Riza Hawkeye

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye (リザ・ホークアイ, Riza Hōkai) is an officer in the Amestrian State Military as well as the personal adjutant and bodyguard of Colonel Roy Mustang. A sharpshooter and weapons specialist, Lt. Hawkeye is an invaluable asset to the Colonel both in office and on the battlefield and serves as his closest and most supportive subordinate.

Appearance
Riza Hawkeye is a rather attractive woman in her late twenties with a slender, yet muscular and curvaceous build, shoulder-length blond hair, and amber eyes.

Though she has been known to wear her hair down, while on the job Riza usually wears it fastened up in back with a clip barrette in a style that resembles a bird's tail; her bangs fall in a hawk's wing pattern from right to left, sometimes partially obscuring her left eye. Though she had worn her hair short in her youth, it is interesting to note that she began letting it grow out in 1910 after becoming acquainted with Winry Rockbell. Each of her ears is pierced with a silver stud and, in disguise, Riza has been known to don faux eyeglasses. Riza frequently wears a black, close-fitting turtleneck under her military uniform and often while in casual dress as well. While in civilian clothes, Riza is usually seen in long skirts, though she has noted (in Perfect Guide Book 2) that skirts, which usually restrict movement, are not welcome in the military.

In the manga, she has a large and ornate tattoo that covers most her back with large parts completely obscured by burn scars. She always wears clothes fitted to hide the tattoo.

Personality
Riza is a quiet, collected woman, with a usually serious demeanor. Her sense of humor is very sharp, usually expressed by snapping back at her superior officer, Roy Mustang. She rarely relaxes when on the job and is usually tasked with keeping her colleagues on track. For those on the outside, she may seem strict, rigid and even a little mean, but those close to her know all too well she's a woman who takes her work very seriously and is also a soft, sweet woman when in intimate situations. Riza is not prone to public displays of affection. It's very common to see her hugging or talking sweetly to her dog, Black Hayate when in private. That relationship, in fact, can be a metaphor to all relationships in Riza's life: a very subtle, reserved affection combined with a deep care and a tendency to demand excellency.

It can be implied that Riza also changed across the years, from the manga. In the scenes where she's shown in her teens (probably around 16-17 years old), she appears to be a idealistic, dreamy and very shy girl. Growing up at her father's house, she probably had few friends and a somewhat lone, sheltered sort of childhood. She changes after joining the military and after Ishval into a more tortured, heavy loaded, and experienced young woman. She's still kind and sweet for her friends and those she care for, but in a more reserved and careful kind of way.

She usually doesn't express much of her feelings through words nor does she speak excessively, but reveals her thoughts through nonverbal communication with her eyes and features: sharp looks and subtle smiles are almost her trade marks. Her character shows a mix between a tortured woman looking for redemption and a resigned sort of acceptance of past mistakes and their consequences. Riza tends to try and pull responsibilities to herself so others can be spared. She believes that, in order to bring peace to people, she has to sacrifice herself to do the “dirty work”. She’s the sort of person who will always dismiss other people’s concerns, no matter how hurt she may be, always bearing grief or physical with a stern look.

While in the 2003 anime, she's seen using her guns to intimidate her work colleagues into doing their jobs, in the manga (and 2009 anime), she is never seen taking out her gun when she doesn't mean to shoot it.

Character Outline
Riza Hawkeye is Mustang's most trusted subordinate. She carries out many of the tasks he is too lazy to do, acts as his personal assistant, and protects him from danger. She also doubles as his voice of reason, keeping cool in heated situations and scolding him when he allows his emotions to get in the way. Riza specializes in firearms, particularly sniper rifles, and can hit nearly any target with lethal accuracy to the point where she even poses as a dangerous threat to the Homunculi. She's considered one of the top sharpshooters in the Amestrian Army. Her sharpshooting skills garnered her some amount of reputation during the Ishval Civil War and earned her the nickname "The Hawk's Eye".

