- "Hohenheim of Light" redirects here. For the episode, see Episode 44: Hohenheim of Light (2003 series).
Van Hohenheim—also known in the 2003 anime series as Hohenheim of Light (光のホーエンハイム, Hikari no Hōenhaimu)—was a deceptively ancient and extremely powerful Alchemist as well as the estranged father of Edward and Alphonse Elric. Despite disappearing suddenly during their infancy, Hohenheim returned during the course of the series in order to right the wrongs of his mysterious past.
Appearance
Hohenheim has a fairly tall, broad-shouldered gentleman with the appearance of a man of relatively healthy middle-age. He wore his long, golden-blond hair in a loose, shoulder-length ponytail with two or three loose strands of hair falling over his brow and sports a full Donegal-style beard on his square jaw. He also wore spectacles over his golden eyes, though whether or not he needed them is unknown. He had been described as "very handsome" by several women over the course of the series. In the manga, Hohenheim frequently wore a white dress shirt and tie under a black vest with matching slacks and a brown overcoat. In his youth, Hohenheim looked much like his son Edward, save for slightly increased height and a slightly more pronounced jaw.
In the 2003 anime series, Hohenheim sported a slightly doughier build, a softer jawline, and darker hair.
Personality
In his youth, Van Hohenheim had a hair-trigger temper much like that of his son, Edward, and became irrationally angry when taunted for his ignorance. He was a young man that admittedly did not have very much ambition, though remained a humble person and was thankful for the assistance of others, having full knowledge that there were things that he could not accomplish alone.
Though Hohenheim's devotion to Alchemy and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his abandonment of his family gave the impression that he was cold, instead, he is an unexpectedly softhearted, kindly individual who is quick to give compliments but loathes accepting them. Likely deliberately, he gave off a calm, unassuming, though somewhat mysterious disposition. Hohenheim appeared to care very little for his own well-being, much less his dignity and was therefore often put in situations that give him the impression of being goofy or eccentric, adding greatly to the series' comic relief.
Deep down, due his status as a human Philosopher's Stone he considered himself to be a monster and was hesitant to reveal the truth about himself to even his own family. Despite being arguably the most skilled alchemist alive, Hohenheim never one to show off or display his skills. He even often chose to perform tasks manually where it would have been easier to use alchemy instead, whether that be to hide his abilities or simply because he believed in the virtue of manual labor. He was very slow to anger and apparently a bit of a pacifist, Van Hohenheim would've rather talked out disputes than fight, frequently doing so even while he himself was under vicious attack.
Chief among his personality traits appeared to be his hopeless romanticism, given his propensity for spouting sappy lines about his love for Trisha Elric, his readiness to weep openly over her, and his charming treatment of women in general. Van Hohenheim lacked the ambition of others, clearly content to take his time dealing with things that do not demand urgency. Although he did not always openly show it, Hohenheim possessed a deep love for his family. One of the only times he was shown truly angered was when his sons were mocked, and he admitted that he ultimately wished to grow old with his family. While his love for his sons were evident, he would state that he had difficulty speaking to them due being absent during much of their adolescence (although this would really only apply to his relationship with Edward). Hohenheim was ultimately characterized by his selflessness, giving up his own personal happiness for the safety of his family and the world.
Relationships
Trisha Elric
Trisha was the love of Hohenheim's life who is personally responsible for bringing about changes in his worldview. Having discovered a person with whom he truly and deeply connected, Hohenheim immediately fell in love with Trisha and began to desire a normal life so as not to be left existing without her. Even though he loved her dearly, part of his purpose for leaving was to find a way to join his love in death when her time came.
Edward
Throughout much of the series, Hohenheim's relationship with his eldest son is rocky at best. Estranged due to his ten-year absence, Hohenheim has experienced a great amount of guilt over leaving them alone while Edward remains bitter at the fact that he never returned, even for Trisha's funeral. While his conversations with Ed are cordial, Hohenheim admits that he has difficulty communicating and connecting to him. Hohenheim recognizes that Edward has a great deal in common with him and tries to make it clear that he understands the hardships Edward has been forced to endure, mentoring him casually and providing advice and guidance for the future. In return, Ed refuses to acknowledge Hohenheim, only referring to him by his name and never as "dad" or "father", until the very end of the series. Ultimately, the two do truly love and care for each other, as Ed has shown to trust and rely on his father while Hohenheim does everything he can to protect Ed, even willing to give his own life for his sons.
