Edward Elric was the kind of person to take risks; though he was not ignorant-no, Edward Elric was always aware of the dangers that persisted when putting his life on the line.
Although to the untrained eye, the Fullmetal alchemist was foolish, selfish, a military lap dog, this was quite the contrary.
The Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People, Edward Elric, was a selfless child with a heart of gold to match his eyes and hair. The child who committed the ultimate taboo among alchemists at age 11, seemed to be an evil act of greed. However, this deed was meant only to bring his deceased mother back from the dead. The child was willing to offer his limbs to the Gate of Truth, to throw himself whole-heartedly to God in exchange for his mothers life.
Yes, his beloved mother had been stolen from life when she was struck with illness, leaving Edward to look after his younger brother... as his father had left him at a young age.
The rumor has it that Edward had put his younger brother, Alphonse Elric, into a cold, unfeeling suit of armor...but again, these rumors have been tainted. The boy had offered his arm in exchange for retrieving his younger brother's soul from the Gate of Truth.
This is the Fullmetal Alchemist; a dog of the military, a genius, a two limbed alchemist, and the Hero of the People.
Along his journey, he wished to bring his little brother's soul back to his flesh body: Alphonse had no ability to sleep, eat, feel...and Edward's only wish was to save him from his misery. And at age 12, he received prosthetic limbs and set out to become a military alchemist. His journey continued for four years; a struggle with battling 7 deadly sins, suffering death, pained by truth and burdened by his own power.
Now, at age 16, irony kicks in on our hero; His brother has been returned to his body, only to be pained by the same illness that had killed his mother-the one that has no cure.