History
Not much is known about Riza's life before the death of her father aside from the death of her mother when she was a child, but it is assumed that she spent most of her early life growing up in the relative solitude of her family's old manor with her father and, possibly, (during the time of his training) a young Roy Mustang. It is known, though, she got a proper education prior to her entering the military.

At some point in the years leading up to his death, Riza's father collected his life's research, the secret of fire alchemy, into a coded sigil and tattooed it upon his daughter's back; whether or not she was a willing participant in this procedure is currently unknown. Master Hawkeye entrusted Riza with the mission of guarding the secret of Flame Alchemy and only to reveal it to an alchemist who could prove to be a good person, who would use that tremendous and dangerous power in favour of the people.

She and her father had a difficult relationship, Master Hawkeye always being locked up in his study researching various topics while Riza took care of the house and herself. Later, she confesses to Roy she was scared of her father, who was practically a stranger to her and seemed to have gone mad during the course of developing the Flame Alchemy. Riza seems to blame that alchemy for turning “good man into insanity”. Although it’s not confirmed, it is speculated that Berthold may have drove himself into that research and become a resented man after the death of his wife. Riza watched her father get sick and wither away with his obsessive behavior with Alchemy, and actually resented him for it.

By the time Roy finished his training, thus leaving Master Hawkeye and Riza to join the Army, Master Hawkye’s health began to deteriorate, culminating in his death little after Roy graduated in Military Academy, in the year of 1905. Back to the manor to tell his master he’d joined the military, Roy watches Master Hawkeye die. Riza, responding to the screams of Mustang for help, comes in to find her father dead in the arms of his disciple.

With his last words, Master Hawkeye entrusted Riza’s safety to Roy. Having no other known relatives, Riza accepts Roy’s help, who make all arrangements for her fathers’s funeral and burial. At his funeral when Roy tells her about his dream of a united, peaceful Amestris, she decides to trust him with her father's research as she realizes they share the same dream, asking if she can entrust her back to it.

Soon after this, Riza decides to enter the military and follow Roy’s steps and, as a result of monumental losses in the field of battle, is shipped out to the front lines in Ishval’s Civil War before her training is even complete. Here she is reunited with Mustang after saving both he and Maes Hughes from an ambush by a wounded Ishvalan soldier. Before learning her identity and relationship to Mustang, Hughes simply referred her as "Hawk's Eye", and states that she had become "quite a topic among us". Their reunion is bittersweet at best as Roy laments her transformation into a killer using the phrase "even this girl has gotten a killer's eyes'"''. Riza voices their shared torment concerning the life their righteous dream has lead them to:''' "Why are soldiers, who ought to protect citizens, killing them instead? Why is alchemy, which ought to bring happiness to the people, being used for murder?"

Since she bestowed upon Mustang the secrets encoded on her back Riza considers herself to be at fault for all the lives taken through the use of her father's alchemy. When Roy finds her burying an Ishvalan child at the end of the civil war she asks him to help her prevent the birth of another Flame Alchemist by burning and crushing the tattoo on her back. Mustang vehemently objects at first, but Riza is persistent and pleads with him to destroy her bonds to her father and alchemy so that she may "become Riza Hawkeye as an individual". He reluctantly agrees and burns away only enough so as to make it indistinguishable.

Returning to the Eastern HQ, Mustang receives his subordinates and, surprisingly, Riza is among them. He wonders why she decided to continue in the military service after living though Ishval, to which she answers she believes she must take the burden to herself if she wishes to make the country a peaceful place for future generations.

Roy the renews their pact of Roy becoming leader of Amestris, by turning Riza into his personal aide and bodyguard. He bestows upon her the opportunity to watch his actions and determine whether he’s being true to that dream or not, giving her permission to shoot and kill him in case he drifts again from his “path” of making Amestris a peaceful country.



Abilities
Aside from her high-level administrative and secretarial skills (keeping subordinates in line, organizing and filling out paperwork as well as preparing tea and coffee expertly), Lt. Hawkeye is an expert sharpshooter and firearms specialist. Whether armed with a bolt-action rifle, sniper rifle, pistol or even two handguns at once, she is well-known for never missing her mark and, in the manga, made a name for herself as the infamous "Hawk's Eye" of the Ishval Civil War. A true professional, Hawkeye is able to disassemble, properly clean and reassemble a standard issue firearm in record time and rarely goes into battle with fewer than two loaded firearms on her person. Additionally, she is quite skilled in combat tactics and covert operations and is able to sense that Homunculi give off a different presence than normal threats, likely due to her experiences in combat.

