Alex Louis Armstrong

Major Alex Louis Armstrong, also known as the Strong Arm Alchemist is a State Alchemist and officer in the Amestrian State Military. The scion of the illustrious Armstrong family, Alex is a remarkably caring commander and friend as well as an invaluably skilled ally to Colonel Roy Mustang and Edward Elric.

In the manga, Major Armstrong began his military career during the Ishval Civil War as a Human Weapon on the front lines, in that time he hasn't grown a mustache. Though carrying his valiant family heritage and his own sense of duty along with him, the atrocities of the Ishval Massacre and the inhumane tasks he was ordered to perform overwhelmed the young Major. During a mission to box in fleeing Ishvalan civilians for eradication, the Major was ordered to create a containment wall with his alchemical skills so that the regular soldiers could pick them off with rifle fire. As Alex surveyed the carnage afterwards on his own, he saw a surviving Ishvalan woman and her mother hiding from soldiers and, instead of reporting or executing them, opened up a hole in the wall and told them to escape. Though Alex's conscience was appeased by this act of treasonous mercy, he watched in horror as the two women were killed by the explosion alchemy of Solf J. Kimblee, the Red Lotus Alchemist. Kimblee told Armstrong that he was lucky no one else saw his release of the Ishvalans or else he'd have been courtmartialed. Sickened by the meaningless deaths, Major Armstrong became unable to fulfill his duties, enraging his superior officer - Brigadier General Fessler - who ordered the Strong Arm Alchemist sent away from the field for disobeying orders and called the Iron Blood Alchemist in to replace him.

Alex Louis Armstrong is first introduced to the story when he arrives in East City from Central City with Lt. Col. Maes Hughes to collect Shou Tucker for trial. Unfortunately, the arrest becomes an investigation when Tucker and his transmuted daughter are found murdered in their home and Armstrong recognizes the manner of Sewing-Life's death as similar to the style of State Alchemist killings in Central. He and Hughes discuss the matter with Colonel Mustang, describing their suspect as a mysterious man known only by the X-shaped scar on his face. When The Scarred Man attacks Edward and Alphonse Elric, Armstrong steps in and reveals his own combat alchemy proficiency by taking the fugitive head on. As the first State Alchemist to see Scar's combat style and live, Armstrong is also the first to realize that the murderer uses alchemy himself, stopping at the Deconstruction stage. Surrounded, Scar escapes and Armstrong regroups with the others.

Both badly damaged, Edward and Alphonse prepare to head to Resembool for repairs and, as no one in Mustang's Unit have the time or capabilities to escort them while Scar is hunting them down, Armstrong exuberantly takes up the task. On the way to Resembool, however, he recognizes his old colleague from the Ishval Civil War, Bio-alchemist Dr. Tim Marcoh. Edward insists that they get off the train and pursue the fleeing doctor to his home, where the three alchemists have a talk. Though Marcoh's research into the Philosopher's Stone was a military secret and his whereabouts would be valuable to Central Command, Armstrong decides not to report him and continues to Resembool with the Elric brothers. While there, Alex becomes acquainted with Winry and Pinako Rockbell and learns more about the tragedy of Ed and Al's past.

In the Legacy of Chris Thorndyke,

And he is reprised by Christopher Sabat in the English dub and will be voiced by Banjo Ginga in the Japanese dub, due to the loss of Kenji Utsumi.