Solf J. Kimblee

Zolf J. Kimbly (ゾルフ・J・キンブリー, Zorufu J Kinburī?, romanized as "Solf" in Japan), the "Red Lotus Alchemist" or "Crimson Alchemist", is a deranged psychopath who loves the sight of blood and death. He earned fame during the Ishval Civil War for his ruthless commitment to the Ishvalan extermination, killing thousands without remorse through his unique brand of alchemy. Using transmutation circles tattooed to the palms of his hands, Kimbly can turn anything he comes into contact with into a bomb, be it people or distant buildings. Because of his effectiveness in wiping out the Ishvalans, Kimbly was given an imperfect Philosopher's Stone to increase his alchemical abilities. With it, he killed Scar's family and gave Scar his characteristic cross-shaped scar. After the war was over, Kimbly wishing to keep the stone for himself, swallows the Stone and kills the superior officers that knew he had it to keep it a secret. He was imprisoned for his crimes.

In the manga, he conceals his murderous disposition behind a facade of gentlemanly politeness, typically speaking respectfully to his superiors and unrelated civilians, while at the same time caring very little for either them or their well-being, and being utterly ruthless to his enemies. His trademark outfit is a pure white suit with matching fedora, and he is always seen wearing it when not in uniform.

In the anime his disposition is more openly sadistic, and the suit he wears is burgundy in color.

Manga
In the manga, Kimbly's rationale is better explored during the Ishval extermination. He looks with disdain upon Mustang and Hawkeye's guilt regarding their actions against the Ishvalan citizens, reminding them that they bore the military uniform of their own free will, knowing what may have been expected of them when they made the decision. He also purposefully thwarts any attempts other state alchemists make to show mercy to the enemy, such as when he kills two fleeing Ishvalan women whom Armstrong attempted to spare, reminding his comrade that allowing an enemy to escape was an offense punished by court-marshal before extending a hand to help him up.

After it was discovered that the Rockbell doctors were aiding the Ishvalans, Kimbly's superiors express discontent for their actions. Because they were providing humanitarian aid, it was the military's duty to protect them, an act which they felt was an unnecessary burden to them. Kimbly's unit is the one sent to guard the Rockbells, with it being strongly implied that he was to assassinate them as soon as possible. Kimbly expresses admiration toward the doctors, stating his respect for their doing whatever pleased them in such a chaotic time. When it's discovered that they were killed prior to his arrival, Kimbly states that the purpose of a soldier is to take life, and the purpose of a doctor is to save it, and as such, the Rockbell's deaths were noble ones.

Following these events, Kimbly kills several of his superior officers, in so doing maintaining his posession of the philosopher's stone he was issued, and was subsequently sent to prison.

After the war, Kimbly is released from jail by order from Führer and Envy gives him new Philosopher's Stone. He is then sent to capture Scar and Dr. Marcoh. He engages Scar in brief battle on train to north but is badly wounded by steel pipe thrust by Scar through his left side. He is then transported to Briggs and General Raven arrives along with Alchemist doctor who heals him.

He arranges to have Winry brought to the northern base, under the guise of needing her help in making Ed combat-ready, but in reality securing her as a hostage to force the Elrics to cooperate with his search for Scar. Ed confronts him on his siding with the homonculi, but Kimbly states that he did so out of simple curiosity. He says that the world was on the brink of change, and he acted because he wanted to see which side the world would support in the end. He is eventually able to placate Ed into compliance, both with Winry as his hostage and with the promise of relinquishing a philosopher's stone to him should he succeed.

When Kimbly's search resumes, the Elrics conspire with Dr. Marcoh and Scar behind his back, faking Winry's kidnapping as a means of freeing her from Kimbly's grasp. They arrange a scene to create the illusion that Winry has been taken by Scar, in the hopes that Winry's presence would stop Kimbly from attacking, and give the perfect excuse for her sudden disappearance. The plan goes awry when Scar taunts Kimbly, telling him that it seems their roles had switched from when they had first met, bringing Kimbly to a rage that makes him attempt to use his alchemy to attack. The encroaching blizzard prevents the scene from growing bloody, and Kimbly's army is forced into shelter as Scar and his party navigate the mines for a path to Briggs.