Relationships
Roy Mustang - Easily the most significant of Riza's personal relationships, her connection with Colonel Mustang goes deeper and further back than any other. The apprentice of her father, Berthold Hawkeye, Riza has known Roy through, at least, a good part of his early life and throughout his entire military career and has a personal stake in how he chooses to live his life. In turn, Roy has entrusted Hawkeye with his life as his personal assistant and bodyguard and has deemed her as both his conscience and executioner by giving her the express authority to shoot him in the back should he ever step off the righteous path. Though many speculate that Roy and Riza are involved romantically (each of them has joked about the topic over the course of the series), their relationship - while not purely professional - has shown no real signs of crossing the line into the amatory yet have shown a geniune concern and devotion to each other's well-being. Riza seems to have fun “dismissing” and discrediting the Colonel in ways he wouldn’t allow anyone else to. She always have smart rebuttals whenever he attempts to boast himself, usually referring to his alchemy not being able to be used in wet conditions and calling him “useless” or “lazy”.

Winry Rockbell - Many parallels can be drawn between Riza and Winry, aside from being the women closer to the main characters of the series. When Winry first met Riza, she had a heavy preconceived vision of soldiers in military in general, since she held them responsible for war and, consequentially, the death of her parents. Upon talking to her, Riza reveals another side to the military work, about her idealistic view of duty and dedicating her life to the service of the country and her objectives. Since then, although they don't share a close relationship, Winry seems to regard Riza as a role model in selflessness and dedication to her beliefs and Riza seems to cherish the innocence and purity of Winry (maybe as a reflection to her own innocence lost in the military service).

This can be seen very clearly during the gaiden called Simple People, where Riza confess to have her hair grown because she saw Winry's and liked they way they looked; and Winry confess to have her ears pierced because she saw Hawkeye wear earrings and thought they looked nice.

Black Hayate - A very strict master, Riza makes Hayate be probably the most disciplined dog ever known. As most relationships in her life, Riza has a deep care, almost motherly tone to her ways but, in the other hand, demands discipline and excellence. Hayate is clearly a valuable companion and they share a very deep loyalty bond and respect for each other. Hayate has a profound love for his master, as it is well shown in the omakes of the manga, to the point of risking his life to save hers. In the presence of Hayate, we get to see a more domestic, intimate side of Riza.

Rebecca Catalina - Riza's best friend, Becky is the opposite of Riza in terms of temperament. She's outgoing, smart mouthed woman with a sheepish sense of humor. They both went to Military Academy together and have been friends since. Rebecca is probably the only person, aside from Colonel Mustang, who knows how to push Riza's buttons and make her angry. She usually makes jokes about Riza working for famous womanizers and being assigned to important and high positions in the Army. She seems to always be pestering Riza with questions about men, boyfriends and marriage. When the two are together, we get to see just how much Riza's sense of humor is sharp and acid, retorting all indecencies and implied meaning questions Becky makes her.

Plot Synopsis
While Riza does not extend far past the role of Mustang's subordinate in the first anime, she takes on a far more central role in the manga. Throughout the manga, Riza keeps Mustang in check and often acts as his personal assistant. Her first appearance was in chapter 4 of the manga. She came into the office along with Colonel Mustang while the east-area military were gathering information about a hijacked train that Ed was on. She was also seen while the military came to pick up Ed at the train station, and trying to protect Roy from the loosened criminal, but stopped by him as he say that he could handle it himself.

Later on in Tucker's case, she told the Elric brothers about both Tucker and Nina's death, and telling Ed that "it's better if you didn't see". She is later seen while the military came to Ed's aid in his battle with Scar, after the military identified him as the killer of national alchemists. She stopped the colonel by kicking him down and started firing at Scar using two pistols, before his reckless action of intending to attack Scar using his alchemy in a rainy day. Later when major Armstrong engaged Scar in a battle, she again aimed at Scar using a rifle, yet only one of her five shots managed to graze him.

