The fact that this show is still being discussed so many years after it ended is almost proof in itself of how great it is. Hohenheim is awesome, nice job.
@@solitary2 *laughs in literary theory* real ones, that I've attended in London. One of them spawning a book called philosophy and Fullmetal Alchemist, which it a collection of essays which was a compilation of the best papers. That one very dated though and I didn't keep up with that branch of research so there may be other books. I'm sure of that one at least, though. Animation is still narrative, and we study a variety of it today. Video game theory is an entire branch to itself, and so is new media narrative. University is exciting, don't let the stuffy ones fool you.
while ed is the main character, there are so many that fit the criteria, with ed being one of them ed, al, mustang, hoenheim, scar, and even greeling to a certain extent
@@bradens.3125 Ed is the PROTAGONIST as in the first person followed most and who introduces us to the world, but these others and including him are main characters, there's just a lot of them.
Kenneth Satria The reason why this story is so good is because the creator was so insanely efficient with her storytelling. It’s a masterclass in how to get as much story and characterization across as possible. It’s really insane to think about how it’s only 64 episodes but feels so much longer.
You just made me realize how unfortunate Hohenheim life was. When he didn't care for anything he obtained a lot. When he cared a lot he was robbed everything. When he obtained the little he craved for he had to purposefully leave it behind. He had to live when he hated it and had to die when he desired to live. I guess he's pretty hopeless. Yet he managed to die with a smile on his face.
hitler, just hitler, literally hitler I think that was just an image. I don’t think an afterlife as we know it would exist in a world where equivalent exchange is the basis for everything
@@seijin4426 wdym. From Ed's perspective, his father left him for no reason and as a result, their mother died without his company and they didn't have the guidance to know that bringing her back from the dead was wrong.
@@chiefakif2739 oh ed absolutely knew. Al knew better too but ed was arrogant and willfully ignored the warnings and dragged his brother along with him. Hoinheim "might've" been able to prevent them from committing human transmutation by simply being there, but I feel like despite that ed still would've done it if the opportunity presented itself. It's difficult to say how hard von would've tried to put his foot down if he suspected questionable behavior from them. At the very least he would've delayed their actions.
One of the things I love the most about the scene where Ed finally calls him father is that it emphasises how Ed has always been trying to fill a somewhat fatherly role for Al despite the small age difference. So it makes sense that Al wasn't angry with Hohenheim for leaving, since he always had an older (not taller) male figure taking care of him. It also shows how big of an emotional burden Ed was carrying this whole time, and despite being angry with Hohenheim for that he was clearly desperate for fatherly support, making the recognition of him as a father way more emotional for both of them.
Wow, you're right. He's hell-bent on prioritizing Al that he ignores his own suffering. It's so heartbreaking ugh. Also his very last memory of Hohenheim before he left them was when he turn his face or making scary/impassive face (I forgot which one, I watch this years ago) which is not very nice. Add it with Trisha's death (that he knows of because she's missing him, other than her sickness), it's just fuels his anger and resentment towards his dad. Al doesn't remember much because he was younger than Ed, aside for your clever explanation. Ah, the poor bois just wanted their family, was it too much? ಥ‿ಥ But I'm glad he at least got to call him Dad 😭
I know this is late, but i really love your comparison of Ed being a father figure to Al. As someone who didn't have a good relationship with my sibling; it's always really heartwarming to see older siblings taking care of the younger ones, and doing it out of care and love. The bond between the Elric brothers really brought a feeling of wholesomeness to the series.
Hohenheim's story is both tragic and insightful. It shows that time does NOT heal all wounds and that not confronting your past can scar you for all your life. What's even worse is that he confronted his past, or at least achieved some form of redemption, but by going about it in such a roundabout way, he postponed the peace he could've gotten. That's the sad thing with self-deprecating characters. They hide behind their closed-off facade when in truth, the only happiness they can find is in the connection with others.
Ricardo Santos He was traumatized and tortured for the majority of his existence. People mistake having to be strong and keeping things together with not being tragic. It’s tragic that he had to be so strong and face so much suffering. He directly faced the anguish of the hundreds of thousands of souls that he was tricked into taking. He felt personally responsible for the genocide of an entire country. He knew he was solely responsible for saving the world from father (which pulled him apart from his family, the only happiness he’s ever known). His sons almost lost their lives due to something that wouldn’t of happened if he was around. He didn’t want to connect with anyone because he didn’t want to watch them grow home and die. When he finally had the life he wanted he had to say goodbye. He had one of the toughest and most tragic lives I’ve ever heard in a story.
It's ironic that Hohenheim, who is always absent in his son's lives, turns out to be the most caring while "Father", who seems to be always there, led the homunculi astray that they desire genuine affection that it made one of them betray him.
Both Hohenheim and the dwarf failed at being good fathers through the series, but only one redeemed himself in the end. Hohenheim chose to bond with people despite being a slave & later as a living philosophers stone, whereas the dwarf expressed frequent contempt of humanity & plotted to take away power from his masters in his isolated flask. So its not surprising that people in general responded well to Hohenheim 's sincerity & geniality, whereas Father's personality remained stagnant and apathetic. My only nitpick with Hohenheim's death was that it was too soon after the promised day. He should have spent his remaining time with his sons until the stone ran out. As the last Xerxian survivor, he could have passed on his culture, culinary, language, personal stories etc. as a last gift.
@@fabulousmyriad267 It's not that hohenheim failed at being a good father, he always was but he had bigger priorities of saving and fixing the world from father's plans. No point of just staying with you one family when over 50 million people will be dead from one person's selfish desire for more power.
