Lan Fan

Ran Fan (ランファン, Ranfan?) is a retainer of the Xing Empire's Yao Clan, a personal bodyguard of Prince Ling and the granddaughter of Ling's other bodyguard, Fu. Fiercely loyal to her prince, Ran Fan's devotion to Ling borders on romantic infatuation, as insults to his name cause her to fly into a rage, overwhelming her better judgment and dulling her usually sharp combat abilities and she becomes flustered when unmasked in his presence.

Ran Fan is first introduced into the series alongside Ling in Rush Valley, appearing to cordon Edward Elric at her master's behest in order to learn more about the Philosopher's Stone. When Edward resists, Ran Fan engages him in combat, keeping just above the Fullmetal Alchemist's melee combat skills with her Xingese Martial Arts until Edward begins badmouthing the prince, at which point Ran Fan's moves become more linear and wild as her fury increases. Though Edward takes advantage of this long enough to destroy her mask with alchemy, Ran Fan uses the opportunity of his surprise at her identity to cut the wires in his automail arm with a well-placed kunai and ignite one of her grenades. After the rubble from the explosion settles, Ran Fan is horrified to see Ed's metal arm sticking up from beneath rocks and fears that the prince may be displeased that she killed his target, but upon taking it by the arm realizes that Fullmetal had removed his inoperative arm and made a large snare trap with it for her. Even while captured, Ran Fan demands he mask back lest the Prince see her face, but she manages to escape with Fu while Ling creates a diversion.

Ran Fan and Fu tail Prince Ling as he tags along with the Elrics to Central City, but manage to lose him as Ling wanders off to find free food, but are summoned to him again some time later by smoke signals after he is broken out of prison by Barry the Chopper and led back to Warrant Officer Vato Falman's safehouse. While Fu escorts 2nd Lt. Maria Ross to Xerxes, Ran Fan stays behind to keep watch over Ling and when the Prince goes over to question Alphonse Elric, he orders her to stay behind with Barry and Falman. Ran Fan, thanks to her ability to sense human presence, responds immediately when Barry the Chopper's re-animated body (sent by Lust ) attacks the safehouse. As Falman struggles to hold off the walking animal-like puppet, Ran Fan informs him that she can sense even more hostile presences nearby - about twenty or more clustered in one spot. She leaves to investigate the oddity when 2nd Lt. Jean Havoc arrives to provide backup and is surprised to find that the crowd of people she felt were all contained inside one being, the Homunculus Envy, who is both shocked to have been discovered in hiding and that Ran Fan as able to determine that he had several souls inside his body.

Envy engages Ran Fan in combat, but the young bellatrix prove to be far too much for the Homunculus, managing to "kill" him several times without being injured herself and identify him even when disguised as another person or animal. Ling returns to Ran Fan's side to aid her just as Gluttony arrives to back up Envy and Ran Fan relays to her master that these strange creatures seem incapable of death and may be the key to immortality that they seek. The battle between the Yao warriors and the Homunculi continues until nightfall, when a frustrated Envy and Gluttony decide to end the fight and eradicate all witnesses by morphing to their true forms. But before they can, the disembodied voice of Pride echoes through the streets, commanding the two to stand down and return to base. As they leave, Ran Fan apologizes for allowing the key to immortality to escape, but Ling asserts that in doing so, they may have narrowly escaped death.

With Fu still in Xing, Ran Fan serves as Ling's companion and bodyguard as he discusses immortality with Alphonse and cooperates in Edward's plan to capture a Homunculus for interrogation. Ling offers himself and Ran Fan for the plan, saying that, when the Elrics manage to draw one out of hiding, they will be able to sense their presence and come in as backup. Ran Fan and Ling lie in wait as Edward and Alphonse use Scar to bait the Homunculi into action and when Wrath and Gluttony appear on the scene, the Yao warriors sense Gluttony's souls and spring into action. Ran Fan has an easy time dealing with Gluttony on her own and informs him that he cannot escape, as his presence is very distinctive. Unfortunately, Wrath overhears this and, having a human body and therefore a presence of a human, is able to attack Ran Fan with his swords before she is able to identify him as a threat. Though Ran Fan is able to dampen the sword strike at the last minute and even break one of the Fuhrer's swords, she sustains severe injury to her left arm. Unable to move or defend herself, Ling must step in to protect her and carry her on his back when Gluttony makes a move to devour her. Though she not only is unable to assist Ling as he battles Wrath, but also serves as a hindrance as he must fight with her on his shoulder and impairing his right arm, Ran Fan manages to ignite some of her grenades to help Ling escape from the Homunculi. Unfortunately, as Ling and Ran Fan flee, they realize that Wrath and Gluttony are steering them toward a dead end. Ran Fan, wracked with guilt over burdening the prince, asserts that with her left arm immobile and her fighting skills nullified, she will only lead to Ling's death at this rate. He refuses to leave her behind, but Ran Fan draws a kunai and informs him that there are several things that can be sacrificed for duty. Biting down on her collar, Ran Fan uses the kunai to cut off her injured arm. The two tie the arm to a stray dog in order to leave a misleading trail of her blood for Wrath to follow while they slip into the sewers to escape.

After leaving to help Edward, Alphonse and Lt. Riza Hawkeye capture Gluttony, Ling returns to pick Ran Fan up and take her to safety in the cottage Colonel Mustang has prepared just outside Central City limits. Mustang brings Dr. Knox, who performs emergency surgery on Ran Fan's shoulder wound to save her life. As she suffers on the makeshift operating table, Ling ponders aloud to the Elrics, telling them that he had thought the conviction he carried with him to Amestris would be enough to succeed, but that he now realizes Ran Fan had carried much more conviction than him. The surgery goes well and Ed and Al check up on Ran Fan as she recovers, asking if they can get her anything. She replies with a smile that she would like them to help her acquire a new automail left arm. Edward promises to introduce her to a great mechanic, but when Gluttony breaks free of his bonds and goes on a rampage, Ran Fan must be moved to Knox's house in the city for further treatment while Ling and the Elrics stay behind to fight. Ran Fan protests leaving her prince in danger, but is too weak to resist as she is sped to safety.

In protecting Ling, Ran Fan is severely injured by King Bradley. To get Bradley off her trail to give Ling a chance to escape, she cuts her left arm off and ties it to a dog to lead Bradley away. After regaining consciousness she and her grandfather leave Ling so that she can get automail surgery to restore her arm. The moment her surgery is complete and she has recovered to the point of being able to move (though not to the point of having complete control of her new arm), she rushes to Ling's side to start protecting him once again.