Winry Rockbell

Winry Rockbell (ウィンリィ・ロックベル) is a fictional character from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series by Hiromu Arakawa. A childhood friend of the central characters, the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, she is often seen in their company throughout the series. Specializing in mechanical repair, specifically with prosthetics named automail, Winry services Edward's arm and leg whenever it is in need of repair or replacement. Various facts regarding Winry's character were based on Arakawa's life experiences, and was originally meant to be introduced in the series' first chapters due to the lack of female characters featured in the manga. In the first anime adaptation she is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese and by Caitlin Glass in the English dub. In the second anime adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, she is voiced by Megumi Takamoto in Japanese, with Caitlin Glass reprising the role for the English dub.

Besides her appearances in the manga and anime series, Winry is also featured in the first anime's sequel film and original video animations (OVAs). Her character was well-received by readers of the manga having ranked within the top ten from the popularity polls from the series. Publications for the manga, anime and other media have commented on Winry's character. Her attitude, relation with the Elric brothers and development across the manga series have received a positive response. Additionally, various types of merchandise have been developed based on her characters' appearance.

Creation and conception
Winry was originally meant to be introduced in chapter 3 of the manga due to the lack of female characters appearing in the first chapters. Her editor told her it was too soon, which bothered Arakawa; although Winry did not appear until the manga's third volume Arakawa was satisfied with her debut in the series. Arakawa also wanted to introduce her earlier as she considers her as an important character to the series. She calls Winry a "buffer" which helps to understand the Edward and Alphonse's problems, explaining that between Edward, Alphonse and her, the one with the hardest time is Winry as she finds it hard to talk to the Elrics although she is able to understand their feelings. Winry's occupation in the series was inspired by Arakawa's family phrase in which people had to work hard in order to eat. Additionally, the way Winry and her grandmother Pinako welcome the Elrics to their house after the Elric's mother dies was based on social problems in the world. When asked who her favorite characters were from the series, Arakawa picked Winry alongside the Elric brothers and Riza Hawkeye, though she found it hard to decide. She adds that Winry is an enjoyable character at the time to draw.

In the first Japanese anime, Winry was voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in Japanese, while in the second series she is voiced by Megumi Takamoto. Caitlin Glass, the voice actress for Winry in the English dub of both adaptations, said that she never thought of auditioning for her, as she had originally tried out for Al, Rose, and Hawkeye. It was through auditioning for Rose that the voice production team said that she could do Winry due to her "hyper" voice type from the Spiral series. She adds that she just said one line of dialogue before she was given the role.

Appearances
Winry's first appearance in the manga is when the Elric brothers return to Resembool in order to make Winry and Pinako create another automail for Edward's right arm after it was destroyed by the Ishbalan "Scar". Winry is portrayed in the series as kind, optimistic, and sincere, acting as a concerned family member to the Elric brothers whenever in their company. Having known Edward and Alphonse since childhood, she maintains a close friendship with the two. In the story, she was orphaned at a young age when her parents, serving as doctors in the Ishbal war, were killed, so she lived with her grandmother in the town of Resembool from then on. Known as an "Automail Otaku", she is fascinated by any and all types of machines, tools, excelling in building and repairing automail, and she takes pride in her work as a mechanic. Along with her grandmother, Pinako, who is a famous automail engineer, the two run a small automail shop out of their home. They are also the ones who 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 will go out of her way to travel for servicing when it's needed. 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, Winry eventually realizes that she loves Edward and has for most of her life. Ed shares similar feelings for her, but he constantly denies it. However, she forgets to add other parts to the automail, leading it to be broken after a short time. Therefore, Winry goes to Central City to fix Edward's automail.

While the Elrics continue their search for the Philosopher's Stone, Winry accompanies them to Rush Valley where she asks Dominic, an automail engineer in Rush Valley, to be her teacher. After Dominic realizes that Winry is Pinako's granddaughter, he decides to introduce her to another technician, Garfiel, who happily accepts her, because he is terrified of Pinako, and even terrified by mere memories of her. Some time later, Winry returns with the Elrics to the Central Headquartes and find that their friend Maes Hughes was murdered. When the Elrics confront Scar once again in order to get closer to the Philosopher's Stone, Winry discovers during the fight that Scar killed her parents during the Ishval Civil War. She tries to shoot Scar, but Ed jumps in front of her to protect her from Scar and pins the gun down. After Scar escapes, Winry returns to Rush Valley.

Due to her importance in the lives of the Elric brothers, Winry is used as a hostage by the military to gain Edward's obedience. State Alchemist Solf J. Kimblee takes Winry to the North Headquarters, saying that Edward's automail needs maintenance but just to keep using her as a hostage. Therefore, the Elrics are forced to capture Scar for the military, but Winry later bandages him as she thinks her parents would do the same. In order to escape from the military's possession, she decides to act as Scar's hostage. Winry is taken on a military train back into Resembool in a water tank. When she goes into her house, she finds Ed in her room, who tells her to leave the country, but she refuses, wanting to help Ed in any way that she can. In the epilogue a picture is shown of Winry and Ed holding two children.

In the first anime
Winry's role in the series highly differs in the first anime. In Rush Valley, Winry meets Ed and Al's teacher, Izumi Curtis, and learns how her son became the homunculus Wrath. Winry continues traveling with the Elrics until she discovers that her parents were killed by Ed's superior, Roy Mustang, while talking with two Ishbalan boys. 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 of the woman Juliet Douglas, who is in fact the homunculus Sloth, from the military from being responsible of 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 to fight the Homunculi but only Al returns as Ed finds himself in a parallel universe. When he finally does return in the first anime's movie sequel, she embraces Ed in tears. Winry reveals that she has prepared new automail for Edward, and upon his return, attaches them to him. After Edward is forced to leave her once again, Winry continues working on automail with her grandmother.

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. During Ed's explanations, Winry becomes infuriated with jealousy and beats him with wrenches and screwdrivers. In a second OVA, Edward is shown as a grandfather with three grandchildren. One of the children resembles Winry, though it is unknown who Edward married, the parallel universe's Winry or his own who might have found a way across. In the third, Winry herself does not make an appearance, though Envy takes on her form and is kidnapped by Greed together with Al. Winry has her own character CD named Hagaren Song File - Winry Rockbell (Hagaren Song File - ウィンリィ・ロックベル). 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. For the Brotherhood series, Megumi Takamoto cover her character song, titled Look Up At The Sky.

Reception
In characters popularity polls from the series published in Monthly Shōnen Gangan Winry has commonly been featured in the top ten from each poll, reaching 5th place in the latest one. In the July 2009 issue from Newtype, Winry ranked ninth in the survey of best anime female characters. Several types of merchandising have been developed based on Winry's likeness including action figures, key-chains and patches.

Critical response to Winry's character has generally been positive. Lydia Hojnacki from mangalife.com listed Winry within the group from female characters she likes from the Fullmetal Alchemist while commenting on her relation with the Elrics brothers. Mania Entertainment's Jarred Pine liked how Winry's character is further developed in the manga than in the first anime, remarking her first meeting with Riza Hawkeye which he claims "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 found she was "on the verge of tears" while reading the volume. Holly Ellingwood from Activeanime also praised such 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 first 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 the Edward and Alphonse's search for the Philosopher's Stone. Carlo Santos from Anime News Network praised how her appearance in the north from Amestris while meeting the Elrics brothers was "complete game-changer" due to the fact she was instead being used as a hostage. On the other hand, Samuel Arbogast from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews criticized Winry's character commenting she seems to be only "stale" character and adding that she "irritates me to no end".