Just a possible thought about FMAB’s amazing Writing. Hohenhim was born a slave to humans. Wrath was born a slave to his father homonculus. Hohenhim is peaceful man not enjoying fighting, while Bradley put fighting for survival as the most important thing in his life ( speech to scar ). They were both human given the philosopher stone by the dwarf in the flask. Both got their name were given from him aswell. During the eclipse made by father , Hohenhim succeed in using it to activate his plan and win. The same eclipse is the one blinding Bradley and making him lose against scar. In his final moment Hohenhim decay in front of the grave of his wife "talking to her" ironically happy but a little dissatisfied ( from not being able to see his sons grow up ). In his final moment Bradley decay far from his wife talking about her ( they both valued their wife ) ironically happy and satisfied of his life. And ironically again, the two characters never meet. ( sorry if it was badly put together).
That’s actually an interesting point. Funny how two characters can be such great parallels while having no on screen/page interactions with one another.
gamo ficionado He was taken from his family as a baby and was raised for the sole purpose of serving father plan, and didn’t take any decision in his life exept for chosing his wife.
"So get this - Ed finally called me his Father". Just the way Hohenheim said that made it one of the very best lines in the entire series. And it's uncanny just how much Ed resembles him at the end, complete with the coat.
That moment of fulfillment he finally felt just be for he died and that sudden desire to live longer because of the potential happy times ahead hits home. Its that feeling you get when your plagued with suicidal thoughts and you just remember there maybe something better if you just kept going one more day. Hoenheim just wanted to redeem himself and die but now he has more to live for
@@gabygabriel7789 Nah, I went and re-read the last chapter and it doesn't happen, his story ends just like the anime. The manga is really good tho and 100% worth the read.
When I seen this video pop up on my recommendations I was expecting to see it was made years ago. Instead it said 18 minutes ago. It's amazing how a series made over a decade ago is still getting video analysis. A true masterpiece.
Just something as well about Hohenheim and Father I rarely see talked about is that Father has distinct rimples growing and has lost some color in his hair that hohenheim doesn't have. The assumption I've made with this always is that Hohenheim basically didn't use any life energy of the humans he absorbed wherin Father freely abused it. So Father was going through his extended life faster than Hohenheim.
Rising_Star_ Father did create the 7 homunculus because he wanted to be perfect. Since he did this, he would have to strip away a lot of souls from his philosopher stone. By doing so he has less life in his tank compared to Hohenheim.
That is of course, assuming Hoenheim was given and equal share of the souls. There were thousands of lives taken. Dwarf didn’t need to give him half to have eternal life. He may have, but we can’t say for sure. Definitely agree that he probably used his stone faster. Hoenheim definitely used his stone to plant souls across amestris to prevent dward from transmuting everyone into a new philosopher stone.
@@AlexanderWebster_ Father confirmed that he took half of Xerxes souls for himself, and that the other half resided in Hohenheim. Xerxes was a relatively small country, with only about 1.1 Million people
@t h y r a p o l n a z a r e p h How it would have destroyed respect for his friends? Second, Hohenheim already used his philosopher stone powers when he caged pride. Third, he doesn't even need to use his philosopher stone powers. He is already so amazing at using alchemy surely he can fight father with just his normal alchemy skills. I mean he is 1000 times more skilled than ed. And finally I want anything else but watching his philosopher stone getting destroyed after just one blast from Father. That was disrespectful. Especially when you built up in the whole series that how they represent opposite sides of alchemy.
@t h y r a p o l n a z a r e p h (I thought you said destroy respect of his friends, and interpreted that if Hohenheim fought then the people in his body won't respect him anymore. That's a misread from my side sorry. For the rest of the points) That I replied too. He doesn't need to use philosopher stone. He is extremely gifted in alchemy. We literally saw him toying with pride without even using his hands. He could transmute just by touch of his feet or without touching even(when he walked across the water before meeting pride). So we can easily have an fight scene where Hohenheim uses his alchemy skills to contain Father. I mean he is the obvious choice. He is much superior in skills than Ed.
The humanity spills off the screen with these characters, and your analysis and storytelling within these essays is superb. Thanks for the hopeful content right now
Hoenhim is ironically the most human Character in the story. He's written so well and amazingly. I love him and it's the type of writing I want to someday pull off in my works. Hoenhim is the best father in anime. Scared with having to watch those he loves die. Yet still Loving his family. I can't get over the unconditional love and fatherly protection he gave to his family. This is a fantastic video and it moved me to tears looking back on Hoenhim's arc.
This show is so god damn important to me. The last tattoo I got was the blood seal in the top of my back. This show...actually helped me get over the fact that my father left me and my family. It's so beyond special to me I dont know if I can express it. Another great video sir!
Huh. I enjoyed Hohenheim’s character, but nothing really stuck out. But this analysis really shows me just how complex and well-written he is. And honestly he may be one of my favorite characters from FMAB now. It always rubbed me the wrong way when people paint him as a stereotypical “dead beat dad”, but I was never able to express why it bugged me that effectively! Wonder analysis.
I remember reading the scene when he gets shot at point blank in the head more than a decade later, followed by him looking at the photograph of his kids and dead wife. Most effective and subtle introduction to a main character I have ever read, with all the foreshadowing work done by Edward and Alphonse nicely setting the tone for the character Van Hohenheim was to become for the series.
@@Den_Vazw_Onoma It's during Hohenheim very first apparition when he's traveling with a group which gets stopped by bandits. He gets shot at with no apparent damage which prompts the thugs to shoot him in the face to bypass a potential bullet proof vest. It might be a manga only scene
"In general, men prefer to let their actions speak."-maes hughes this held true for hohenheim even tho he was talking about ed and al in this context. even subtle oneliners crop back up in the narrative of this show
The first time I watched FMA Brotherhood I didn't truly appreciate Hohenheim. When I rewatched it the enormity of this character hit me like a truck, he is now my favourite character in all of anime. His death scene is one of the few to make me cry, and I wouldn't even say it was mostly sadness.
"I've had a fulfilling life, thanks to you it's been enough. Thank you Trisha." "I had... such a good life! Thank you Chopper!" Hohenheim's death reminded me of Hiluluk's and I believe both men are not truly dead, as long as they are not forgotten, for that is when a man truly dies.
