in diagonal squares. The Pawn is a very altruistic sort of piece, working to protect those that are at his side. It’s usual task is to provide assistance to other pieces, protecting them while they attack. They are the ones who prepare the field to the other pieces.