Envy is the secondary antagonist of the Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 anime series,
Appearance
This version of Envy appearance is mostly the same as his manga counterpart, except with a more slender and agile physique along with dark green hair (rather than black or wispy). His true form has shoulder-length blond hair and golden eyes, much like his father and half-brothers, as well as sharing the same skin complexion as them.
In his leviathan form, Envy's body is mostly green with a grayish-white under-belly along with dark-gray spots in next to the two colors. Envy's eye color is still the same as his androgynous form, excluding the cat-slit pupils. Envy has dark-yellow spots on his face, in-between his eyes and nose. He also has two green fins behind his neck (one on each side), six thin gray wings (three on each side), and his tail resembles those found on a sea serpent.
Personality
This incarnation of Envy is depicted as being jealous of the fatherly love Edward and Alphonse received from Hohenheim. Although he hates both of the Elric brothers due to their relation to Hohenheim, his animosity is geared mostly towards Edward (often mocking the alchemist's size, usually by calling him "Pipsqueak").
Envy is a certifiably murderous, cruel, aggressive, manipulative, and sadistic psychopath, so he shows no remorse and is all too gleefully insane for all his actions, from killing Hughes to mortally wounding Ed. He has also clashed occasionally with the other homunculi (particularly Greed), and shows he has no love for any of his brethren's as well. He is loyal towards Dante and acts as her high-ranking enforcer throughout the series, despite being aware of Dante's true intentions of keeping the stone for herself.
Envy has a singular desire to kill Hohenheim, due to the lack of acknowledgment of being his son and the abandonment he felt after his father saw him as an abomination. This resentment was so great to the point where he threw himself into The Gate to personally kill Hohenheim. This aforementioned hatred remained in Conqueror of Shamballa, with Dietlinde Eckhart stating that Hohenheim was the only means of keeping him under control; Envy appears satisfied in finally achieving his life-long vendetta against his creator, despite knowing the risk of him being transmuted as well. Similarly, Envy displays hatred at any reminder of Hohenheim, even stating he cannot forgive Ed for being related to Hohenheim, and beating Pride into the ground for referring to him as Envy's father. While Envy also greatly resembles Hohenheim in his true form, he ops for a completely different appearance and even lies to Lust that he does not remember how he originally looked.
In his dragon form, Envy shows little traits of his former personality and it appears that his behavior becomes more akin to that of a wild animal rather than the arrogant and cunning individual he once was: opting to roar and hiss at Edward rather than taunting him (despite his capacity for human speech), as well as making several reckless attempts on the young alchemst's life. It's speculated that this mental state could be the result of his psycological breakdown from the time he forces The Gate to take him to Earth, coupled with being stuck as a dragon for the past two years.
Unlike most of the other homunculi, Envy has no desire for the Philosopher's Stone nor becoming human. He is also more intelligent and deceitful than the manga version, and perhaps even the other Homunculi, as he manipulated Wrath into becoming obsessed with vengeance, so he could "run out and do what he is meant to do."
History
Envy in the 2003 anime series.
In the first anime, Homunculi are based on failed Human Transmutations intended to bring the dead back. Because of this, Envy, being based on Hohenheim's dead son, is male rather than being a genderless entity. Whether Envy is male or genderless in their typical Homunculus form is unknown.
Out of all the Homunculi, Envy serves as the primary antagonist of the group. He is first seen at the end of episode 2 of the 2003 series, where he starts to impersonate the tarnished Father Cornello. He is not seen in his preferred form until the beginning of episode 14, and he does not reveal his original form until episode 50. As the oldest Homunculus, he claimed that he had forgotten what he originally looked like. However, it was actually a lie stemming from his hatred towards his father, Hohenheim, resulting in him transforming to look nothing like his original form. This was because Hohenheim was the one who created him as an attempt to bring back his first son (who died of mercury poisoning around the age of eighteen) and abandoned him. Envy hated all humans and followed Dante mostly for the opportunity of killing as many people as he could. This is what drove him in all that he did; unlike the other Homunculi, he did not care about the Philosopher's Stone, nor about becoming human. His most prominent murder was that of Maes Hughes. After his cover was blown while impersonating Second Lieutenant Ross, Envy transformed into Hughes' wife, Gracia, and used his hesitation to fatally shoot him. He also served as a key in imprisoning Greed, with whom he had a long-standing grudge against, within the Fifth Laboratory. It is also notable that Envy had no love for his Homunculi brethren and mainly antagonized his first "brother," Greed. Also, he quickly turned upon Gluttony, Wrath, and even the higher ranked Pride. The only person that posed the possibility of a relationship with him was Dante herself. He was usually her enforcer and often carried out her whims more directly than most of his comrades. He was also apparently more comfortable in her presence than the rest of the Homunculi. However, he also lashed out at Dante with particular intensity when she impeded his ambitions of death and revenge. Well aware of the power that Dante held over him, Envy was at once the most uncontrollable yet most reliable member of her legion.