Now you’ve finally done an analysis on all 6 (or technically 7) of my favorite characters in FMAB: Kimblee, Bradley, Greed & Ling, Hohenheim, Father and Scar (in that order from 1st to 6th). And I really enjoyed all of them. Now you just need to make an analysis on Yoki, who is clearly the greatest and deepest character in all of anime with a backstory so tragic that it would make even the toughest of men cry.
Rhinoceros You might be right. And considering how much there is to analyse, the video might take years to make. There’s enough material for a 10 minute video on his moustache alone.
Each character in the series served a purpose which is why it's such a coherent and tightly knit story. Every character, no matter how innocuous at first they may seem, gets a full character arc, which is why I'd say FMA:B is one of my favorite anime.
hohenheim is honestly one of my favourite fma characters, imo he's one of the most emotionally moving characters in the show and i love the contrast between him and father. what an incredible series
It has been years since I last watched this anime. And yet one of your videos is all it needs to remind me how it truly is a masterpiece. Thank you for that.
One of the best "Father" characters in anime, along with Ging Freecss, Byakuya (Dr. Stone), Grisha (AoT), Thors (Vinland Saga), Kiritsugu (Fate/Zero) and Soma's father from Food Wars. Anyone I missed?
@@soitriedthetutorial8317 Well I mean the same could be said for Hohenheim, the man's hardly a father figure... Considering the types of dads included in this list I think Hanma Yujiro should make the cut too lol
Not gonna lie the scene with hohenheim at the grave of Tricia literally made me kinda cry and smile thank you for this insightful video, I always liked hohenheim as a character👍
@@AliumMoAnn yes indeed it was I feel the brotherhood ending as a whole was satisfying sure it was kinda cliche "happy end for everyone" but cliches can be good if done well and it fits the overall story
@@edwardlivingston9651 Immediately after I finished it I thought "well that was nice, everyone lives happily ever after yay," but then as I thought about it I realized that it was one of the most satisfying conclusions I've seen. Literally every arc ended in a satisfying way, like with Scar's redemption, Mustang taking over the throne of the country, and the Elric brothers getting their bodies, but at a cost.
Van Hohenheim is such a good character, I feel terrible for what he went through. He went through so much in life. At least him and Trisha are together again.
Love being so early for a video! I've known you're channel for a while now and every single analysis always opens my eyes for something more love about my fav series. Keep up the amazing work.
Your essays are always so inspiring. As someone who had been systematically dehumanized as a child and coming into the world as a man void of any real sense of value in himself, I find Hoenheim to be profoundly relateable. I have a tendency to deeply immerse myself in and connect to the stories I find myself enjoying as a means to self-reflect. As someone who got married in the last year and is planning on starting a family, I cannot empathize enough with Hoenheim's story. All I have ever wanted is to have a family of my own and to live a quiet life.
Out of all the great characters in fmab, Hohenheim has to be my favorite. I would love to see the full story of Hohenheim from him being sold into slavery, meeting homonculus, the fall of Xerxes, and his travels after he obtains immortality all the way until his death. I feel like there is so much more to Hohenheim's story that we've yet to see. I personally would love to see his travels of how he spread alchemy to Xing and learn more about that country, as well as his journey through Amestris to create the transmutation circle that would stop homunculus after leaving his family in resembool. There's just so much room for amazing worldbuilding in Hohenheim's story that we only got to see a tiny bit of in ep 40 of the anime
It's been about 3 years since I watched FMAB for the first time, and a year since I did a rewatch. After watching this video, I feel like I need to rewatch it again. It's just so damn good. Truly my favorite show of all time.
I love your analyses of the FMA characters, and they also get really emotional for me.... now if you'll excuse me I haven't had a good cry in a while so I'ma do that.
Hohenheim here is one of the reasons I prefer brotherhood, even though I grew up with the 2003 version. I still love it of course and I recommend seeing both series, they are just so good! ❤
one of the best reveals in the series is the photo of hohenheim crying and one of the best call backs is the picture of ed grinning at the end, such an awesome parallel
My god i remember not to long ago when i finished the series, i honestly thought to myself that the ending was just so WHOLESOME! and one of the major parts to this accomplishment is Hohenheim's life tale in the story. God I loved it so much.
You put into words what I feel but couldn't articulate about this Phenomenal Series. You have my, and I am sure a great many others, Gratitude for these.
No matter how many times I watch Hohenhiem's death scene I start crying, like a lot! Just thinking about it while writing this I get teary eyes. That scene it's too powerful! FMA is a masterpiece!
i was really young watching fmab, so i always sided with Ed in hating Hohenheim because he abandoned them. coming back to this series, i couldn’t help but cry at the pain and misunderstandings that Hohenheim had. His desires, their desires. It started because of ambition. Because he wanted more. And yet. He was granted what he wanted in the end.
I used to wonder why hohenheim didn't make a phone call to Trisha or his sons during the days he's away from home. But the more i grow up the more I understand the reason why. Because his love to family's so much, he felt afraid that if he made a phone call or even sent a letter to his family, he would desire to come back home immediately and his mission to save ametris as well as his family would be delayed. So, he decided to left without keeping in touch with his family, he compressed his love inside his heart, trying his best to do the mission and hoping to be reunited with his family as soon as possible. Finally he completed his mission, but he was not able to predict Trisha missed him so much and she died, I think that was the most regret of his life. Hohenheim character was built as a perfect man with his talent, however he is still a human, a human with human 's behavior. A human with full of love but dont know how to express and control it. Anw I love this character so much, an adorable father and husband :((
Dooon’t think you can skip that “Terra” music by me, Alex- I see what you did there, using the village of soulless bodies when talking about an immortal being that only persists because of an over abundance of souls.
