is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from
Hiromu Arakawa
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for the manga series ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' (2001–2010), which became a hit both domestically and internationally, and was adapted into two anime television series. She is also known for ''Silver ...
's ''
Fullmetal Alchemist
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 20 ...
''
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series and its adaptations. Winry is a teenage
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...
who often spends time with the central characters, brothers
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and
Alphonse Elric
is a fictional character and one of the protagonists in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa. Alphonse is a child who lost his body during an alchemical experiment to bring his deceased mother ba ...
, who are childhood friends of hers. Specializing in mechanical repair, specifically
prostheses
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
called automail, Winry services Ed's replacement arm and leg. Originally meant to be introduced in the series' first chapters due to its lack of female characters, some of Winry's traits are based on Arakawa's own life. In the first
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation, ''
Fullmetal Alchemist
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 20 ...
'', Winry is voiced by
Megumi Toyoguchi
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated by 81 Produce.
Some of her starring roles are Yao Sakurakouji in ''Miami Guns'', Ran Kotobuki in ''Super Gals!'', Winry Rockbell in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' (first anime), Sei Sato in ''Maria-sama ga Mite ...
in Japanese and by
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass (born November 16, 1981) is an American voice actress, ADR director, and script writer at Funimation, New Generation Pictures and Bang Zoom! Entertainment who provides voices for English versions of Japanese anime series an ...
in the English version. In the second anime adaptation, ''
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'', she is voiced by
Megumi Takamoto
is a Japanese voice actress from Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Biography
Takamoto auditioned for roles since junior high school, becoming a voice actress without attending training schools or vocational schools. She thought she would go to a train ...
in Japanese, with Glass reprising the role in English.
Besides being in the manga and anime series, Winry is also in the first anime's
sequel film and
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
s (OVAs). Readers of the manga have ranked her among the top ten characters in the series. Periodicals and other media for manga and anime fans have praised her for her attitude, her relationship with the Elric brothers, and her development across the manga series.
Creation and conception
Hiromu Arakawa wanted to introduce Winry in Chapter 3 of the manga due to the lack of female characters in the first two chapters and because of her importance, but her editor told her it was too soon to do it. Arakawa was satisfied with her debut, considering Winry a "buffer" who helps the reader understand the Elric brothers' problems, since, although she finds it hard to talk to them, she is able to understand their feelings. Thus, Arakawa thinks Winry has the most difficult position of the three.
Winry's occupation in the series was inspired by Arakawa's opinions about how people had to work hard in order to eat. Additionally, the way Winry and her grandmother Pinako welcome the Elrics into their home after the Elrics' mother's death reflected Arakawa's views on how people should react to social problems.
When asked in 2006 who her favorite ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' characters are, Arakawa found it hard to decide, but at the time she picked Winry along with the Elrics and
Riza Hawkeye
The ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scienti ...
. Arakawa has also stated that she enjoys drawing Winry immensely.
Megumi Toyoguchi
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated by 81 Produce.
Some of her starring roles are Yao Sakurakouji in ''Miami Guns'', Ran Kotobuki in ''Super Gals!'', Winry Rockbell in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' (first anime), Sei Sato in ''Maria-sama ga Mite ...
voices Winry in the first ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' anime series, but Megumi Takamoto voices her in the second. In both English adaptations,
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass (born November 16, 1981) is an American voice actress, ADR director, and script writer at Funimation, New Generation Pictures and Bang Zoom! Entertainment who provides voices for English versions of Japanese anime series an ...
wound up voicing Winry, even though she never thought to audition for the role. Glass tried out for Al,
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
, Lust, and Hawkeye; it was her audition for the character of Rose and her previous "hyper" voice in the ''
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.
Helices
Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:[Scar
A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...]
.
Winry is portrayed in the series as kind, optimistic, and sincere, acting as a concerned and compassionate family member to the Elrics in their company. She had known
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and
Alphonse since childhood. In the story, she was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed while serving as doctors in the Ishvalan war. She lived with her grandmother in Resembool from then on. Known as an "Automail
Otaku
is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...
", she is fascinated by any and all types of machines, tools, and excels in building and repairing automail. Along with her grandmother, Pinako, also a famous automail engineer, the two run a small shop out of their home. Winry is known to be an automail prodigy. They made and installed Edward's automail arm and leg after he lost his original limbs in a failed human transmutation of his mother.
Winry takes it upon herself to make sure that his automail is in top form, and travels to service it when as needed.
This dedication is either out of enthusiasm (due to these moments making up most of the moments she gets to be with Edward and Alphonse, as well as getting paid for each) or
out of frustration (due to Edward constantly breaking his automail, which she is worried as to how Edward breaks the arm and what dangerous situations he is put in). In the first anime series, it is hinted that Winry and Edward share romantic feelings for each other, but this is never confirmed. In the manga and second anime series, Edward is unnaturally flustered by the mere thought of being romantically linked to Winry, while Winry eventually realizes that she loves Edward and has for most of her life.