While snowed in, the Briggs in Kimbly's search party begin plotting his assassination, convincing an uncertain Ed to participate by drawing his attention away while their snipers take positions. Ed attempts to comply with their plan, but Kimbly reveals that he's perfectly aware of the attempt, stating that he could sense the murderous intent coming from the Briggs unit the whole time. He creates an explosion to blur the view of the snipers and escapes into the mines.

Kimbly continues his search for Scar and Marcoh but loses Scar's trail in a old mining town when Edward Elric fights him. Ed manages to separate Kimbly from his first philosopher's stone, and cut the transmutation circle on his hand, believing these actions to have effectively ended Kimbly's ability to perform alchemy. Kimbly expresses his respect to Ed for trying to live true to his code of possessing the strength to not kill, but says that it's that same naive belief that cost him his life. Kimbly then uses the other Stone (which Ed was unaware of) to blow up the building they are fighting in.

He then searches the Sloths tunnel but encounters Pride who orders him "to carve a bloody mark into Briggs".

He attacks Briggs along with Drachman army. Whole army gets obliterated but Kimblys mission is fulfilled. Later when Pride has been captured by Elrics, Father sends Kimbly to rescue him. He wounds Heinkel and frees Pride but Al takes Kimbly's old Philosopher's Stone from dying Heinkel and prepares for battle. After a while fighting against Al, Kimbly gets bitten to neck by Heinkel in chimera mode. They attempt to escape while taking Kimbly as a prisoner, but Pride uses his power to retrieve him as the Elric's car speeds away.

Pride laughs at the wound that Kimbly received, stating that it truly proves that humans have no place in the natural world. He marvels at how Kimbly's suit, which has been dyed red by the blood from his throat, now had a color that so perfectly suited him, and asks Kimbly how he planned to see the side the world would choose if this was all his strength could do for him. Pride decides to help Kimbly in his desire by letting him "live on as a part of him." He then absorbs him.

Fullmetal Alchemist
In the original anime, Kimbly is first seen in the prison for the crimes he committed in Ishval. Along with other prisoners, he is sent by Envy, disguised as Basque Gran, to Lab 5, where he would be a human sacrifice for the Philosopher's Stone being created by Edward at the same time. However, Kimbly escapes death by exploding one of the inmates who believes that his alchemic skills are a hoax. While leaving the facility, he meets Greed, also escaping, and his newly formed Chimera gang. Having little obtains, Kimbly joins.

Kimbly later helps Greed by assisting, along with Bido, in trying to capture the homunculus Wrath from Military headquarters. After they fail, he helps Greed in kidnapping Alphonse. Shortly after, Kimbly betrays Greed by sending an army unit (as well as Lust and Gluttony) into the hideout, where they kill all of Greed's gang. In doing so, Kimbly is recruited back into the military.

Kimbly later travels with Mustang and his men to Lior, where they wish to find Scar. There, Kimbly is confronted by Martel the only surviving member of Greed's gang. Enraged, she attacks Kimbly, only to be nearly killed. She is saved by Alphonse who breaks Kimbly's arm in the process. Hours later, Kimbly is employed by the homunculus to go into Lior to stir an uprising with the help of Shou Tucker's chimeras. During this, he confronted Scar, whose brother he killed during the Ishval rebellion. Kimbly fights Scar, but is killed by the revenge-filled Ishvalan. His last act was turning Alphonse into a bomb that would slowly explode, giving him "time to think about his death, and reflect on how meaningless his efforts have been."

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Kimbly appears in the first episode, where is he visited by ex-state alchemist Isaac McDougal. McDougal hopes for Kimbly to assist him in bringing down the government as revenge for the atrocities they committed during the Ishval Rebellion. Kimbly, however, refuses, believing that he does not think on such "sophisticated terms" and that he killed all those people just because he enjoyed it.

Trivia
• According to the Author Kimbly's middle initial "J" does not stand for anything.

• During numerous points in the manga, Kimbly is revealed to have a photographic memory, as he never forgets a person's face (mostly the faces of the victims that he kills) this example is supported when he offers to tell Major Miles every Ishbalan relative that he killed during the Ishvalan War and how they died, to which Miles responds by telling Kimbly to "shut the Hell up".

•During the most recent character popularity poll, Kimbly ranked fourteenth.