Thank you for taking the time to explain and summarize any enitre series. I never watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (chill my dudes) but i would like to start now
Ed delivered the punch and Hohenheim delivered the slap to Father. Ed’s curiosity, humility, self-sacrifice and determination is akin to his father. I didn’t like him for abandoning them, and I could only imagine how it’d be with him teaching them Alchemy. Hohenheim’s success at forming the nation-wide reverse transmutation circle in his travels alone was a slow burn that delivered an explosive result, activated when Father chose to use the nation’s souls. That’s what he was doing on his travels... setting up his chess pieces. Thanks for the vid on his humanity. And the exchange between him and Ed as Hohenheim volunteers his own soul for Ed’s passage to free Al, was touching. I cried. Ed did finally accept him and even wanted to save him - even thought of another way for passage - his own Alchemy.
Thank you for being here. Sometimes something like "huh, Van Hohenheim was a really enigmatic character. I wonder if anybody's deep dived his character before" pop into my head and you always got me.
I'm a simple a person, I see a video from Aleczandxr and I click. You could literally do a video on every single damn character in this show. That's how well written and great this anime and their characters are. Terrific video as always!
Holy shit man, awesome video. I watched this show like 4 years ago and barely realized what kind of character hohenheim is. The moment at the end shit made me cry ngl.
I’ll do my best, but please do your best to support me in turn if possible! Likes, comments, sharing - I need all the help I can get at the moment. Thanks.
Very interesting approach compared to your different videos, taking us on a journey through Hohenheim's life from beginning to end, really a beautiful way to do it.
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The biggest twist in this entire in this series is when we all thought that young Hohenheim was older Ed in the first opening.
😂😂😂 yesss
I didn't realise it till they showed Slave No.23's story! You're true indeed.
I never thought that I'm like oh that must be there dad
I never thought of it actually but it would make sense to come up with that
Nah, I was like "Who dis? Why don't we know yet.... Ohhhhh."
The fact that this show is still being discussed so many years after it ended is almost proof in itself of how great it is. Hohenheim is awesome, nice job.
The show is immortal just like Van Hohenheim was
You could literally say that about anything
We talk about it in academic conferences, because of the philosophical thematic questions it raises.
Midorikonokami “academic conferences”
@@solitary2 *laughs in literary theory* real ones, that I've attended in London. One of them spawning a book called philosophy and Fullmetal Alchemist, which it a collection of essays which was a compilation of the best papers. That one very dated though and I didn't keep up with that branch of research so there may be other books. I'm sure of that one at least, though. Animation is still narrative, and we study a variety of it today. Video game theory is an entire branch to itself, and so is new media narrative. University is exciting, don't let the stuffy ones fool you.
I love how it is basically van Hohenheims story, but told through the eyes of his children!
Such a great storytelling.
True
Super Oligarch the sins of the father...
while ed is the main character, there are so many that fit the criteria, with ed being one of them
ed, al, mustang, hoenheim, scar, and even greeling to a certain extent
@@bradens.3125 Ed is the PROTAGONIST as in the first person followed most and who introduces us to the world, but these others and including him are main characters, there's just a lot of them.
Kenneth Satria The reason why this story is so good is because the creator was so insanely efficient with her storytelling. It’s a masterclass in how to get as much story and characterization across as possible. It’s really insane to think about how it’s only 64 episodes but feels so much longer.
You just made me realize how unfortunate Hohenheim life was.
When he didn't care for anything he obtained a lot.
When he cared a lot he was robbed everything.
When he obtained the little he craved for he had to purposefully leave it behind.
He had to live when he hated it and had to die when he desired to live.
I guess he's pretty hopeless.
Yet he managed to die with a smile on his face.
yeah that sucks
He does get to spend the afterlife with his wife though
hitler, just hitler, literally hitler I think that was just an image. I don’t think an afterlife as we know it would exist in a world where equivalent exchange is the basis for everything
immortality kinda sucks
I don’t think he ever pointedly hated life (that we saw,) he was just apathetic towards it.
“I actually want to keep on living”, one of the best endings of a character’s story
"I guess I'm pretty hopeless, aren't I Trisha?"
Watching Ed trying his hardest to hate his dad was hilarious and precious.
There's no point in him hating Van Hohenheim cuz only a pathetic spineless bitch would stoop that low.
@@seijin4426 Careful my guy. You might cut yourself on all that edge
Marco Ruckwardt a simple spell, but quite unbreakable
@@seijin4426 wdym. From Ed's perspective, his father left him for no reason and as a result, their mother died without his company and they didn't have the guidance to know that bringing her back from the dead was wrong.
@@chiefakif2739 oh ed absolutely knew. Al knew better too but ed was arrogant and willfully ignored the warnings and dragged his brother along with him. Hoinheim "might've" been able to prevent them from committing human transmutation by simply being there, but I feel like despite that ed still would've done it if the opportunity presented itself. It's difficult to say how hard von would've tried to put his foot down if he suspected questionable behavior from them. At the very least he would've delayed their actions.
One of the things I love the most about the scene where Ed finally calls him father is that it emphasises how Ed has always been trying to fill a somewhat fatherly role for Al despite the small age difference. So it makes sense that Al wasn't angry with Hohenheim for leaving, since he always had an older (not taller) male figure taking care of him. It also shows how big of an emotional burden Ed was carrying this whole time, and despite being angry with Hohenheim for that he was clearly desperate for fatherly support, making the recognition of him as a father way more emotional for both of them.
Hey man, that taller part was uncalled for... poor Ed
Wow, you're right. He's hell-bent on prioritizing Al that he ignores his own suffering. It's so heartbreaking ugh. Also his very last memory of Hohenheim before he left them was when he turn his face or making scary/impassive face (I forgot which one, I watch this years ago) which is not very nice. Add it with Trisha's death (that he knows of because she's missing him, other than her sickness), it's just fuels his anger and resentment towards his dad. Al doesn't remember much because he was younger than Ed, aside for your clever explanation. Ah, the poor bois just wanted their family, was it too much? ಥ‿ಥ But I'm glad he at least got to call him Dad 😭
I know this is late, but i really love your comparison of Ed being a father figure to Al. As someone who didn't have a good relationship with my sibling; it's always really heartwarming to see older siblings taking care of the younger ones, and doing it out of care and love. The bond between the Elric brothers really brought a feeling of wholesomeness to the series.