After three all-nighters, she forgets to add a screw to Edward's automail and so it breaks after one of his fights. Winry goes to Central City to fix Edward's automail, feeling guilty (as Edward is in the hospital as well), but quickly overcomes it when she realizes no one else has any idea about the screw.
She then spends the night at the house of
Maes Hughes.
While the Elrics continue their search for the Philosopher's Stone, they decide to go meet their old mentor, Izumi Curtis. Winry gets them to take her to Rush Valley, the automail capital of the world, along the way, much to their dismay. There she meets a pickpocket named Paninya. They become friends because Winry convinces her to try to earn her money honestly and helps her out and her interest in automail. Winry also meets the family of Dominic, an automail engineer, and when Dominic's daughter-in-law goes into labor, Winry successfully delivers her baby at the mere age of 15, saving the lives of both the mother and baby. She asks to be Dominic's apprentice, but is refused both because Dominic doesn't take apprentices and because he has an unexplained past with her grandmother, Pinako, and is terrified of her. He introduces her to another engineer named Garfiel, who happily takes her on.
Some time later, Winry returns with the Elrics to Central Headquarters and finds that Hughes was murdered, leaving Winry grieving.
When the Elrics confront the criminal Scar once again to get closer to the Philosopher's Stone, Winry goes there to try to help them, only to discover during the fight that Scar killed her parents during the Ishvalan War.
Overcome by disbelief and grief, Winry points a gun at Scar, but Ed jumps in front of her and pins the gun down, allowing Scar to flee with Al in pursuit. Winry becomes distressed that she couldn't bring herself to shoot because of how he killed her innocent parents, but Ed reassures her that her hands aren't meant to kill, but are meant for saving lives.
After Ed delivers her to the custody of others, despite her desire to have him stay, Winry spends the rest of the day with King Bradley. After Scar escapes, Winry is urged to return to Rush Valley by her loyal customers, and Ed promises her the next time he makes her cry they will be tears of joy. After this, she realizes she has been in love with him.
After the Elrics and
Roy Mustang
is a fictional character from the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa. In the series, Mustang is a State Alchemist of Amestris' State Military, as well as the superior of the series' protagonist, Edw ...
discover Bradley is a Homunculus, Winry and Riza Hawkeye respectively are used as hostages by the military to gain their obedience. Winry later discovers that the Elrics have traveled North, and she heads there as well since Ed's automail is not suited for those conditions, in which he could die; State Alchemist
Solf J. Kimblee escorts her there to emphasize her "imprisonment" and gains her trust.
After Winry replaces Ed's arm, he tells her he is being forced to capture Scar for the military, but doesn't tell the entire truth. Winry goes with him and Al, but once they capture him, Winry helps Scar by bandaging his heavy wounds sustained in a fight with Kimblee's chimeras, as she thinks her parents would have done the same and learns that to save someone doesn’t mean you forgive them.
In order to both evade the military so she can no longer be used against the Elrics and secure freedom for her allies, she has a brilliant plan and decides to pretend to be Scar's hostage to cover her group's escape.
After staying in Liore for a short time, Winry is taken on a military train back into Resembool in a water tank. When she goes into her house, she tries to change clothes, only to find Ed in her room flusteredly staring, causing her to scream before calming down and having a conversation with him, saying she has missed him since their last time together. Later that night, Winry has dinner with Granny and Ed for the first time in so long, along with several others who came with them to the household. After preparing his arm, Ed tells her to leave the country, but she promptly refuses, telling him to give it all he has and not doubt himself. Unnoticed by her is the fact that Edward is now taller.
During the Promised Day, Winry is killed upon the activation of the Gate, her final word being "Ed", but is resurrected along with the rest of the country by Van Hohenheim. The Elrics return afterwards, where she keeps her promise by crying upon seeing their bodies restored and hugging them. Two years after the Elrics return to Resembool, the Elrics leave to research alchemy. Winry sees Ed off at the train station, whereupon he proposes to her in a clumsy, alchemy-based fashion, but she accepts regardless in an equally-awkward manner, much to Ed's amusement. It is shown that they later marry, and both are seen in the epilogue with their son and daughter. According to Chronicle Book 3, it is known that they have two children.
In the first anime
Winry's role changes in the first anime. In Rush Valley, Winry meets the Elrics' teacher
Izumi Curtis
The ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga and anime series feature an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is set in a fictional universe within the 20th century in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scienti ...
and learns how her stillborn son became the
homunculus
A homunculus ( , , ; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the ...
Wrath
Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat.
A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...