After Hughes death in chapter 15, a funeral was held. Riza came by Roy' side, asking him if he was to go back, eventually being the only one witnessing his tears. Straight after that, Roy started his investigation on Hughes' murder case. Riza helped summoning major Armstrong as told, and the latter revealed some info to them.

She also appears in a flashback in chapter 24, when Ed tells Izumi their story. She accompanied Roy (ranked Lieutenant Colonel, at that time) to pay the Elric brothers a visit, intending to recruit them. She waited outside the room where Roy was having discussions with them. Riza has then a conversation with Winry. Winry asks if Riza has ever shot anyone, to which Riza answers she has shot many people. Winry then wonders why Riza joined the military while knowing they do such terrible things, Riza's answer being "Because I have someone I need to protect". Winry eventually came to see Riza differently from the military.

In chapter 25, Riza was seen shooting before being asked to see the colonel along the others. They were told that they would be transferred to Central with Mustang. She was back in chapter 30, seeing her on her way home after buying groceries. She later encountered Barry the Chopper and summoned Mustang as Barry revealed to her that he knew about Alphonse. She was also seen while questioning Barry in a warehouse.

In chapter 35, Hawkeye was ordered by Mustang to look up on documents related to 2nd lieutenant Maria Ross. She later answered Falman's call while Mustang was out meeting Maria.

Later on, Riza assists in capturing a homunculus, acting as a sniper in the operation (using the codename Elizabeth while communicating in the process), only to be ambushed by Gluttony. Riza is then saved by Mustang's intervention, only for her to scold Mustang for being foolish and risking compromising their position. Despite this, Riza thanks Roy later on. Not soon after, the crew enter the 3rd laboratory, where Barry's body had led them. The crew, which consists of Mustang, Hawkeye, Alphonse and Havoc, split up into two groups upon arriving at a gate. Lust appears on Mustang and Havoc's side, having just injured both of them. Lust tells Riza that she (Lust) had killed Mustang. Upon hearing this, Riza completely loses her usually calm temperament and goes on to shoot Lust until all she was out of bullets, and eventually breaking down in tears. She loses the will to live without Mustang, but before Lust could kill Riza, Al protects her long enough for Mustang to arrive and burn Lust to death.In the hospital after the battle with Lust, Roy harshly scolds Riza for believing the enemy's words that he was dead but asks Riza to continue watching his back.

Afterwards, Riza assists in catching Gluttony but not before she is discovered by King Bradley (Wrath) when she drove away with Ling and Gluttony on the back seat. Riza then takes Gluttony to a safehouse out in the forest (picking up Ran Fan when on their way due to Ling's request). And upon Gluttony's escape and pursuit of Mustang, she helps take Mustang out of harm's way. Before leaving the three behind, she lent Ed her pistol, and corrected Al's saying from "It's a machine for killing" into "It's a machine for protection".

When Mustang begins to learn too much about the Homunculi, Riza is reassigned as King Bradley's assistant, a hostage to be used if Mustang steps out of line.

After their fight underground with 'father', Ed went to Riza's apartment to give her gun back to her. Though they talked about living for the person which is important, burdens, and Ed even confessed a little, their conversation ended up being Riza telling their story during the Ishbal war, the annihilation of an entire race.

Though she no longer worked under Mustang, she still kept an eye out for ways to make his plans of becoming Führer come true. She discovers that King Bradley's son, Selim Bradley, is a homunculus, while she was told that Selim is related to King Bradley by blood. She was taunted by Pride/Selim right after her departure from the Fuhrer's house. She was alone in the fearsome shadows of Pride's words, yet colonel Mustang made a call in time, saying that he's got plenty of flowers, asking if Riza wants some. He noticed the uneasiness although Riza tried to deny it, thus seeked for her in the canteen next day. Riza sends her discovery to Mustang by way of a coded conversation using the first letter of the names she mentions to spell out "Selim Bradley is Homunculus".