Hohenheim's story is both tragic and insightful. It shows that time does NOT heal all wounds and that not confronting your past can scar you for all your life.
What's even worse is that he confronted his past, or at least achieved some form of redemption, but by going about it in such a roundabout way, he postponed the peace he could've gotten. That's the sad thing with self-deprecating characters.
They hide behind their closed-off facade when in truth, the only happiness they can find is in the connection with others.
Well said
@OnlyEvolutionarist You are too kind :D
Ricardo Santos He was traumatized and tortured for the majority of his existence. People mistake having to be strong and keeping things together with not being tragic. It’s tragic that he had to be so strong and face so much suffering. He directly faced the anguish of the hundreds of thousands of souls that he was tricked into taking. He felt personally responsible for the genocide of an entire country. He knew he was solely responsible for saving the world from father (which pulled him apart from his family, the only happiness he’s ever known). His sons almost lost their lives due to something that wouldn’t of happened if he was around. He didn’t want to connect with anyone because he didn’t want to watch them grow home and die. When he finally had the life he wanted he had to say goodbye. He had one of the toughest and most tragic lives I’ve ever heard in a story.
It's ironic that Hohenheim, who is always absent in his son's lives, turns out to be the most caring while "Father", who seems to be always there, led the homunculi astray that they desire genuine affection that it made one of them betray him.
Both Hohenheim and the dwarf failed at being good fathers through the series, but only one redeemed himself in the end.
Hohenheim chose to bond with people despite being a slave & later as a living philosophers stone, whereas the dwarf expressed frequent contempt of humanity & plotted to take away power from his masters in his isolated flask.
So its not surprising that people in general responded well to Hohenheim 's sincerity & geniality, whereas Father's personality remained stagnant and apathetic.
My only nitpick with Hohenheim's death was that it was too soon after the promised day.
He should have spent his remaining time with his sons until the stone ran out. As the last Xerxian survivor, he could have passed on his culture, culinary, language, personal stories etc. as a last gift.
@@fabulousmyriad267 It's not that hohenheim failed at being a good father, he always was but he had bigger priorities of saving and fixing the world from father's plans. No point of just staying with you one family when over 50 million people will be dead from one person's selfish desire for more power.
“That’s crossing a line Pride, don’t you ever mock my son!”
That line stuck with me to this day. What an impact this man left on me.
Hell hath no fury equal to a man who has everything to lose. Especially when that everything is his family.
“For the first time I felt glad to be alive, so full of life”
Why'd you have to remind me T_T
I hope to see you in every comment seciont Jellal
wait, when does he say that?
i'm in this post and i don't like it... lol
@@TheSaladTozzer just before his death
Just a possible thought about FMAB’s amazing Writing.
Hohenhim was born a slave to humans.
Wrath was born a slave to his father homonculus.
Hohenhim is peaceful man not enjoying fighting,
while Bradley put fighting for survival as the most important thing in his life ( speech to scar ).
They were both human given the philosopher stone by the dwarf in the flask.
Both got their name were given from him aswell.
During the eclipse made by father , Hohenhim succeed in using it to activate his plan and win.
The same eclipse is the one blinding Bradley and making him lose against scar.
In his final moment Hohenhim decay in front of the grave of his wife "talking to her" ironically happy but a little dissatisfied ( from not being able to see his sons grow up ).
In his final moment Bradley decay far from his wife talking about her ( they both valued their wife ) ironically happy and satisfied of his life.
And ironically again, the two characters never meet.
( sorry if it was badly put together).
Sheriff this could be a video
That’s actually an interesting point. Funny how two characters can be such great parallels while having no on screen/page interactions with one another.
Wrath wasn't born a slave to anyone.
gamo ficionado He was taken from his family as a baby and was raised for the sole purpose of serving father plan, and didn’t take any decision in his life exept for chosing his wife.
A point which Bradley himself clearly makes. He is in effect a slave to father and his will.
One of the most underrated characters in the show imo. The ending to episode 63 is easily one of my favourite moments in the entire show
Underrated, really? Most people I talk to love him.
@@easschung9442 I've seen a lot of people hate him too for some reason.
@Epic Marschmallow Its like you stole the words right out of my mouth
underrated, how?????
"So get this - Ed finally called me his Father". Just the way Hohenheim said that made it one of the very best lines in the entire series. And it's uncanny just how much Ed resembles him at the end, complete with the coat.
And based on Arakawa's concept sketches, Ed will resemble Hohenheim even more once he reaches his 40s
Rotten
That moment of fulfillment he finally felt just be for he died and that sudden desire to live longer because of the potential happy times ahead hits home. Its that feeling you get when your plagued with suicidal thoughts and you just remember there maybe something better if you just kept going one more day. Hoenheim just wanted to redeem himself and die but now he has more to live for
It also acts as a cautionary tale to the viewer/reader. Don't try to live your life perfectly, just try to live.
Congrats to everybody who eventually found the something better that made life worth living.
That sorta advice works if your a happy person I ask you what advice do you have for the outcasts and those who are constantly living in misery
The manga goes on a bit more. If I remember correctly one of the last pages is of Hoenhiem and Trisha together again. It's such a good ending.
For real ?!?!!?! I wanna see this so bad now, might read the final manga chapter
@@gabygabriel7789 Nah, I went and re-read the last chapter and it doesn't happen, his story ends just like the anime. The manga is really good tho and 100% worth the read.
@@mauricioalonso2157 It's in the final volume, after the ending, there's a part with Hohenhiem and Trisha talking about their sons.
@@mauricioalonso2157 at the very end. After the "last chapter" it's a bonus. At the end of volume 27
@@levilikesapples6267 could u link me to that?
Ed at Hohenheim’s funeral: Were gonna bring him back
Wouldn't it be alphonse?
Sara3346 probably
Ah yes FullMetal Alchemist : Fatherhood XD *probably Alphonse would say that cause Ed still hates Hohenheim
When I seen this video pop up on my recommendations I was expecting to see it was made years ago. Instead it said 18 minutes ago. It's amazing how a series made over a decade ago is still getting video analysis. A true masterpiece.