. Winry continues traveling with the Elrics until she learns that her parents were killed in the Ishvalan massacre by Ed's superior
Roy Mustang
is a fictional character from the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa. In the series, Mustang is a State Alchemist of Amestris' State Military, as well as the superior of the series' protagonist, Edw ...
on military orders. Winry goes to Central to meet Mustang, but is unable to talk to him when she hears from several people that he is highly respected by his friends, including the deceased Maes Hughes. Winry later meets the librarian Sheska who suspected the woman Juliet Douglas, who is in fact the homunculus
Sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
, for being responsible for Hughes' death. Both are attacked by Sloth, but the homunculus retreats when Winry recognizes her as Ed and Al's mother. Winry and Sheska go to Resembool to tell the Elrics about Sloth. Ed and Al soon set out to fight the homunculi, but only Al returns as Ed finds himself in a
parallel universe. In the
movie
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
sequel, Winry learns of Izumi's death. Later, Winry and Sheska set out to find Al who is trying to bring Ed back home. Upon Ed's return, Winry reveals she has prepared a new automail for and attaches them to him. After the Elrics are forced to leave for good, Winry continues working on automail with her grandmother.
In the OVA ''Kids'', it's revealed that three children bare a similar resemblance to Winry, Ed, and Alphonse, along with a nearly 100-year-old Edward still living in the other world, even referencing a great-great uncle Alphonse by the children. It is believed that these children are the great-great grandchildren of Edward. Whether if he married the new world's version of Winry or the Winry (if she were to travel over somehow) from his world is unknown.
In other media
In the first 2007 OVA, a drunken Winry confronts Edward about pictures of him and Noah that appeared in a magazine featuring shots and tidbits of the movie. In a second OVA, Edward is shown as a grandfather with three grandchildren with one of them being identical to Winry. In the third OVA, Winry herself does not appear, though Envy takes on her form and is kidnapped by Greed together with Al. Winry has her own
character CD named . Released on June 22, 2009, the CD features tracks based on her character performed by her Japanese voice actress in the first ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' anime series,
Megumi Toyoguchi
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated by 81 Produce.
Some of her starring roles are Yao Sakurakouji in ''Miami Guns'', Ran Kotobuki in ''Super Gals!'', Winry Rockbell in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' (first anime), Sei Sato in ''Maria-sama ga Mite ...
. In the
2017 live action film, Winry is portrayed by
Tsubasa Honda
is a Japanese actress and model.
Career
In mid-2006, Honda entered the entertainment industry after being scouted by seven different people on the same day. She then debuted as an exclusive model for the magazine ''Seventeen'' in the same year. ...
.
Reception
![Caitlin Glass by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Caitlin_Glass_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
![Cosplayer of Winry Rockbell at PF20 20140427a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Cosplayer_of_Winry_Rockbell_at_PF20_20140427a.jpg)
In popularity polls from the manga published in
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
's ''
Monthly Shōnen Gangan
is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company re-branded as Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese mar ...
'' Winry was commonly featured in the top ten, reaching fifth place in 2009. In the July 2009 issue from ''
Newtype
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime (and to a lesser extent, tokusatsu, manga, Japanese science fiction, seiyuu, and video games). It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, with i ...
'', Winry ranked ninth in the survey of best anime female characters. In the 2004 ''
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. Oth ...
''
Anime Grand Prix
The is an annual Japanese anime awards giving to recognize the best in anime of the previous year, decided by the votes of readers of entertainment magazine ''Animage'', published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. The Anime Grand Prix started i ...
poll, Winry was voted as the third most popular female character. Several types of merchandising exploit based on Winry, including action figures, key-chains and patches.
Critical response to Winry's character has generally been positive. Writing for Pop Culture Shock, Lydia Hojnacki listed Winry as a female characters she likes from the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' while commenting on her relation with the Elric brothers. Mania Entertainment's Jarred Pine liked how Winry's character is further developed in the manga than in the first anime, highlighting her first meeting with Riza Hawkeye, writing "It is such a simple scene, but it really speaks volumes about the characters." Her confrontation against Scar in the manga was praised by Sakura Eries from the same site, who was "on the verge of tears". Holly Ellingwood, a writer for Active Anime, also praised the moment, describing it as an "emotional struggle" and noting that "her own actions afterwards are some of the most riveting of these latest chapters". Ellingwood also praised Winry's appearance in the first anime noting that her "enthusiasm for anything and everything mechanical and sheer enthusiasm is a welcome change from the dire episodes preceding her arrival." However, she was saddened that her character did not appear until later episodes as the series' focus moved to the search for the Philosopher's Stone. Similarly, Ben Moscrop from UK Anime Network found the episode in which the Elrics and Winry go to Rush Valley as it helps developing her character regarding her relationship with the Elrics to the point she "really shines through."
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
's Carlo Santos praised how her appearance in the north from Amestris while meeting the Elrics brothers was a "complete game-changer" due to her status as a hostage.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockbell, Winry
Comics characters introduced in 2002
Female characters in anime and manga
Fictional female mechanics
Fictional female engineers
Fullmetal Alchemist characters
Orphan characters in anime and manga
Teenage characters in anime and manga
Teenage characters in television
Fictional child prodigies
Female characters in television