Wrath is neither my favourite or least favourite. He’s an odd character as he can be kind of annoying and I can see why a lot of fans don’t really like him. I’d rate the Untainted Child, Wrath’s introductory episode, as one of the weaker episodes in fma 03 (though the gate scene is good.)
But I also really appreciate Wrath as he is kind of powerless and didn’t exactly choose to be a villain – it was forced on him. That’s true to a lesser extent with the other homunculi but it’s especially true with poor Wrath, the titular untainted child.
Wrath’s only real memory is of his creation where Izumi creates him using her dead child’s remains and upon seeing her monstrous creation, throws him back into the gate where he is trapped within the dark abyss for years before stealing Ed’s limbs and gaining enough power to finally escape.
Harrowing as that is, Wrath intially can’t remember and is an innocent creature who just wants to have fun and doesn’t really understand humans. However, he immediately faces rejection from Ed and Al, then gets attacked by the military before finally regaining his memories just in time for Izumi to take him to the island and choke him to death (though she does change her mind).
It’s Envy who offers him acceptance and a real identity, then Sloth who takes care of him, giving him some level of motherly affection. Yeah, It’s no wonder that he chooses to stay with the other homunculi.
So Wrath poses the question of whether the homunculi are evil, if it’s just in their nature. And the answer isn’t quite straightforward. Wrath isn’t really evil so much as confused, and yet he craves red stones, which are made of human lives. At one point, Hohenheim speaks to Al, saying something along the lines of how the homunculi may start off like innocent children but overtime their desires inevitably corrrupt them. He’s not quite an unbiased speaker, of course, but the idea that their existence is literally a crime against nature, much like human chimeras are abominations, is certainly there. Nina’s existence seemed so hopeless to Scar that he considered destroying her to be a mercy kill, no act of cruelty. Indeed, Wrath’s death scene in CoS suggests he was somewhat suicidal. (I won’t discuss that any further now.)
Mostly though, Wrath’s actions are borne of rage and frustration and a desire for attention, not malice, (though he does seem to enjoy fighting Ed and Al). Izumi is a confusing mess of conflicting emotions for Wrath. Let’s say there’s a great amount of anger and hurt from her abandonment, hatred for how he was created mixed with a craving for affection and fear of her. And some jealousy over her relationship with Ed and Al. He doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings and literally just runs away when she confronts him.
I described Envy as a ball of emotion but I really should have reserved that description for Wrath because oh my this kid will fight anything. He’s like a wrecking ball that somehow manages to mess with everyone’s plans, causing everyone trouble – including himself.
When Lust decides to ally herself with the Elrics, Wrath takes it upon himself to fight her and ends up killing her. Then he is reckless enough to merge himself with Sloth – leading to her demise. Then he’s annoying Dante and Envy beats him up and then he actually ends up helping Ed while he’s fighting Envy. At no point does he consciously consider switching sides or anything, he’s always reacting in the moment.
The sheer number of characters he manages to upset just by existing and acting on his emotions is actually impressive. It’s seriously a wonder that he ends up as practically the lone survivor who gets the fairytale ending of going to Risembool to reunite with Al where Winry makes a pair of automail limbs for him.
He was forced into the role of villain but by the end, he doesn’t want to have the role anymore and becomes just a loose end.
All in all, Wrath’s story is not a satisfying one, it’s a messy kind of story that this anime seems to specialise in where not everything ties off nicely at the end. Wrath lives though. He’s lost interest in being a monster with all the other homunculi dead and he gets to continue living. It’s an optimistic end.
Wrath, like the other homunculi, was not evil, but continually manipulated and used because he was unnaturally powerful but emotionally vulnerable as a result of his creation. I like how CoS shows him having mellowed out, he’s not really happy but he’s now nice to Al and it’s implied he gets a happy end with Izumi, which is nice. He’s one of the good guys in CoS.
Zetalial 