TH-cam does well.. sometimes.
Just something as well about Hohenheim and Father I rarely see talked about is that Father has distinct rimples growing and has lost some color in his hair that hohenheim doesn't have.
The assumption I've made with this always is that Hohenheim basically didn't use any life energy of the humans he absorbed wherin Father freely abused it. So Father was going through his extended life faster than Hohenheim.
Rising_Star_ Father did create the 7 homunculus because he wanted to be perfect. Since he did this, he would have to strip away a lot of souls from his philosopher stone. By doing so he has less life in his tank compared to Hohenheim.
That is of course, assuming Hoenheim was given and equal share of the souls. There were thousands of lives taken. Dwarf didn’t need to give him half to have eternal life. He may have, but we can’t say for sure. Definitely agree that he probably used his stone faster. Hoenheim definitely used his stone to plant souls across amestris to prevent dward from transmuting everyone into a new philosopher stone.
@@AlexanderWebster_ Father confirmed that he took half of Xerxes souls for himself, and that the other half resided in Hohenheim. Xerxes was a relatively small country, with only about 1.1 Million people
That’s a lot of people for ancient times.
@@theshambler6814 I mean, the Xerxes events happened around 1500 so not that ancient
He and Father really are perfect foils for one another.
But we never got a proper battle between them. 😤
@t h y r a p o l n a z a r e p h How it would have destroyed respect for his friends?
Second, Hohenheim already used his philosopher stone powers when he caged pride.
Third, he doesn't even need to use his philosopher stone powers. He is already so amazing at using alchemy surely he can fight father with just his normal alchemy skills. I mean he is 1000 times more skilled than ed.
And finally I want anything else but watching his philosopher stone getting destroyed after just one blast from Father. That was disrespectful. Especially when you built up in the whole series that how they represent opposite sides of alchemy.
@t h y r a p o l n a z a r e p h Did I use any where the word "KILL" ? I don't remember it. Can you help me find out where ?
@t h y r a p o l n a z a r e p h
(I thought you said destroy respect of his friends, and interpreted that if Hohenheim fought then the people in his body won't respect him anymore. That's a misread from my side sorry. For the rest of the points)
That I replied too. He doesn't need to use philosopher stone. He is extremely gifted in alchemy. We literally saw him toying with pride without even using his hands.
He could transmute just by touch of his feet or without touching even(when he walked across the water before meeting pride).
So we can easily have an fight scene where Hohenheim uses his alchemy skills to contain Father. I mean he is the obvious choice. He is much superior in skills than Ed.
The humanity spills off the screen with these characters, and your analysis and storytelling within these essays is superb. Thanks for the hopeful content right now
You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching.
Hoenhim is ironically the most human Character in the story. He's written so well and amazingly.
I love him and it's the type of writing I want to someday pull off in my works.
Hoenhim is the best father in anime. Scared with having to watch those he loves die. Yet still Loving his family. I can't get over the unconditional love and fatherly protection he gave to his family.
This is a fantastic video and it moved me to tears looking back on Hoenhim's arc.
This show is so god damn important to me. The last tattoo I got was the blood seal in the top of my back. This show...actually helped me get over the fact that my father left me and my family. It's so beyond special to me I dont know if I can express it. Another great video sir!
Thank you, and a big congratulations on the tattoo!
Wow bro just watched the show in 2023 this thing is a masterpiece wanted the tattoo but feared the pentagram due to my faith
Huh. I enjoyed Hohenheim’s character, but nothing really stuck out. But this analysis really shows me just how complex and well-written he is. And honestly he may be one of my favorite characters from FMAB now. It always rubbed me the wrong way when people paint him as a stereotypical “dead beat dad”, but I was never able to express why it bugged me that effectively!
Wonder analysis.
Cheers, glad you found it helpful!
He's definitely a character that you need to dig into to appreciate. The more you dig, the more you appreciate his characterization.
Hohenheim is anything but a deadbeat father...that title would go to Ging smh
Favorite character from FMA bar none. Cried for hours at the end of Episode 63 with Rain playing.
That feel :,(
" What a terrible day for *rain* "
I remember reading the scene when he gets shot at point blank in the head more than a decade later, followed by him looking at the photograph of his kids and dead wife. Most effective and subtle introduction to a main character I have ever read, with all the foreshadowing work done by Edward and Alphonse nicely setting the tone for the character Van Hohenheim was to become for the series.
wait... when does he get shot?
is this only in the manga?
@@Den_Vazw_Onoma It's during Hohenheim very first apparition when he's traveling with a group which gets stopped by bandits. He gets shot at with no apparent damage which prompts the thugs to shoot him in the face to bypass a potential bullet proof vest. It might be a manga only scene
@@NaturalHypertrophy Yeah I just watched the anime and was looking at some chapters of the manga, and it's only in the manga
Wait, I definitely saw that and haven’t read the manga. Maybe it was an after credit thing??
@@hamnkapten7977 No, I have seen the anime 3 plus times, it 100% is not included in the anime
"In general, men prefer to let their actions speak."-maes hughes
this held true for hohenheim even tho he was talking about ed and al in this context. even subtle oneliners crop back up in the narrative of this show
15:17
"So get this... He turned me into a Philosopher's Stone. Funniest shit I ever seen"
Living Lightning “he calls me, Philosopher Van”
The first time I watched FMA Brotherhood I didn't truly appreciate Hohenheim. When I rewatched it the enormity of this character hit me like a truck, he is now my favourite character in all of anime. His death scene is one of the few to make me cry, and I wouldn't even say it was mostly sadness.
"I've had a fulfilling life, thanks to you it's been enough. Thank you Trisha."
"I had... such a good life! Thank you Chopper!"
Hohenheim's death reminded me of Hiluluk's and I believe both men are not truly dead, as long as they are not forgotten, for that is when a man truly dies.
you reminded me how amazinf that zcene was.. when does a man truly die
sometimes i mourn for this show, i felt so conencted with the chracters this video reminded me they are still with me, thank you :)
You’re welcome!
