Mei Chan

Mei Chan is the seventeenth royal princess of Xing, born to the Xingese Emperor and the royal concubine representing the Chan house. Though young, Mei has been tasked with finding a way to raise the social standing of the poor, downtrodden Chan clan in the eyes of the Emperor and has embarked on a journey to discover and present her father with the secret to immortality. Skilled as she is in the art of Xingese Alchemy, Mei sets out across the desert toward Amestris with her beloved pet Xiao-Mei so that she may learn about the Philosopher's Stone.

After a grueling and perilous trek, Mei finally arrives in the Amestrian frontier town of Youswell, where she uses her abilities to rescue Halling from a collapsed mine. When the residents of Youswell compare her to the first alchemist to perform an act of heroism in their town, Mei falls immediately in love with her misguided perception of Edward Elric (having misinterpreted Halling's description of Fullmetal and his legendary exploits) and sets off in search of him, hoping that her new imaginary lover may be able to help her strengthen her clan. She and Xiao-Mei make their way to Central, where they encounter Yoki and Scar and join up with them after hearing that Scar, too, is chasing after the Fullmetal Alchemist. Mei is the first to recognize the symbols tattooed on Scar's right arm as the Dragon Waves, a purification array that represents the basis of Alkahestry.

Drawn to Scar's underlying good nature, Mei becomes his ally and friend, rescuing him and healing his wounds after his ill-fated encounter with the Elrics, Hawkeye and Gluttony. In return, Scar warms up to her and helps her locate and follow Alphonse Elric when it appears that he has abducted Xiao-Mei. The two follow Al and Gluttony into Father's underground lair, battling both his army of guard chimeras and the sinking feeling that the power that flows within Central is not a wholesome one.

Upon breaking into Father's inner sanctum, Mei learns that Edward Elric is not, in reality, the statuesque, princely figure she had fabricated and in a rage of misplaced vindication, bursts into attack, revealing that she is still able to transmute within Father's presence as Amestrian Alchemists are not. She is injured battling Gluttony and is forced to escape from the battlefield hidden inside Alphonse's armor.

Alphonse takes Mei to be treated at the home of Dr. Knox, where she encounters and recognizes Ran Fan as a retainer of the Yao clan and challenges her to a duel, as each of the twenty royal heirs are seeking to eliminate each other in the bid for the Emperor's favor and, subsequently, the throne. Their skirmish is cut short by the intervention of Dr. Knox, who refuses to allow two of his patients to injure each other further. As Knox tells Alphonse the gruesome story of the Ishval Civil War, Mei and Ran Fan listen on.