Envy's true form as Hohenheim's son in the first anime.
Envy's original human form is revealed in the penultimate episode of the 2003 series. He was created three hundred and eighty years ago by Hohenheim in an attempt to resurrect the son he and Dante conceived, who died from mercury poisoning when he was 18 years old. Envy held a great hatred towards him for never being acknowledged as his son and for abandoning him and Dante. As a result, he also hated his younger "half-brothers," Edward and Alphonse, as they obtained the fatherly love that he himself never received. When learning from Dante that Hohenheim was gone, Envy snapped at being denied his wish to kill him. Dante, however, remarked that the Elric brothers are still alive and now have the Philosopher's Stone, as a consolation prize to curb his anger. The fact that they possessed the Stone and would regain everything they lost made him more jealous of them and more intent on making them suffer as he had. However, Edward managed to see through his disguises and tricks, until the Homunculus revealed his true form (an imitation of Hohenheim's deceased son with Dante) and his connection to Hohenheim. That stunt was all it took for him to successfully kill Edward, as the distraction gave him enough time to pierce him through the heart. He is then transported to The Gate by Alphonse, meeting up with Edward again. Upon learning that Hohenheim was still alive on the other side of The Gate, Envy was able to successfully open and make his way through the doors. Once inside The Gate, The Gate Children attacked him, but he fought them off by transforming into Edward. Just before reaching his father, he changed once again into his original human form, likely to get The Gate Children to take him to Hohenheim faster. By the time he made his way through to the other side, Envy took to a serpentine dragon form.
Conqueror of Shamballa
Envy's dragon form from the movie.
During the two-year gap between the end of the anime and Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy was captured by the Thule Society sometime after arriving on Earth to find Hohenheim. With Envy in his massive serpent form, the Society intended to use him as a literal Ouroboros to open a physical Gate and transfer their soldiers to "Shamballa" on the other side.
Around the time of Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy had escaped and took shelter in an abandoned castle, only to cross paths with Edward once again. In their ensuing fight, Envy was attacked on all sides by the Thule Society, who recaptured him and managed to get a small regiment of soldiers to the other side for a short time. During this time, Hohenheim was imprisoned and offered Envy as a sacrifice in order to keep the "Great Serpent" calm as they formulated their plans. In the end, it was Hohenheim who sacrificed his own life, using Envy as his means and enabling Ed to return to his own world in a final act of redemption for his sins. Thus, Envy finally realized his sole desire to kill his father, ultimately at the cost of his own life. He was the seventh and final Homunculus to die in the series.
Powers and Abilities
This version of Envy is more skilled in combat, with his attacks ranging from simple punches and kicks to Capoeira-like techniques. Envy is also a gymnast and moves with superb finesse. In fact, he knocked down Pride and had to be distracted by Wrath for Edward to pin him down.
Very much like his manga counterpart, Envy can change his form to whomever he chooses and copy their voices as well. Envy takes advantage of this technique to catch his opponents off-guard, often by turning into someone the target cares about. He also has the typical homunculus strength, speed, and regeneration abilities.
As a dragon in Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy uses his large body and powerful jaws to fight (as seen in his fight with Edward Elric); he managed to fell one of the planes the Thule Society used to capture him. Because he came through The Gate, Envy was seen glowing with mysterious alchemic marks, which proved to be a key component in activating The Portal to Amestris.
Relationships
Hohenheim of Light
Envy held a special resentment towards his "father/creator" for abandoning him and because of that very reason, is why he rejects his true form (claiming to have forgotten it). When hearing that Hohenheim had came out of hiding, he drops what he was doing and confronts Dante on Hohenheim's location. Envy goes into a fit of rage when Dante allegedly robs him of his sole purpose. When learning from Edward that Hohenheim currently resides in the alternate dimension, Envy recklessly throws himself into The Gate in order to reach him, ultimately sacrificing his shape-shifting ability in the process. During his time on Earth in "Conqueror of Shamballa", Envy remained fervant in the quest for vengeance and does eventually meets Hoheneim again (ironically with the help of the Thule Society), the latter whom is fixed in the jaws of his dragon form for the time being (Dietlinde Eckhart confirms this to be the only method of taming The Great Serpent). While Envy's exact intentions towards Hohenheim is unclear, he nevertheless expressed satisfaction in achieving his revenge against his creator that spanned for almost 400 years.
Dante
While Dante is the "mother" of the person Envy was based on, he never referred to her in a familial manner (like he does with Hohenheim), and treats her with indifference. Their true relationship is solely based off of the common ground regarding the abandonment they've both suffered from Hoheheim. Envy acted as Dante's enforcer and carries out her dirty work (only being content with the satisfaction he gets from the pain and suffering of others), he's also aware of his master's true motives and manipulative nature. Although the two work together very well, Envy once lashed out at her for banishing Hohenheim (feeling robbed of his chance to exact vengeance), regardless he still assists her in the final phase of her master plan (holding off Wrath and later fighting Ed), up until the point where he was accidentally transmuted by Alphonse.
