hohenheim van

He is the father of Edward and Alphonse Elric, the protagonists. Known as a brilliant and renowned alchemist, he left his family—Edward, Alphonse, and their mother Trisha—when Alphonse was an infant and Edward was very young. Years later, Edward still harbors resentment towards him for abandoning them, believing it contributed to their mother's death. In the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, he is referred to as "Van Hohenheim," not Hohenheim Elric. As Edward points out in book 14, "Elric is my mother's name!" In the 2003 anime version, Hohenheim has lived for centuries. He worked in a lab that exploited "witch trials" to create the first Philosopher's Stone. Although he succeeded, it cost him his life. His lover at the time, Dante, attached his soul to the nearest man in the room, reviving him. They continued this practice for many years until Hohenheim fell in love with and married Trisha Elric. After fathering Edward and Alphonse, he left out of fear that Dante would use his children against him and due to shame over his past. His flesh was deteriorating, so he wore cologne to mask the smell. He can perform alchemy without circles because, like Dante, he saw beyond the Gate when he died. In the manga and the 2009 anime adaptation, Hohenheim is a human Philosopher's Stone. Homunculus (Father) was a test subject at a lab where Hohenheim worked and gave him his name. The king of Xerxes demanded the secret of immortality from Homunculus, who complied. A country-wide transmutation was performed, but Father lied about the center of the circle, engulfing both himself and Hohenheim into the Gate. Hohenheim awoke to find everyone in his country dead. Homunculus explained everything and revealed that Hohenheim now possessed half the power of the stone. This act of gratitude led Hohenheim to travel to Xing, where he founded the art of Alkahestry. (Source: Wikipedia, edited)