Vato Falman

Vato Falman is an Amestrian soldier initially stationed at the East Area Headquarters in East City and one of Colonel Roy Mustang's most trusted subordinates, handpicked by the Flame Alchemist for his outstanding abilities and qualities. Falman is an intelligence expert with a remarkable memory capable of recalling even the most minute details of any location, situation or person. In addition to being an honest and hardworking soldier, Mustang recruited him as a sort of walking recording device, able to store information without leaving any physical evidence. Because his intellect is his area of expertise, he does not have much experience in the field, causing him to make rookie mistakes when in a combat situation. He is overly formal and responds to simple or offhand questions with an encyclopedic response, causing some of his comrades to wish he would lighten up.

2003 anime
In the 2003 anime series, Falman plays little more than a supporting role, providing comic relief and backup alongside his comrades Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda and Kain Fuery. He first appears during the Bald hostage incident aboard General Hakuro's train in Episode 5 and acts as backup while Edward and Alphonse Elric retake the engine room from Bald and his fellow hijackers. In the first anime, it seems that Falman is not quite as trusted by Mustang, as he has to request to be included in the group transfer to Central City while Havoc, Hawkeye, Breda and Fuery were chosen without their input. Once there, he is charged with keeping tabs on Mustang's doings by the Central Command.

Manga
In the manga, Falman plays a much more significant role beginning with the covert interrogation of Barry the Chopper. In order to confirm whether or not the mysterious armored prowler is indeed who he claims to be, Colonel Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye summon Warrant Officer Falman to ask him questions regarding the infamous Chopper case. With his impeccable knowledge of the victims' identities, locations and times of death, Falman barrages Number 66 with questions, even throwing in some trick questions intended to trip up a fake, but reports to the Colonel that #66 got them all correct, indicating that their captive is the real deal. Falman stands by as Roy continues his own interrogation of Barry and mentally stores the information gleaned therefrom regarding the Homunculi, Laboratory 5 and the Philosopher's Stone. Under the pretense of worrying about his subordinate's safety, Mustang asks Falman to forget everything he had heard, but when Falman responds with a smile that his memory is far too good for that, he falls into his boss' trap and is tasked with keeping an eye on Barry to keep him out of the public eye and from killing civilians for fun. Falman spends his next several days on official leave, holed up with Barry in an apartment safehouse with no outside contact save for a couple visits from 2nd Lt. Havoc and nothing to keep his sanity besides the daily paper and beating the Chopper at chess.

When the daily paper arrives with the front page headline announcing the conviction of Second Lieutenant Maria Ross in the murder of Brigadier General Maes Hughes, Falman makes an emergency call to Colonel Mustang. However, Barry also sees the headline and, recognizing Ross from a previous encounter at Lab 5, asks to talk to Roy instead. Barry and Roy concoct a plan to get Ross out of jail and to safety before her execution, but Falman, who is not in on the plan, is knocked unconscious by the Chopper, who considers explaining the situation too troublesome. When he comes to some time later, he calls Mustang's office to inform the Colonel that Barry has disappeared, but the Flame Alchemist is unable to receive the call, since he has also left to fulfill his part of the mission. Barry returns to the safe house shortly afterwards with Ling Yao in tow, much to Falman's displeasure. As Falman berates Barry for leaving and for bringing a stranger back to their hideout, Ling's retainers, Lan Fan and Fu appear at their master's behest, furthering Vato's frustration. As Barry and Ling converse and the Xingese prince issues orders to his subordinates with no regard to the Warrant Officer, Falman begins to realize that he has lost control of the situation and fallen out of the loop.

Falman barely has time to come to grips with this realization, as the enemy begins their own counteroffensive. Recognizing Number 66 from the reports of Maria Ross' breakout, the Homunculi have sent out Barry the Chopper's human body - animated by the insertion of a lab animal's soul - to locate him, as the body is inexorably drawn to its own soul and vice versa. Falman is confused when Barry - who lacks the sense of touch - feels a sudden chill, but is himself alerted to the intruder's presence by way of the terrible odor of its rotting flesh. Falman opens fire as the human shell attacks through the window, but is told by Number 66 (who recognizes that this is all part of Roy's plan to fish out the Homunculi) not to kill it. As the two Barrys combat furiously, Falman asks Lan Fan to back him up, only to be informed by her that the crazed human puppet is not the only enemy; there are more strange souls nearby numbering in the dozens. Falman defies Barry's orders and opens fire on the intruder again, hoping to at least lessen the number of attackers by one, but is unable to land a hit. Just as Lan Fan assures him that the other presences are holed up somewhere else and not moving, a masked, black clad figure bursts into the apartment wielding firearms. Falman is quickly subdued by the newcomer, who then provides cover fire for the Chopper. As Lan Fan confirms that the stranger is an ally and then leaves to engage the other enemy, Warrant Officer Falman recognizes the scent of cigarette smoke on the masked gunman's person and asks aloud whether it is 2nd Lt. Havoc come to help them. Havoc becomes furious and berates Falman for blowing his cover when he was clearly wearing a mask to conceal his identity from the enemy, blaming the Warrant Officer's lack of combat experience. Havoc informs Falman that he, Hawkeye and Fuery had set up a surveillance center in the adjacent apartment at the time of Barry's jailbreak and apologizes for having to keep Vato in the dark so as to keep the enemy from sensing their trap. The 2nd Lt. orders Falman and Barry outside where Hawkeye can provide proper cover fire from a nearby sniping position.

When Colonel Mustang arrives on the scene and chases the two Barrys with Havoc, Hawkeye and the newly arrived Alphonse Elric in tow, he orders Falman to stay behind, clean up any evidence and tell anyone who questions him that he was being held captive by the criminal who had broken the fugitive Maria Ross out of jail.

Later, Falman is transferred to Northern Headquarters when Mustang's group is broken up by the homunculi. He is subsequently transferred again, this time to Briggs' Fortress where he is given what amounts to janitorial duties despite his official promotion to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. There he reunites with the Elric brothers, and helps them and Briggs' forces plan against the homunculi.

Trivia

 * Falman's military identification code, as shown in Episode 17 of the 2009 series, is IGO4649.


 * It is possible that, in keeping with the series' trend of naming members of the military after military hardware, Falman was named for the Farman series of French fighter planes.