Alphonse
Contrary to Hohenheim's relationship with Ed, even after years apart Alphonse reacts to his reunion with his father quite warmly. Despite fearing what his youngest son will think about him, Al seems to have no problems reconnecting with his father, easily calling him "dad" and accepting the truth about Hohenheim's situation. Although initially surprised to see Alphonse without a body, Hohenheim appears to hold no judgement or disapproval, understanding the choices and mistakes that his sons have made. In this way, although Hohenheim desires to protect his sons, it is also shown that he is one to respect their wishes and decisons, as he went with Alphonse's plan to trap Pride, even if it endangered him in the process. Hohenheim's love for his sons is great enough that he was willing to trade his own life to bring Al back, stating that it is his right and responsibility as a father. In the end, all he wished was for his sons to have a happy life and no longer burdened with his mistakes.
Father
Brought into being through the use of Hohenheim's blood, the Homunculus known as "Father" initially held a great deal of gratitude toward his blood kin for giving him life, and showed that gratitude by granting Hohenheim three treasures: a name, knowledge, and immortality. However, the last of these gifts proved to be a curse and came at a heavy price due to the Homunculus' own unquenchable hubris. Now, sharing a face and a history, the two have become enemies as Hohenheim has vowed to prevent the next phase of Father's plan. Though Hohenheim originally bore deep-seated resentment towards him, in Father's final moments, when stating his desire to become a perfect being and to never be bound again, Hohenheim recalled that in the beginning, Father was really the only one that cared deeply enough to help him change his life for the better.
Dante
Hohenheim's lover in the 2003 anime series, Dante shared in his misguided passions and mistakes but failed to learn from them, continuing their reprehensible research long after he abandoned her. However, once she made his beloved sons her new targets, Hohenheim of Light returned to his offering to tell her why her body is aging in exchange for her promise to leave his sons alone. Dante instead used Sloth, holding Rose's baby, to distract Hohenheim by reminding him of Trisha while she opens the gate. She then sent him inside, after which Hohenheim and Dante never meet again.
Envy
One of the seven homunculi in the 2003 series, Envy revealed himself as the son of Hohenheim and Dante while they were romantically involved in the past. After his death at the age of 18 due to mercury poisoning, he was reincarnated as a Homunculus, as a result, a failed Human Transmutation. Envy was always put on edge and is prone to bouts of rage whenever Hohenheim's name is mentioned and is determined to make him suffer for his abandonment of Envy to live a life with Trisha Elric and their sons, Ed and Al. At the end of the 2003 series, Envy leaps into the gate of truth with Ed to find Hohenheim on the other side, and is left in that world in the form of a serpent, unable to shapeshift in the parallel world. Hohenheim meets and is easily able to recognize Envy (despite the latter's form). Hohenheim tells Ed that he has resigned himself to his fate as a sinner and wants to be killed by Envy in order to use his first-born son's draconic body to open a permanent portal.
Abilities
The souls encompassing Hohenheim's Philosopher's Stone.
As a Human Philosopher's Stone, Hohenheim's body was capable of the same level of miraculous regeneration as those of the Homunculi and as such, he has been rendered incapable of dying or even aging - having been preserved in the prime of life and health for roughly four hundred years. His stone, however, was far greater than that of any of the Homunculi, as their Stones came from Father's stone, which was the same size as Hohenheim's. With nearly four centuries of life experience and alchemical study accumulated, Hohenheim's level of alchemical knowledge easily dwarfed that of any other human alchemist in the history of the world. With over half a million souls powering his stone, Hohenheim is not only capable of performing transmutations without the use of a Transmutation Circle, but can also transmute without moving his body at all and can even perform biological transmutations and circumvent the law of Equivalent Exchange with ease. Additionally, since he became capable of conversing directly with each of the 536,329 human souls that make up his Philosopher's Stone, Hohenheim's alchemy was extremely versatile and can be implemented in multiple locations at once even without his own will to actively guide it, so long as he has deposited some of his souls there. Additionally, it appeared to be more powerful than that of any other alchemist with a Stone due to having the support of the Stone's souls. During his confrontation with Father, he deflected several sustained energy blasts and called upon the souls of his Stone to aid him. After receiving their aid, his power was augmented to the point that Father could not overcome his shielding with anything less than a nuclear explosion. He also defeated Father during the first round of their battle, and was only overcome when Father revealed his amorphous, undamageable shadow form and enveloped him. It is likely that the alchemy he learned during his youth in Xerxes serves as the basis for the Xingese art of Alkahestry.