In chapter 83, when Riza met up with her friend Rebecca, who is actually delivering a message from Lieutenant General Grumman to Roy on "The Promised Day". She later visits Havoc, taking along a pack of cigarettes which consists of the message from Grumman, which Havoc later passes it to the colonel.

She later defects from the military to aid Mustang in the assault on Central on the "Promised Day". Riza then aids Mustang in defeating Envy, where she follows Mustang. Envy attempts to trick Riza by mimicking Mustang's appearance. Riza notices, though, and tricks Envy in turn saying that, when she and Mustang were alone, Mustang only called her Riza. Envy easily falls for this trick, and Riza proceeds to spray Envy with bullets. Unfortunately, Riza is choked by Envy but is saved by Mustang. Just as Mustang was about to finally kill Envy, Riza points her gun at Mustang, stating that if he killed Envy, he would only be consumed by rage and revenge, thus breaking their promise, using the flame alchemy for selfish purposes. Mustang still not entirely convinced, but asks her what she would do after killing him, to which she answers, "I have no desire to live a carefree, happy life alone. After this battle, my body will leave this world together with the Flame Alchemy, that only brings insanity." Upon hearing this, Mustang ceases, sorrowfully stating that he would not lose Riza and apologizes to her.

Soon after, Mustang, Riza, and Scar are ambushed by the Alchemist Doctor and the failed Fuhrer candidates. The doctor tells Mustang to perform human transmutation. However, Riza's neck was slit in battle as a result of Mustang's lack of cooperation to perform a human transmutation and become a sacrifice.

Mustang attempts to save Riza but is held back. Mustang then considers performing human transmutation to save Riza, but upon gazing in Riza's eyes, he gets the message from Riza not to perform human transmutation. Mustang reluctantly refuses to perform human transmutation, seemingly leaving Riza for dead. However, they are saved by the appearance of May and the other chimeras. May then heals Riza's neck wound enough to stop the bleeding. Riza apologizes for worrying Mustang and states that he took her eye signal well. Mustang replies that this is only because the two of them have been together for so long. Riza then is supported by Mustang until King Bradley arrives. Riza is left in the protection of the chimeras while she can only watch Mustang get his hands pinned to the ground inside a transmutation circle.

Trivia

 * The relationship between Riza and Roy is a heavily implied one, and fans refer to their relationship as "Royai."
 * In Perfect Guidebook 2, it's stated that General Grumman is, in fact, Riza's grandfather on her mother side. It's not clear whether she's aware of that relationship to the General. There's an implied joke there, when the General asks Colonel Mustang if he would marry his granddaughter so she would become the future First Lady.
 * Like nearly all military personnel in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, Hawkeye is named after a military vehicle, vessel or weapon, in her case, the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, an aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft used in the US Navy. Interesting enough, her grandfather's name was also took from the same aircraft.
 * In the Red Gaiden, aka Simple People, Riza reveals to her friend Rebecca Catalina that she let her hair grow after she met Winry at Resembool and realizing it 'might actually look good'. That reinforces a thought/phrase Arakawa occasionally brings up on the FMA manga: "The reason (why people do a particular thing) is always something simple". That exact same phrase is said by the then Captain Maes Hughes in Ishval upon the question by Major Roy Mustang: "Why do you keep on fighting?". He answers "Because I don't want to die. The reason is always something simple."
 * The name "Riza" (a Hungarian version of Thereza) has as one of its meanings "Guardian". Though it's unclear whether this was intentionally put by Arakawa, it fits Riza's story, both as the guardian of her father's secret through the tattoo on her back and the guardian of Colonel Mustang and his alchemy, not allowing him to stray from his path to become the Führer and use the Flame Alchemy "for the good of the people".
 * Mustang refers to all of his subordinates as chess pieces; Riza's is (appropriately) "Queen". The Queen is the only "female" chess piece and is the most powerful and useful piece in the game of chess, appropriate for Riza's battle ability and closeness with Roy, who is the "King".