I'll always cherish the days that I stayed up watching this show and HxH at 3 AM
Now you’ve finally done an analysis on all 6 (or technically 7) of my favorite characters in FMAB: Kimblee, Bradley, Greed & Ling, Hohenheim, Father and Scar (in that order from 1st to 6th). And I really enjoyed all of them.
Now you just need to make an analysis on Yoki, who is clearly the greatest and deepest character in all of anime with a backstory so tragic that it would make even the toughest of men cry.
BlazingDonut88 we can’t handle an aleczandxr yoki video
Yoki GOAT
Rhinoceros You might be right. And considering how much there is to analyse, the video might take years to make. There’s enough material for a 10 minute video on his moustache alone.
I love Hohenheim, and he's probably my favourite anime character. Thanks for making this
You’re welcome!
Hohenhiem is one of the main reasons that make me think that this show is perfection and nothing has the right to be this good
Each character in the series served a purpose which is why it's such a coherent and tightly knit story. Every character, no matter how innocuous at first they may seem, gets a full character arc, which is why I'd say FMA:B is one of my favorite anime.
hohenheim is honestly one of my favourite fma characters, imo he's one of the most emotionally moving characters in the show and i love the contrast between him and father. what an incredible series
Hohenheim is one of the best written characters of all time. Arakawa really outdid herself with his character!
I see a FMAB video done by Aleczandxr and I like it immediately because I know it will be good. Keep up the amazing work!
I know, I wasn't expecting him to do anymore and was super happy to see this
It has been years since I last watched this anime. And yet one of your videos is all it needs to remind me how it truly is a masterpiece. Thank you for that.
You’re very welcome!
Full Metal Alchemist is so good that i cried while watching a video about it, and the last time i watched it was 2 years ago...
Hoenheim has always been my favorite fma character and just one of my favorite characters ever and this sums up why perfectly
I love these breakdowns. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is such a deep series.
Damn this shit made me tear up, absolutely brilliant analysis and breakdown of this, in my opinion, underrated character.
Thank you very much!
One of the best "Father" characters in anime, along with Ging Freecss, Byakuya (Dr. Stone), Grisha (AoT), Thors (Vinland Saga), Kiritsugu (Fate/Zero) and Soma's father from Food Wars. Anyone I missed?
Leorio*
Ging is not a father... he is a interesting character, not a Father. Nobody has a decent families in HxH
@@soitriedthetutorial8317 Well I mean the same could be said for Hohenheim, the man's hardly a father figure... Considering the types of dads included in this list I think Hanma Yujiro should make the cut too lol
@@savant178 Wanna give an example then instead of being a dickhead?
@@soitriedthetutorial8317 He is indeed a father.
Yes. Always wanted to see soemthing like this about Hienheim. Seeing the story from his perspective is so sad and wonderful at the same time
Not gonna lie the scene with hohenheim at the grave of Tricia literally made me kinda cry and smile thank you for this insightful video, I always liked hohenheim as a character👍
One of the most satisfying arcs I've seen in anime lmao
@@AliumMoAnn yes indeed it was I feel the brotherhood ending as a whole was satisfying sure it was kinda cliche "happy end for everyone" but cliches can be good if done well and it fits the overall story
@@edwardlivingston9651 Immediately after I finished it I thought "well that was nice, everyone lives happily ever after yay," but then as I thought about it I realized that it was one of the most satisfying conclusions I've seen. Literally every arc ended in a satisfying way, like with Scar's redemption, Mustang taking over the throne of the country, and the Elric brothers getting their bodies, but at a cost.
Van Hohenheim is such a good character, I feel terrible for what he went through. He went through so much in life. At least him and Trisha are together again.
Love being so early for a video!
I've known you're channel for a while now and every single analysis always opens my eyes for something more love about my fav series.
Keep up the amazing work.
Cheers Miguel!
This video is awesome. :P Thank you for making it. Got back to FMA after many years and these sort of analysis help me appreciate it way more.
This is just perfect timing. I just rewatched brotherhood. So so good every single time.
Your essays are always so inspiring. As someone who had been systematically dehumanized as a child and coming into the world as a man void of any real sense of value in himself, I find Hoenheim to be profoundly relateable. I have a tendency to deeply immerse myself in and connect to the stories I find myself enjoying as a means to self-reflect. As someone who got married in the last year and is planning on starting a family, I cannot empathize enough with Hoenheim's story. All I have ever wanted is to have a family of my own and to live a quiet life.
Right. Have kids despite knowing that they might have to go through what you did if not worse.
One of the major reasons why he is my favorite character in all of fmab. Thank you for this wonderful video! Have a nice day.
great video. it reminds me why i cry at the end of his story
Thanks.
Out of all the great characters in fmab, Hohenheim has to be my favorite. I would love to see the full story of Hohenheim from him being sold into slavery, meeting homonculus, the fall of Xerxes, and his travels after he obtains immortality all the way until his death.
I feel like there is so much more to Hohenheim's story that we've yet to see. I personally would love to see his travels of how he spread alchemy to Xing and learn more about that country, as well as his journey through Amestris to create the transmutation circle that would stop homunculus after leaving his family in resembool. There's just so much room for amazing worldbuilding in Hohenheim's story that we only got to see a tiny bit of in ep 40 of the anime
When my brother first watched Full Metal Alchemist and got to the end with Hoenheim's death, he cried all night from rewatching the entire scene
It's been about 3 years since I watched FMAB for the first time, and a year since I did a rewatch. After watching this video, I feel like I need to rewatch it again. It's just so damn good. Truly my favorite show of all time.
It's been like two months since I finished it and am already feeling an urge to rewatch it...maybe I'll read the manga or watch the '03 version
Great video! The filler episode centering around Hohenheim is still one of my favorites!
Thanks!
You better not be calling "The Dwarf in the Flask" filler.
