Heiss Clif Arber is an anime-only character introduced in the Bonus Episode: Yet Another Man's Battlefield. He was as an Ishvalan cadet around the same time that Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes also enlisted in the military. Heiss joined in hope of becoming an officer and eliminating discrimination from within in the military, much like the motivations of Major Miles, another Ishvalan soldier.
Due to his race, many other soldiers constantly harass threaten Heiss whenever running into him, usually exclaiming, "Ew, I've got the stench of an Ishvalan on me!"
Roy Mustang first meets up with him during one of these encounters, disgusted by the fellow soldier's behavior, and tries to assist him. He later gets into a brawl with the four men upon seeing the situation yet again and, with the aid of Hughes, sets everything straight. The three of them form a friendship afterwards in their early academy days, until the Ishval Civil War.
Due to him being clad in standard Ishval attire during the war, Heiss apparently dropped out of the military upon its start, or was booted out due to his race. Either way, he meets up with Roy Mustang yet again when Mustang was ordered to take out another group of Ishvalians. The reunion is a heavy one, with Mustang in awe over finding his old friend standing before him, and Heiss in shock over seeing the man who defended him all those years ago now slaughtering his people. Full of anger and hatred, Heiss suddenly fires upon Mustang with a handgun, dropping him, but Maes leaps out, immediately retaliating by shooting Heiss in the temple, killing him. Mustang survived due to his State Alchemist watch catching the bullet, but was left in despair over the actions of the military and himself.
Trivia
- The anime version has Mustang regretting his actions due to the murder of Heiss Clif Arber, whereas in the manga it simply starts there with no previous backstory.