In the 2003 anime, Hohenheim was not a Philosopher's Stone, but rather an alchemist who had discovered a method of detaching the soul from a body and transferring it to another body using the Philosopher's Stone to circumvent Equivalent Exchange. By this method, he had managed to elude death for roughly four hundred years, but is still as vulnerable to attack as any human. Additionally, the instability experienced when a soul inhabits an incompatible body causes the body to rot more and more prematurely with each body transfer. Of his skills, his most significant was the ability to transmute light, shaping it into a physical form of his choosing and manipulating it remotely, earning him the nickname "Hohenheim of Light". Soon after his appearance in the 2003 anime, he was seen shaping light into Golems (resembling Alphonse's armor), which he caused to attack his enemies.
Trivia
- Hohenheim is named after Paracelsus, a prolific real-world 16th century Swiss Alchemist, who was born with the name "Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim"
- It is also noteworthy that the Dwarf in the Flask suggested the name "Theophrastus Bombastus"
- Pinako mentioned Hohenheim was an old drinking buddy of hers.
- Hohenheim later tells Father that he drank so much to satisfy the lust for liquor held by the soul of Sari the stablehand.
- In the greatest irony in overview, had Hohenheim stayed in Resembool and not tried to stop The Promised Day, he would have prevented Ed and Al from trying Human Transmutation, leaving the amount of Human Sacrifices at half.
- He possibly could have cured Trisha's sickness; having medical knowledge for alchemy and Xing.
- He didn't give Ed and Al his last name to keep them hidden from Father.
- It is interesting to note that while Father is defined by his seven sins, Van Hohenheim is greatly defined by the Seven Virtues. He fell in love with Trisha and remained loyal to her even long after her death (Chastity), he never abuses or exploits his power beyond what is necessary for the situation (Temperance), he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of others (Charity), he is willing to put in the work to accomplish his goals (Diligence) and is willing to endure great struggle or time in the process (Patience), and despite being incredibly powerful he uses his power to help others (Kindness) and does not see himself as superior to others (Humility).
- Hohenheim’s backstory may be a reference to the medieval European legend of the Wandering Jew. The Wandering Jew was a man who supposedly heckled Jesus Christ before the latter was crucified at Calvary. After the former’s transgression, he was cursed with eternal life and doomed to wander the earth until the second coming. This parallels Hohenheim’s arc in many ways. Like the Wandering Jew, he was cursed with an immortal body by Father, was forced to wander the earth for four centuries, and finally passed away after helping his sons thwart the Homunculi's plans on the Promised Day.
- As an interesting footnote, it is also said the Wandering Jew's real name was Ahasuerus, which is the Latinized form of Akhashverosh (אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ), which is ultimately the Hebrew rending of the name Xerxes.
- According to 「鋼の錬金術師パーフェクトガイドブック 2」"Fullmetal Alchemist Perfect Guidebook 2," the Amestris Nation was founded after the collapse of the Xerxes Nation. Hohenheim has been alive since before Amestris was founded.
- According to notes from Hiromu Arakawa in the Fullmetal Edition, originally Hohenheim was going to have a title in his name. One such was called, "Hohenheim the Supreme", but she changed her mind on the idea before publication began. This idea made it into the 2003 anime with "Hohenheim of Light."
- In his role in the manga and the 2009 series, Van Hohenheim is almost similar to Victor Frankenstein, the main protagonist in the 1818 novel Frankenstein.