Jesus AcHe It’s the interlude Party which is technically filler. P damn good for filler tho
I love your analyses of the FMA characters, and they also get really emotional for me.... now if you'll excuse me I haven't had a good cry in a while so I'ma do that.
Glad you enjoy them! :)
Even in this video, Hohenheim's last moments still make me cry
Hohenheim here is one of the reasons I prefer brotherhood, even though I grew up with the 2003 version. I still love it of course and I recommend seeing both series, they are just so good! ❤
Awesome video on Hohenhieim! I remember really loving his development. Well written for sure
Thanks!
one of the best reveals in the series is the photo of hohenheim crying and one of the best call backs is the picture of ed grinning at the end, such an awesome parallel
Haven’t watched this anime in years but I wanna cry
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is to good like I’m actually mad
My god i remember not to long ago when i finished the series, i honestly thought to myself that the ending was just so WHOLESOME! and one of the major parts to this accomplishment is Hohenheim's life tale in the story. God I loved it so much.
You put into words what I feel but couldn't articulate about this Phenomenal Series. You have my, and I am sure a great many others, Gratitude for these.
I'm very glad you enjoyed.
YOOOOO FMA CONTENT UPLOADED 8 DAYS AGOOO???? this anime is still relevant and im proud
This right here remains my favorite Shounen.
Katakuri Fan hunter hunter
same.
@@-carn-4827 FMAB > Hunter x Hunter
No matter how many times I watch Hohenhiem's death scene I start crying, like a lot! Just thinking about it while writing this I get teary eyes. That scene it's too powerful! FMA is a masterpiece!
God I wish I could watch this show again for the first time
I cry EVERY SINGLE TIME when Hohenheim dies. It reminds me of my mother's passing.
Thanks for always putting out great content, and have a good weekend!
You too!
Goddamn AJ this vid is so good, it made me cry again just thinking about all this
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it so much!
Great video!!! He's definitely one of my favourite characters in the entire show! :D
i was really young watching fmab, so i always sided with Ed in hating Hohenheim because he abandoned them. coming back to this series, i couldn’t help but cry at the pain and misunderstandings that Hohenheim had. His desires, their desires.
It started because of ambition.
Because he wanted more.
And yet.
He was granted what he wanted in the end.
First time i cried for death of animated character was hoenheim's death.
He is easily the most underrated character in the show
This video made me remember why I loved this show and why Hohenheim is one of my favorite characters in anime.
Breaking bad and FMA brotherhood two greatest ever created.
You left me in tears, dang it!
That's the point
realy appreciate that you added that note about the tears
I used to wonder why hohenheim didn't make a phone call to Trisha or his sons during the days he's away from home. But the more i grow up the more I understand the reason why. Because his love to family's so much, he felt afraid that if he made a phone call or even sent a letter to his family, he would desire to come back home immediately and his mission to save ametris as well as his family would be delayed. So, he decided to left without keeping in touch with his family, he compressed his love inside his heart, trying his best to do the mission and hoping to be reunited with his family as soon as possible. Finally he completed his mission, but he was not able to predict Trisha missed him so much and she died, I think that was the most regret of his life. Hohenheim character was built as a perfect man with his talent, however he is still a human, a human with human 's behavior. A human with full of love but dont know how to express and control it.
Anw I love this character so much, an adorable father and husband :((
"Edward called me "Father".
He did say, "shit of a father", though."
Dooon’t think you can skip that “Terra” music by me, Alex- I see what you did there, using the village of soulless bodies when talking about an immortal being that only persists because of an over abundance of souls.
That video was beautiful. It almost brought me to tears. Excellently done.
Thanks so much!
Rewatching the series again this time with my dad and siblings. On the Briggs “arc” right now
Thank you for taking the time to explain and summarize any enitre series.
I never watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (chill my dudes) but i would like to start now
Ed delivered the punch and Hohenheim delivered the slap to Father. Ed’s curiosity, humility, self-sacrifice and determination is akin to his father. I didn’t like him for abandoning them, and I could only imagine how it’d be with him teaching them Alchemy.
Hohenheim’s success at forming the nation-wide reverse transmutation circle in his travels alone was a slow burn that delivered an explosive result, activated when Father chose to use the nation’s souls. That’s what he was doing on his travels... setting up his chess pieces.
Thanks for the vid on his humanity. And the exchange between him and Ed as Hohenheim volunteers his own soul for Ed’s passage to free Al, was touching. I cried. Ed did finally accept him and even wanted to save him - even thought of another way for passage - his own Alchemy.
You’re very welcome.
I just want to forget this anime to watch it for the first time all over again
hohenheim has the highest human nature in the fullmetal alchemist brotherhood
Every time I watch one of your videos I can't help but want to re watch FMAB for the millionth time. Truly a show that stands above the rest.
Thank you for being here. Sometimes something like "huh, Van Hohenheim was a really enigmatic character. I wonder if anybody's deep dived his character before" pop into my head and you always got me.
The story and character of Van Hoenheim will remain always to me throughout the years, thank you for this.
I'm a simple a person, I see a video from Aleczandxr and I click.
You could literally do a video on every single damn character in this show. That's how well written and great this anime and their characters are. Terrific video as always!
Thanks!
Holy shit man, awesome video. I watched this show like 4 years ago and barely realized what kind of character hohenheim is. The moment at the end shit made me cry ngl.
Love the Classic FF7 music in the back great great choice my friend, great choice.
Such a rich story, I love it.
This single man brought the knowledge of alchemy all over the world. epic.
Legit great timing! I just finished both fma and fma brotherhood because i put it off for yearssssss and have time now 👌
Please keep finding joy in making these videos, trying to understand my feelings using your work has blessed my life. Thank you A!
I’ll do my best, but please do your best to support me in turn if possible! Likes, comments, sharing - I need all the help I can get at the moment. Thanks.
@@Aleczandxr Got you big dawg!
Very interesting approach compared to your different videos, taking us on a journey through Hohenheim's life from beginning to end, really a beautiful way to do it.
Glad you enjoyed it!