In spite of this aforementioned loyalty, Envy ultimately abandons Dante in the end (ironically like most of the other homunculi), solidifying the fact that his personal desire (via killing Hohenheim) took top priority over any chance of seeking a way back to aid Dante.
Edward and Alphonse Elric
Envy is resentful towards his younger half-siblings for having the fatherly love he never had. He sought to make them suffer any way he could (whether through physical or psychological abuse), spitefully calling Ed "pipsqueak" or attacking him, not caring in the slightest about Al's fragile predicament as a philosopher stone.
Next to Hoheheim of Light, killing the Elric brothers is his secondary goal in which he did succeed in killing Ed for a time.
Greed
Envy and Greed appear to dislike one-other, the reason was never stated, but it could've been linked to Dante and this animosity is further augmented by Envy being responsible for sealing Greed away in the 5th laboratory.
Homunculi
Other than Greed, Envy has interacted with the rest of his homunculi brethren:
Lust - Envy and Lust appear to be comfortable in each-other's presence, with the two usually having casual conversations. Another thing to note is how they confide in each-other about different things. It's also important to note that Lust is the only homunculus and characrer that Envy has a positive relationship with (not to mention that he doesn't become offended at all when Lust asks about his true form).
Gluttony - While Envy is usually indifferent to him, he has no problem threatening Gluttony for impeding Dante's plans. At the same time, Envy displayed visible concerned for Gluttony twice, the first time was when Dante lobotomizes him into his pure sin and the second time was when his lower jaw melted by Alphonse.
Pride - Although they've interacted once, Envy appears to have an open disdain for Pride, perhaps due to his relationship to humans (although he has taken King Bradley's form several times). This relationship is further strained when Envy spitefully calls Pride a "puppet" and Pride's comment on Envy's personal life caused a violent reaction from the former.
Sloth - Whilst Envy appears to be more or less annoyed with Sloth's bossy and patronizing personality, they are at least shown to be able to work together if told to. Interestingly when Sloth was being fed the Red Stones by Dante, Envy appears intrigued by her "development process".
Wrath - While Envy initially acted as a role-model of sorts to the young homunculus, he ultimately viewed him as an expendable tool to help further Dante's cause (showcased as he has no problem physically reprimanding Wrath for his behavior of attempting to resurrect Sloth). By the time Edward and Envy fought in the penultimate episode, he becomes irritated and steps on Wrath for trying to aid Edward.
Trivia
- Envy is said to be the first-born homunculus, making him the oldest in this continuity.
- It is strongly possible that Envy's mercury poisoning occurred from the ingestion of mercury. Mercury was once thought to be a key ingredient in the elixir of life, so it wouldn't be too much of a reach to guess that Dante and Hohenheim fed him doses of mercury so their child could gain immortality.
- Envy has the distinction of being the first Homunculus born and the last to die.
- It is a mystery as to why Envy's true form looks anything like Hohenheim, as Hohenheim is in the body of a different man to whom Envy would bear no resemblance.
- It could be possible that Hohenheim recreated his original body through alchemy, given his viewpoint on body-swapping, as he could no longer stand taking bodies. It may explain how Dante and Envy immediately recognize him.
- In the movie Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy is permanently stuck in his dragon form, unable to use his shape-shifting powers due to the lack of alchemy in that world.
- He can still speak as a dragon but is unable to move his mouth in the form of a human tongue.
- Similarly, while Envy is being shot by planes, at certain points the dragon roars are coupled with human-like wailing (although this is more noted in the English dub).
- In the Chibi Party OVA, Envy's dragon form is revealed to be a costume and can thus remove said outfit, showing his preferred form (much to Ed's surprise).
- In the description of the 31st episode on Netflix, Envy is mistakenly referred to as female.
- In episode forty-six, while Envy has a breakdown over being unable to kill Hohenheim, Pride mocks him by asking if Envy misses his 'birth father' and Dante also refers to Envy as Hohenheim's child. This foreshadows that Hohenheim was both Envy's father and creator.
- In the same scene, Envy angrily states that he be the one to kill Hohenheim. Once more, this proves to be true, as Envy does finally kill him during Conqueror of Shamballa.
- Envy was the first homunculus to have been created in an attempt to resurrect a family member. He was followed by Wrath and Sloth.
- Envy is the first and only homunculus to have attempted to cross through "The Gate", despite the fan theories of him being dead, mainly because homunculi are made through alchemy.
- This was further elaborated in Conqueror of Shamballa, where Envy is revealed to have successfully crossed over.
- Even Edward himself is left baffled by Envy's overall presence in this alternate realm.
- Many people of the fandom label Envy's true form as "William" Elric.
| Homunculus |
|---|
| Father |
| Lust | Gluttony | Greed | Sloth | Wrath | Envy | Pride |
| 2003 Anime Exclusive |
| Wrath | Sloth | Pride |